April, 2009

• 24 April

  Rehn says Macedonia has chance of getting EU talks start date by end of year

  BRUSSELS, Belgium Macedonia could receive a date for launching EU accession talks by the end of this year, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Wednesday (April 22nd) after a meeting with Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki in Brussels.

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• 24 April

  UNMIK’s Zannier says six-point plan on Kosovo is being implemented

  PRISTINA, Kosovo UNMIK chief Lamberto Zannier said on Wednesday (April 22nd) that he sees elements of the six-point plan for Kosovo being implemented by the country’s institutions. The plan, proposed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and approved by the UN Security Council in October, gives more competencies to the Serb …

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• 24 April

  Karadzic says he has document proving existence of Holbrooke agreement

  THE HAGUE, The Netherlands Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic says the United States has provided him with a document proving he signed an agreement in 1996 with the US envoy in the Balkans at that time, Richard Holbrooke, guaranteeing him immunity before The Hague war crimes tribunal in exchange …

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• 24 April

  Hague tribunal still waiting for Croatia’s documents on Operation Storm

  ZAGREB, Croatia Prosecutors at The Hague war crimes tribunal have not received documents on the use of artillery by Croatian forces during their effort to regain control of the Krajina region as part of the 1995 Operation Storm, tribunal spokeswoman Olga Kavran said on Wednesday (April 22nd).

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• 24 April

  Albanian judicial institutions report to EU diplomats

  TIRANA, Albania Diplomats from the EU’s 27 member states heard briefings in Tirana on Wednesday (April 22nd) on the work of judicial institutions related to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU and preparations for the country’s 2009 progress report. The diplomats met with chief prosecutor Ina Rama, as …

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• 24 April

  Georgia to practice army interoperability in NATO drills: official

  MOSCOW, April 24 The upcoming NATO military drills in Georgia will help increase the Georgian army’s combat preparedness and interoperability with the alliance, Deputy Prime Minister Georgi Baramidze said Friday. “These will be mainly command post exercises. Of course, hardware will be used, but not tanks or long-range artillery,” Russia’s …

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• 24 April

  Georgian protesters interrupt president Saakashvili’s dinner

  TBILISI, April 24 A crowd of opposition activists gathered outside a restaurant where President Mikheil Saakashvili was eating, forcing him to abandon his dinner, as protests continued on the streets of Tbilisi. The incident on Thursday evening came hours after opposition leaders pledged to block the president’s movements in the …

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• 24 April

  EU foreign policy chief to visit Moldova

  CHISINAU, April 24 The EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will arrive in Moldova on Friday as part of a working visit following the recent riots in the country, a spokesman for Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said. During the visit, Solana is scheduled to meet with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin to …

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• 24 April

  Romania criticises Brussels for ‘business as usual’ on Moldova

  Romania yesterday criticised the European Union’s policy towards Moldova, calling for a tougher line on human rights abuses arising from the crisis-hit country’s recent political turmoil. Cristian Diaconescu, foreign minister, said there should be no talk of “business as usual” with Moldova while it was infringing EU values and so …

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• 24 April

  Romania’s former king endorses his son-in-law in nation’s next presidential election

  BUCHAREST, Romania Former King Michael of Romania took the unusual step on Thursday of endorsing his son-in-law as a candidate in the country’s next presidential election. In a speech from Elizabeth Palace, Michael acknowledged that supporting a relative for public office was not a “normal thing for a member of …

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