Archive for the month of May 2008
European Parliament displays Kosovo flag
Balkanblog — May 31, 2008 - 19:05
The European Parliament displayed the flag of Kosovo. Serbia and Greece objected to this since it would suggest the EU recognized Kosovo's independence.
Elections in Macedonia
Balkanblog — May 31, 2008 - 18:07
In Macedonia's elections, conservative party VMRO-DPMNE of prime minister Nikola Gruevski is expected to win. One of the tasks of the new government will be to get the NATO accession process back on track. Memberships to EU and NATO will benefit this relatively poor country.
Russia: EULEX requires UN resolution
Balkanblog — May 31, 2008 - 17:49
Russia’s permanent representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, said that EULEX will only have the right to operate in Kosovo if a UN Security Council resolution warrants that and if Serbia approves the mission.
Google reader: blank window
stplanken — May 30, 2008 - 23:40
It seems Firefox 2.0.0.14 is acting up more frequently and more bizarre than ever. Today, after a restart of Firefox, Google Reader loaded only partially. A blank window with only the text-based menu at the top plus the Reader logo, nothing else. Reader had been running non-stop for a week or so prior to this without any real problem.
Mirko Norac sentenced to seven years imprisonment
Balkanblog — May 30, 2008 - 18:10
In Croatia, the Zagreb District Court sentenced former general Mirko Norac to seven years imprisonment after he was found guilty of failing to stop soldiers under his command from killing and torturing Serbs in 1993. A second general on trial, Rahim Ademi, was acquitted of the same charges.
Greece, Macedonia unable to resolve naming issue
Balkanblog — May 29, 2008 - 22:16
The US hosted a conference with Greece and Macedonia in an attempt to resolve the long-standing naming issue. Delegations of Greece and Cyprus left the conference after they found out that the name Republic of Macedonia was used by the US. Greece demands that Macedonia is referred to as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The US urged Greece and Macedonia to resolve their naming issue.
Secretaries-General of UN, NATO meet
Balkanblog — May 29, 2008 - 22:03
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the UN headquarters in New York. Center of the discussion was Kosovo and the delay to the planned transfer of authority from UN to EU. NATO fears its KFOR troops might be drawn into a civilian policing role.
Serb charged with contempt of court, transferred to The Hague
Balkanblog — May 29, 2008 - 21:33
Ljubisa Petkovic — former aide to ultranationlist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Vojislav Seselj — was transferred from Serbia to The Hague. The UN has charged him with contempt of court after he failed to appear as a witness in the trial of Seselj.
Albania positive towards EU membership
Balkanblog — May 27, 2008 - 21:45
In Brussels the chair of the Albanian parliament, Jozefina Topalli, said that Albania would apply for EU candidate status sometime in the near future. She said she hoped the country would be a member in the first half of the next decade. The main opposition party said earlier the country should apply before September.
Montenegro postpones EU membership application
Balkanblog — May 27, 2008 - 21:21
Montenegro's deputy prime minister Gordana Djurovic said his country will postpone submitting its application for EU candidate status until later this year. Initially the country wanted wanted to apply by the end of June.
Serbia argues: UN tribunal cooperation is successful
Balkanblog — May 27, 2008 - 09:10
Rasim Ljajic, chairman of the National Council for Cooperation with ICTY said that the report of UN chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz is unbalanced. In a report he said that the cooperation with the tribunal is successful and that 42 out of 46 suspects have been handed over and that authorities are still on the hunt for the remaining four. He also said that only 18 out of the 1,671 requests by the tribunal have gone unanswered.