[SNN] The risk of conflict in Balkans increasing
The risk of conflict in Balkans increasing By DAN KOBAYASHI First published: Sunday, September 4, 2005 Six years after the conclusion of the Kosovo war and four years after the Ohrid Framework Agreement ended ethnic violence in Macedonia, the Balkans have settled into a real, if tenuous peace and vanished from Western headlines. But as the troubled region moves toward a final discussion of borders, minority rights and its place in Europe, the risk of renewed conflict grows. This became abundantly clear six weeks ago when three bombs exploded in the center of Pristina where I was visiting. The blasts contained a message from Albanian nationalists to the United Nations as it evaluates whether Kosovo is ready to advance to final status talks -- the Balkans are at peace today, but they need not be tomorrow, and anything short of independence for Kosovo will lead to violence. Another war in Kosovo could quickly spread to Macedonia and Montenegro, both of which have large Albania minorities, and might even draw in Albania itself. In other words, it could create the nightmare scenario that originally led NATO to intervene in the Balkans in 1999. While the sentiment in Kosovo is that independence is inevitable, the UN does not unilaterally redraw the borders of sovereign states like Serbia, so securing independence for Kosovo, and therefore peace, is completely dependent on the willingness of the Serbs to voluntary relinquish what they perceive as their spiritual and historical homeland. There is only one solution: Europe. The belief that Europe is the answer to problems of economic stagnation, corruption and ethnic tension is the only idea that binds almost everyone in the Balkans, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, party affiliation or profession. And eventual EU membership is the most powerful incentive to good behavior and reform in history. The wealth offered by the EU is so great that in most countries, political parties are willing to work together to create the open political and economic systems. The trouble is that betting everything on Europe is a serious risk. The promise of EU accession has helped win the peace in the Balkans, but the removal of that hope, a prospect raised by the recent defeat of the proposed EU constitution in referenda in France and the Netherlands, could quickly inflame the region. Even if the EU remains open to expansion, Europe is gambling that every Balkan country can reach the standards required for accession and that by admitting them all at the same time (with the exceptions of Slovenia, which is already a member, and Croatia and Bulgaria, which are scheduled to join in 2007), they can solve every border dispute and minority rights issue in one grand maneuver. But if one border dispute cannot be resolved or one country cannot respect its minorities, the whole plan could crumble under its own weight. With the EU as Plan A, there is no Plan B. The only Plan B is more war, more poverty and more ethnic cleansing. It is essential that the Europeans, the United Nations and even the U.S. listen to the message in the rumbling of the Pristina bombs -- the woes of the Balkans have not been solved, only mitigated, and unless the West can make the political, financial and intellectual investments required to prepare all Balkan countries for EU membership and the Europeans can maintain the will to embrace them, future explosions may carry more than a message. Daniel Kobayashi wrote this article for Global Beat Syndicate http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=395345category=OPINI ONnewsdate=9/4/2005 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 04.09.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 04. 09. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- It's playtime again! DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for September is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: US Asks EU, NATO for Help After Katrina US officials have asked the European Union and NATO for support after hurricane Katrina. Members of Germany's military meanwhile said they faced US resistance to delivering help. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1700331,00.html -- Hurricane survivors airlifted to safety Survivors of Hurricane Katrina are being flown to safety from devastated areas in what's been described as the biggest airlift in US history. Rescue services say about 40,000 people have now been evacuated from the stricken city of New Orleans. Survivors in New Orleans have described harrowing scenes of violence in the city, including rapes and murders carried out by criminal gangs. Tens of thousands of National Guard and active duty soldiers have been sent to New Orleans over the past couple of days and the security situation is said to have improved. Deutsche Welle's correspondent in New Orleans says the final death toll in the city is still incalculable. He's reported seeing dozens of bodies floating on the flood waters in parts of the city. Germany sends more aid to Gulf Coast A second German military jet full of supplies for the victims of Hurricane Katrina is on its way to the United States. The Defence Ministry in Berlin said the Bundeswehr Airbus was loaded with 15 tonnes of food rations. It's to land in Pensacola, Florida in a few hours' time. On Saturday, a Bundeswehr jet delivered 10 tonnes of food aid to the United States. A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Berlin said talks were planned with US Ambassador to Germany William Timken to co-ordinate further aid deliveries. The German Red Cross, meanwhile, has sent seven logistics experts to the US state of Louisiana. This comes in response to a request for assistance made by the American Red Cross. At least 14 people killed in Paris fire At least 14 people have been killed and 30 others injured in an apartment building fire south of the French capital, Paris. It's the third deadly fire in the Paris area in the past two weeks. Investigators said the blaze started in the entrance hall of a high-rise housing project in the Val-de-Marne region. Local officials said they were looking for four young people who witnesses believe deliberately set the fire. Saddam Hussein trial set for Oct. 19th The Iraqi government has confirmed that the trial of former President Saddam Hussein is to begin on October 19th. Earlier, the former dictator appointed a new team of legal experts to defend him, which is said to include several prominent international lawyers. Saddam Hussein is to be tried for alleged crimes against humanity and could be sentenced to death if found guilty. Chancellor, challenger to debate on TV Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his challenger in Germany's federal election, Angela Merkel, are set to face each other in a nationally televised debate in a couple of hours' time. Observers say the only televised debate of the campaign could help some of the many undecided voters make a decision. With just two weeks to go before the vote, the latest polls give Merkel's Christian Democrats a 10-percent lead over Chancellor Schroeder's Social Democrats. Iran dismisses sanctions' threat Iran has reacted angrily to international threats of sanctions over its nuclear fuel programme. The government said it would not stop its uranium enrichment work despite a European threat to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for a possible punitive resolution. Iran resumed its nuclear activities at the Isfahan plant last month after turning down an incentives package by three EU states. A recent report by the UN's atomic watchdog says Tehran has produced about seven tons of a gas needed to enrich uranium. The United States, which accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons, wants to take Tehran to the UN Security Council. Indian Maoists kill at least 20 soldiers At least 20 Indian paramilitary soldiers have been killed in the central state of Chattisgarh after Maoist rebels triggered a landmine under an
[SNN] ROBINSON SAYS THERE'S NO BASIS FOR THE INDICTMENT IF MILOSEVIC ONLY ACTED WITHIN HIS POWERS
VOJISLAV SESELJ - DAY 7: ROBINSON SAYS THERE'S NO BASIS FOR THE INDICTMENT IF MILOSEVIC ONLY ACTED WITHIN HIS POWERS www.slobodan-milosevic.org - September 1, 2005 Written by: Andy Wilcoxson Vojislav Seselj continued to testify at the trial of Slobodan Milosevic on Thursday. The leader of the Serbian Radical Party reiterated his testimony that neither Serbia nor Slobodan Milosevic controlled the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). He said that Milosevic bitterly opposed paramilitary formations and that Serbia prosecuted scores of illegal paramilitary fighters. The prosecution claims that the JNA imprisoned POWs and tortured them at camps inside Serbia. Seselj testified that he never heard of a single case of the JNA torturing POWs. He also denied that the JNA forcibly deported people. Judge Robinson made an interesting remark during Seselj's testimony today. He said that it was not enough for Seselj to testify about Milosevic's de-jure position, but that he must testify about the de-facto position. Robinson admitted that if Milosevic acted within the limits of his office, then there would be no basis for the indictment. Seselj guaranteed Robinson that Milosevic did only act within the limits of his office. He said that Milosevic could not exceed his authority even if he had wanted to. Seselj explained that the JNA was commanded by the Yugoslav Presidency - not by Slobodan Milosevic. He said that the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) was commanded by Radovan Karadzic - not by Slobodan Milosevic. He said that Serbia did not provide direct military assistance to the VRS - although there was indirect assistance such as the payment of certain officers salaries by the 30th personnel center. He said that the meager assistance that Serbia gave the Bosnian-Serbs paled in comparison to the massive amount of assistance that the Croats and the Muslims were receiving from the West and the Islamic countries. According to Seselj, and several previous witnesses, 70,000 Bosnian-Muslim refugees came to Serbia during the war. The obvious question is why would these people would come to Serbia if Serbia was behind a scheme to commit genocide against them? Seselj also noted that there were several Muslim members of the VRS; the same army that the prosecution says committed genocide against Muslims. Seselj denied that the VRS or the Republika Srpska leadership had or carried out a policy of ethnic cleansing. To bear this point out Milosevic read passages from orders issued to the VRS by Radovan Karadzic. These orders explicitly forbade any act that could constitute ethnic cleansing. Seselj pointed out that hundreds of Serbs had been killed by Muslims during the months before the war began in Bosnia. In particular he mentioned the massacres in Bosanski Broad and Kupres. Obviously the Serbs had something to defend themselves from, and it is not unreasonable to assume that their war objective was self-defense, rather than the expansion of Serbia's borders - especially since it was the Muslims who started killing people first. Seselj offered testimony about the events during the war in Vukovar. He said that war operations began in Vukovar after the Croatian ZNG attacked the JNA barracks there. Regarding the killings at the Ovcara farm, Seselj said that the JNA was not involved. He said that all of the killings were carried out by locals who took people they believed to be Croatian war criminals out of the Vukovar Hospital. He said that Gen. Aleksandar Vasiljevic should be questioned about this event because he was in the area, but failed to report that the killings had taken place. Seselj vehemently denied accusations that volunteers from the Serbian Radical Party had been involved. Seselj testified about Dubrovnik saying that the Croats fired at the JNA from inside of the old city in an attempt to goad the JNA into attacking the old city, which the JNA did not do. Jovan Dulovic and Dejan Anastasijevic both testified as witnesses for the prosecution and Seselj came to court today armed with information that effected their credibility. Both of these witnesses had been newspaper reporters and Dulovic had even testified at another trial in Belgrade. Seselj had documented several discrepancies between the testimony that they gave against Milosevic and what they had written in their newspaper reports and what Dulovic had said during his testimony in Belgrade. Unfortunately, the Trial Chamber refused to admit this material. Seselj had been expected to complete his examination-in-chief today, but things went slower than expected. Milosevic says that Seselj will likely complete his examination-in-chief when the trial resumes next Monday afternoon. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups
[SNN] Will the New New Orleans be Black?
CoungterPunch - Sep 2, 2005 http://www.counterpunch.org/ford09022005.html The Politics of Displacement Will the New New Orleans be Black? By GLEN FORD The Black Commentator One of the premiere Black cities in the nation faces catastrophe. There is no doubt in my mind that New Orleans will one day rise again from its below sea level foundations. The question is, will the new New Orleans remain the two-thirds Black city it was before the levees crumbled? Some would say it is unseemly to speak of politics and race in the presence of a massive calamity that has destroyed the lives and prospects of so many people from all backgrounds. But I beg to differ. As we have witnessed, over and over again, the rich and powerful are very quick to reward themselves as soon as disaster presents the opportunity. Remember that within days of 9/11, the Bush regime executed a multi-billion dollar bailout for the airline industry. By the time you hear this commentary, they may have already used the New Orleans disaster to bail out the insurance industry - one of the richest businesses on the planet. But what of the people of New Orleans, 67 percent of whom are Black? New Orleans is a poor city. Twenty-eight percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Well over half are renters, and the median value of homes occupied by owners is only $87,000. From the early days of the flood, it was clear that much of the city's housing stock would be irredeemably damaged. The insurance industry may get a windfall of federal relief, but the minority of New Orleans home owners will get very little - even if they are insured. The renting majority may get nothing. If the catastrophe in New Orleans reaches the apocalyptic dimensions towards which it appears to be headed, there will be massive displacement of the Black and poor. Poor people cannot afford to hang around on the fringes of a city until the powers-that-be come up with a plan to accommodate them back to the jurisdiction. And we all know that the prevailing model for urban development is to get rid of poor people. The disaster provides an opportunity to deploy this model in New Orleans on a citywide scale, under the guise of rebuilding the city and its infrastructure. In place of the jobs that have been washed away, there could be alternative employment through a huge, federally funded rebuilding effort. But this is George Bush's federal government. Does anyone believe that the Bush men would mandate that priority employment go to the pre-flood, mostly Black population of the city. And the Black mayor of New Orleans is a Democrat in name only, a rich businessman, no friend of the poor. What we may see in the coming months is a massive displacement of Black New Orleans, to the four corners of the nation. The question that we must pose, repeatedly and in the strongest terms, is: Through whose vision, and in whose interest, will New Orleans rise again. [Glen Ford is Co-Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Black Commentator, where this editorial originally appeared.] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Calmy-Rey convinces Swiss MPs to support Kosovo independence
posted by KosovaReport @ 9:56 AM 0 comments ## http://kosovareport.blogspot.com/2005/09/calmy-rey-convinces-swiss-mps-to.html Calmy-Rey convinces Swiss MPs to support Kosovo independence The daily press reports that Swiss Foreign Minister Calmy-Rey has managed to convince the Foreign Policy Committee of the Swiss Parliament that her proposals for the resolution of Kosovo's status are righteous. In a meeting with the Foreign Policy Committee, Calmy-Rey reportedly reiterated her position that Kosovo should be given formal independence. posted by KosovaReport @ 9:56 AM 0 comments Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 02.09.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 02. 09. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Schröder Agrees to Release Oil Reserves While the aftermath of hurricane Katrina has become an election issue in Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced Friday he would support releasing oil reserves to ease the situation. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1698714,00.html -- It's playtime again! DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for September is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Bush views hurricane aftermath President George W. Bush has begun a tour of hurricane-ravaged areas of the southern United States at Mobile in Alabama. He deflected accusations that his federal administration had reacted too slowly. Earlier on Friday, Bush had admitted that the situation was not acceptable. He promised 10.5 billion dollars in emergency aid. From Alabama Bush will travel to Mississippi and fly over flooded New Orleans in a helicopter. Earlier, its mayor Ray Nagin, in a radio interview, had accused state and federal authorities of failing to adequately coordinate swift assistance. Nagin said there was not enough food or water for tens of thousands of city refugees. New Orleans chaotic, criticism mounts Four days after Hurricane Katrina, the mayor of flooded New Orleans has made a desperate call for help as the southern US city descends further into chaos, including looting. Blasts, reported to be exploding rail wagons, have been heard. Mayor Ray Nagin said there was not enough food or water for tens of thousands of refugees. And, in a radio interview he accused state and federal authorities of failing to adequately coordinate swift assistance. 80 percent of New Orleans is still under water. As officials moved to stave off mounting criticism, President George W. Bush is due to visit Alabama and Mississippi and take a helicopter flight. He's promised 10.5 billion dollars in emergency aid for the hurricane-affected regions. Foreign offers to southern US More offers of foreign hurricane relief have been made to the United States, including pledges from Sri Lanka and Indonesia. They were hit by last December's Indian Ocean tsunami. United Nations chief Kofi Annan said the damage across the southern US was far worse than first imagined. He said the UN had specialist disaster teams - from doctors to geologists - able to deploy within six hours. In New York, UN officials have been coordinating offers. The western military alliance NATO, Russia and Japan have also made offers. Germany offers oil reserves Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has offered to dip into Germany's oil reserves to alleviate fuel shortages in the US after its hurricane. Schroeder did not specify how much of Germany's 23 million tonnes of fuel were on offer. The International Energy Agency in Paris, comprising 26 nations, says it too is considering whether to release its reserves of crude and refined fuels to the United States. That news has lowered world oil prices to about 68 dollars a barrel for light sweet crude. Gasoline prices, however, have soared in the US Gulf Coast hurricane region because local refineries are shut or damaged. In Germany petrol prices have risen by several cents. Many oil rigs damaged by Katrina In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Petroleum Institute has estimated that 58 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have been damaged or lost. The Minerals Management Service said 95 percent of the Gulf's oil output was now out of service as well as more than 80 percent of its natural gas production. President George W. Bush urged American motorists to cut down on their petrol consumption. The US Department of Energy said the impact of Katrina on supplies would be felt more severely than from previous hurricanes. Putin promises tough Beslan probe Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised a group of mothers who lost children in the Beslan school siege one year ago a thorough investigation to establish whether official incompetence contributed to the deaths of 331 hostages. Thirty mothers from the southern Russian town met President Putin on Friday. The members of the Beslan Mothers' Committee have accused authorities of covering up and hampering investigations into who started the bloodshed. On
[SNN] Kosovo Serbs: Blood Flows, Plans Stall
TRANSITIONS ONLINE: Kosovo Serbs: Blood Flows, Plans Stall by Aleksandar Mitic1September2005 Another two Kosovo Serbs are murdered as the international community, local Serbs, Albanians and Belgrade clash over decentralization plans. BELGRADE, Serbia and Montenegro | The brutal murder of two Serb young men and the wounding of two others on 27 August in southern Kosovo has highlighted the lack of progress in decentralizing the province, a process seen by Kosovo Serbs as key for their survival in the Albanian-dominated province. The process remains at a standstill only weeks before the UN secretary-general's special envoy, Kai Eide, is due to present his evaluation report on whether Kosovo has made enough progress for talks on its future status to begin. Aleksandar Stankovic and Ivan Dejanovic were killed in the evening of 27 August on the road leading to the Serb-populated enclave of Strpce in the south of the province. Two of their friends were wounded in the attack. Unknown gunmen first fired into the victims' car tire, and then opened fire on the four Serb men as they got out of the vehicle. For Kosovo Serbs, the slaying is further proof of the dangers they face as a minority in the province.A local police investigation has yielded no results so far. The killing represents one of the most serious incidents in Kosovo since March 2004, when anti-Serb violence broke out throughout the province, leaving dozens killed, hundreds wounded, 4,000 Serbs displaced and 800 of their homes burned or destroyed. Many Serb religious buildings were damaged or destroyed. The scope and nature of violence then led Kosovo Serb leaders and Belgrade to demand decentralization in the province as a key prerequisite for the security and sustainable development of the Kosovo Serb population, as well as for the return of some 220,000 Serbs who have been displaced from the province due to terror attacks, threats and other forms of violence by Albanian extremists since the retreat of Serbian forces from the province in June 1999. Serbs and other non-Albanians see decentralization as a question of survival and argue they must be allowed to manage justice, police, health, culture, social and education affairs in parts of Kosovo where they live. Ethnic Albanian politicians are reluctant to engage in the decentralization process, with opposition parties openly arguing that decentralization is a pro-Serb project that could lead to a "partition of Kosovo." PLAN A, B, C…Belgrade and Kosovo Serbs proposed a decentralization plan for the province in April 2004. The plan would have allowed for the creation of viable Serb municipalities in the province. Although it was subsequently rejected by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Albanian leadership, the initiative put enough pressure on the international community to bring decentralization closer to the top of Kosovo agenda. But instead of a comprehensive decentralization process for the entire province, as suggested by the Kosovo Serbs, the UNMIK and Kosovo's own Ministry of Local Self-Government proposed this February a pilot program formula, involving only five municipalities – two Albanian (Djeneral Jankovic, Junik), two Serb (Gracanica, Partes) and one Turkish (Mamusa). Minister of Local Self-Government Lufti Haziri described the scheme as an experiment, adding that it would last for 18 months. Kosovo Serbs described it as a "decentralization in crumbs." Nevertheless, the Serbian List for Kosovo, a Serb coalition in the province, decided to participate in the working groups for the pilot projects. However, even in the form of pilot projects, the decentralization process did not fly. The proposal, now known as Plan A, did not allow for Serbian villages neighboring Gracanica and Partes to join the scheme to create larger and thus more viable municipalities, Serb representatives say. Vesna Jovanovic, a Serb member of the working group for the municipality of Partes, in eastern Kosovo, said the Serbs felt "duped by the Kosovo Albanian ministers and UNMIK" and argued that "the Kosovo government is simply avoiding starting the decentralization process." The evaluation process led by the UN Special Envoy, Kai Eide, put pressure over the summer on Kosovo Albanians and UNMIK to revise this plan and propose a new one, allowing for the neighboring villages to join Gracanica and Partes. In early August, the Kosovo government adopted a new plan, with Haziri arguing that Plan B represented progress over the first version. Haziri contends that the new plan takes Serbian objections into account and provides for more flexible boundaries. But the Serbs argue Plan B contained a trick. While it allowed some Serb villages to join Gracanica and Partes, it also included large ethnic-Albanian villages in the project, thus undermining local the Serb majorities. "The Serb community will not participate in this kind of pilot projects", Vesna Jovanovic told TOL.Jovanovic, who is
[SNN] IOCC Awarded Highest Recognition by Serbian Orthodox Church
International Orthodox Christian Charities received today thehighest recognition by the Serbian Orthodox Church: Medal of St.Sava of the First Degree.At today's reception in Belgrade, Medal was awarded to IOCC Executive DirectorMr. Konstantin Triantafilou by His Holiness Patriarch Pavle.The link below with original news and pictures from the ceremony is in Serbian: http://www.spc.org.yu/Vesti-2005/08/31-8-05-c.html#iocSince 1992 IOCC distributed more than $58 million to 1.5 million peoplein need of help all across the former Yugoslavia.When you fill out the voluntary Charity Form at work the end of year have IOCC in mind. Their Charity Organisation code is: 0348 https://www.iocc.org/giving/giving_workplace1.shtml Danas je u Beogradu Medjunarodnoj pravoslavnoj humanitarnoj organizaciji (IOCC) dodeljenOrden Sv.Save Prvog Stepena, najvise odlikovanje koje dodeljuje Srpska pravoslavna crkva.Kompletna vest moze se naci na: http://www.spc.org.yu/Vesti-2005/08/31-8-05-c.html#ioc Marko Zivkovic It's not about what happens.It's about what you do when it happens. Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page [EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] SPONSORED LINKS United state bankruptcy court western district of texas United state life insurance United state boarding schools Moving to the united state United state patent application United state patent YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group DC_Balkan on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. SPONSORED LINKS Serbian Yugoslavia Serb Yugoslavia flight YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Nebojsa Malic : Rejecting Reality
http://antiwar.com/malic/ September 1, 2005 Rejecting Reality by Nebojsa Malic And the Hypocrites Who Do It In October 2004, Roger Cohen wrote a column for the International Herald Tribune titled The Serbian Question, arguing that reducing Serbia to a more manageable size and turning it over to the benevolent hegemony of the European Union would finally resolve the issues behind the 1990s wars. It was the ICG platform in a nutshell, reiterated just three months later in a barrage of editorials and adopted in May as Washington's new Balkans policy. Cohen revisited the issue this Wednesday, in another IHT column, titled Years After Milosevic, Serbia's Illusions Persist. According to him, even though the fountainhead of all evil was deposed and sent to the Hague Inquisition, Serbia is still stubbornly refusing to come to grips with reality. If so, then – good for Serbia! It isn't the one that has issues with reality. Out of Touch, Deliberately In his screed, Cohen claims Milosevic used Kosovo as the launching pad for crazed nationalism in 1989. Yet even a cursory glance at the oft-mentioned but never quoted 1989 speech reveals precisely the opposite. Cohen accuses Serbia of both the creation and destruction of Yugoslavia; both crazed nationalism and a chronic identity problem (this from someone suffering from just such a problem, treacherous former Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic). He even has the temerity to accuse the Serbs of exceptionalism. Throughout all this, he makes absolutely zero mention of outside involvement in the Yugoslav crisis. There is no reference to Washington's support of Croatian and Bosnian secession, its lavish funding of the separatists in Montenegro, or its financial, logistical, diplomatic, and military support for the Albanian separatists in Kosovo. The expulsions of Serbs from Croatia in 1991 and 1995; the death tolls from Bosnia that indicate it was a brutal civil war, not aggression and certainly not genocide; the NATO bombing of 1999; the KLA's subsequent ethnic cleansing of non-Albanians from Kosovo – to Cohen, these either never happened, or do not merit mention. Instead, all of it is blamed on some sort of phantom Serbian psychosis. This argument isn't new; it's been used by Austria-Hungary in 1914, by Hitler in 1941, by the Communists since 1944, and is now being aggressively pushed by servants of the American Empire. Oh, the Outrage! On Saturday night, two Serb youths were killed and one wounded when unidentified attackers shot up their car near Strpce in Kosovo. It was just another in a long string of deliberate attacks aimed at intimidating the remaining Serbs into abandoning Kosovo to its Albanian occupiers. Of course, mainstream news agencies and newspapers didn't see it that way. Reuters chose to focus on the statement of UN police commissioner Kai Vittrup that the police consider this to be an isolated incident. The agency's report also downplayed the protests of Serbian authorities, and provided a lengthy context section explaining that Kosovo was occupied by NATO after Serb forces were accused of atrocities, while Serb civilians fled a wave of revenge attacks. I am shocked and appalled by this senseless and tragic crime, UN viceroy Soren Jessen-Petersen told journalists. Nicholas Wood of the New York Times (published in IHT on Monday) was so impressed with this platitude, he actually wrote it up twice in his story about the attack. Or was it the story about UNMIK's reaction to the attack, rather? That seems to be the problem with articles about Kosovo; they are always about the opinions of NATO, UNMIK, the State Department, or the European something-or-other bureaucrat, but never about what actually happened to the people there. Wood also quoted one Neeraj Singh, a UN official, who said, Incidents may happen from time to time, but that does not establish a trend really. Singh should be promoted to the Reality Denial Administration at once; only someone with no sense of decency, or the IQ of toast, could make such an idiotic statement after six years of incidents that absolutely do establish a trend. Had Mr. Singh not heard of the farmers of Staro Gracko (1999)? Or the children in Gorazdevac and the Stolic family in Obilic (2003)? Or the pogrom of March 2004?! The pattern is clear as day – except to those whose job is to deny it. Torturing Language, Truth, and Logic Last week, as the show trial of Slobodan Milosevic resumed, the Hague Inquisition ran into a brick wall, when its definition of Greater Serbia was demolished by none other than its most outspoken advocate. According to the clear definition by the currently testifying Radical leader Vojislav Seselj, the prosecutors' concept of Greater Serbia is absolutely inaccurate. The waffling prosecutors then tried to redefine the term to fit the indictment, coming up with a definition that easily fit the old Yugoslav federation. This prompted a sarcastic comment from Milosevic: Three years on, and you
[SNN] The Iraqi Constitution and US Exit Strategy , by S. Trifkovic
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/cgi-bin/newsviews.cgi/The%20Middle%20East /Iraq/The_Iraqi_Constitut.writeback Wed, 24 Aug 2005 The Iraqi Constitution and US Exit Strategy by Srdja Trifkovic With only minutes to go before the deadline at midnight on Monday, Iraqi leaders presented the country's parliament with a draft constitution and announced that democracy had triumphed. In reality no party has reason to feel triumphant. The document is not ready because the three constituent communities have not agreed on some of its key points. Iraq's parliament has postponed its vote on the draft for three more days, the second such postponement this month. The White House is keeping its fingers crossed that a formula will be found to paper over the differences among its putative Iraqi allies. The latest extension is supposed to keep the door open for Sunni Muslims, one-fifth of Iraq's population that used to run the country under Saddam Hussein and for several centuries before him. The Sunnis, who inhabit central Iraq which has no major oil wells, remain at loggerheads with Shi'ites and Kurds on the key issue of federalism. They fear that the country's decentralization, which would entail the creation of a southern Shi'a-controlled entity on par with the Kurdish de facto autonomous zone in the north, would leave them both powerless and penniless. Shi'ites and Kurds have enough votes to impose their version of the document, but they are also aware that the end of the insurgency may become possible only if Sunni Muslims are engaged in the political process and have a stake in the new order. Sunni Arabs boycotted parliamentary elections last January and now have just over a dozen deputies in the 475-member National Assembly. When the Shi'ite coalition that holds a majority in the Assembly established the Constitution Committee last April, only two Sunni deputies were included. It is likely that the draft constitution cannot be passed unless Shi'a promoters of full autonomy for their southern regions accept a less ambitious formula instead, the one that would entail a broad delegation of powers now centralized in Baghdad to the regional or local level. That, analysts say, may address a chief Sunni concern that setting up Shi'a as well as Kurdish autonomous regions would leave Sunni areas economically disadvantaged. Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Utah on August 22, President Bush said he was confident that Iraqi negotiators would produce a constitution that reflects the values and traditions of the Iraqi people. The problem is that those values and traditions include ethnic, confessional and tribal loyalties that transcend any concept of Iraq as a common Shia, Sunni and Kurdish state to which all three groups owe their primary loyalties. The United States supports political and economic liberty in a unified Iraq, Mr. Bush declared at the U.N. in September 2002, six months before the war. He may have to rephrase unified with a more nuanced formula. Far more problematic for the United States is not the area of disagreement among the drafters of Iraq's constitution, but a key point on which they seem to agree: that Islam is to be the foundation for all laws, and that any proposal that contradicts Islamic religious teachings will be removed from the statute book in the new, democratic Iraq. Islam is a main source for legislation and it is not permitted to legislate anything that conflicts with the fixed principles of the rules of Islam, the latest draft says—and American commentators have been strangely oblivious to this fact. More alarmingly still, according to a Reuters report (U.S. concedes ground to Islamists on Iraqi law) these principles have been approved by American diplomats in Baghdad. This has prompted a secular Kurdish politician to complain that the Americans have sided with the Shi'ites: It's shocking. It doesn't fit American values. They have spent so much blood and money here, only to back the creation of an Islamist state . . . I can't believe that's what the Americans really want or what the American people want. Perhaps the Americans are negotiating to get a deal at any cost, he went on, but we will not accept a constitution at any cost. Some Kurds, whose objectives are nationalist rather than religious, complain that current language in Article 2 of the draft would subject Iraqis to extreme interpretations of Islamic law and allow Islamic clerics to serve on the high court that will interpret the constitution: That could subject marriage, divorce, inheritance and other civil matters to religious law and could harm women's rights, according to the Kurdish negotiators and some women's groups. But Sunni Arab negotiator Saleh al-Mutlak confirmed that Americans have agreed to the principle that parliament could pass no laws that contradicted Islamic principles. The Americans agreed, he said, but on one condition—that the principles of democracy should be respected. This is a remarkable
[SNN] No Standards before Status
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/art/2005/55652.php No Standards before Status 24.08.2005 BERLIN/BELGRADE/PRISTINA(Own report) - The international controversy about the separation of Kosovo from Serbia is intensifying. Negotiations have been arranged for this autumn under strong German pressure. Observers believe that a shift in the discussions as well as a possible exit strategy for the United Nations is possible. As a result, it is likely that insistence on human rights standards in Kosovo will be dropped. Whilst the German Bertelsmann Foundation is pressing for the separation of Kosovo and the creation of an EU protectorate, Belgrade is trying to win over the People's Republic of China. Beijing could safeguard the territorial integrity of Serbia by using its veto in the UN Security Council, if the German strategy for secession was advanced. These disagreements mark the last phase of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, which had its beginnings in the early Nineties with decisive German participation. Justification in the media for the attack on Belgrade is the topic of a recently published study of the German press. This analyses the significant part played by media manipulation in the destruction of Yugoslavia. The Austrian political expert, Helmut Kramer, believes that the negotiations may well move in the direction of amputating Kosovo from Serbia. He believes it is possible that they could lead to an exit strategy for the UN, which could lead to a situation like Afghanistan.[1] In the background of the discussions are German demands, which contradict existing UN Resolutions and aspire to the secession of Kosovo. In a strategy paper the Bertelsmann Foundation proposes that the EU should set up a semi-sovereign Kosovo, if Kosovo Albanians and Serbs are not in a position to create a lasting resolution to the Kosovo conflict. Futhermore the EU should take over the command of the KFOR troops not only to become the most important international player in Kosovo but also to lend weight to its foreign and security policy. Brussels must be prepared for a blockade in the Security Council and be ready to recognise Kosovo unilaterally.[2] These recommendations are a re-run of the German coercion by which the diplomatic recognition of Croatia was compelled at the beginning of the Yugoslavian wars. Demonisation The German role in the territorial destruction of Yugoslavia is the topic of a media analysis, recently published by the Berlin Information Centre for Transatlantic Security (BITS).[3] The study analyses the reporting of the British Times and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) from the beginning of 1991 to the end of 1995. Whilst the Times is credited with balance at the beginning which ended with the militarization of the conflict, the FAZ gave a decidedly negative image both to the recent history of Yugoslavia and to Yugoslavia in its death throes. To this end, the FAZ used images of fascist analogues and mobilised anti-communist resentments in manipulating reports of massacres, according to the study. Primitive Frames of Reference The author of the BITS study sees a further characteristic in the FAZ reporting of its attributions to ethnocentric causes. The paper not only accepted the simplification of points of difference along ethnic lines supported by nationalist forces in Yugoslavia but had set out to deepen and multiply these primitive frames of reference. In connection with this, the paper had inverted the norms of international law and used the principle of self-determination selectively for its argument. The writer noted a similar conversion to the ethnocentric cause by the Times. Orders and Decoration The author also demonstrates the deep partisan commitment of the FAZ in the conflict from the grateful gestures of the presidents of Slovenia and Croatia, who gave state approval to the Frankfurt paper. Victor Meier, a long time South East Europe correspondent for the FAZ, received the highest decoration of the land, The Order of Freedom, from the President of Slovenia. The FAZ cartoonist Fritz Behrend, who is known for his aggressive style, is being considered for an order and was also decorated with the title Danica Hrvatke (Dawns of Croatia). According to BITS, the highly partial stance of the FAZ was not without influence on the political decision makers of Germany.[4] War Propaganda The results of the study correspond to the findings of already existing investigations into the legitimisation of the attack on Yugoslavia of 4 March 1999. Brigadier General Heinz Loquai confirmed the manipulation by the media of the Racak Massacre in a lecture on the background to the war. It was, he said, a definite setting of the points toward war in Yugoslavia.[5] According to Loquai, well-known journalists ignored inconvenient results of investigation by the independent medical forensic specialist, appointed by the court.[6] The war against Belgrade was substantially legitimised
[SNN] News, 24.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 24.8.2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Politicians Flock to Flood Zone Floods in Bavaria have caused chaos and destruction and galvanized politicians, in the thick of an election campaign, into action. Familiar with the scene, Chancellor Schröder is already donning his rubber boots. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1689655,00.html -- As part of our coverage of the upcoming elections, DW-WORLD offers you a new service to keep up to date on what's been happening. You can subscribe to our new podcast, which allows you to listen to DW-RADIO features and news reports wherever you want. To find out more, please go to: www.dw-world.de/podcasting-election2005 -- Baghdad police battle armed insurgents Iraqi police are battling heavily armed insurgents who attacked checkpoints in a Sunni area in the west of the capital, Baghdad. At least 40 insurgents were reported to be brandishing weapons shortly after they launched their strike with rockets and assault rifles. Police said they had called for reinforcement from US forces to fight the rebels. Shortly before the attacks, police patrols in the area were targeted by as many as three car bombs. The blasts killed six people and wounded at least 21 others. Iraqi PM confident on constitution Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has said he's confident that an agreement will be reached on a new constitution despite a Sunni warning that it could lead to civil war. Jaafari insisted that many issues had been settled, including the key problem of federalism. On Tuesday, Kurdish and Shi'ite officials submitted a draft constitution to parliament. US President George W. Bush, in the meantime, has urged Sunnis to embrace the plan. United Nations chief Kofi Annan also appealed Tuesday for flexibility among Iraq's rival communities. Sunni minority politicians threaten that further devolution could lead to the break-up of the country. Dozens die in Peruvian airliner crash In Peru, rescue workers are searching swamps for bodies following a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, which killed at least 41 people. Fifty-seven passengers and crew survived the crash, and two people are still missing. The TANS plane was on a flight from the capital Lima to the Amazonian town of Pucallpa when the pilot made an emergency landing because of bad weather. The pilot tried to land in a marsh to soften the impact but the landing split the aircraft in two. Officials said the search team had recovered the plane's black box. Egypt to take over Gaza border security Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has confirmed that Israel has reached an agreement to turn over control of the Gaza-Egypt border to Egyptian troops. He said that all of Israel's 8,000 troops in Gaza would leave by the end of the month. This comes after Israel completed its evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank. Earlier, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to congratulate him on the completion of the Gaza pullout and to express hopes for renewed Mideast peace efforts. Britain unveils anti-extremism measures Britain's Home Secretary Charles Clarke has unveiled new measures aimed at combating Islamic radicals in the wake of last month's deadly London bombings. Clarke published a list of so-called unacceptable behaviours which apply to any non-UK citizen in Britain or abroad, and would prompt deportation or a ban on entry. The list of activities includes expressing views which justify or glorify terrorist violence and seeking to provoke others to commit terrorist acts. Clarke insisted, however, the list was not intended to stifle free speech despite concerns expressed by human rights groups. Cleanup after floods hammer Europe A massive cleanup is underway in central and southeastern Europe to clear debris caused by this week's heavy rains and floods. With a break in the torrential downpours, authorities tallied the aftermath of storms that have killed 34 people in the region. Worst hit is Romania, with 25 dead and thousands of homes inundated. Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland reported a total of nine dead, though the number could climb as several people remain missing. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder promised assistance for those affected by flooding in the south of the country. Annan in famine-stricken Niger United
[SNN] A dangerous cosmetic salon
A dangerous cosmetic salon Multiethnic character of Kosovo province has suffered dramatically If we do not get our independence, we will get so upset and frustrated that we will bring hell upon Serbs, other non-Albanians and the internationals in Kosovo - this paraphrase could sum up bluntly the stance of the province's majority Albanians as the world evaluates whether the province has made enough progress to start talks on its future status. By Aleksandar Mitic Indeed, as the UN secretary general's special envoy, Kai Eide enters the last stage of his evaluation of human rights and governance standards in the southern Serbian province, the international community should ensure that the province's majority Albanian community starts implementing those standards instead of threatening with violence, an anti-European and anti-civilised argument for independence. Eide's report is expected in September and could determine whether or not enough progress has been made in the province to begin status talks. Given the poor progress or simply a lack of it from 1999 to date, it was no surprise to hear from Eide hints of profound dissatisfaction. Quite honestly, I would have liked to have seen much more progress and political maturity in Kosovo among its leaders, Eide said in an interview recently. His comments were echoed by the EU's High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, as well as by the Contact Group on Kosovo. These criticisms had a cool water effect on both the Kosovo Albanian leadership and the UN administration in the province, which has for years argued that progress was overwhelming, sending to New York's Security Council pink-coloured reports and citing Potemkin-like examples. The Kosovo Albanian leadership believed that the laissez-faire policy of the international community towards their unique objective - secession from Serbia - would last forever and at any cost. They could hardly be criticised for that perception after so little has been done to punish those responsible among them for the spread of hatred in the province, the violent expulsion of some 220,000 Serbs, the hundreds of cases of ethnic-motivated murders of Serbs and other non-Albanians, the lack of freedom of movement for the minorities, the export of violence in neighbouring western FYROM and southern Serbia. Or for the three-day anti-Serb ethnic cleansing campaign of March 2004, in which some 4,000 Serbs were displaced, 30 monasteries destroyed, dozens were killed and hundreds wounded. The multiethnic character of the province has suffered dramatically. Out of 220,000 Serbs who have fled the violence of Albanian extremists since 1999, only 6,027 have come back to their homes. For years, the Albanian leadership and the UN administration cited lack of security, they now cite lack of money. There is no freedom of movement for non-Albanians. There is however legal chaos, as written and testified by the international ombudsman for Kosovo, Marek Anthony Nowicki in his mid-July report. According to Nowicki's report, human rights are protected only on paper, while there is no real mechanism to put that in practice. Indeed, discrimination on ethnic grounds is visible in every aspect of life in Kosovo. In local courts and hospitals - where access is largely unavailable for the Serbs and the Roma. In the municipalities - where Serbs who bring documents in the Cyrillic letter face Albanians employed in the administration who often reject them as illegible and unclear. In the fields and the food markets - where proper work, the cultivating of fields and selling of agricultural products at local markets is extremely difficult for the Serbs and the Roma, although this is their main source of revenue. In Serb graveyards - many of which have been destroyed and are impossible to visit, let alone to repair. In Orthodox churches and monasteries - 150 of which have been destroyed since 1999, many are still endangered and need specific international protection. In the maps - where the UN regulation 2000/43 under which geographic names in Kosovo cannot be changed into Albanised names has not been respected. Thus, the Serb-populated town of Leposavic has become Albanik and Obilic has become Kastriot. Even in official tourist guides - where centuries of Serbian heritage in Kosovo have been simply wiped out and the term Serb is nowhere to be read. Faced with all this discrimination, some 120,000 Serbs remaining in Kosovo and living in either northern Kosovo or in the so-called enclaves - ghettos heavily protected by NATO troops - have called for a decentralisation of the province. Decentralisation, a key existential - not a political - question for the survival of the Kosovo Serbs and other non-Albanian communities would allow them to manage justice, police, health, culture, social affairs and education without fear of discrimination by the Albanian majority. Yet, despite its importance and its designation
[SNN] TUBE KILLING: WHAT POLICE SAID - AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
TUBE KILLING: WHAT POLICE SAID - AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TUBE KILLING: WHAT POLICE SAID - AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED [From the Independent, Uk] http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article307349.ece The police claim: A man of Asian appearance, behaving suspiciously, is shot dead by police on a Tube train in Stockwell. The truth: The dead man, Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was Brazilian. The police claim: His shooting was directly linked to the investigation into the London bombings. The truth: Mr de Menezes was an electrician and had nothing to do with the London bombings. The police claim: Witnesses described him running into the Tube station, vaulting the barriers. The truth: He walked into the station and picked up a free newspaper before entering with a travel pass. He made his way to the platform. He started to run only when the train arrived. The police claim: Witnesses said he was wearing an unseasonable heavy coat, and Scotland Yard said his clothing had added to suspicions. The truth: Photographs of the body show Mr de Menezes wearing a blue denim jacket. The police claim: As I understand the situation the man was challenged and refused to obey police instructions - Sir Ian Blair. The truth: There was no police challenge. The police claim: Mr de Menezes ran on to the Tube train, tripped and was shot five times by police as he lay on the floor. The truth: CCTV footage is said to show Mr de Menezes pausing, looking left and right, and sitting on a seat facing the platform. A police witness says Mr de Menezes stood up when the police arrived. The policeman then pinned his arms to his sides and pushed him back in the seat. Mr de Menezes was then shot 10 times - three of the bullets missed. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Global Research Under Attack
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=3489 The Truth Seeker Global Research Under Attack Pauline Tam – The Ottawa Citizen August 20, 2005 Group files complaint over 'wild theories' that blame Jews for 9/11 A Jewish group has filed a complaint to the University of Ottawa against one of its professors after the discovery of content on his website that blames Jews for the terrorist attacks on the United States, and claims the numbers who died at Auschwitz are exaggerated. The website, www.globalresearch.ca, also reprints articles from other writers that accuse Jews of controlling the U.S. media and masterminding the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Other postings suggest Israel, the U.S. and Britain are the real perpetrators of the recent attacks on London. The site, which is not hosted by the university, is run by Michel Chossudovsky, a controversial left-leaning economist, and came to the attention of B'nai Brith Canada after public complaints to the advocacy group and the Citizen. The material on the site is full of wild conspiracy theories that go so far as to accuse Israel, America and Britain of being behind the recent terrorist bombings in London, said Frank Dimant, executive vice-president of B'nai Brith Canada. They echo the age-old anti-Semitic expressions that abound in the Arab world, which blame the Jews for everything from 9/11 to the more recent tsunami disaster. The organization singles out a discussion forum, moderated by Mr. Chossudovsky, that features a subject heading called Some Articles On The Truth of the Holocaust. The messages have titles such as Jewish Lies of Omission (about the 'Holocaust'), Jewish Hate Responsible For Largest Mass Killing at Dachau, and Did Jews Frame the Arabs for 9/11? Another posting suggests the number of Jews who died at Auschwitz during the Second World War is inflated. None of the postings is written by Mr. Chossudovsky himself. Under Canadian law, website owners can be liable for material they knowingly post, even if they haven't produced it themselves. I know this isn't his own writing, but he's certainly got a responsibility for the website, which, I checked, is registered in his name, said Anita Bromberg, B'nai Brith's legal counsel and human rights co-ordinator. The site identifies Mr. Chossudovsky as the director of the Centre for Research on Globalization and editor of globalresearch.ca. His wife, Micheline Ladouceur, is listed as associate editor. They manages the site out of Montreal. The site does not mention Mr. Chossudovsky's position at the university, nor does his website at the U of O refer to globalresearch.ca. However, an Internet search of Mr. Chossudovsky's name shows he is listed as an adviser for a Swedish-based group called the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research. Its website contains a biography of Mr. Chossudovsky, his contact information at the U of O and a link to globalresearch.ca. When reached in South Korea, where he is on a research trip, Mr. Chossudovsky said the offending messages were removed from the forum after he was made aware of them by the Citizen. But as of late yesterday, some of the postings remain on the site. A discussion thread about 9/11, contained a message that casts doubt on the Auschwitz death count. Other postings under a forum on globalization have titles such as The Hilarious Auschwitz Story and The HolyCo$t Lie is Finished. Mr. Chossudovsky indicated that despite monitoring the forum periodically, he did not know about the inflammatory messages, even though they had been posted since March. He added that while he has received complaints before about offensive content on the site, the volume of messages on the forum makes it difficult for him to control what is posted. We don't choose the articles that go up, and when we see that there are texts which are racist or hateful, we do, to the best of our abilities, try to remove them. Mr. Chossudovsky described himself as being of Jewish descent, and said he has relatives who were Holocaust victims. I'm the first person to withdraw any kind of hate material directed against the Jewish people. He went on to defend the reprinted articles that have also sparked complaints, saying they are legitimate commentary representing views that are anti-Zionist, not anti-Semitic. It's an analysis of Israeli policy which we don't support, said Mr. Chossudovsky, an antiwar commentator and an outspoken critic of U.S. and Israeli policies. He also noted the site contains a disclaimer saying the articles posted don't necessarily reflect his views as editor. Jewish students at the University of Ottawa said they have so far received no complaints about the site, but maintain Mr. Chossudovsky has not gone far enough to ensure the website is free of material they consider offensive. As an organizer of the site, especially if he is of Jewish descent and his family has gone through the atrocities of the Holocaust, he should take a
[SNN] Video of D.J.'s Satirical Song Provokes Offense in
Serbian Unity Congress Page: http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2005/August_22/17.html Time: Monday, 08/22/2005, 11:47:21 PM Video of D.J.'s Satirical Song Provokes Offense in Kosovo New York Times August 22, 2005 By NICHOLAS WOOD Most of the satirical songs written at the radio station KZOK in Seattle amuse listeners for a brief life, then fade from the air. But one number from 1999 about the war in the Serbian province of Kosovo has ignited a diplomatic dispute years later and halfway around the world. The song, written by the D.J. Bob Rivers and set to the melody of the Beach Boys hit Kokomo, ridiculed what he considered the nonchalant way the United States assumed the role of the world's policeman when it led an air war over Kosovo, a place most Americans knew little about. The trouble started, Mr. Rivers said, when a group of Norwegian soldiers on peacekeeping duty in Kosovo came upon the song in 2002 and decided to make a rock video of it. The two-and-half-minute video shows four soldiers miming to the music - dancing on watchtowers and armored trucks, wearing bulletproof vests over their bare chests, performing routines in their military compound and even splashing mineral water on one another. Over time, the tape (which has a link on Mr. Rivers's Web site, www.bobrivers.com) made its way to the Internet and caught the attention of BK TV, the Serbian television station. When the station broadcast the video, it incited an uproar, and not only because of the dancing and lightly clad soldiers. What was most provocative were the song's lyrics. Verses such as Protecting human rights, airstrikes and firefights/We'll be dropping our bombs, wherever Serbian bad guys hide, caused deep offense. The video criticized the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, a province that officially remains part of Serbia, but has been administered by the United Nations and patrolled by NATO since the two-and-a-half-month bombing campaign in 1999. A senior adviser to Serbia's prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, said the video suggested that the NATO mission, which was meant to be evenhanded between the province's majority Albanian population and its minority Serb community, was biased. Such things only help the Serbian side to prove that there is no security in Kosovo, no respect for human rights and no multiethnicity, Agence France-Presse quoted the adviser, Slobodan Samardzic, as saying. The president was very shocked to learn about this, said Vuk Jeremic, the senior foreign policy adviser to President Boris Tadic of Serbia. Mr. Tadic was especially upset because the soldiers came from Norway, a country with a strong record for peace initiatives and conflict resolution, Mr. Jeremic said in an interview. The video showed that four years after the collapse of Slobodan Milosevic's autocratic government in Serbia, the nation's image abroad is still sullied. This is what boys from Norway think about Serbs, he said. Norway's ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, Hans Ola Urstad, promptly issued an apology calling the video highly regrettable and promised an investigation. He expressed the hope that the video would not do serious harm to the longstanding and deep friendship between Serbia and Montenegro and Norway. The original intent of the song - to question American involvement in Kosovo - had clearly been missed. It was meant to be very lighthearted, and was aimed at our own government, Mr. Rivers said in a telephone interview, but instead it was taken as propaganda. He said that for several years he had received e-mail messages from Serbs complaining about the song. Zoran Stanojevic, a journalist who writes a column about the Internet in the Serbian news magazine Vreme, understood that the song was not the work of Norwegian soldiers. If they were that good at satire they would be doing stand-up on the radio, not serving in the army, he said. If nobody tells you it is a satire, it can sound a bit harsh, he said in a telephone interview. He blamed cultural differences for the misinterpretation. For example, the ironic use of a love ballad, they didn't understand the idea. Most Serbs still do not know the song's origin, he said. The Norwegians' video is not the only case of cultural insensitivity by NATO troops in Kosovo. In July, Express, a Kosovo Albanian newspaper, republished an interview by an American soldier with his hometown newspaper. In it the soldier, Sgt. Robbie Nelson, from the 635th Armor unit of the Kansas National Guard, compared local farming methods to turn-of-19th-century America. The article caused some amusement and some anger. Sergeant Nelson said he had no idea that his article would be reprinted in Kosovo. I didn't have any intention of causing anybody offense, he said. I was just telling my local paper what's different about Kosovo. A spokesman for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense said this month that there would be no proceedings against the six soldiers responsible
[SNN] News, 22.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche WelleEnglish Service NewsAugust 22nd 2005, 16:00 UTC--Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:When the Pope and Pilgrims Have Gone All but a fraction of the one million visitors have now left Cologneafter World Youth Day -- an accomplishment that went overwith only a few hitches.To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below:http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1686933,00.html-- Germans will likely head to the polls to elect a new parliament onSept. 18. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is fighting an uphill battleto remain in office while his conservative challenger, Angela Merkel, has her eyes set on the chancellery. Get all the information aboutGermany's 2005 election at DW-WORLD. To find out more, go tohttp://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,1595,6591,00.html --Israel clears last Gaza settlementIn Israel, the last Jewish settlers to be evacuated from the GazaStrip have begun boarding armoured buses. The 600 residents of Netzarim agreed to leave the settlement peacefully. Netzarim is thelast of Gaza's 21 settlements to be cleared after 38-years ofIsraeli occupation. Troops have begun demolishing homes in otherevacuated areas. Israeli forces have also headed to two West Bank hard-line settlements where evacuation starts on Tuesday.Anti-pullout protesters in Sanur and Homesh have stockpiled suppliesas well as stun grenades and tear canisters to repel Israeli troops.Fearing violence, authorities have advised Palestinians living nearby to stay at home.Iraqi constitution talks underway againIraqi politicians have resumed a last round of negotiations on adraft resolution just hours before Monday's midnight deadline. It's the second deadline set by parliament after Shiite, Kurdish andSunni negotiators failed to agree on a draft last week. A spokesmanfor Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said the options were to seek athird deadline, or to dissolve parliament and hold new elections. The major stumbling blocks between the parties are over federalism,the role of Islam and how to share the country's oil wealth.China buys Canadian oil firmThe Chinese state-owned oil company China National Petroleum Corpoartion has bought the Canadian-listed PetroKazakhstan companyfor 4.2 billion dollars. It's the largest foreign takeover by aChinese firm. China is the world's largest importer of oil and istrying to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. A rival Chinese firm, CNOOC, recently failed in its attempt to buy a US oil company.PetroKazakhstan covers about 12 percent of oil production inKazakhstan.Portugese fires reach 3rd biggest cityOne of the many wild fires burning across Portugal has reached the country's third largest city. Fire-fighters reported that at least10 houses on the outskirts of Coimbra have burnt down. More than 50people have been evacuated, including staff and patients of apsychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, help from other European countries has begun to arrive. Three water-carrying planes from Spain andFrance are ready to be deployed. Further aircraft from Germany,Italy and the Netherlands are on their way. Fuelled by high windsand tinderbox conditions, 27 fires are now officially raging out of control, mainly in the north of the country. Portugal is sufferingit's worst drought in more than 60 years.Indonesia starts Aceh troop withdrawalThe Indonesian government has pulled 1,300 troops out of Aceh province. It's the first withdrawal of forces after a historic peacedeal with separatist rebels. Two battalions left aboard a navy shipfrom northern Aceh. Under the peace agreement signed last week in the Finnish capital Helsinki, some 22,000 troops are to pull out bythe end of this year. The rebels, from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM),have agreed to disarm in return for political representation. Thedeal is an effort to end the conflict which has left around 15,000 people dead in the past three decades.Half of Asia's children live in povertyA new report has found that nearly half of Asia's children aregrowing up in poverty. The study by the child humanitarian organisation Plan said 600 million children are deprived of food,safe drinking water, health or shelter. The Growing Up in Asiareport said rapid population growth is putting pressure on scarceresources and that Asia has more than twice as many severely deprived children as sub-Saharan Africa. According to the study, theinternational community needs to reduce subsidies given to US,European and Japanese farmers in order to help combat poverty in theregion. Ullrich winsTour's 8th stageGerman favourite Jan Ullrich has won the eighth stage of theDeutchland Tour. With his win in the 31km time trial, the T-Mobilerider improved his position from fifth to second place. But the American Levi Leipheimer has retained the yellow jersey heading
[SNN] International Justice
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-daily/22-08-2005/oped/o3.htm Jang (Pakistan) August 22, 2005 Opinion Interpreting war crimes International human rights groups have long called for a uniform and global legal system for dealing with war crimes and crimes against humanity Saad S. Khan The World Day for International Justice was observed on July 17 across the world. Meanwhile, the families of victims from all over Bosnia had converged into Srebrenica late last week to commemorate the death of thousands of unarmed Bosnians at the hands of the Serb forces, ten years ago. The anniversary was marked by men marching on the same trek as the 8,000 men and boys had, on their march of death. The sombre atmosphere at this ceremony was a stark reminder to the world community that justice is still awaited. The horrors of the war in Yugoslavia had persuaded the world community to establish an International Criminal Tribunal on former Yugoslavia (ICTY) that is trying persons guilty of war crimes. The current trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, among others, on account of alleged war crimes at Hague, as well as the outcome of the efforts of international community to nab the suspects still at large, mainly ex-President Radovan Karazdic and General Ratko Mladic, is being seen as a crucial test of international law and international legal institutions. The concept of war crimes is a late development in the paradigm of international politics, as before the World War II, it was generally accepted that the horrors of war were in the nature of the act itself. But, during the Great War, the murder of millions of civilian people by Nazi Germany, and the mistreatment of both civilians and prisoners of war by the Japanese, prompted the Allied powers to prosecute the people they believed to be the perpetrators of these crimes. The Nuremberg trials in 1945-6 led to twelve German leaders being executed. A similar process started in Tokyo in 1948 leading to the hanging of seven Japanese military commanders. These trials are essentially the only precedents for the cases that ICTY hears. In some cases, however, individual governments, feeling that justice has not been done, have acted on their own initiative. In 1960, Adolf Eichmann, a high-profile Nazi closely involved in the organisation of the concentration camps, was tracked down and kidnapped in Argentina by Israeli agents, and taken to Israel, where he was put on trial and subsequently hanged. At the heart of the concept of war crimes is the idea that an individual can be held responsible for the actions of a country and its nation's soldiers. The body of laws that define a war crime are the Geneva Conventions, a broader and older area of laws referred to as the Laws and Customs of War, and, in the case of the former Yugoslavia, the statutes of the ICTY. The Geneva Convention, 1949, defines war crimes as: Wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including... wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person, compelling a protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile power, or wilfully depriving a protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial, ...taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. Since the law on war crimes is an evolutionary process, the Court has not restricted itself to the definitions of the Statute and its judgments are founding the case law that is expanding the horizon. In February, 2001, for instance, the tribunal delivered a ruling that made mass systematic rape and sexual enslavement in a time of war a crime against humanity. Mass rape, or rape used as a tool of war, was then elevated from being a violation of the customs of war to one of the most heinous war crimes of all -- second only to genocide. It is not always easy to spot a war crime. The displacement of civilians from their homes by an enemy army is not necessarily a war crime. It can be argued that the displacement is being carried out for the protection of the civilians. It only becomes a war crime if the expulsions can be proven to be part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing or designed as a mass punishment of civilians. Equally, is it a war crime for the air force of one country to bomb an enemy's television station because of the propaganda in the broadcasts? Under the Geneva Conventions, this is not a war crime. Just about all aspects of a state's infrastructure -- roads, bridges, power stations, factories -- become legitimate targets if they might be put to military use. Such attacks only become war crimes if the extent of collateral damage to civilians and civilian interests resulting from the attack would be excessive compared to the military advantage gained from the attack. International human rights groups have long called
[SNN] Batic...The Milosevic Era Has Returned.
The Milosevic Era Has Returned. In an interview with SPIEGEL, Vldan Batic, 56, the former Serbian Justice Minister, talks about how biased the justice system still is in his troubled nation and how the shadow of former President Slobodan Milosevic continues to hover. AP Even while on trial for war crimes, Milosevic may still be pulling the strings in Serbia. Slobodan Milosevic, first became president of Yugoslavia in 1989, but many say his influence is still felt. Currently, he is in the Netherlands, facing charges of war crimes at The Hague. In his first six years in power, Milosevic ignited conflicts in Croatia (1991) and Bosnia (1992) during which thousands of civilians died. In 1997, he earned international disdain when he brutally repressed Kosovo's ethnic Albanian residents. In 2000, he relinquished the presidency to Vojislav Kostunia, but only under popular pressure. SPIEGEL: In a surprising move, a Serbian court revoked international arrest warrants for former president Slobodan Milosevic's wife Mira Markovic and his son Marko. Already the Serbian people were irate that charges against Marko for allegedly harassing his father's political opponents were dropped and that financial corruption charges against Mira Markovic were dismissed. Some say the dropping of the charges was an inside deal. Is Milosovic once again ruling the nation, this time from his cell at The Hague war crimes court? Batic: For everyone who lives in Serbia, one thing is clear: The Milosevic era has returned. Almost all of the most important posts in the nation are once again filled with Milosevic's cronies. In Milosevic's wife's case, the chief prosecutor issued an obligatory order to his deputy to drop the arrest warrants. Such an order is a first in our judicial history. Behind it all was a deal between Milosevic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. Kostunica remains in power thanks to the votes of the Socialist parliamentarians, whose party Milosevic once led. NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In-Box everyday. SPIEGEL: Marko allegedly controlled illicit cigarette smuggling. He was arrested after he allegedly threatened an opposition member with a chainsaw. Now, the defendant has taken back the charges. Batic: What else can the man do? His mother wrote me a letter in which her terror was clear: Marko's friend threatened him and his family day and night. SPIEGEL: How seriously can we take the promises to track down and arrest the two most searched-for war criminals, General Ratko Mladic and Radovan Kadadzic? Batic: Mladic is often in Serbia, mostly in Belgrade. He -- just like other war criminals -- is still being protected by the army, the church and Kostunica. And I don't just mean morally. All of those who have given themselves up as war criminals to the Hague have received up to ?500,000 compensation. It's being financed by four business magnates who then are compensated by the Serbian government with lucrative deals. SPIEGEL: The government of the assassinated Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic which you belonged to, also knew about Mladic's trips to Belgrade. Why didn't you arrest him? DPA A mass grave containing the remains of Muslims killed in Kosovo. Batic: He had the support of the army, not the government. The police could not initiate a war against the army. SPIEGEL: Djindjic was killed in 2003 and the case against his alleged assassin is threatening to become a farce. Not long ago, the state prosecutor was replaced. Batic That's because he would not be influenced by the government's attempts to water down the evidence. A few people holding cabinet posts today were directly involved in the killing. That's why the government is waffling on the case. SPIEGEL: The case has focused completely on one suspect and legitimate questions about his accomplices have been totally ignored. Why? Batic: The reasons are well known. They were people who had no political perspective under Djindjic -- a group of criminals like the ones sitting in The Hague. The plot was organized by the state and military secret service. The patriarch blessed the plot using the logic that Djindjic was a traitor and it's no sin to murder a traitor. C SPIEGEL ONLINE 2005 All Rights Reserved Reproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,370952,00.html Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo!
[SNN] Milosevic 'Saga' according to Independent
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article307095.eceThe Independent (UK) Home News Europe The Milosevic family 'sells up' in Serbia to be nearer fatherBy Vesna Peric Zimonjic in BelgradePublished: 20 August 2005The family of the former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, on trial at The Hague for war crimes, is planning to sell estates in Belgrade and elsewhere, using the proceeds to buy property in the Dutch capital, to be nearer the disgraced dictator.A source close to the family told The Independent: "The long separation has been very hard for all of them." But friends of the family say the eventual move to the Netherlands by the family would be at the prompting of Mr Milosevic, who has privately complained of loneliness.Mr Milosevic, 64, and his wife Mira Markovic, 63, are high school sweethearts and have been married for more than four decades. The couple own five large houses in Serbia, two in the Dedinje neighbourhood of Belgrade and three in their home town of Pozarevac, 70 miles east of the capital.The Belgrade residences alone are estimated to be worth at least ?3m (£2m), and the homes at Pozarevac are valued at a total of ?1.2m. The family paid a total of ?6,000 for them in the 1990s, when Mr Milosevic's power in Serbia was absolute. The source said that most if not all are about to be put on the market.All the buildings are marble decorated, with heated floors, large gardens and extensive video surveillance equipment. Mr Milosevic's son, Marko, still lives in one of the Pozarevac homes with his wife Milica, 30, and their son Marko, aged six. But none of the rest of the Milosevic family now live in Serbia.Ms Markovic left in 2003 for Russia, to join Marko who fled the country only days after Mr Milosevic fell from power in October 2000. The couple's daughter Marija, 40, sold all her flats in Belgrade years ago and lives in Montenegro.The news of the property sale has infuriated Serbs, who were already irritated by the state prosecutors' decision to drop charges against Marko, who was accused of harassing political opponents of his father, threatening one with a chainsaw. A few months ago, financial corruption charges were also suddenly dropped against Ms Markovic. Both have now been taken off the list of international arrest warrants and can travel to Holland.The dropping of charges was seen as a clear political deal between the Socialist party Mr Milosevic once led, and the conservative minority government of Vojislav Kostunica, which remains in power thanks to the votes of Socialist MPs. That move now appears to have been a prelude to the final abandonment of Serbia by the Milosevic family.A Vienna-based media watchdog has expressed concern about remarks made by Velimir Ilic, a Serbian minister, at a press conference after Marko was cleared. He reportedly told a journalist she and her colleagues at a Belgrade television station were sick and needed psychiatric treatment. His media adviser also threatened to kill the reporter's boss, the watchdog said. SPONSORED LINKS Yugoslavia Serbian Serb Serbia and montenegro Flag of yugoslavia Yugoslavia flight YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Las víctimas reconstruyen los bombardeos de la OTAN sobr e Nis en 1999
Las víctimas reconstruyen los bombardeos de la OTAN sobre Nis en 1999 http://www.elsemanaldigital.com/pistas.asp?idarticulo=36553 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 21.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 21. 08. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Pope Holds Mass With One Million Pilgrims Pope Benedict XVI sent a crowd of one million young pilgrims home happy from a gigantic open-air mass on Sunday, defying his reputation as a cold, distant pontiff who dislikes crowds. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1686424,00.html -- Germans will likely head to the polls to elect a new parliament on Sept. 18. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is fighting an uphill battle to remain in office while his conservative challenger, Angela Merkel, has her eyes set on the chancellery. Get all the information about Germany's 2005 election at DW-WORLD. To find out more, go to http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,1595,6591,00.html -- Avoid do-it-yourself religion: Pope Pope Benedict XVI has cautioned young Catholics against constructing their religion on a do-it-yourself basis, saying it will prove fruitless. The 78-year-old pontiff celebrated mass at the close of the Catholic Church's World Youth Day festival in the German city of Cologne. He urged the gathering to keep God at the centre of their lives and underlined the importance of the everyday practice of religion. An estimated one million people from across the globe attended the open-air mass at a huge park outside the city. It was the highlight of Pope Benedict's four-day visit to his homeland -- his first since becoming pope. He announced that the next World Youth Day would be held in 2008 in Sydney, Australia. The event was created by the late Pope John Paul II. Bulldozers begin razing Gaza homes Israel is pushing ahead with the evacuation of Jewish settlers and protesters from the Gaza Strip. Israeli bulldozers leveled homes in three Gaza settlements, marking the first large-scale demolitions since the Israeli pullout began six days ago. Earlier Sunday, thousand of troops poured into four other settlements in the final phase of removing Gaza settlers from their homes. In Jerusalem, Israel's Cabinet gave final approval to the evacuation of the last seven of 25 Gaza and West Bank settlements marked for dismantling. Four US soldiers killed in Afghan blast Four US soldiers have been killed and three wounded in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan. The soliders were trying to clear militants from an area in Zabul province ahead of parliamentary elections due next month. Hours later, two US embassy staff were hurt when their vehicle was hit by a blast near the Afghan capital, Kabul. The attacks come amid a renewed Taliban-led insurgency that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people in Afghanistan, including 47 US soldiers this year. The militants have vowed to derail parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18. Jordan arrests Arabs over rocket attacks Jordan has detained scores of Arab suspects as part of the investigation into Friday's rocket attack on US warships in the Red Sea port of Aqaba. Security officials said that most of the suspects were arrested in the Shalala quarter of Aqaba that overlooks the port. They said several Iraqis, a Syrian and scores of Egyptians and Jordanians were among those detained. Police sources said a number of unused Katyusha rockets were also found in the warehouse from where investigators say the rockets were launched. London police chief defends shooting London's police chief has defended his handling of the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old Brazilian man by his officers. Ian Blair insisted he believed the dead man, Jean Charles de Menezes, was a suicide bomber up to 24 hours after the killing on July 22. Blair said the media were concentrating too much on the shooting rather than the deadly suicide bombings police were investigating when they mistakenly killed Menezes on an underground train. Blair has come under heavy pressure after leaked documents from the investigation into the case exposed blunders and cast doubt on initial accounts from police and witnesses. Low turnout for Albania's repeat poll Albanians are voting in a repeat election for three parliament seats. Some bureaucratic obstacles delayed opening of some polling stations and later it was noted that voter turnout was low. Two journalists from newspapers supporting the opposition Democrats were reportedly beaten while visiting a polling station. The new poll was ordered after irregularities spoiled a first round in July. The partial repeat vote is expected to confirm
[SNN] Republicans on Clinton and Kosovo
Thursday, August 18, 2005 Republicans on Clinton and Kosovo Crooks and Liars"President Clinton is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will beaway from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."-Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)"No goal, no objective, not until we have those things and a compelling case is made, then I say, back out of it, because innocent people are going to die for nothing. That's why I'm against it."-Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/5/99"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."-Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of presidential candidate George W. BushI had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning...I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."-Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)"You think Vietnam was bad? Vietnam is nothing next to Kosovo."-Tony Snow, Fox News 3/24/99"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years"-Joe Scarborough (R-FL)"I'm on the Senate Intelligence Committee, so you can trust me and believe me when I say we're running out of cruise missles. I can't tell you exactly how many we have left, for security reasons, but we're almost out of cruise missles."-Senator Inhofe (R-OK )"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarifiedrules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our overextended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)"I don't know that Milosevic will ever raise a white flag"-Senator Don Nickles (R-OK)"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"-Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."-Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)"This is President Clinton's war, and when he falls flat on his face, that's his problem."-Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)"The two powers that have ICBMs that can reach the United States are Russia and China. Here we go in. We're taking on not just Milosevic. We can't just say, 'that little guy, we can whip him.' We have these two other powers that have missiles that can reach us, and we have zero defense thanks to this president."-Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)"You can support the troops but not the president"-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)"My job as majority leader is be supportive of our troops, try to have input as decisions are made and to look at those decisions after they're made ... not to march in lock step with everything the president decides to do."-Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)For us to call this a victory and to commend the President of the United States as the Commander in Chief showing great leadership in Operation Allied Force is a farce"-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)Bombing a sovereign nation for ill-defined reasons with vague objectives undermines the American stature in the world. The international respect and trust for America has diminished every time we casually let the bombs fly."-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)"Once the bombing commenced, I think then Milosevic unleashed his forces, and then that's when the slaughtering and the massive ethnic cleansing really started"-Senator Don Nickles (R-OK)"Clinton's bombing campaign has caused all of these problems to explode"-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)"America has no vital interest in whose flag flies over Kosovo's capital, and no right to attack and kill Serb soldiers fighting on their own soil to preserve the territorial integrity of their own country" -Pat Buchanan (R)"These international war criminals were led by Gen. Wesley Clark ...who clicked his shiny heels for the commander-in-grief, Bill Clinton."-Michael Savage"This has been an unmitigated disaster ... Ask the Chinese embassy. Ask all the people in Belgrade that we've
[SNN] Washington: KosovA 'President' To Hold News Conference On Independence
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=51885 US News Wire August 18, 2005 President of Kosova to Hold News Conference Sept. 9 in Washington To: Assignment and International desks, Daybook Editor Contact: Peter Hickman, 301-530-1210 or 202-662-7540, for the National Press Club, or [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Elmi Barisha, 845-590-4807, for President Rugova News Advisory: The President of Kosova, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, will hold an Afternoon Newsmaker news conference Friday, Sept. 9, at 2 p.m. EDT at the National Press Club (Lisagor Room), 529 14th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. President Rugova will discuss The Coming Independence of Kosova and the Nation's Future. Details: Since the war against Serbian attacks against Kosova ended six years ago the area has been under UN civil administration and the security of a NATO-led international military force. Recently, the United States said it would, with the European Union and United Nations, begin a process to determine Kosova's political status. President Rugova's goal is an independent, sovereign country. Some Serbian leaders want Kosova to return to some form of integration within what remains of the former Yugoslavia, i.e., Serbia and Montenegro. The United States, European Union and United Nations want Kosova to develop Western-standard political and economic institutions and a civil society and ensure full political rights for the minority Serb population. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Crimes of the Fascist Occupants: the Holocaust in Yugoslavia
Crimes of the Fascist Occupants: the Holocaust in Yugoslavia Date: Thursday, August 18 @ 05:00:00 EST Topic: Book Reviews The Crimes of the Fascist Occupants and their Collaborators against the Jews in Yugoslavia Jasenovac Research Institute, 2005 (in Serbian, with summary in English) Reviewed by Christopher Deliso Originally compiled by a former Yugoslav army captain and concentration camp survivor and published by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Yugoslavia in 1952, this detailed account of war crimes against Jews during the Second World War has always been attacked by Croat and other former Nazi collaborators as nothing more than Tito's Communist propaganda. However, as the preface to the new 2005 edition makes clear, very few copies were printed and when in the early 1960's a newspaper editor wanted to republish it, he .quickly received a sharp rebuke and strict orders from government authorities not to publish a second edition under any circumstances, because it would 'open old wounds and it would have a negative impact on brotherhood and unity.' Thus the 'Black Book' as it was dubbed .was known mostly by reputation only, for just 1,000 copies were published, and therefore few people ever had a chance to read it. With this new printing, the New York-based Jasenovac Research Institute hopes to increase world awareness of the magnitude of war crimes committed by Yugoslavia's Nazi collaborators, especially against the 60,000 Jews of the country, 83 percent of whom lost their lives during the war. The Foreword Old critics of the book have also said that it was a central piece of Communist propaganda wheeled out for show trials under the Yugoslav State Commission for Investigation of Crimes of the Occupants and their Collaborators. While it is true that together with the Jewish groups the State Commission did inaugurate the work, the original 1952 preface laments that by April 1948 the Commission had wrapped up, leaving the Holocaust research incomplete and the book unpublished. At that point the Jewish groups of Yugoslavia had to continue by themselves, says Dr. Albert Vajs, then President of Yugoslavia's Federation of Jewish Communities in the 1952 foreword. A further caveat to the claims of state propaganda, at least by the implication of the original authors, was the discerning scholarship of David Anaf, who .entered deeply into the whole complex of the problem and with the studiousness characteristic of him and pointed to the flaws with an expert confidence, insisting on their being removed for further investigation and personally participating in the gathering of new documentary evidence (p. xv). It should be noted that the old ideals of rigor in documentation have long since been lost. A look at any of the modern Yugoslavia's war crimes trials shows a frantic zeal to uncover ever more evidence and, though numerous snafus have emerged in the Hague due to its presentation of erroneous or even willfully fraudulent information, few whether in the media or the international community take much notice of the inconsistencies. Vajs Crimes of the Fascist Occupants show further restraint when disclosing that the researchers were at time of publication aware of a great amount of evidence that they could not, for reasons of insufficient time or money, include in the book. This is again in sharp contrast to the modern flair for excess, but it only makes the book's case stronger. A strong sense of having been forgotten permeates the final pages of the foreword. While Vajs seems resigned to their fate of having to publish the book themselves, he laments that individual war criminals - chief among them former Ustasha leader Ante Pavelic - remained at large. Waxing rhetorical, he complains, .is it not almost incomprehensible that such arch-criminals as Pavelic and [Andrija] Artukovic are still enjoying freedom, and that our country has been vainly fighting for months to obtain their extradition although their responsibility is thousandfold proved?! (p. xvii). Vajs goes on to mention others, who received sentences out of all proportion to their crimes: .is not incomprehensible that Franz Rademacher, guilty for so many grave crimes, and for the deaths of several thousands Jews in Serbia, should have been sentenced recently to only 3 ? years imprisonment?! (p. xvii). Based on this reality, Vajs ponder something which, as it turns out, was eerily prophetic for the future of the country: .are we not to wonder then that fascism and Nazism are raising their heads again and glorifying the odious crimes of the past, sometime timidly at present but each day more and more conspicuously, thus preparing the atmosphere for new crimes and acts of genocide in the future?! (p. xvii) Contents Crimes of the Fascist Occupants is divided into six major sections, covering crimes against the Jews committed in each of the Yugoslav republics. An annex of revealing photographs is also included; .these photographs
[SNN] Miles To Go
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/944zehli.asp The Weekly Standard Miles To Go NATO stopped the bombing in Kosovo six years ago, but the region is still problematic. by Daniel McKivergan 08/11/2005 12:00:00 AM Kosovo "WE HAVEN'T WON THIS YET." That's how a senior Western diplomat serving in Pristina characterized the situation in Kosovo six years after the end of NATO bombing. The intervention against the Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic was the right policy, he added, but what we've been trying to accomplish since is "more difficult here than in Bosnia." A bit south of Pristina is the town of Lipljan. There, a Kosovar Albanian man, a geography teacher, sat at a table in the home of a Kosovar Serb and spoke of people "in dark corners who work to undermine efforts [of reconciliation between Albanians and Serbs] because it's not in their interest to reconcile." Similar sentiments were repeated by others in Kosovo. So while Milosevic is tried at The Hague for war crimes, much more work remains to defeat his legacy in Kosovo. In the late 1980s, Milosevic consolidated power on a platform of extreme nationalism. His efforts to centralize power in Belgrade put the Balkans on a path to war in which over 200,000 people would eventually be killed. In 1989, he forced amendments to the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution which eliminated the autonomy of Kosovo "inaugurating an era of spiraling human rights abuses against the Kosovar Albanian population," as detailed in war crimes documents at The Hague. All this led to the formation of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in 1997 and fierce fighting between the KLA and Serb forces operating in Kosovo before NATO intervened in March 1999. Since 1999, when the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1244 making Kosovo a U.N. protectorate, the goal has been to establish a stable, multi-ethnic democracy. Under 1244, UNMIK--the U.N. Interim Administrative Mission in Kosovo--supervises domestic affairs while KFOR--the 18,000-strong NATO-led Kosovo Protection Force--is tasked with creating a "secure environment" for the transition to full civilian administration of Kosovo. Soon, the United Nations and members of the Kosovo Contact Group (the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Russia, and Italy) are expected to announce that Kosovo has made enough progress--four elections have been held, a constitutional framework drafted, and provisional government institutions erected--to warrant the start of "final status" talks. The outcome of these talks will determine if Kosovo becomes an independent nation, as the Kosovar Albanians demand and expect, or attains the status of "more than autonomy, less than independence," as Serbian President Boris Tadic frequently advocates in public appearances. OFFICIALS IN BELGRADE have also been floating the idea of a partitioned Kosovo because, they say, full independence would provoke a nationalist reaction and suffocate Serbia's nascent democracy. Belgrade would absorb the Serb-dominated land north of the Ibar river (the majority of Serbs are also scattered in central and southern Kosovo) while the rest would become an independent state governed by Pristina. According to several Western diplomats, Belgrade has discouraged Kosovar Serb participation in elections and institutions in Pristina to bolster their case for partition. Even so, partition won't happen. The United States opposes any partition, as does the European Union, on the grounds that a partition would spark even greater regional instability and reward the aggression of Milosevic. Furthermore, the State Department's Nicholas Burns testified to Congress that a partition would undermine the basic principle of a Kosovo "based on multi-ethnicity with full respect for human rights including the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes in safety." Odds are that Kosovo will gain a sort of probationary independence. Full sovereignty--say within a few years--would be conditioned on, among other things, the return of Serbs who fled Kosovo since 1999 (the State Department estimates over 100,000 fled mainly due to Kosovar Albanian retribution while the United Nations believes about 13,000 have returned) and a demonstrated ability of local government officials to ensure freedom of movement throughout Kosovo. Any transition would also involve a continued international security presence for some time. BUT MEETING THESE CONDITIONS WON'T BE EASY. Along with an unemployment rate of over 60 percent, ensuring freedom of movement in Kosovo remains the biggest failure of UNMIK and KFOR for the last six years. A recent report, written by UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Peterson of Denmark, cited the lack of freedom of movement as a major obstacle to further progress in Kosovo--a conclusion echoed by other international officials and one that is obvious to anyone traveling around Kosovo. If
[SNN] News, 16.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 16.08.2005, 16:00 UTC -- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer -- Clashes in Gaza as first settlement evacuated Israel has evacuated the first settlement in the Gaza Strip as defiant settlers elsewhere clashed with forces poised to evict them after a midnight deadline. The secular community of Dugit, once home to 60 people and founded by fishermen in 1990, became the first of the 21 Jewish communities in Gaza to be cleared. In the Gaza settlement of Neve Dekalim, police and soldiers traded punches with security officers. Settlers have until midnight to evacuate Gaza voluntarily, after which they will be forcibly removed. Police said they have detained 800 Gaza pullout protesters since Sunday. Palestinians welcome Israel's pullout from Gaza, but fear Israel will use it as a means to seal a permanent hold on sections of the West Bank. Palestinians want both territories for a state. Major earthquake hits Japan A powerful earthquake has struck off Japan's coast, injuring at least 58 people. Several landslides were reported following the quake, and thousands of homes were without electricity. Japan's bullet trains and a nuclear power plant were temporarily shut down after the quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. It was centred on the ocean floor off Miyagi prefecture 300 kilometres north of the capital Tokyo. Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami alert but later lifted it. Deadline for Iraq constitution extended Iraqi lawmakers have granted a one-week extension to draft the country's new constitution. The extension was announced after leaders missed a midnight Monday deadline to submit the charter to parliament. The main sticking points remain the role of Islam, federalism and the distribution of oil revenues. In a special session Monday night, the Iraqi parliament voted to amend the present interim law with a fresh deadline of August 22, side-stepping the need to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections. Indonesia pledges to honour Aceh deal Indonesia's president has pledged to honour an historic peace agreement with separatist rebels from tsunami-hit Aceh province. In a state of the nation address in parliament, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised to implement the memorandum of understanding, and urged rebels to do the same. Troops in Aceh have been told to obey the pact but stay on alert. Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement signed the peace accord in the Finnish capital Helsinki on Monday after six months of negotiations. The move paves the way for an end to almost three decades of bloodshed that has claimed about 15,000 lives. Fires rage across Portugal At least a dozen forest fires are burning out of control across Portugal as the country faces its worst drought in more than 60 years. More than 1,400 fire fighters tackled the blazes in the centre and north of the country. The largest fire near the town of Pampilhosa da Serra has been burning for three days. Two villages in the region are threatened by the wildfire. Fire-fighters said strong winds and the steep inclines found in the region were making it difficult to tame the flames. The government has pledged over 110 million euros for those who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the fires. 17 Spanish troops die in Afghan crash A helicopter belonging to the NATO-led international security force in Afghanistan has crashed, killing all 17 Spanish troops on board. Five other troops were injured in a second helicopter which was forced to make an emergency landing. Officials said the helicopters were on a training exercise near the western city of Herat. Although the cause of the crash remains unclear, Spanish authorities say they have not ruled out hostile fire. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has interrupted his holidays to return to Spain. Plane crashes in Venezuela A Colombian plane with 160 people on board has crashed in the mountains of western Venezuela leaving no survivors. The West Caribbean Airways plane was headed from Panama to Martinique in the French Caribbean when the pilot reported engine trouble and requested an emergency landing before radio contact was lost. The plane crashed in the western mountainous region of Zulia. Officials said most of the passengers were French nationals.
[SNN] Beautiful, baffling Belgrade
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2005/August_15/11.html Serbian Unity Congress Tuesday, 08/16/2005 Beautiful, baffling Belgrade Attractions, affordability lure visitors despite legacy of war Pittsburgh Post Gazette August 15, 2005 By Len Boselovic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Kalemegdan Fortress is the dominant landmark in this Balkan city of 1.6 million, commanding the northern heights of the city where the Sava River flows into the Danube, Europe's second-longest river. Kalemegdan's troubled past -- a long list of invaders that included the Romans, Austrians, Turks and Germans have seized ownership of the high ground -- gave the region its reputation as a crossroads between East and West. A few years removed from the region's most recent blood-shedding, there are peaceful indications that Belgrade's reputation, like Kalemegdan, still stands. I saw one on a humid evening in May at one of the fortress' many gates: a guitar player standing sentinel singing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" in Serbian. Belgrade is a city of mystifying contrasts. Walking along Kneza Mihajlova, the crowded pedestrian "walking street" leading from downtown Belgrade to Kalemegdan, I found scant evidence of Serbia's pervasive economic and political problems. Sidewalk cafes are full of animated Serbs sipping espresso, Serbian beer or something stronger such as slivovica, a potent plum brandy available here in a more refined form than my grandfather concocted in his basement. Without an apparent care in the world, they idly talk of life, love and, invariably, politics, or passively observe pedestrians, including fashionably dressed females out for the time-honored social ritual of being seen. Drinking or walking, the throng looks more fit and less concerned than the people on any crowded American urban landscape, although most of their dogs would benefit from a healthier lifestyle. The genial cafe society makes you wonder how the Balkans ever came to be known as the powder keg of Europe. But evidence of that is not far away. On Kneza Milosa, just a few blocks from the U.S. Embassy, stands the former Yugoslav Defense Ministry buildings damaged by NATO's three-month bombing in 1999, part of the West's campaign to pressure President Slobodan Milosevic to halt aggression against Albanians in Kosovo. Scars from the attacks, the first time Belgrade was bombed since the end of World War II, are evident elsewhere downtown and across the Sava in New Belgrade, where NATO bombs fell on the Chinese embassy. The bombing and accompanying economic sanctions crippled Serbia's economy. Milosevic was ousted in the 2000 elections. Since then, the country has made halting progress in its effort to become part of the European community. There have been setbacks, such as the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003. However, slowly but surely, the economic revival progresses, aided by investments by U.S. Steel, Philip Morris and other Western companies. International tourists spent $220 million in Serbia last year, up from $43 million in 2001, according to the National Bank of Serbia. Belgrade hotels had 464,000 visitors in 2004, 58 percent of them Serbs and about 70 percent of them business travelers. Tourists accounted for only 15 percent of the traffic according to a recent study by the Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency. Serbia is attempting to entice more tourists, most of whom arrive by large tourist boats that cruise the Danube. It's a tough sell. Belgrade doesn't leap to mind the way Vienna or Budapest do when you think Danube River vacation. Then there's the blood spilled in the region in the 1990s. Furthermore, Belgrade doesn't offer the spectacular, familiar landmarks most conventional Europe-bound travelers are looking for. There's no Eiffel Tower, no St. Peter's Basilica, no Tower of London or Leaning Tower of Pisa. Send someone a postcard from Belgrade, and they probably won't even know where you've been. Travelers whose European vacation plans extend as far east as what used to be Yugoslavia probably won't make it past Croatia's spectacular Dalmatian coast. However, if you're adventurous and want your European experience to come with a lower price tag and spiced with a touch of the vibrant and the exotic, Belgrade won't disappoint. You won't find throngs of tourists and the inflated prices they encourage. A grand meal -- appetizers, drinks, dinner and dessert -- can be had for $20 per person. A $4 cab ride will get you most places you'll want to go. The tram is even cheaper. If you're from Pittsburgh or of Slavic extraction, Belgrade's confluence of two rivers, hills, humidity and cuisine will make you feel at home. If you get homesick, there's a U.S. Steel mill 40 miles southeast in Smederevo, another Danube River town that served as Serbia's medieval capital. Like every
[SNN] News, 15.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 15. 08. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Iran Warns US, EU on Nuclear Program Iran on Sunday warned the United States that any use of force over its nuclear program would be a mistake, and told Europe that its attitude would help determine whether it resumes uranium enrichment. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1680027,00.html -- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer -- Israel begins Gaza withdrawal Israel has begun its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. Police and soldiers have been handing out eviction notices to Jewish settlers, telling them to leave within 48 hours or face being forcibly removed. Israeli officials say hundreds of Gaza settlers have signed state compensation deals to leave, but it's not clear how many have left so far. The Israeli army says around 5,000 opponents of the withdrawal have slipped into the territory, to help some settlers resist evacuation. Jewish settlers and other opponents have blocked some of the most hard-line enclaves, in an effort to prevent the delivery of eviction notices. Palestinian security forces in Gaza have also gathered on the outskirts of the settlements to ward off possible militant attacks. Assassinated Sri Lankan FM laid to rest The body of Sri Lanka's slain foreign minister has been cremated in a ceremony held in the capital, Colombo. Lakshman Kadirgamar's coffin was carried to Colombo's central square, where it was lit in the presence of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and other dignitaries. Kadirgamar was gunned down at his Colombo home on Friday. Police are continuing to search for those responsible for his killing and have arrested scores of people for questioning. Sri Lankan authorities have accused Tamil Tiger rebels of being behind the assassination, but they have denied involvement. Deadline looming for Iraq constitution Iraqi lawmakers have extended the deadline for presenting the draft of a new constitution to parliament. Members of the drafting committee have not been able to reach an agreement on at least two fundamental issues; the role of Islam in the state and federalism. Kurds are anxious that any wording on federalism is strong enough to guarantee their existing de facto autonomy. Sunnis, meanwhile, have insisted they will not accept a federal Iraq and have asked for that issue to be shelved. Meetings are still underway but according to a Kurdish member of parliament, no final agreements have been reached. Cypriot air crash under investigation The two Black Box recorders from the Cypriot plane which crashed on Sunday have been recovered. The flight recorders will be sent to France for expert examination. All of the 121 passengers and crew onboard died in the crash. The pilot has been identified as a German national from Berlin. A transport official said early indications suggest all those onboard the flight may have already been dead when the plane went down. The Turkish prime minister has offered his condolences to Cypriots, despite strained relations between Turkey and the Greek-Cypriot-led government. Three-party coalition for Bulgaria Bulgaria's three largest political parties have formed a coalition government after seven weeks of stalemate. The Socialists won a general election held on June 25 but without a clear majority. They have now signed an agreement with the centrist National Movement for Simeon II (NMS) of ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg and the smaller ethnic-Turkish MRF. The new government will be led by Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev. The coalition is seen to be an important step closer towards the adoption of Brussels-required reforms ahead of the country's accession to the European Union planned for 2007. Indonesia signs peace deal with rebels The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels have signed a peace treaty to end nearly 30 years of fighting in the province. The deal was brokered by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who presided over the signing ceremony which took place in
[SNN] Kosovo Talks no triumph for Swiss diplomacy (2.08.2005)
swissinfo - Switzerland's news and information platform Kosovo talks no triumph for Swiss diplomacy swissinfo August 2, 2005 11:40 PM Calmy-Rey toured Kosovo at the weekend Calmy-Rey toured Kosovo at the weekend (Keystone) Micheline Calmy-Reys trip to Kosovo will not go down as a great moment in Swiss diplomacy, according to a Geneva-based professor of international politics. In an interview with swissinfo, Andre Liebich said the Swiss foreign minister was jeopardising Switzerlands neutral role by pushing for a form of independence for the province. He was speaking as Calmy-Rey wrapped up a four-day tour of Kosovo, during which she held talks with President Ibrahim Rugova and Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi. Her trip comes on the heels of a recent visit to Serbia and Montenegro, which was marked by a terse and unambiguous message from the authorities in Belgrade: Serbian President Boris Tadic told Calmy-Rey he was not open to discussion about independence for Kosovo. The province officially remains part of Serbia and Montenegro, the union that replaced Yugoslavia. But it has been under United Nations and Nato administration since a 78-day Nato-led air war halted a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians in 1999. Liebich, of the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, said Switzerland should keep its options open if it is to win the trust of all sides during any talks about the future status of Kosovo. swissinfo: Micheline Calmy-Rey has said that the reintegration of Kosovo into Serbia and Montenegro is neither desirable nor realistic. Do you agree? Andre Liebich: Yes. There needs to be a new formula. After all, the country [that existed] before the war in Kosovo is not the country we have today. Serbia and Montenegro is on the verge of splitting and there is no trace of the old Yugoslav federation. So there is no going back to how things were before, and that is something that I think is accepted even in Belgrade. swissinfo: Would you agree with the Swiss foreign minister that the time is right to push for a decision about the future status of Kosovo? A.L.: A valid case can be made for the idea that we need to jump-start the discussion. It was, after all, a real shock last year when there were riots in Kosovo and several Serbs were killed after a run-in between a Serb and an Albanian. But a case could also be made for saying that we should let sleeping dogs lie and let the process of reconciliation take place. So you could also plausibly argue that we should let time take its course. Having said all that, I would stress that nobody should pre-empt how this is all going to end. It is counterproductive to suggest that the outcome should be independence for Kosovo... because the point is not to close off any options but to create a situation where both sides are willing to make concessions. This is not going to go down as a great moment for Swiss diplomacy. swissinfo: Are you suggesting that Calmy-Rey has jumped the gun by referring to the possibility of a form of independence for Kosovo? A.L.: That is possible. From what I have read, it seems that Calmy-Rey was keen to get a discussion [on the status question] on the table. But the discussion is already on the table and it didnt need any particular new impetus. The other possibility is that what she has said has been manipulated and used by her hosts [in Kosovo]. The nuance of what she may have meant by independence seems to have been lost on the authorities in Kosovo, who appear to have presented Calmy-Reys message in such a way that it has become Swiss endorsement for a sovereign Kosovo state. All in all this is not going to go down as a great moment for Swiss diplomacy. swissinfo: How much of a dangerous diplomatic game is Calmy-Rey playing? A.L.: Fortunately Switzerland doesnt have all that much weight. But I dont think it reflects well on the reflective nature of Swiss diplomacy. Take the neutrality card which Switzerland still holds. Of course neutrality doesnt mean indifference to what happens and it doesnt mean disengagement, but it does mean keeping options open. And that is what hasnt happened during this visit, and thats why Im disappointed. Of course [Calmy-Rey's reference to independence] may simply be an unfortunate turn of phrase which has been exploited by people on the spot... but I havent seen a retraction on her part. swissinfo: But Calmy-Rey does appear to have toned down talk of independence by reportedly referring, for example, to the idea of a confederation between Kosovo and Serbia and Montenegro... A.L.: That is the sort of direction in which I think we should be heading. But its a question of sequence. Do you first promise Kosovo independence, give it and then try to create some kind of regional set-up? That doesnt seem
[SNN] Analysis ( Kosovo daily newspapers Zeri)
WHAT WOULD BE INTERNATIONAL CIVILIAN PRESENCE AFTER STATUS (Zeri) What kind of international civil-political presence will be in Kosovo after the definition of status, which is expected to be known in the late spring of 2006, if the international process will go according to known predictions? It seems that an answer to this question was easier to find in the autumn last year, than now, when only several weeks divide Kosovo from the most important period in its newest history. At that time, it seemed that Brussels (the EU) was looking for a possibility that the EU takes over the main political role in Kosovo, similar to the one it has now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the UN had never the position it has in Kosovo. Ambassador Kai Eide too, in his first Report abut Kosovo, had recommended to look into the possibility of the appointment of an EU senior representative, with an approximate mandate with the one in Bosnia, although in Kosovo this representative would serve in the first place as a guarantor of all the rights of the minority communities, of Serbs first of all. Now, it seems that many things were put in doubt regarding the political role of the EU due to the failure of the referendums for the EU Constitution in France and Netherlands. Lately, from the office of Javier Solana were sent two massages addressed to Prishtina on this very important issue. The first one expressed the interesting of Solana about the ideas and proposals of the Kosovans themselves for the international civil presence in Kosovo, while the second message of Solana was the denial that UNMIK will be replaced by EUMIK. Both these messages verify that Brussels is ready more than ever to talk to Kosovo representatives about the modalities of the mission and the mandate of the international presence in Kosovo. This does not mean that the recommendations of the Kosovan authorities will be taken into account totally. What it may be assumed now is that besides EUMIK, Brussels is not willing anymore to fully apply the approach, which is in power in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Different diplomatic circles have mentioned the alternative of civilian mission in Afghanistan, but comparisons of Kosovo with Afghanistan make it unrealistic. Some western diplomats think that the best solution in this aspect would be reaching of bilateral agreements between Kosovo Government and certain Western Governments, which would help Kosovo to strengthen rule of law or minorities protection. These ideas also are not detailed and are more suggestions of the moment of the western diplomats. YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 14.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 14.8.2005, 16:00 UTC -- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Cypriot Plane Crashes, 121 Feared Dead A Cypriot airliner with 121 people on board from Larnaca, Cyprus, crashed near Athens. Police suspect that a sudden drop in cabin pressure was to blame and say they do not suspect a terrorist attack. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1679992,00.html -- Black boxes found, 121 dead Rescue workers have found the two black boxes of the Cypriot airliner that crashed with 121 people on board north of Athens on Sunday. The boxes are expected to provide details as to why the Helios Airways plane crashed, killing all of 115 passengers and its six crew. The airliner was on a flight from Larnaca, Cyprus to Athens when it crashed near the coastal town of Kalamos. Helios Airways said it was unclear what caused the crash. The Greek Defence Ministry said there may have been problems with the plane's cabin pressure or oxygen supply. Earlier, Greek fighter jets who tried to intercept the plane after ground control lost contact with it, said the pilot was absent from the cockpit and the co-pilot was slumped in his seat. 4,000 ultra-nationalists sneak into Gaza Israeli police have blocked roads to Gaza to stop more opponents of Israel's pullout from occupied territory from slipping into Gaza settlements. The Israeli army chief said at least 4,000 ultra-nationalist Israelis had sneaked into the settlements in recent weeks to support Gaza settlers who plan to resist being removed from their homes. Sunday midnight is the official deadline for the evacuation but settlers will be given 48 hours grace before being removed forcibly. Of the approximately 8,000 residents in Gaza, around 60 percent have applied for compensation to move. A Palestinian task force has also been deployed in to prevent any attempt by Palestinian militants to disrupt the pull-out. Iran unveils new cabinet Iran's ultra-conservative President Mahmood Ahmadinejad has unveiled a new cabinet, putting hardliners in charge of foreign affairs, intelligence and other key ministries. Ahmadinejad warned the West not to resort to bullying over its nuclear programme which it says is for peaceful purposes only. Meanwhile, the AP news agency reports that hundreds of Iranian students pelted the British embassy in Tehran with eggs, tomatoes and stones on Sunday. They are protesting Europe's call for Iran to freeze its nuclear program and want Iran to pull out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. On Wednesday, Tehran resumed uranium conversion at its nuclear facility in Isfahan after rejecting an offer of political, economic and trade incentives from the European Union. Germany rejects military option for Iran Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has warned the United States against using military force to force Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. At an election campaign rally in his hometown of Hanover, Schroeder said military action would be a dangerous step to take, and called on the United States to seek a diplomatic solution. Washington accuses Tehran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has called on Tehran to suspend all of its recently restarted uranium conversion activity. Iraq draft constitution expected soon A draft of Iraq's new constitution is expected to be completed in the next few hours. Members of the panel writing the document say some crucial issues still have to be worked out, but that the draft would be finished. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has imposed a Monday deadline for presenting the document to the country's parliament. The Iraqi government and Washington hope a constitution will bring some order back to Iraq and allow the United States to reduce the number of troops it has deployed in the country. Sri Lankan police arrest suspects Police in Sri Lanka have arrested 12 Tamils in raids carried out in
[SNN] ICDSM: Protest the attack on President Milosevic's defence in Germany!
** INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC ICDSM Sofia-New York-Moscowwww.icdsm.org ** Velko Valkanov, Ramsey Clark, Alexander Zinoviev (Co-Chairmen), Klaus Hartmann (Chairman of the Board), Vladimir Krsljanin (Secretary), Christopher Black (Chair, Legal Committee), Tiphaine Dickson (Legal Spokesperson) ** 14 August 2005Special Circular ** Protest the attack on President Milosevic's defence in Germany! Dear friends, The situation caused by the attack of the German financial authorities on the German Section of ICDSM, has not been changed yet, paralyzing the fundraising activity of high importance for the normal functioning of the coworkers of President Milosevic at The Hague in the final stage of presentation of his case. The attack is in apparent violation of the basic right to defense, so we call upon you to send your protest letters to the German authorities in charge: Amtsgericht Darmstadt Mathildenplatz 12 (Gebaeude B) D-64283 Darmstadt Germany Fax: +49-6151-12-6455 and Oberfinanzdirektion Koblenz Postfach 100764 D-67433 Neustadt an der Weinstraße Germany Fax: +49-6321-894-938 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] reffering to the case Ermittlungsverfahren E 5084/04-515. As you already know, on July 19, 2005, the customs police (Oberfinanzdirektion Koblenz apparently acting on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Finance), searched the apartment of Peter Betscher, ICDSM member in charge of finance, seized his computer, files and documents and frozen the bank account. The lawyer, representing Peter Betscher, has requested access to records, which until now has been refused by the Oberfinanzdirektion Koblenz. In September 2003 the funds collected by the German Section of ICDSM for the defence of President Milosevic were once already been frozen by a German bank on the basis of a circular letter issued by the same Oberfinanzdirektion Koblenz. It must be noted that the Oberfinanzdirektion Koblenz is now demonstrating a surprising disregard of previous rulings by organs of the German judiciary: In another case the prosecutor of a German regional court (Generalstaatsanwalt des Oberlandesgerichts Frankfurt; ref.: 6 Js GStA612/03) held, that collecting donations in order to cover the defence costs of Mr. Milosevic can from no point of view be considered as punishable. When in 2003 the German branch of ICDSM took legal action against the bank which had frozen the ICDSM funds, a German local court (Amtsgericht Darmstadt; ref.: 300 C 393/03) decided as follows: Furthermore the reference made by the defendant to the Commission Regulation (EC) 1205/2001 does not seem sufficient to the court. On the one hand it is already questionable, whether in view of its content the regulation would apply to the case concerned, as it stipulates that such funds and financial means should be frozen, which belong to Mr. Milosevic or persons associated with him. In view of the court this does not apply to collecting funds destined for a defence, as it is assumed that the issue is about a legal assistance fund and not about handing over the funds to Slobodan Milosevic. According to basic principles of the rule of law every person has the right to have a proper defence in a criminal court, so that as a matter of principal there is no objection to collecting donations for a person who until found guilty has to be assumed innocent. On the basis of this decision the funds were released. The German state action against the defence of President Milosevic is allegedly based on EC Regulations imposing a freeze of funds in relation to Mr Milosevic and those persons associated with him: Council Regulation (EC) No 2488/2000 of 10 November 2000 - http://europa.eu.int/eur-ex/lex/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32000R248 8:EN:HTML revised by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1205/2001 of 19 June 2001 http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32001R12 05:EN:HTML Already a basic common sense, but more than that, the valid court decisions show that these EC regulations can in no way be used to justify a violation of a fundamental human right - the right of every person to have a proper defence in a criminal court. Please send the protest letters to the addresses above in order to end as soon as possible this completely illegal situation and to enable our German members to continue in normal way the fundraising activity. Please contact us in order to find together the best way to bridge the current unbearable situation, that endangers the normal work at The Hague. I thank Klaus von Raussendorff, the secretary of the German ICDSM for providing the accurate information about the issue. Vladimir Krsljanin, Secretary of
[SNN] Bush acknowledges the collapsing US economy
Bush acknowledges the collapsing US economy 08/12/2005 14:23 The US administration aims to spend $286 billion on the development of the American transport system US President George W. Bush released a remarkable statement a short time ago. The remark has not been highlighted in the world media yet, although there is every reason to do so. Bush virtually acknowledged that the USA was experiencing a serious economic crisis. Moreover, the US government was taking immense efforts to avoid a massive outbreak of social uneasiness, the American president believes. One may come to this conclusion from the newly-signed law about the development of the US transport system. The implementation of the law will cost tax-payers too much money. The US government plans to spend $286 billion on the implementation of the law during the forthcoming six years. Furthermore, Bush had to cut the costs of the law, which originally made up $400 billion. The US Treasury, however, will have to spend only $12.3 billion during ten years to guarantee the energy security and independence within the scope of the recently passed energy policy law. NASA's annual budget makes up $16 billion. Therefore, the sum of $400 billion makes a huge sum of money even from the point of view of American financial standards. Passing such highly expensive laws is usually accompanied with heated debate, numerous changes and so on and so forth. This time, however, a bill was transformed into a law a lot earlier than usual. As it was supposed, 24 billion dollars were supposed to be used for governmental subsidies to the states, which will be fulfilling the projects of the law. Adversaries of the law said that congressmen and senators would most likely spend the money inappropriately, trying to insinuate their electorate. In addition, many protest against the unwillingness of the US Congress to control the state spending at the moment, when the budgetary shortage is to exceed the record-breaking $333 during the current year. The law envisages 6,300 special projects in all states: bridges, highways, landscape accomplishment, snowmobile tracks, etc. Is it all so bad with the US infrastructure? George W. Bush released the key statement, which dotted all i's at this point: the law is meant to generate more jobs and give an incentive to the economic development of the USA. The triumphant leader of the world's strongest superpower would never utter such words. The above-mentioned statements from the American president do not characterize the USA as a great empire. Quite on the contrary, the White House is desperately looking for measures to find employment for crowds of unemployed American citizens and hungry migrants, which threaten to enrage the rest of the States. There were 9.3 million unemployed American citizens registered in the USA in 2004. The foreign trade shortage of the USA made up $617.73 billion in 2004, which became the record-breaking index for the USA. To crown it all, the US state debt reached unimaginable $7.22 trillion in 2004 too. All optimistic reports about the rising US economy carry the short-term efficiency only - they are presumably destined to save the demising US dollar. Quarterly changes in the number of the unemployed by 100-200 thousand people do not change the general situation. The USA has already faced such hard periods in its history. Taking a look back at the previous experience of the USA and estimating the new initiative of the American government, one may thus infer that the law about the transport system is like the last glimmer of hope for the US administration to keep the nation under control. When massive unemployment put the USA on the brink of survival during the Great Depression of the thirties, the government started funding the development of the transport infrastructure - it became the only way out of the crisis. Highways, on which the government spent billions and billions of dollars, rescued the entire nation. It is worth mentioning that the value of the US dollar used to be lower during that time. Here is another example, which bears some similarity to the present-day USA. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany was suffering from massive unemployment and helpless economy. Hitler mobilized thousands of the unemployed to build autobahns, which Germany is proud of still. The road construction gave a very powerful impetus to the revival of the German industry. Huge state investments triggered the industrial development, and Germany turned into one of the strongest European superpowers. The White House is going along the same path now. However, there is a certain aspect, which distinguishes the USA from the above-mentioned examples. Both Hitler's Germany and the USA of the Great Depression period were raising their economies up from the bottom. Nowadays, the USA enjoys the peak of its triumphant development, which is currently being damaged with the flaws of the American economic
[SNN] Independently minded mr.Cook
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,3604,1547561,00.html#article_continueThe Guardian (UK)Letters: Menzies Campbell's comment (August 8) about how "independently minded" Cook was is debateable. He resigned over the invasion of Iraq without UN approval, but took the lead in bombing Serbia without that approval because he was not independently minded enough to stand up to Madeleine Albright. James Bissett (Canadian ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1990-1992), Ottawa, Canada YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Monks run dry after winning best beer title
Monks run dry after winning best beer title MONKS at a Belgian abbey have been forced to stop selling their famous beer after it was voted the best in the world and promptly sold out. The abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren is home to some 30 Cistercian and Trappist monks who lead a life of seclusion, prayer, manual labour - and brewing the top rated Westvleteren 12 beer. http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1775522005 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 13.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 13.08.2005, 17:00 UTC -- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: UN Reform Unlikely Before Year's End Many countries think UN Security Council reform is needed, but disagree on how to do it. UN chief Kofi Annan now says finding a compromise will take longer than expected. The plan pushed by Germany is likely doomed. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1679194,00.html -- Sri Lankan foreign minister killed Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has imposed a state of emergency following the assassination of the country's foreign minister. Lakshman Kadirgamar was shot dead in the garden of his home in the capital, Colombo. Officials say they believe a sniper fired the shots that fatally wounded the 73-year-old foreign minister. They also suspect that the Tamil Tiger rebels were behind his killing. However, Tamil Tiger rebels have denied involvement in the assassination and said the Government must look inwards to get at the killers. Kadirgamar was an ethnic Tamil who was a vocal opponent of the rebels. Sri Lankan government spokesman Nimal Siripala De Silva admitted to reporters in Colombo, that the killing was a blow to the current peace process. The Tamil Tigers and government forces have largely been observing a cease-fire agreed three years ago. Germany condemns assassination Germany is one of several countries that have condemned the assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said in a statement that Kadirgamar's murderers must be brought to justice. He said he'd sent a message to Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga expressing condolences to the foreign minister's family and all Sri Lankans. Fischer described Kadirgamar as a friend of Germany and a statesman who was highly regarded around the world. Schroeder launches election campaign German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, launched his election campaign on Saturday. The elections, called early, are due in mid-September, subject to confirmation from Germany's Supreme Court. In his launch, Schroeder attempted to exploit theconservative opposition's infighting, hoping to build on his party's recent rise in opinion polls. However Schroeder's Social Democrats still trail far behind the Christian Democrats, but crept up two percentage points in a new poll released Saturday to 28 percent, while the CDU dropped two points to 41 percent. Britain bans radical Muslim cleric The British government has barred a radical Muslim cleric from returning to the country. Syrian-born Omar Bakri Mohammed who had spent the past 20 years in Britain is currently in Lebanon. This comes with British officials set to deport another radical Muslim cleric and nine other foreigners suspected of posing a threat to national security. Jordan has said that it would ask Britain to extradite one of those detained, the Muslim cleric Abu Qatada. He's the man Spanish officials have described as Osama bin Laden's spiritual ambassador in Europe. Palestinians celebrate Israeli pull-out Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has joined in celebrations along the beachfront of the Gaza Strip, just days ahead of Israel's planned withdrawal from the occupied territory. Abbas said in a speech that the Gaza pull-out would bring Palestinians one step closer to their dream of an independent state. Thousands of Palestinians waved flags, danced and sang in anticipation of the event. Israel is to begin removing residents from 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip next week. 9/11 tapes made public New York City's fire department has released audio tape recordings from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The tapes contain about 15 hours of radio transmissions from civilians trapped in rubble and responses from fire fighters and paramedics after the attacks. The release follows a court order which overruled efforts to keep records of the World Trade Center attack private. Several city officials had
[SNN] Spies, Lies And Whistleblowers
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=3454 The Truth Seeker Spies, Lies And Whistleblowers Published by The Book Guild, ISBN: 185776 952 In a world where our country is taken into an illegal war on flawed evidence, where people in the UK can be detained without trial on the word of the intelligence services, and where the threat of terrorist attack is a daily fear, we need to know that those responsible for Britain's security are really doing all they can to protect us. It's time for those in power to pull their heads out of the sand and listen to the evidence – and give MI5 and MI6 a radical overhaul. Here, for the first time, Annie writes about her experiences at the heart of the secret state and what happens when you stand up to it. Her revelations about illegal intelligence operations, cover-ups to ministers, and particularly the MI6 funding of Al Qaeda terrorists will shock all of us who like to think that our security services are doing everything in their power to fight terrorism. About the author Annie Machon was recruited by MI5 in 1991, having studied Classics at Cambridge and begun a career in publishing. Along with her partner, David Shayler -- born and bred on Teesside -- she worked for MI5's political and counter-terrorism departments in the 1990s. The two were so disgusted by its crimes and incompetence that they left and David went on the record about the service's failings. Ministers refused to hear his evidence. Instead, they have used the Official Secrets act and injunctions to stop journalists from investigating his disclosures. This has led to a life on the run, exile in Paris, a 2-year court case and two spells in prison. Now a writer, activist and anti-war campaigner, Annie also gives regular talks about her and David's story. Detailed contents The book gives detailed information about how: · MI6 illegally paid tens of thousands of pounds to Al Qaeda to stage a coup in Libya. If the plot had succeeded it would have led to associates of Osama Bin Laden taking power in Libya, an oil rich state, paving the way for a US/UK invasion as happened in Iraq. · MI5 and MI6 let a known Libyan terrorist into Britain. It failed to recruit him, and by the services' own admission, allowed him to set up a terrorist network in this country; · An MI6 agent ran guns and explosives to religious extremists in India then claimed MI5 and Special Branch were responsible and the British government lobbied for his release; · MI6 tried to undermine the Lockerbie evidence in public blaming Iran and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command for the attack; · MI6 influences public opinion including planting made-up stories in the media. The book names two agents of influence; · MI5 bungled the investigation and prosecution of a spy who had admitted giving Nato defence secrets to the Soviet Union; · MI5 illegally accessed the accounts of and bugged a Guardian journalist while planning to arrest her daughter on trumped-up charges; · MI5 failed to stop four major terrorist attacks in Britain, even though it was in possession of reliable intelligence. It then lied to government about its failure to stop two of these attacks; · MI5 was woefully ill-prepared to take over operations against the IRA in Britain from the Metropolitan Police Special Branch. As a result, it put bombs down at a greater rate than before or since. · Two IRA members were acquitted at trial because telephone tap material confirming their guilt was not admissible as evidence. · MI5 bureaucracy put its own agents and the lives of the general public at enormous risk, when faced with Libyan plans for the biggest terrorist attack in history; · MI5 neglected to admit that one of its key agents was a 'bullshitter' and a fabricator in written evidence submitted to the Saville Enquiry into Bloody Sunday in an attempt to blame Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein for the violence that day; · MI5 withheld vital documents indicating the innocence of the two people convicted of the Israeli Embassy bombing during their trial. They are still languishing in prison nine years after a blatant mistrial. One of the documents recorded a senior MI5 officers belief that the Israelis had bombed their own embassy; · MI5 carried out illegal operations against the left, including legitimate groups like CND and the trade unions; · Despite voting against the Official Secrets Act, Tony Blair has used it repeatedly since he came to power to persecute journalists, writers, activists and whistleblowers and to cover up the terrorist activities of the British intelligence services in Northern Ireland and abroad; · Lord Hutton failed to declare a conflict of interest in his handling of the enquiry into the death of Dr Kelly; · How ministers and judges failed to allow me to bring any evidence during my prosecution then denied the jury the right to acquit me on the grounds of justice. 'This is the most important account of MI5 since
[SNN] OSCE Secretary General visits Kosovo, urges dialogue as wayforward
OSCE Secretary General visits Kosovo, urges dialogue as way forward PRISTINA, 12 August 2005 - OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut discussed the future role of the OSCE in Kosovo in talks with the international administration, leaders of Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and representatives of the Kosovo Serb community this week. "The OSCE has seen clear progress achieved in Kosovo over the last six years and the Organization, through our Mission, has helped to build the elements of the institutions that serve all members of society," the Secretary General said on Friday, ending his first visit to South-East Europe since he took up office last month. This was in line with the assistance and support given to OSCE participating states in upholding the Organization's commitments and principles. The Secretary General said the OSCE was keen to remain involved in consolidating democratic developments in Kosovo through pro-active monitoring and capacity-building by its Mission. Close contacts will continue between the OSCE and Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and political and civic leaders. Secretary General de Brichambaut met Prime Minster Bajram Kosumi, the Assembly of Kosovo Presidency and political leaders from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM) and the ORA citizens' initiative. All expressed their appreciation for the work of the OSCE and looked forward to a continuing partnership. The Secretary General encouraged dialogue between all political forces and representatives of all communities living in Kosovo as a basis for commitment to democratic processes and institutions. He visited the OSCE-run Kosovo Police Service School (KPSS), the municipality of Mitrovica and the village of Svinjare/Frasher, where he was briefed on the return of Kosovo Serbs. Other issues discussed included standards implementation, decentralization and local self-government, reconciliation, the return of internally displaced persons and the future of the KPSS. ---Sven LindholmMission SpokespersonOSCE Mission in KosovoTel: +381 38 500 162 ext.260Mob: +377 44 500 254 YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 12.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News August 12th 2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Merkel Aims to Win Back Eastern Voters Chancellor candidate Angela Merkel sought to distance herself from remarks made by her key ally in Bavaria, Edmund Stoiber. His comments on eastern voters are being linked to the conservatives' slide in the polls. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1678556,00.html -- -- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer -- Heathrow strike eased, says BA British Airways says some of its ground personnel have gone back to work at London's Heathrow Airport where a wildcat strike had stranded 70,000 passengers worldwide. BA said it would take days, however, to end the backlog in 600 flights cancelled since Thursday. BA baggage handlers and bus drivers had gone on strike in sympathy with the sackings of 600 workers at Gate Gourmet, a US-owned flight catering firm. It also caused delays for other carriers such as Qantas and Sri Lankan Airlines and at airports like Frankfurt. Israeli rightists protest at Gaza pullout Tens of thousands of Israelis have rallied in central Tel Aviv, protesting against the planned pullout of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. Shortly before the protest, Israel's army shut off Jewish settlements in the occupied territory to non-residents in an effort to prevent radicals from hindering next week's planned pullout. Months of demonstrations, road blockades and acts of sabotage have failed to shake Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's resolve to remove all 21 settlements in Gaza. Russia urges restraint over Iran Russia has called for a de-escalation of tensions and dialogue over Iran's decision to resume nuclear fuel work. This follows Thursday's decision by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, urging Iran to resume its moratorium on nuclear fuel production. The IAEA resolution was drafted by Germany, Britain and France, and was passed unanimously by the 35-nation board. Iran has however vowed to continue with plans to produce nuclear fuel at its Isfahan facility, saying that it has the right to produce fuel for peaceful purposes. The US accuses Tehran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons. NASA launches Mars orbiter A US spacecraft has blasted off from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, beginning a mission to gather data from Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter lifted off on an Atlas V rocket on a seven-month journey to the red planet. A previous attempt to launch the spacecraft was scrubbed on Thursday because of a glitch during fuelling. Britain bans radical Muslim cleric The British government has barred a radical Muslim cleric from returning to the country. Syrian born Omar Bakri Mohammed who had spent the past 20 years in Britain is currently in Lebanon. A government spokesman said that Bakri's presence was no longer conducive to the public good. The move came as Britain's top legal official defended plans to deport another radical Muslim cleric and nine other foreigners suspected of posing a threat to national security. Jordan said on Friday it would ask Britain to extradite one of those detained, cleric Omar Mahmoud Othman Abu Omar, also known as Abu Qatada, who Spanish officials have previously described as Osama bin Laden's spiritual ambassador in Europe. Pfahls sentenced to two years in jail A court in the southern German city of Augsburg has sentenced former deputy defence minister Holger Pfahls to two years and three months in jail for bribery and tax-evasion. The 62-year-old Pfahls has admitted accepting some 3.8 million deutschmarks, worth nearly two million euros, in connection with the sale of 36 Fuchs armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia in 1991. He also admitted that he failed to declare the funds as income. However, former Chancellor Helmut Kohl told the court two weeks ago that Pfahls had had no influence over the deal. Pfahls was arrested in Paris last summer, after being on the run from German
[SNN] Neo-Nazis Cheer at Croatia's War Rally
Neo-Nazis Cheer at Croatia's War Rally Croatia's 'Operation Storm' was described by Nebojsa Malic thus: ...According to Serb documentation, the three-day offensive in August 1995 resulted in the expulsion of 220,000 people. Some 1,943 people have been listed as missing/presumed dead, including 1199 civilians, 523 women, and 12 children. The death toll would have been greater had the Serbs not fled en masse before the advancing Croat tanks; all who stayed behind were killed. The Croats, and their American sponsors, were definitely not squeamish. The 10th anniversary of the Operation was recently held in Knin, the former capital of the Serb enclave. It attracted Neo-Nazis and regular folks who derided their president as a 'gypsy' when he urged tolerance for minorities, and cheered instead for the twin 'Antes'- Ante Gotovina, the former general now wanted by the Hague, and Ante Pavelic, his WWII Nazi predecessor (on him see here). I posted a blog with the original Neo-Nazi article here . That website also speaks of the hardships faced by Roma in post-war Croatia, which would be at the head of the pack among West Balkan EU aspiring nations, were it not for Gotovina's having gone AWOL. Until he resurfaces (if ever), the Croats - who are basically considered the most 'civilized' of the West Balkanians after Slovenia - can continue to take pride in their magnificent achievement. At which point they will take more pride in 'Ante,' and angrily denounce the West for stripping them of their hero. As is happening elsewhere in the Balkans, the influence of radical parties will grow. For better or for worse, the Balkans cannot possibly be assimilated by the EU, unless you change everything in the collective consciousness that makes it a unique region. Through instruments like the Hague, the West hopes to shame the Balkanians into accepting their values (which have long degenerated into hollow rhetoric anyway). It's not working and it never will. Especially here in Macedonia, there is incredible pressure from the powers-that-be to do everything with one goal in mind: EU assimilation. When they say that there is no other option, this just means that the other option is war. Their frantic diplomacy, condemnations and orders are all meant to avert war. They are terrified of this possibility. But the people who would be affected by such an event aren't scared at all. And some are even looking forward to it. Bruce Hornsby once lamented:'that's just the way it is; some things will never change.' The EU would never expect it, but they will have to change if they want to eat up the Balkans. They have made the perilous mistake of confusing indigenous fatalism and indifference with enthusiastic acceptance of their values. http://www.antiwar.com/blog/comments.php?id=P2279_0_1_0 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 11.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 11. 08. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Conservative Gaffe Enrages East Germans Germany's first chancellor candidate from the east, Angela Merkel, ran into fresh electoral problems in the crucial ex-communist states Thursday after a key ally bashed the region's frustrated voters. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1676848,00.html -- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer -- IAEA studies EU draft on Iran The United Nations' nuclear watchdog is discussing a draft resolution that would call on Iran to suspend all nuclear enrichment activity. The draft being debated by the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors in Vienna expresses serious concern over Iran's resumption of uranium enrichment. But the European Union-sponsored text stops short of calling for the matter now to be taken to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. The talks come a day after Tehran removed IAEA seals placed on the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan. The plant carries out the first step in making enriched uranium that can be used in the production of nuclear weapons. Foreigners arrested; cleric detained British authorities have detained 10 foreigners suspected of posing a threat to national security. A spokesman for the Home Office refused to identify the detainees but did say that they would be deported. Last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced measures designed to allow the government to deport radical Islamic extremists almost a month after the bomb attacks on London's transport system that killed more than 50 people. In a related development, Lebanese police have arrested the Islamic fundamentalist Omar Bakri. He is being investigated in Britain for his remarks on the London bombings but British officials said there was no warrant for Bakri's arrest. Security Council extends Iraq mission The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the organisation's mission in Iraq another 12 months. The vote reaffirms the UN's leading role in helping to promote a national dialogue which is crucial for the country's political stability and unity. The resolution, sponsored by the US, also calls on the UN to assist the Iraqi people and government in developing institutions for representative government. There are now 260 civilians and military working for the Iraq mission, whose current mandate expires on August 12. Iraqi Shiites want autonomous region In Iraq Shiites have called for their own autonomous region in the south of the country, similar to what the Kurds run in the north. The call from the head of Iraq's most influencial Shiite political party, Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, coincides with talks on a future Iraqi constitution. Correspondents say Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs in the west remain apprehensive about autonomy under federalism. They were once dominant under Saddam Hussein but lack mineral resources, in contrast to oil-rich regions in the Kurdish north and Shiite south. Crude oil reaches $65 per barrel Crude oil prices have hit another record high, breaking the 65 dollar per barrel barrier before retreating slightly. Experts point to high demand from China and the US along with bottlenecks at refineries and low spare production capacity in the OPEC oil-producing countires as the primary reasons for the rising prices. Pullout the limit, says Sharon Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said Israel will not make further concessions to the Palestinians beyond its Gaza pullout that's due to begin next week. His remarks on Israeli television came as Israeli pullout opponents prepare for a mass rally in Tel Aviv this Thursday. The main settler group Yesha predicts that 100,000 opponents will demonstrate. On Wednesday night, 40,000 gathered at Jerusalem's West Wall in mass prayer to protest against the evacuation of 21 Gaza settlements. In southern Israel, Israeli police and troops have been practicing how to forcibly evacuate settlers if they refuse to depart Gaza. Annan urges UN reform by year's end
[SNN] Wanted: Gunfighters and start for hire
ARCHIVE: Wanted: Gunfighters and start for hire David H. Hackworth August 10, 2005 July 25, 1995 Mercenaries from dozens of countries have been slipping into former Yugoslavia since that bad civil war exploded. Some of these soldiers of fortune fight for kicks, most for money and, except for the People's Mujahedeen (Islamic freedom fighters from Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan), few believe in the cause of the forces they've joined. The mercenaries I saw in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia were a motley group of badnik adventurers. Most were cutthroats, thrill seekers, religious zealots or Jeffrey Dahmer clones. Civilization would be better off if most were used as alligator feed. Recently there's been an Americanization of the rent-a-soldier business in Croatia and Bosnia. According to a CIA spook -- who would be despooked if I gave you his name -- the main advisor to Lt. Gen. Rosa, a Bosnian corps commanding general who is now defending Gorazde, is an American Army lieutenant colonel. This source says retired infantry officer James Donovan is the main reason Rosa's Bosnian force has become a competent fighting outfit. Donovan is teaching U.S. Army doctrine and tactics, and they're getting good, he says. A Special Forces sergeant says he was recently asked to join a group of American retired military men to advise the Bosnian army. I got the same Soldiers Wanted report from a retired sergeant living near Fort Benning, Ga., and a former buck general says a retired U.S, Army lieutenant general is signing up old warriors for Bosnia from around Fort Bragg, N.C. The Bosnians are desperate. They're trying to improve their rag-tag mob with made-in-America military expertise and are perhaps betting that the arms embargo will be lifted. Money is no problem, as their oil rich cousins from the Middle East are picking up the tab. The Saudis learned during Desert Storm that Yankees make great mercenaries, and the Saudi marching song soon became Onward Christian Soldiers. The CIA and U.S. State Department deny there are Clinton administration-backed or -approved U.S. advisors operating in former Yugoslavia. A NATO source confirms these denials but says, Many American retired military types are working for both the Bosnian and Croatian armies. There's an outfit near the nation's capital called Military Professional Resources, Inc. It's made up of mostly high-ranking retired U.S. officers from all the services, who peddle their military skills worldwide. This outfit lists on its masthead eight four-star, four three-star and three two-star generals or admirals. MPRI's Gen. Ed Soyster, U.S. Army retired, says, We have a contract with Croatia that is designed to help that country's transition program from Warsaw Pact-style force to a more Western-oriented, professional military organization. Soyster adds, 'We're teaching democracy. Soldiers teaching democracy! That's like Mike Tyson teaching dating etiquette! Soyster admits that MPRI has 15 retired guys, headed up by a two- star general, 'operating in Croatia. He wouldn't give me names. He said he was afraid his people would end up on a Serbian hit list. Soyster says his guys were not involved in covert military operations, as retired U.S. military personnel were during the Vietnam War. He says, We're not doing anything clandestine over there. Our mission is simply to convert the old Eastern-style forces to a Western-style army based on democratic principles. Soyster denied that MPRI was giving the Croats any tactical training, weapons training or combined armed training. He says such training 'would violate the U.N. weapons embargo and U.S. policy. We'd never do anything not in keeping with U.S. policy.' It's strange that the nasty Serbs would want to ice such nice men who are just teaching liberty, equality and justice. Most of these generals draw retirement pay about six times higher than what the average American makes in a year. A four-star general, for example, grosses about $100,000 a year. I can't figure why they need to moonlight in the killing business when we taxpayers look after them so well! Congress should pass a law saying that military retirees who advise a foreign army will lose their pensions for life. This would eliminate a lot of high-ranking racketeers from the weapons business and, perhaps, take some of the profit out of war -- which is the only way to end it. | http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2005/August_10/6.html?w=p Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/NfOolB/TM ~- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
[SNN] Shoot the first Serb...
http://grayfalcon.blogspot.com/2005/08/shoot-first-serb.html According to the Belgrade daily "Srpski Nacional," the commander of Zagreb riot police, one Zvonimir Vitjak, threatened the Serb soccer fans planning to attend a match between Belgrade's Crvena Zvezda and a Croatian team."We'll shoot the first Serb who tries to make trouble. There will be no mercy for Belgraders, if they so much as think of disturbing the peace here... No matter how many Serbs come, we are ready to meet them," Vitjak is quoted as saying. He added, "We all remember the Serb who carried the photo of Draža Mihailović on Jelačić Square. I promise I will personally deal with every Serb that gets a similar idea... I don't care that this is a European game. I will do anything to preserve the dignity of all Croats." (all emphasis mine)This racist drivel comes on the heels of last week's celebration of the August 1995 ethnic cleansing of Serbs. It's an illustration of the extent to which Serbs are hated in Croatia. Vitjak wasn't warning Zvezda fans, or hooligans, he was warning Serbs. He wasn't speaking of upholding the law, but of preserving Croatian "dignity."Earlier this year (March), a riot in Zagreb targeted athletes, journalists and fans from Serbia after a handball game between a home team and Belgrade's Partizan. No arrests were made. Somehow I don't think Mr. Vitjak was too concerned with Croats who were "disturbing the peace" by beating up Serbs. After all, probably considering it a patriotic duty, it's what he would do. Related... YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Terror Expert: London Bombings Mastermind Is MI6 Asset
Terror Expert: London Bombings Mastermind Is MI6 Asset posted by mortimer on Aug 09, 2005 - 01:11 PM 'The July 29 edition of FOX News Channel's Day Side programme revealed that the so called mastermind of the 7/7 London Bombings, Haroon Rashid Aswat, is a British Intelligence Asset. Former Justice Dept. prosecutor and Terror expert John Loftus revealed that the so called Al-Muhajiroun group, based in London had formed during the Kosovo crisis, during which Fundamentalist Muslim Leaders (Or what is now referred to as Al Qaeda) were recruited by MI6 to fight in Kosovo. 'Loftus stated that ...back in the late 1990s, the leaders all worked for British intelligence in Kosovo. Believe it or not, British intelligence actually hired some Al-Qaeda guys to help defend the Muslim rights in Albania and in Kosovo. That's when Al-Muhajiroun got started.' (Infowars video stream http://www.infowars.com/articles/London_attack/mastermind_mi6_asset.htm ). Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Hearts grown cold...by William Montgomery
http://www.b92.net/feedback/misljenja/press/william.php B92 Opinions Hearts grown cold William Montgomery August 4 marked the ten-year anniversary of Operation Storm. The Croatians celebrate it as the biggest victory in their struggle for independence and the liberation of territory taken by force by rebellious Serbs three years earlier. Serbs, on the other hand, continue to view Operation Storm as a classic example of ethnic cleansing and unanswered war crimes. The recent battle of the Presidents (Tadic and Mesic) outlined these differences distinctly. The victors in the Balkan Wars are the small minority of individuals on all sides who were determined to make the rupture between the ethnic groups so severe that relations would be beyond repairing. They were aided by government-controlled media, which presented distorted, inflammatory information, which in the initial phase of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia was instrumental in re-kindling fears, suspicions, and antagonisms among the ethnic groups, which had laid dormant for decades. The vast majority of people of all ethnic groups in all the countries of the former Yugoslavia never wanted the violence which swept over this region and suffered one way or another because of it. But the orgy of rape, destruction of houses, murder, and brutality has traumatized so many of those involved that I just don't see how they can ever recover. To talk to these victims about reconciliation is to them an insult. To these victims, there is collective guilt that can neither be forgotten nor forgiven. I have heard this from all sides. A respected and moderate Serbian journalist whose solution to Kosovo is to throw out all the Albanians from our land because most of them are terrorists anyway. A prominent citizen of Dubrovnik whose comment about Montenegro is that only evil comes from there and that the border should be permanently shut. A woman in Zagreb who asks the court to curtail visiting rights for her child's father because he is a Serb. Croats who feel no empathy for any of the 200,000 or so Serbs who fled the Knin area during Operation Storm because they viewed them as either active participants or passive facilitators in the crimes committed against Croats who lived in that area during and after the establishment of the Republika Srpska Krajina. The most depressing fact is that young people on all sides who were not old enough to have even actively participated in any of these events are now some of the most antagonistic towards the other ethnic groups. In talking with them, it is clear that they have no real factual knowledge of what went on, only anecdotes handed down from older generations. Yet, these young people are the ones regularly involved in virtually all the incidents of ethnic violence or demonstrations, which now take place. What does this mean for the future? The encouraging news is that politicians and media outlets on all sides are slowly taking the politically difficult steps of looking more closely - and honestly - at the past. President Tadic's visit to the commemoration of Srebrenica along with the leadership of the Bosnian Serbs is one example. So is the broadcasting on Serbian television of the casual murder of six Bosnian Muslims by members of the Scorpion paramilitary organization. So are the recent media revelations and debate about the alleged killing of Serbs in Osijek in 1991. So is the initial step taken by the Montenegrin government to begin to provide compensation for the damage done to the Konavle area during the war. It is entirely predictable that as this process unfolds, there will be a backlash from both extreme nationalists and those traumatized by the recent wars. In fact all four of the examples I cite above have led to criticism and protest from virtually all sides. My first reaction was to think this showed that attitudes were actually hardening instead of moderating. Upon reflection, however, I think it is more that the gestures I have described above have simply brought out the deeply held feelings felt by so many. It would take a book to adequately cover all aspects of Operation Storm, including the policies of my government at the time. Certainly, the viewpoints of the Serbs and Croats about it radically differ. I want to make just a few points. First of all, it is ironic how President Milosevic first strongly supported, funded, and armed the Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia and encouraged their revolts, but then when the going got tough, he left them dangling in the wind to fend for themselves. For it is clear that Milosevic decided not to defend the Republic of Krajina with all the forces at his disposal. He also acquiesced in the Erdut Agreement, which returned Eastern Slavonia to Croatian control. His final legacy to Serbia is the 600,000 Serbian displaced persons and refugees from Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia still living - existing - in Serbia proper. With international assistance to them drying up
[SNN] What is the role of the British Forces?
http://www.politics.co.uk/issues/former-yugoslavia-and-role-british-forces-$2081725.htm Politics.co.uk Debate-Issue briefs Former Yugoslavia and the Role of British ForcesWhat is the role of the British Forces? British forces have been involved in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia since the mid-1990s through their involvement in multilateral peacekeeping and conflict missions mandated by the United Nations (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO). In 2004, there were British forces based in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia. Background The multinational, multiethnic federation of Yugoslavia began to crumble with the death of the long-serving President Marshall Tito in 1980. The disintegration of the state reached a climax in 1991, when the republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. The federal government, dominated by Serbia, rejected the declaration and war broke out that year. After European Union monitoring had failed to halt the progression of the conflict, the UN intervened, first through the implementation of multilateral sanctions, and then through the authorisation of a number of peacekeeping operations. The UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) that was in Croatia and Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 was granted extended authority to deliver humanitarian assistance and provide protection for so-called 'safe areas'. NATO air forces (which included UK personnel) were also mandated to provide support for the delivery of the peacekeepers' mandate on the ground. However, the weakness of the UN mandate was highlighted following the Srebrenica massacre of 1995, where UN peacekeepers were left helpless under the limited terms of their mandate to halt the unfolding slaughter of Muslims. Exhausted by economic sanctions and under the threat of further action from NATO, the combatants agreed to bring the war to an end under the Dayton Peace Accords of 1995. UK forces subsequently formed part of the post conflict mission initially mandated under UN Security Council Resolution 1031 (1995) - the military Implementation Force (IFOR) and subsequently the Stabilisation Force (SFOR), the latter being provided with an ambitious and broad mandate, ranging from the traditional conflict prevention to the modern roles of institution building and reconstruction tasks. However, during 1998, conflict began to return in the Serbian province of Kosovo, an area dominated by ethnic Albanians that was left out of the Dayton settlement. International diplomacy - notably the 'Rambouillet Accords', failed, and brutal repression and widespread displacement of ethnic Albanians followed. The UN proved unable to act, and NATO threats against Serbia, led by President Slobodan Milosevic, were ignored. In March 1999, the Organisation began an air campaign against Serbia. Following such a major blow to its authority, the UN was keen to ensure the post-war situation was kept within its multilateral framework, and in UNSCR 1244 authorised an unprecedented multilateral peacekeeping operation (KFOR and UNMIK). In 2002 the UK was contributing some 3,000 personnel to KFOR operations. Peacekeeping in Macedonia also saw high levels of British involvement, in the period of instability that almost broke out into full-scale war between the government and ethnic Albanian guerrillas, still armed from the Kosovo crisis, in 2001. Controversies The legality of the air strikes in Kosovo in 1999 is one of the most controversial political and legal issues of recent years, challenging the very core of the UN and international law. This controversy was created by what some saw as the impotence of the United Nations against the resistance of pro-Serbian Russia and China, and then by the unabating slaughter occurring by the Serbian army in Kosovo. NATO intervention in Kosovo was justified on the legally dubious grounds of 'humanitarian intervention'. The air strikes themselves proved highly controversial, with NATO forces launching attacks within Serbia itself and killing many civilians. The need for the ongoing presence of British troops in the Balkans is questioned in some quarters - as is the share of the burden for peacekeeping between participating countries. Also controversial have been claims that veterans of the Balkan campaigns have been exposed to radiation from depleted uranium ammunition. This ammunition, which is mainly used for piercing armour, has been linked to leukaemia and mental health problems. Although the British and US governments are on record as having known about the potential health and environmental hazards of the ammunition, both continued to authorise their use. Depleted Uranium (DU) first emerged as a cause for concern in association with 'Gulf War Syndrome'. During the Gulf War, British tanks fired about 100 DU shells. None were used by British forces in the Balkans. However, the US fired around 860,000 DU shells during the Gulf War, along with 10,800 rounds in Bosnia and
[SNN] The Brooklyn-Kosovo-London Connection
The Brooklyn-Kosovo-London Connection By M. Bozinovich Last week's airing of a documentary The Brooklyn Connection that glorifies an Albanian gunrunner, Florin Krasniqi, has prompted, according to the author of the documentary, an investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security. What the agency is exactly investigating is not clear at this point, but anyone who read Stacy Sullivan's book used as a base for the documentary, Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons In America, should be afraid: a young uneducated Muslim Albanian illegally enters America via porous Mexican border, goes gun shopping to Pakistan and repeatedly ships guns via plane and in full sight of American flight attendants. While the ranting in the Sullivan's book may be dismissed as a hearsay in the courts, the investigation into Krasniqi and his Albanian charity network may hit a brick wall because it may expose high level dirty laundry, most of them Clinton's administrators. Consider: Ten minutes into the documentary we see the illegal immigrant Florin Krasniqi with an Albanian guerilla entourage known as KLA contributing at a John Kerry fundraiser and having a laugh with Democrats Wesley Clark and Richard Holbrooke. Fundrace.org indicates that Krasniqi indeed donated money to Kerry. Krasniqi laments that With money, you can do amazing things in this country... Senators and congressmen are looking for donations, and if you raise the money they need for their campaigns, they pay you back. The political power of money that Krasniqi alludes to may have also caused the mischaracterization of the KLA from a terrorist into a guerilla group. Sullivan says that Albanian lobby chief, Joseph DioGuardi had a silent talk with Clinton's Balkan envoy Robert Gelbard who was adamant in referring to KLA as terrorists, and after the chat miraculously switched his reference to a more desirable guerilla rebels. In fact, FBI has warned Krasniqi on 2 occasions that the KLA will be soon listed on a terror list and advised him to cease the charity fundraising. Soon thereafter, a shadowy and Clinton-connected covert operations specialist Giles Pace was standing with Krasniqi's political moneyman DioGuardi at an airport. Jill Nicholson radio talk show in Las Vegas featured Pace on a Sept. 10, 1998 show billing him to have direct links with the Albanian government. Krasniqi says that Pace may have been a CIA operative although some have said that he was Clinton's personal contact for dirty wars. Pace disappears when NATO starts bombing Serbia over KLA instigated warfare in Kosovo. Terror Connections Clinton allegedly pressured Albania to curb gun smuggling but that the pressure meant nothing was recounted by Krasniqi himself. Retelling Krasniqi's tale, Sullivan says that the US pressured Albanian President Berisha to establish a special anti-arms-trafficking police force and when this Albanian force intercepted Krasniqi running guns to Kosovo the Krasniqis and their weapons were free to go. In fact, President Berisha's farm was used as a weapons stash for the Kosovo Albanians, a fact that could hardly be overlooked by Clinton's administration. Clinton made it similarly clear that the US would not tolerate the rebels receiving any assistance from Islamic fundamentalists. In a footnote, Sullivan cites that This was confirmed to me both by Florin and two other KLA leaders. but cites that [I]n April 1998, an Egyptian-born Frenchman named Claude Cheik Ben Abdel Kader, who claimed to be an operative for Al Qaeda, had approached the KLA Supreme Command in Tirana and offered to provide guns, money and fighters. KLA allegedly refused because of their already demonstrated loyalty to Clinton's clarities. Kader was eventually arrested and sentenced to 20 years in jail. People look at the bombed police building in Macedonia's capital Skopje, on Saturday, July 16, 2005. Recent bombings in Macedonia, however, indicate possible al Qaeda-Krasniqi links. Skopje-based Vecer says that Agim Krasniqi's group was involved in the bombing attack on a police station in the village of Vratnica, while a Saudi Ramadan Shiti also triggered a similar police station bombing in Skopje. Both used plastic explosives and both reside in a Macedonian village of Kondovo where the police are afraid to go in because the armed Albanians and mujahedeen gangs have made the village their military base. Agim Krasniqi claims that he allegedly did not know anything at all about the Skopje bombing. Sullivan's Krasniqi is rather clear of Albanian intentions in Macedonia. ...we'll take over that country because we'll be the majority. Presumably, coordinated Al Qaeda-Albanian bombings of police stations across Macedonia help in this endeavor. KLA and London Bombings According to Christope Chaboud, the new commandant of the anti-terrorist unit of France UCLAT, a unit of the French criminal police which specializes in the fight against terrorism, said that the
[SNN] Depleted Uranium is WMD
Published on Tuesday, August 9, 2005 by the Battle Creek Enquirer (Michigan) Depleted Uranium is WMD by Leuren Moret My grandfather, U.S. Army Col. Edwin Joseph McAllister, was born in Battle Creek in 1895. He does not know that his first grandchild is an international expert on depleted uranium. I have worked in two U.S. nuclear weapons laboratories, and in 1991 I became a whistleblower at the Livermore lab. Depleted uranium is very, very, very nasty stuff: Depleted uranium (DU) weaponry meets the definition of weapon of mass destruction in two out of three categories under U.S. Federal Code Title 50 Chapter 40 Section 2302. DU weaponry violates all international treaties and agreements, Hague and Geneva war conventions, the 1925 Geneva gas protocol, U.S. laws and U.S. military law. Since 1991, the U.S. has released the radioactive atomicity equivalent of at least 400,000 Nagasaki bombs into the global atmosphere. That is 10 times the amount released during atmospheric testing which was the equivalent of 40,000 Hiroshima bombs. The U.S. has permanently contaminated the global atmosphere with radioactive pollution having a half-life of 2.5 billion years. The U.S. has illegally conducted four nuclear wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and twice in Iraq since 1991, calling DU "conventional" weapons when in fact they are nuclear weapons. DU on the battlefield has three effects on living systems: it is a heavy metal "chemical" poison, a "radioactive" poison and has a "particulate" effect due to the very tiny size of the particles that are 0.1 microns and smaller. The blueprint for DU weaponry is a 1943 Manhattan Project memo to Gen. L. Groves that recommended development of radioactive materials as poison gas weapons - dirty bombs, dirty missiles and dirty bullets. DU weapons are very effective kinetic energy penetrators, but even more effective bioweapons since uranium has a strong chemical affinity for phosphate structures concentrated in DNA. DU is the Trojan Horse of nuclear war - it keeps giving and keeps killing. There is no way to clean it up, and no way to turn it off because it continues to decay into other radioactive isotopes in over 20 steps. Terry Jemison at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs stated in August 2004 that over 518,000 Gulf-era veterans (14-year period) are now on medical disability, and that 7,039 were wounded on the battlefield in that same period. Over 500,000 U.S. veterans are homeless. In some studies of soldiers who had normal babies before the war, 67 percent of the post-war babies are born with severe birth defects - missing brains, eyes, organs, legs and arms, and blood diseases. In southern Iraq, scientists are reporting five times higher levels of gamma radiation in the air, which increases the radioactive body burden daily of inhabitants. In fact, Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan are uninhabitable. Cancer starts with one alpha particle under the right conditions. One gram of DU is the size of a period in this sentence and releases 12,000 alpha particles per second. Before my grandfather died, he told me that his generation had made a mess of this planet. I wonder what he would say to me now I would tell him to see "Beyond Treason" (www.beyondtreason.com), a new documentary about the history of treason by the U.S. government against our own troops: Atomic veterans, MK-Ultra, Agent Orange and DU. After Vietnam, Henry Kissinger said, "Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy. . ." (from Chapter 5 in the "Final Days" by Woodward and Bernstein). Leuren Moret is an international radiation specialist, with a B.S. degree in geology from University of California at Davis, a M.A. degree in Near Eastern studies from University of California at Berkeley and has done post-graduate work in the geosciences at UC-Davis. She is environmental commissioner for the City of Berkeley, Calif. 2005 Battle Creek Enquirer http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/OPINION02/508090332/1014/OPINION SPONSORED LINKS Yugoslavia Serbian Serb Serbia and montenegro Flag of yugoslavia
[SNN] News, 08.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News August 8th 2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Iran Resumes Enrichment Activity Iranian technicians have taken the first steps to resume enrichment activity at its Isfahan facility. The German government has appealed to the mullahs in Tehran to consider carefully the EU's proposals. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1671703,00.html -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for August is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Iran resumes uranium conversion Iran says it has resumed uranium conversion at its plant near the city of Isfahan. The European Union and the United States have previously warned that this step could lead to Iran being referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. A crisis meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, is to be held on Tuesday to discuss the deadlock. The meeting follows Iran's rejection of an EU package of incentives to abandon work on the nuclear fuel cycle. Iran insists it only wants to generate electricity, but the US suspects it of running a nuclear weapons programme. Meanwhile, the Iranian government says it will replace its chief nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, with the conservative Ali Larijani. The appointment is seen as a hardening of Iran's position. Japan PM dissolves lower house Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has dissolved parliament's lower house for an early election. The move comes after the upper chamber defeated bills to privatise the postal system. The reform of Japan Post had been the core of Koizumi's reform agenda. Koizumi says he wants a new election so the people can decide on his privatisation plans. He says that privatising Japan Post would stimulate the private sector and boost Japan's stagnant economy. Several members of his Liberal Democratic Party were among those to oppose the plans. Koizumi's junior coalition partner, New Komeito, has said September 11 is the likely election date. Discovery landing delayed NASA says unstable weather over Florida has delayed the return of the space shuttle Discovery by 24 hours. It had originally been due to touch down some hours ago. Tensions are high because of the loss of the shuttle Columbia in 2003 when its heat shield failed upon re-entry. NASA managers gave the green light for Discovery's landing after deciding that a blemish in its thermal blanket would not compromise safety. Discovery's commander Eileen Collins said she had no qualms about re-entry. If the weather blocks a landing for two days at Florida Discovery can aim for touch-down in California or New Mexico. London bombing suspects remanded Four men charged with conspiracy to murder in the failed July 21 London bombings remain in police custody pending trial. Three are suspected of having placed bombs on London's transport system. The fourth is facing charges related to an unexploded bomb found in a park two days after the attacks. The men will appear in court on November 14. Another suspect in the attacks arrested in Rome is awaiting extradition. The failed July 21 bombings occurred two weeks after 52 people were killed in suicide attacks on London's transport network. Russia Navy chief to be dismissed Moscow's defence ministry says the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy will be dismissed. Defence officials said that Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov would be let go for health reasons. The ministry said the decision was made before the latest Russian submarine drama. Last week seven Russian seamen were trapped for three days deep in the Pacific after their submarine got caught in fishing nets. American, British and Japanese naval experts came to their rescue. Commander-in-chief Kuroyedov was in a military hospital at the time of the drama. Since Kuroyedov has headed the Navy, Russia has experienced several Navy disasters including the loss of the Kursk submarine five years ago with 118 crew members on board. Israeli cruise ships diverted to Cyprus Two cruise liners carrying more than 1,600 Israeli passengers have docked in Cyprus after being diverted from Turkey because of security fears. The two ships had been headed for the Turkish port of Alanya. On Friday, Israel's government had told four Israeli cruise liners headed for
[SNN] News, 07.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News August 7th 2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Schröder's Ambivalent European Legacy German Chancellor Schröder's relationship with the EU has never been a love affair. He acted pragmatically and not exactly squeamishly. What traces has he left in European politics? To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1667421,00.html -- -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for August is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Robot frees Russian submariners The seven members of a Russian mini-submarine trapped at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean have been rescued. The mini-sub was freed by an unmanned British rescue craft. The submarine had been stranded off the coast of Russia's eastern Kamchatka Peninsula since Thursday when it became entangled in underwater cabling and fishing nets during a military exercise. The seven crew have been taken to a military hospital for examination. Russian Naval spokesman Victor Lutsenko says all seven appear to be in good health. Russia's foreign ministry has thanked Britain, Japan and the US for sending rescuers. Moscow's request for help contrasts with delays five years ago when 118 sailors died inside the Russian submarine Kursk. Search continues for plane crash missing Rescue teams are working to recover the bodies of as many as three people missing from a Tunisian plane crash that is feared to have killed 16 people. Thirteen bodies have been recovered so far but the exact number of missing remained unclear. Emergency crews have not yet found the flight data recorder. The aircraft, an ATR-72 operated by Tunisiair, went down Saturday 16 kilometers off Sicily's Cape Gallo on the island's north coast. The pilot had contacted Rome airport reporting engine trouble. Twenty three people survived the crash. Bombing in Tikrit kills five There's been more violence in Iraq. In the northern town of Tikrit a suicide car bomb killed at least five people and wounded another 15 outside a police headquarters. Men volunteering to join the force had been crowding the area. The US military said that two of its soldiers were killed from a roadside bomb blast in Samara on Saturday. At least 38 US military personnel have died in Iraq in the past 10 days. Elsewhere political leaders from Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities have come together in a bid to decide how much federalism to have in a new constitution. Kurds still insist on full automonmy in Iraq's north. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Newsweek Magazine shows public support for George W. Bush's Iraq policy continues to slip. Only 34 percent of Americans approve it; 61 percent disapprove. Iran unconcerned about UN sanctions Iran has reiterated plans to resume uranium conversion this week and said it was unconcerned about referral of its nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. Britain, Germany and France, heading nuclear negotiations with Iran for the European Union, have called an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors on Tuesday to discuss Iran's case. The EU trio say they will recommend referring Iran to the Security Council if it goes ahead with plans to resume work at the Isfahan uranium conversion plant. On Saturday, Iran rejected an EU package of economic and political incentives designed to persuade it to halt nuclear fuel work for good. Tehran says it will restart the Isfahan plant as soon as IAEA surveillance equipment is in place. US, Afghan forces kill 8 Taliban fighters US and Afghan troops have killed eight Taliban insurgents in an operation in the volatile southern province of Zabul. An official said on Sunday that three more Taliban combatants were captured during Saturday's operation in the Shahr-i-Safa district of Zabul. A Taliban spokesman said insurgents had killed three Afghan troops and kidnapped 11 others in adjacent Uruzgan province the previous day. Hundreds of people have died in a Taliban-linked insurgency that has gripped mostly part of southern and eastern Afghanistan this year. The increase in violence comes ahead of next month's parliamentary polls, which the Taliban have vowed to derail.
[SNN] Consequences of depleted uranium dropped in NATO air strikes
Consequences of depleted uranium dropped in NATO air strikes Exposed to radiation and forgotten Three years after NATO air strikes on Serbia, experts of the Institute for radiology protection 'Dr. Dragomir Karajovic' found genetic changes and presence of uranium in the bodies of people living on Strpce Plateau and in the villages of southeast Serbia. The same was found in people who carried out decontamination of Lustica Peninsula in Montenegro. 'Two years later nobody knows what is going on with these people. Nobody is following up their health condition, we even don't' know if they are still alive', Doctor Radomir Kovacevic says. The experts of this institute say that these negative consequences have affected 112 locations from which 107 are in Kosovo. Four are in the southeast of Serbia, Bratoselce, Reljan, Borovac and Pljackovica. 'These are actually four radioactive fields surrounded by barbwire only. Farmers' houses and lands are immediately next to them. Other parts of the State are safe since the ammunition with 238 uranium was not used north of Pljackovica. However, after explosion molecules of aerosol that contain uranium appear in the fire and they enter moisture drops in the air. There they can remain for a very long time and a wind can take them anywhere. They are invisible and can circle around the whole planet and cannot be removed with any 'vacuum cleaner'. One such particle is sufficient to turn a healthy cell into a malignant one. One malignant cell can start a process that will take a life away. Both 'Focus' international commission and UNEP have proved presence of such particles above the villages in the south of Serbia', Doctor Karajovic says. 'Serbia Government has promised, but still has not financed a single scientific project that would follow the consequences of air strikes and health condition of the population', Doctor Kovacevic adds. 'In 2003 we made a program called 'Oncology preventive for population in areas contaminated with uranium'. This program does not require large sums of money. Sadly, so far nobody has shown any interest in it', Doctor Dragomir Krajovic concluded. http://www.blic.co.yu Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 06.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 06. 08. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: The German Fear of Unemployment Angst over the hovering specter of unemployment reached an all-time high last January as the number of unemployed climbed to over five million. Germany's neighbors have similar problems, but the fear seems less severe. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1668520,00.html -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for August is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Tunis Air: emergency sea landing A Tunis Air aircraft with 35 passengers on board made an emergency landing in the sea off Sicily. Italian emergency services said two passengers were seen on the wings of the plane, an ATR 42, after it had landed on the water. Police and fire brigade officials say that a rescue attempt is under way. The charter plane was flying from Bari, Italy, to Djerba, Tunisia. The French-made aircraft can carry up to 50 passengers. 1000's attend Garang funeral in Sudan In southern Sudan, tens of thousands of followers and numerous African dignitaries bid a final farewell to former rebel leader John Garang. He was killed last weekend in a helicopter crash just three weeks after becoming Sudan's vice-president under a peace deal. Local newspapers report that Garang's deputy within the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Salva Kiir will be sworn in as its new leader and the country's vice-president on Sunday. Garang's death has raised fears that Sudan's peace accord, which set up a power-sharing north-south government, might collapse. The country's 21-year war was formally ended in January after claiming more than two million lives. Iran - inauguration amid nuke row Iran's new President Mahmood Ahmadinejad has been sworn in at a parliamentary ceremony and warned that his government would not submit to other nations. Iran is in a wrangle over its nuclear programme with western powers and UN inspectors. Ahmadinejad, an ultra-conservative aged 49 and previously the mayor of Tehran, won a landslide election in June, replacing the reformist cleric Mohammad Khatami. On Friday three EU nations - France, Germany and Britain, backed by the United States - offered Iran trade incentives if it abandoned parts of its nuclear programme that could be used to develop bombs. Iran, which insists it has a right to generate nuclear electricity, has said the EU incentives are unacceptable. Sailors in submarine in 5 degrees Cel. The Russian navy has begun lowering cables in a second attempt to lift a mini-submarine trapped on the seabed, 190 meters below the surface off Russia's Pacific coast for the past three days. British and US teams carrying underwater robots and specialists have flown the site to help with rescue efforts. The seven crew on board the submarine have lowered temperatures on board to five degrees Celcius and are sitting mostly in darkness in an effort to save oxygen. Naval authorities say that the crew may only have enough oxygen until Sunday. The vessel is caught in an underwater surveillance antenna, not a fishing net as first suggested. Discovery undocks - home Monday The American spacecraft Discovery - the first shuttle to fly since the Columbia disaster two years ago - has begun its flight back to Earth. The Discovery has undocked from the International Space Station and will orbit alone until early Monday when it's due to land in Florida. Earlier in the week, its astronauts made minor repairs to Discovery's thermal insulation during spacewalks. In February of 2003 a heat shield crack led to the disintegration of the Columbia on re-entry and the loss of its seven crew members. London bombing: 3 more charged British police have remanded three more people in custody in connection with the attempts to bomb London's transport system on July 21. The three are accused of failing to disclose information they may help police prosecute others already in custody. Currently, nine people are being held, including three of the suspected bombers and a fourth suspect who is being held in Rome. 56 people were killed in a similar attack on London's transport system on July 7. On Friday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a sweeping range of new powers, including a possible
[SNN] News, 03.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 03. 08. 2005, 17:00 UTC English Service News -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Kohl Takes Heat Off Former Minister Pfahls The corruption trial of Holger Pfahls took a key turn on Wednesday with the testimony of ex-Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who effectively cleared the former junior defense minister of suspicions of bribery. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1667381,00.html -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for August is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- 14 US soldiers killed in Iraq combat Fourteen US Marines and a civilian interpreter have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The incident occurred during combat operations near the town of Haditha, some 200 kilometres northwest of Baghdad. The latest troop casualties come a day after six Marines were killed in the same area. In further violence in Iraq, unknown assailants have shot dead the American journalist and author Steven Vincent. His body was found in the city of Basra. Police said gunmen abducted Vincent and his Iraqi translator on Tuesday. Discovery astronaut repairs shuttle Astronaut Stephen Robinson, on the Space Shuttle Discovery, has successfully completed an unprecedented emergency repair job. The spacewalking astronaut pulled two potentially dangerous strips of protruding fabric from Discovery's belly with his gloved hand. Robinson said both pieces came out easily and he did not have to use a makeshift hacksaw that he carried along just in case. NASA officials wanted the exposed ceramic-fiber fillers removed because they feared the fibers could lead to overheating on re-entry and a possible repeat of shuttle Columbia's disastrous breakup two and a half years ago. Ahmadinejad takes office in Iran Iran's new President Mahmood Ahmadinejad has officially taken office. The ultra-conservative former mayor of Tehran was formally installed at a ceremony led by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In his first address as president, Amhadinejad appealed for an end to weapons of mass destruction in the world. But shortly after the ceremony nuclear negotiator Ali Agha Mohammadi said Tehran hoped to resume uranium conversion work on Wednesday. The European Union and United States have issued sharp warnings to Tehran over its threats to resume the sensitive nuclear fuel work. The move could risk Iran being sent to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. Mauritanian army troops launch coup In Mauritania, there are reports of an apparent coup d'etat. Army troops backed by presidential guard members took over the armed forces headquarters as well as state radio and television buildings. The incident happened as Mauritanian President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was in Saudi Arabia, attending the funeral of King Fahd. President Taya has since arrived in Niger for emergency talks with that country's leader. Zambia to hand terror suspect to Britain A terror suspect arrested in Zambia and wanted over the July 7 London bombings as well as by the United States will be deported to Britain. The Zambian government said Haroon Rashid Aswat -- a Briton of Indian descent -- was questioned by British and US investigators who agreed that he should be extradited to the UK. Media reports have linked Aswat to an attempt to set up a militant training camp in the US. While some reports also link him to the July 7 London bombings, a British police source said Aswat was not thought to be involved in those attacks. The source added that Aswat would likely face extradition to the US following his arrival in Britain. Six-party talks on N Korea on-going Six-party talks in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme are still on-going and look set to continue into the night. Top envoys from the six nations involved were trying to come up with a joint statement detailing what North Korea would gain if it gave up its nuclear programme. One point of difference has been about when Pyongyang would dismantle its nuclear weapons programme -- before, or after, it receives aid and security guarantees. Islamic Jihad: no attacks during pullout The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has said it has given orders not to fire on Israeli targets during the
[SNN] Željko Vuković: The Whipping Boy
http://grayfalcon.blogspot.com/2005/08/whipping-boy.html It has long been obvious that the Serbs are the Empire's designated culprit in the Balkans. But it now appears they are becoming the whipping boy for just about everything, including the troubles the Empire is having with the jihad. At least some in Serbia are aware of this, and may yet be able to put an end to the thugs in power, who slavishly race to please the Empire by beating up on their own, already battered, people. War of Values Željko VukovićVečernje Novosti, 30 July 2005What would happen if 2/3 of Serbia's Muslims were considering emigrating to another country, fearing Christian Serbs? And if they documented their fear by the fact that one in five of them had endured some kind of assault or humiliation in the past week? And if the official figure of 1200 incidents of attacks on Muslims in Serbia were an understatement of reality, which ranged from insults to mosque-torchings and even murder?Why, the democratic-humanist lynch mobs would rise instantly to protect the endangered and frightened Muslims from the aggressive, primitive Serbs. Maybe the new Draskovic-Sheffer pact could save us from another merciful bombing, but we would certainly not escape harsh economic sanctions and other collective punishment. Because when the democratic, humanitarian West hears that its Balkans Muslims are getting hurt, it cries and rages and knows no mercy.Only, the Muslims who are considering emigration and fear assault and humiliation don't live in Serbia, but in the UK! They fear not Serbs, but those very same Brits who so conscientiously care for Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo. Of course, the British will never be collectively blamed, let alone punished, for these assaults on their fellow Muslim citizens. The people to pay the price will again be - the Serbs!Oh yes. Because every time the Western powers clash with Muslims, whether at home or in Iraq, Afghanistan or another Muslim country, they crack the whip over Serbia. To show the world that their military interventions and intolerance are not driven by hatred of Islam and Muslims in general, they decide to help the Muslims of the Balkans.That is why the British foreign secretary, during the week when British Muslims dared not step out of their homes, made a quick hop to Potocari to tell the world how the British sympathize with Bosnian Muslims and would do everything that the crimes against them are not forgotten or unpunished. Meanwhile, the British viceroy in Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown, has pushed for abolishing the Serb Republic, as that would be the best proof of how much his country and the West care for the wishes and needs of the brotherly Muslims.This is why London and Washington are stubbornly keeping silent abouot Al-Qaeda and other "holy warriors" in Bosnia and Kosovo. But they think of Serbs as soon as a terrorist bomb explodes on their doorstep! Only a few hours after the London explosions, the British media were reporting the explosives used were purchased in Serbia. They have yet to report that the two British-Muslim organizations suspected of terrorist attacks in London and ties to Al-Qeada, have been active in Bosnia and Kosovo for years.Were Serbs to become more pacifist than Gandhi, it would change nothing. They would still remain the nation whose chastising is supposed to paint the false picture of Western hegemons' democracy and humanism.So, whenever there is news of a terrorist attack in some Western country, or if a Western power starts to deal with its own, or non-Balkans Muslims, the Serbs should beware; they are about to suffer next. Related... YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 02.08.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 02. 08. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Merkel Wants US-Style Security Advisor If the conservative Christian Democrats win the upcoming elections, Angela Merkel is planning to install a security advisor in the chancellery to increase the head of government's influence on foreign policy issues. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1665957,00.html -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for August is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- King Fahd laid to rest in Riyahd Saudi Arabia's King Fahd has been buried in a simple ceremony in the kingdom's capital Riyadh. Dozens of Muslim leaders and foreign dignitaries were in attendance to bid farewell to the man who ruled the oil-rich kingdom for 23 years and through two Gulf wars. King Fahd died on Monday of pneumonia at the age of 83. Former Crown Prince Abdullah has already been installed as the new king. Astronauts prepare for shuttle repairs Discovery's astronauts are preparing for a high-stakes task that has never been done before: sending a spacewalker to repair material protruding from the shuttle's tile belly. NASA says that material could cause dangerous overheating during re-entry and could lead to a disaster. Astronaut Steve Robinson will do the job while riding on the space station's robot arm. He says if he can't pull the protruding material off, he'll chop it off with a make-shift hacksaw. Shuttle commander Eileen Collins believes the spacewalk will go smoothly. The Discovery is due back on earth on Monday. Germany pledges additional aid to Niger Germany has pledged an additional one million euros for humanitarian aid in Niger. The Foreign Ministry said the money would go to helping German non-governmental humanitarian organizations working in the country. It's estimated that almost a third of Niger's population is at risk of starvation following a locust invasion and drought. The new funds add to the 1.5 million euros Germany has already provided in aid. Mother denies killing newborns A German mother suspected of killing nine of her newborn babies has admitted to giving birth to the children but denied murdering them. Press reports also say the 39-year-old woman has a two-year-old child, three grown children between the ages of 18 and 20, and is pregnant again. On Sunday, authorities found the bones of the nine babies buried in flowerpots, buckets, and an aquarium. Police believe they were buried there between 1988 and 2004. More violence in Sudan More violence has been reported in Sudan following the death of Vice President John Garang, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Uganda. In a suburb of the capital Khartoum, a number of people died in fighting between southern and northern Sudanese. At least 24 people died in rioting in Khartoum after the news of Garang's death broke out. Meanwhile, the former rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the SPLM, has appointed a successor to Garang, who was its leader. His deputy, Salva Kiir, will become new head of the SPLM , which said it also expects him to be sworn in as vice president in two weeks. World leaders have been praising Garang in his death. Jordan and Egypt both applauded his commitment to Sudan's peace process. US President George W Bush urged the Sudanese people to refrain from violence. Rain-hit Mumbai continues clean-up Workers are pressing on with a massive clean-up in India's financial hub Mumbai after torrential monsoon rain eased for the first time in a week. On Tuesday high waters forced thousands to flee their homes and weather damage was put at around 888 million dollars. Skies were overcast but rain had stopped falling in much of Mumbai for the first time since July 26. The reprieve gave work crews a chance to clear mounds of garbage and animal carcasses. The rains claimed the lives of 409 people in the city alone. A total of 993 people are known to have died across the entire state. Tamil Tigers accused of recruiting kids Sri Lanka's military has accused the Tamil Tiger rebels of recruiting children into their ranks, in defiance of a ban. At least eight children were allegedly abducted in the last two days, and several underaged children have recently
[SNN] RE: FUTURE STATUS OF SERBIAN PROVINCE KOSOVO-METOHIJA
Title: Stevan, et al Stevan, et al This letter (below) written by Dr.Jasmina Vujuc and Professor Dragoslav Djordjevic, regarding the situation in Serbia and Kosovo, which they urged be FAXED to the permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations: USA, Germany, Russia, France and China is outstanding. I have taken the liberty of editing it for American spelling of some of the words and will send it to my Serbian mailing list. This is exactly what needs to be done and I urge everyone of Serbian descent to do so. Those who are NOT Serbian-Americans ALSO should send it to the permanent members of the Security Council, just begin the appeal: I, as an American citizen of the United States, (or as a Citizen of Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Germany.) I will also post it on my website and urge my readers to fax it to the UN ambassadors. Mary Mostert PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL August 2005 THE UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, USA CHINA: His Excellency, Wang Guangua, FAX: 212-634-7626 FRANCE: His Excellency Jean-Marc De La Sabliere; FAX: 212-421-6839 RUSSIA: His Excellency Andray I. Denisov; FAX: 212-623-0252 UNITED KINGDOM: His Exellency Sir Emyr Jones Parry; FAX: 212-745-9316 USA: (Acting Representative) Her Excellency Anne W. Patterson; FAX: 212-415-4443 RE: FUTURE STATUS OF SERBIAN PROVINCE KOSOVO-METOHIJA Your Excellency, I, as a Serbian-American citizen of the United States, have a great respect for the United Nations and the Security Council, and thus submit for your consideration certain facts about the Serbian province of Kosovo-Metohija that may help you in reaching a proper decision regarding this matter. I. The UN Security Council Resolution 1244 is en excellent and just document that specifies an even-handed policy toward the Kosovo problem thus, I request that all points from this document are enforced, which unfortunately is not currently the case. II. The UN Security Council should support reintegration of Kosovo-Metohija into a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-confessional, modern and democratic, internationally recognized Serbia-Montenegro, as a highly autonomous region. I and II above are based on the following arguments: 1. The UN SC Resolution 1244 emphasizes that Kosovo-Metohija is the part of the sovereign state of Serbia-Montenegro, which I fully support. Thus, it seems to me, there is no justification of giving independence to Kosovo-Metohija. Serbia-Montenegro today is a democratic country that fully implements human and minority rights, as well as religious freedom. There is a large number of minority groups, including Albanians outside of Kosovo (in Belgrade alone there are about 50 thousand of them), living peacefully in Serbia-Montenegro today. 2. It needs to be pointed out that Kosovo-Metohija was never part of any Albanian state (which did not even exists before 1913), but has belonged to the Serbs since pre-medieval times. It has been considered the Holy Land and the heart of Serbian religion and culture. Hundreds of Serbian medieval churches and monasteries present today in Kosovo-Metohija are proof of historical and continuous Serbian presence in the province. 3. The Albanian majority that we see today in Kosovo-Metohija was formed during World War II when they fought on the side of the Nazis and in decades after it, as a result of illegal immigration (from Albania), a high birth rate, and through terrorizing of the local non-Albanian population during communist Titos regime, which gave Albanians the highest possible degree of autonomy. Since 1999 and under the UN watch, this terror continued, an additional 250,000 non-Albanians were expelled from Kosovo-Metohija, and less than 1% of those people were allowed to return. To this horrific statistics, we need to add 1000 kidnapped and 1200 murdered, with a sustained attempt at expunging the sacerdotal Serbian presence in Kosovo-Metohija: of the original 1,657 churches, monasteries and monuments, over 150 have been burned, looted and destroyed, 211 Christian cemeteries and 5177 monuments smashed - all during the time of peace and not war, and all under UN/NATO watch. 4. The March 2004 pogrom is the most recent example of extreme Albanian violence in Kosovo. According to UN statistics: 50,000 Albanians in the presence of 18,000 NATO peacekeepers drove 4,500 Serbs and other non-Albanians from their homes, injuring 900, including 150 peacekeepers, and killing 19 persons. An additional 35 churches and shrines were destroyed, including those dating to the 12th and 14th century and over 800 Serbian houses were looted and demolished. 5. Many of the UN member states have separatist movements. Great Britain has Northern Ireland, Belgium has the Wallons and the Flemish, the Italians have the Tyrol, and France, like Spain, has the Basques as well Bretons. Although the governments try to keep
[SNN] Pls. write to Toronto Star// RE: Following the assassin
Please write to the Toronto Star [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jul. 31, 2005. 08:08 AM http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Arti cle_Type1call_pageid=971358637177c=Articlecid=1122673811017DPL=JvsODSH7A w0u%2bwoRO%2bYKDSblFxAk%2bwoVO%2bYODSbhFxAg%2bwkRO%2bUPDSXiFxMh%2bwkZO%2bUCD STnFxIm%2bwgTO%2bQIDSPnFxUm%2bw8TO%2bMIDSPjFxUi%2bw8XO%2bMMDSPvFxUu%2bw4RO%2 bIIDSLhOw%3d%3dtacodalogin=yes Jul. 31, 2005. 08:08 AM TIME LIFE PICTURES Gavrilo Princip in jail awaiting his trial: not a weakling. Following the assassin In 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot an archduke and started a war Nearly 100 years later, his legacy is still disputed in his troubled homeland TONY FABIJANCIC SPECIAL TO THE STAR On the morning of June 28, 1914, a 19-year-old Serb from a village in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina stood waiting on a street corner in Sarajevo, intent on striking a decisive blow against the Habsburg Empire. Armed with a pistol, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The assassination was the catalyst for World War I. Princip's infamy, in the world's opinion, is incontrovertible. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, however, he has always been a more complex figure. Since 1914, he has been regarded as an anti-Austrian revolutionary hero, a naive adolescent with noble ideals, a martyr for Yugoslav nationalism, a Serb nationalist, and a Serb terrorist. Perhaps most importantly, Princip has become a lightning rod for ethnic tensions that have surrounded Serb irredentist hopes since the beginning of the 20th century, tensions that lie unresolved, restive. The nationalist hopes of Serbs were at the heart of the war that devastated the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and set Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) at each other's throats. In 1990, Serbs of the Krajina district set up roadblocks to protest what they deemed to be their increasingly precarious position in a nationalist Croatia. Mockingly dubbed the log revolution by Croats, this event in Knin began a process of secession that resulted in the founding of a self-proclaimed Serbian statelet within Croatia, the Serbian Republic of Krajina. Aided by the Milosevic regime in Serbia proper, which controlled the Yugoslav National Army and supported the notion of a greater Serbia, the Krajina Serbs killed and drove out thousands of Croats. They held onto the Krajina until 1995, when the Croatian army reclaimed it. The war brought about the greatest slaughter in Europe since World War II. All three sides committed atrocities, the most notorious being the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosniaks at the hands of Serbs. The Dayton Accord in 1995 brought an end to the war. Bosnia-Herzegovina is currently under the control of EUFOR, an international military force under the auspices of the United Nations. It was in the course of these events that Princip's identity hardened into that of a Serb terrorist (at least for Croats and Muslims). In search of a more truthful image of Gavrilo Princip, I travelled this summer from his birthplace to Sarajevo, site of the assassination. The ghost of Princip and the Bosnia-Herzegovina of 1914, I hoped, would not only emerge more clearly from my journey across the country but would also be a lens through which relationships between Bosnians today could be seen. DAY ONE I drive south from Croatia's capital, Zagreb, and into the Krajina, populated mainly by Serbs since the 16th century when they served the Austrians as border guards against the Turks. The road between Karlovac and the Bosnian border at Maljevac winds through hilly farming country now virtually abandoned. Almost every house has been destroyed or damaged. This lonely place is the legacy of the Krajina Serbs. To my surprise, on the Bosnian side there is life new houses and new businesses. In Velika Kladusa, hundreds of school kids out for lunch crowd the streets. A woman in spandex leotards and black stilettos sways her pink haunches in front of me. Coming the other way, like a contrary position in an argument, are two teenage girls in black hijabs. From the speaker on the white minaret of the mosque floats the hodja's call to prayer. A gas attendant at a garage outside town, Sejat Mohammedabdic, says, Those girls in hijabs probably belonged to one of the sects that showed up after the war. Mostly outsiders, from other Muslim states. Before the war, Bosniaks were not, by and large, orthodox; they were Slavs first. The Serb media in the 1990s, according to Mohammedabdic, a Muslim, produced this new fundamentalism by spreading propaganda about the dangers of Muslim extremism in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This had the ironic effect of intensifying rather than eradicating Muslim fundamentalism. Later, in Caplinja, when I recounted the story to a Croat woman, she would tell me she suspects the
[SNN] News, 31.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 31. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Fears of Further London Attacks Rise Fears mounted Sunday that another wave of attacks was heading London's way as British police tried to pin down the network behind the previous bombers and the suspects already in custody began to talk. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1664136,00.html -- Last chance to play! DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Suspect links London attack to Iraq Police in Britain have made six more arrests in connection with the failed bombings in London on July 21. Metropolitian police said searches were carried out at two properties in Sussex county, in southern England. In the meantime, Italian media have reported that one of the suspects in the failed London bombings told police in Rome that the attempted attack was revenge for the Iraq war. But the suspect, Osman Hussein, has reportedly denied having links to al Qaeda or with the bombers responsible for the July 7 attacks in London, which killed more than 50 people. Hussein, who is an Ethiopian-born British national, was arrested on Friday in the Italian capital after police tracked his movements through calls made from his cell phone. Gunmen strike official's convoy Gunmen in Iraq have ambushed the convoy of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi in a town south of Baghdad. Police said one of Chalabi's body guards was killed. It was unclear if Chalabi was in the convoy when it came under attack. In another development, members of the committee writing Iraq's new constitution say they need more time to complete the draft and they plan to ask parliament for a 30-day extension. But President Jalal Talabani, under pressure from the United States, has insisted that the August 15 deadline for parliamentary approval must be met. A formal request for a delay will be submitted to parliament Monday. Students prepare to leave Pakistan Hundreds of foreign students in Pakistan's Islamic schools are preparing to leave the country in line with an expulsion order from President Pervez Musharraf. In a move to crack down on Pakistan's Islamic extremists, Musharraf ordered more than 800 militant suspects arrested in sweeping raids and told some 1,400 foreign madrassa students to leave Pakistan. More rains hit monsoon-ravaged India Authorities in India have told residents to remain at home as heavy rains began falling again across Mumbai and the west Indian coast. The distribution of food supplies have been badly slowed by the renewed monsoon rains, which have already caused major flooding and devastation. Aviation officials have ordered Mumbai's airports, the busiest in the country, to close because of poor visibility. US to release 7 Yemeni detainees The United States has agreed to hand over to Yemen seven Yemenis detained at the US Guantanamo Bay base on Cuba. Yemen's foreign minister, Abubakr al-Qirbi, said that Yemeni authorities had received official notification about the handover, but that a date had not been set. Some 107 Yemenis are said to be among about 510 detainees at the US base. Carter says Guantanamo a disgrace to US Former US President Jimmy Carter said the detention of terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay Naval base was an embarrassment and had given extremists an excuse to attack the United States. Speaking at the Baptist World Alliance's centenary conference in Birmingham, England, Carter also criticised the US-led war in Iraq, saying it was unnecessary and unjust. Critics of President George W. Bush's administration have long accused his government of unjustly detaining terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hundreds of men detained in the war on terror have been held indefinitely at the prison, without charge or access to lawyers. EU to give proposals to Iran in a week Britain's Foreign Office has said the UK, France and Germany will deliver proposals to Iran on the nuclear issue in one week's time. Britain said that was in line with an agreement made at a meeting in Geneva in May between Iran and the EU trio. Earlier, Iran said it would restart some nuclear activities on Monday unless it receives European Union proposals on Sunday to break a diplomatic
[SNN] Kosovo Serb Policy Correction
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/lte/lte_29_bcr_566.txt Letters to the Editor Kosovo Serb Policy Correction RE: Kosovo Serbs Announce Break With Belgrade by Arben Qirezi BCR No. 566, 22-Jul-05 Dear Sir, As a regular reader of IWPR, please let me express my deep dissatisfaction with your report, dated 22 July from Pristina: "Kosovo Serbs Announce Break With Belgrade" by Arben Qirezi. The article is based on the thesis of a "break-up" of Kosovo Serbs with Belgrade and using Oliver Ivanovic, the head of the Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija, SLKM, as a source of this information on the "break-up". The author of the article says, "Ivanovic announced that his group will now take up the eight seats that it holds, but has not occupied, in the Kosovo Assembly, and will formally announce a decision to join the government over the next few days. The announcement marks a sharp break with SLKM policy, which was earlier characterised by a willingness to leave all the big policy decisions to Belgrade." Yet, two days before the article was officially posted (July 22), Ivanovic and the SLKM adopted exactly the opposite decision from the one your article suggested. Ivanovic has himself announced that the SLKM agreed "unanimously" not to participate in Kosovo institutions and, rather, to follow the position of Belgrade. I hope this is either an editorial mistake, a time gap problem or a problem in interpretation. In any case, I hope that these kinds of mistaken reports will figure as exceptions. Looking forward to read you further Aleksandar Mitic Brussels Editorial Note When the article in question was first filed, it was factually correct. However, IWPR accepts that the story subsequently changed, and the new line was not reflected in the published version. This was simply an editorial error and not an attempt to mislead. We apologise for the mistake. __Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com SPONSORED LINKS Yugoslavia Serbian Serb Flag of yugoslavia Yugoslavia flight YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 28.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 28. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: DaimlerChrysler Chief's Exit Ends Failed Strategy Analysts say the departure of DaimlerChrysler chief executive Jürgen Schrempp marks the merciful end of a failed expansion strategy. The stock market greeted the announcement. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1661313,00.html -- IRA pledges to lay down arms One of Europe's longest-lasting conflicts in the 20th century has received a boost for peace. The Irish Republican Army ordered its militants to lay down their arms and adopt peaceful means to end British rule in Northern Ireland in a historic move after more than 30 years of conflict. British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the IRA's decision to end its armed campaign as a step of unparalleled magnitude. Gerry Adams, head of Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing, said that at times it is right to resist, but that that time is over. Since hostilities between Catholic Irish and Protestant Northern Irish started in 1969, over 3,600 people have been killed, half of them at the hands of the IRA. Heightened tension in London Three weeks after 56 people were killed in bombings on London's transport system, British police have deployed the largest number of police officers ever to patrol the country's rail network. At a press conference, London's police chief Ian Blair warned that more cells of bombers could strike. The warning came after police in London arrested nine more suspects in connection with last week's failed London transport bombings. Detectives continue to question a man suspected of involvement in last week's attempted attacks. He was seized in a raid in the central English city of Birmingham. Pakistan arrests suspect in Pearl murder Pakistani security forces have arrested a suspect in the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Intelligence officials said Hashim Qadeer was one of seven Islamic militants still being sought in connection with Pearl's murder. Qadeer is thought to have arranged a meeting between the US journalist and his kidnappers. Pearl was abducted in January 2002 while researching a story on Pakistani militant groups. He was later found beheaded. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born Islamic militant, was sentenced to death in 2002 for masterminding the crime while three associates were given life in prison. Their appeals against the convictions are still pending. Floods kill over 500 in western India After some of the worst monsoon rains ever in India, over 500 people have been killed by floods and landslides in the western part of the country. Hundreds more are missing. More than half of the people were killed in the country's financial centre, Mumbai where roads, rail and air travel are slowly resuming service after being shut down for two days. 160 kilometres off Mumbai's coast, at least ten oil workers lost their lives in an oil platform fire after a support vessel crashed into it on Wednesday. Ships and helicopters managed to rescue some 350 survivors from the platform. Swine flu death toll rises in China In China, authorities are trying to contain an outbreak of swine flu that has already killed 27 people. Health officials in the south-west province of Sichuan have reported another 131 cases. The World Health Organisation said it is watching developments but a spokesman said the disease appeared to pose no threat internationally. Although the pig-borne disease is endemic to swine-rearing countries, human infections are usually rare, so the high number of deaths is alarming. German unemployment higher in July The German unemployment rate has gone up this month. That's according to figures released by the Federal Labour Office. 4.77 million people are out of work in Germany, or 11.5 percent of the population. This is 68,000 more than reported in June and 412,000 more than in July of last year. Analysts say the increase is expected at this time of year. Germany not liable for NATO attack A German court has ruled that the victims of a NATO air raid on a Serbian town during the 1999 Kosovo war cannot claim compensation from the
[SNN] eturn, decentralization, Eide, Forum, Kurti, Kosovo Inteligence Service( Kosovo media)
GOVERNMENT AND UNMIK DO NOT HAVE MONEY RETURN OF REFUGEES (Most Kosovo dailies) Zeri reads that the Government and UNMIK Administration do not have financial means for realizing a successful return of displaced persons. On the other hand, communities representatives in the Committee for Ethnic Communities consider that conditions have not been created for this process. The UNMIK office for Returns and Ethnic Communities assessed yesterday that the lack of funds has made the returns process difficult. Kilian Kleinschmidt, the chief of this office, stated that they need 22 million Euro for implementing the projects for return of the IDPS, mainly Serbs, but other minorities as well. However, regardless of delays, he thinks that the returns process has moved well. If you go out and visit Kosovo, you would see that many families have returned to their reconstructed homes, Kleinschmidt said. The Government has allocated 10 million Euro for this process for this year and the other financial means are expected to be provided by donors. In addition, Koha Ditore quotes Fatmir Sheholli, the spokesperson of the Ministry for Returns as saying, We have about 70. 000 applications, 70% coming from the Serb community and the rest from other ethnic groups, which present the will of a huge number of people that want to return to Kosovo. While the Ministry possesses these figures, UNMIK office which deals with the same issue said that they do not have figures, which would reflect an accurate or average number of the refugees. PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE FOR RETURNS AND COMMUNITIES DIVIDED AND IGNORED (Most Kosovo dailies) Koha Ditore reads that the fact that this Committee is never consulted when important decisions about communities are made tells that its members feel ignored. Besides being ignored by Kosovo institutions and UNMIK, this committee is also facing with internal splits of the representatives who come from the political parties in the governing coalition and those who are not represented in the decision making structures. Randjel Nojkic, the head of the CRC, stated in the press conference, The fact that the members of the CRC are divided shows that there are problems in there. According to him, due to this division, they cannot discuss important issues, such as decentralization and Assemblys Rules of Procedure. In addition, Numan Balic, the representative of Bosnian community, stated that five or six ethnic groups are not satisfied with their representation in Kosovo Assembly and other institutions. On the other hand, Rrustem Ibishi, a Gorani representative, stated, The SRSG and PM could have talked about the Gorani or Bosnian communities, but they could not discuss the return of these communities because they were not present there. GOVERNMENT IS DISAPPOINTING WITH ITS INDECISIVENESS ON DECENTRALIZATION (Koha Ditore) On front page, Koha Ditore writes that Kosovo Government did not fulfil its promises on decentralisation towards the international community saying that it was ready to start with the process 24 hours after SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen signs the Administrative Direction. Representatives of liaison offices in Pristina, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Koha Ditore that the UN Administration and the Quint offices are extremely disappointed with the fact that the Kosovo Government is failing to meet its obligations. According to these diplomats, the fear that existed at Government before the Administrative Direction was signed, that the document will remain in the Governments drawers has become a reality. Governments non-implementation and delay of pilot-projects, which is very evident, could cause a negative assessment of standards fulfilment in the Kai Eides report, said these diplomats. On the other hand, the Administrative Direction brought to light another Governments failure, which has to do with non-fulfilment of its promises that the new municipal pilot-units will not include more than one cadastral zone. On the other hand, the International Administration said that the responsibility is on the local authorities and that they should carry out their part of job: preparation of the lists of the next municipal advisors, and definition of cadastral borders of the pilot units. Kosovo Government has declared that they are working in this direction, while sources within the Government told Koha Ditore that definition of borders is a process that is being delayed. Serb side is blaming Minister Lutfi Haziri for delay of decentralisation process. Leader of Serb List for Kosovo Metohija told the paper that Haziri is coquetting both with Serbs and Albanians. He said that Serbs asked the decentralization to be implemented with inclusion of Cagllavica, Preoc and Kisnica in the Gracanic pilot. On the other hand, even though UNMIK did not define the deadline in the Administrative Direction, it calls for urging the process. It is
[SNN] Bosnia link to London, Madrid, US attacks
Tuesday, July 26, 2005 3:37 PM Subject: Fw: DFA 07-05 Bosnia link to London, Madrid, US attacks Defense Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy, July 2005 En Clair Exclusive Reports on Issues of Strategic Significance Bosnia's Now-Clear Link to the London, Madrid, and US Attacks FORENSIC AND OTHER intelligence has now linked the London terrorist bombings of July 7, 2005, to terrorist support operations in Bosnia, just as the terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004, on Madrid, and September 11, 2001, on New York and Washington were later discovered to be linked to the Bosnian nexus. Despite this, the United Kingdom and United States governments have consistently gone out of their way to reject intelligence input which in any way implicates the Bosnians, and particularly the Bosnian Islamist jihadists linked to the SDA (Party of Democratic Action) party of the late Alija Izetbegovic, who was directly supported by the UK Blair Government and the former US Clinton Government. Balkan government intelligence sources from more than one country have confirmed that they had been consistently rebuffed when attempting to advise British MI-6 (Secret intelligence Service: SIS) officers, or US State Department or Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers in the region about jihadist operations in the area, linked to both the loose al-Qaida collection of networks, or to the Iranian Government. One source, debriefed by Defense Foreign Affairs in the region on July 8, 2005, specifically noted: They don't want to hear about it. At the same time, British MI-5 (Security Service) sources have told Defense and Foreign Affairs that they had been warned by their own Government (ie: 10 Downing Street) not to bring forth intelligence which raised doubts about links between British extremist Islamists and Bosnia. It is clear that, both in the UK and US, there was an intelligence failure which contributed to the unimpeded execution of the London bombings, the Madrid bombings, and the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, but it was an intelligence failure caused by strong political suppression from above of any suggestion that UK and US policies toward the SDA Government of Izetbegovic in the 1990s was misguided. As well, the State Department at a bureaucratic level has continued to insist on a continuation during the Bush Administration of policies created toward the Balkans by the Clinton Administration, despite the clear evidence that these policies were now seen to be contrary to good governance in the former Yugoslavia. In the case of the UK, the Blair Administration is merely continuing with its policies from the 1990s. What is significant in the case of the UK is that UK Military Intelligence was, during the period of the John Major Government, hostile toward the approach of SIS toward the Balkans, considering it soft on the jihadists and dangerous to the British troops operating within the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) inside Bosnia. The SIS and Foreign Commonwealth Office line - sympathetic to the jihadists - was more in keeping with British Labour Party policies, and was thus adopted when Tony Blair and Labour were elected on May 1, 1997. Since that time, not only have the US and UK governments attempted to disguise or suppress evidence of the linkages of the terrorist buildup in and to Bosnia, they have punished and isolated any officials who might question the political correctness of their approach. The result has been to essentially allow and encourage, or at least tacitly facilitate, the terrorist buildup which created all of the major terrorist attacks in Europe and North America in recent years. Reuven Paz, the Director of the Project for the Research of Islamist Movements, reported on July 11, 2005, in a study for the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel: The bombings in London's public transportation system on July 7, 2005, are too similar to the March 11, 2004, Madrid explosions, consisting of 10 explosive devices aboard four commuter trains during rush hour to ignore the possible connection. The nature of the attacks; the lack of the element of martyrdom; the two declarations of responsibility by al-Qaida's Secret Group in Europe, and by the 'Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades; and, above all, the clear link to the Islamist insurgency in Iraq, all - point at a Moroccan/Algerian cell or grouping that is carrying out the global strategy and doctrines of al-Qaida. Whereas the orders and the operational planning did not necessarily stem from the al-Qaida leadership in Afghanistan, Pakistan or elsewhere, the strategy did. On May 2, 2005, Defense Foreign Affairs Special Analysis noted: Apart from the mounting evidence of Bosnian linkage to the Madrid bombings of March 11, 2004, there is now evidence that the al-Qaida assets controlled in Iraq byAbu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi have plans to work through Bosnia
[SNN] Interview with Nebojsa Covic
Interview with Nebojsa Covic There are not many politicians on the Serbian scene like Nebojsa Covic (47) who has survived many political wars and who has fallen so many times and returned in the focus of attention. Although he has been dealing with Kosovo for full five years, Covic is only formally outside the epicenter of the conflicts on the political scene: many tried to compromise him during this time from Seselj on the right to Ceda Jovanovic on the other political pole. After everything, Covic views politics with the kind of wisdom that comes with the years: When I was able to quit smoking and I smoked 90 cigarettes per day then I can leave politics as well. This, of course, being neither his ambition nor an announcement. While I interview Covic in the FMP restaurant, a company he heads, he explains to me that we are sitting in a symbolic place where, on 6 October 2000, he agreed, together with Djindjic and Legija, a truce between the DOS and the berets. After the change of authorities last year, you were the only official to remain in place as the head of the CCK. How do you explain this? You remember that I was attacked a great deal at this position, mostly verbally, because had they wanted to dismiss me, they would have had to appoint someone else. This other person would have had to face the most concrete resolving of all sorts of problems, and this is not very attractive to anyone. I took this post in 2000, when we had difficult problems in the south of central Serbia. It was the time of the provisional government? Yes. The problem was that the then President and Prime Minister of the Serbian Government were not able to do this Milomir Minic didnt have the authority to appear down there, and Paja Krunic dealt with other things. In order to depict the situation down there, it is enough to say that our police went on strike at the time and left its positions in Presevo, Bujanovac and partially in Medvedja. I didnt have the choice then, while in the meantime I showed results. What do you consider your greatest result in the south? The fact that the conflict in the south of central Serbia is the only Balkan conflict that ended peacefully. At least for the time being. Nevertheless, nobody is grabbing your post? No, not then or now. Anyone in Serbia who has a function would only wish this, correct? Maybe, only if I didnt have so many on the side who are saying something, talking, attacking. I was often in a situation to attend [the establishment of] various agreements on very important issues that were followed by enormous obstruction on the ground. Who were the obstructers? Of course, everything was done at the local level. The then DS leader Zoran Djindjic agreed with me on many things in the south, as well as Vojislav Kostunica. We agreed on everything, and then the local officials from their parties started to make problems which resulted as if we didnt agree on anything. Do you think they stood behind these obstructions? No, it was like, you shouldnt allow Covic to do something in the south, like, Covic will increase his rating and similar things. It was the classic Serb gossiping and party conflicts. This was during the DOS. What about today? The same takes place today, but what should be said is that the CCK, and the Coordinating Body, are not Covics: not a single document of ours, not a single decision had been adopted just like that. All the decisions we implement had passed all the possible levels of the Serbian Government, the prime minister, the Federal Government. How is Serbia entering the next two years, which are, as you say, so important for Kosovo? Perhaps we have a greater degree of maturity, but I must notice that we have not yet eliminated completely some appearances that are not allowing us to approach the problem with full energy. What appearances do you have in mind? In Serbia, we have been facing for centuries bad political material and a discipline that, in politics, is called party conflicts. This is something that exists, but having party conflicts in problems where they should be absent, like Kosovo, are very dangerous and can have serious consequences for the state and the people. How do you concretely see these party conflicts when it comes to Kosovo? Until two-three months ago, anyone, regardless of the function, gave statements on Kosovo. These statements were more assessing and describing the general situation, and were less directed at the realistic resolution of problems. The problem of Kosovo is very fragile. Then you had a situation when someone was trying to gain political points for him/herself with patriotic statements on Kosovo although the state has its stands and decisions on that problem, which, apparently, do not interest and do not bind some individuals. Do you think that attempts of compromising you had to do with
[SNN] Kosovo media headlines
CALMY-REY RECONFIRMS SWISS POSITION FOR KOSOVOS INDEPENDENCE (All Kosovo dailies) All dailies report that Swiss Foreign Minister Michelin Calmy Rey will pay a visit to Kosovo as of 29 July to continue the debate about Kosovos status. Zeri reads that Minister Calmy Rey told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures, Discussing of Kosovos independence is in Switzerlands interest. Stability in Kosovo is very important for Switzerland because 1/10 of Kosovo population lives there. In addition, Koha Ditore reads that the Swiss Minister told 24 Heures and Tribune de Geneve that her country keeps helping Kosovo. According to her, the Kosovo issue should move ahead so that progress is reached there. Defending the decision of her Government, Calmy Rey stated, Our Government was not hasty when it requested independence for Kosovo. We should throw the rock before the others. Sometimes someone from the top should express what the majority think. HOW WILL EIDES REPORT BE APPROVED, WHICH AFFECTS BEGINNING OF KOSOVO STATUS SETTLEMENT? (Zeri) Zeri writes that Norwegian Ambassador Kai Eide has become the most mentioned western diplomat in Kosovo in past few weeks. With the mandate delegated from the UN Secretary General Koffi Annan in June this year, Kai Eide is the diplomat who has the greatest influence on the ongoing of the short-term processes in Kosovo. A positive standard evaluation would result in beginning of status negotiations, while a negative evaluation would have immediate consequences in political developments, because it will be almost impossible to maintain the fragile political and security stability in Kosovo, Zeri writes. However, the route of the approval of Eides report has not been clarified so far. Eide did not define the timeframes for the submission of the report, but it is expected that the report be ready by the end of August or early September. Ambassador Eide prepared a report on Kosovo last year, and then he submitted it to Annan, who later presented it to UN Security Council and Contact Group. This year, the importance of Eides report is much heavier, and this is why he is having extensive meetings with the Contact Group country representatives. Eide was in Moscow, then he had meetings with the Contact Group in London, and Monday this week he met with Nicholas Burns, the U.S. State Department undersecretary for political affairs. It is expected that Eides report will follow the same procedures as his last years report, and if the evaluation is positive, Annan will appoint an EU official as special envoy for status negotiations, if it is negative, everything is postponed for six months (if not longer). MOSCOW OFFICIALS HAVE IDEAS TO POSTPONE ADDRESSING OF KOSOVO STATUS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS? (Zeri) The international mechanism for addressing Kosovo status will consists of one special envoy appointed by Koffi Annan, who will have three deputies, one from the U.S., one from the EU and one from Russia. Zeri sources found out that Russia has expressed its dilemmas regarding the timelines for resolving Kosovo issue. If Ambassador Kai Eides report is positive, it is expected that the international team will start efforts for understanding modalities for concluding Kosovo issue during October 2005. Russian diplomacy chief Sergej Lavrov has mentioned the possibility for having a break between the period when Eide will conclude his report and the time when the process for resolving status starts. It is not clear how long this break between two phases would be, but if everything goes as scheduled, it would be a month. Since Lavrov knows that there is going to be some time in between the processes, he probably thought of postponing the process for several months. On the other hand, the western diplomats expressed their concerns regarding this idea, highlighting the political and security risks for Kosovo and the region if the process is postponed under any justification. The SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen, in his public statements and during his meetings with the diplomats of the Contact Group countries, including the meeting with Lavrov, whom he met a few weeks ago, insists that the Kosovo status is resolved within the agreed timeframes, otherwise the events in Kosovo will take a predictable course to some extent. SPONSORED LINKS Yugoslavia Serbian Serb Flag of yugoslavia Yugoslavia flight YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 27.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 27.07.2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Italy Accuses G4 of Foul Play Italy has accused Brazil, Germany, India and Japan of resorting to blackmail in their bid to secure permanent seats on the UN Security Council and backed a rival proposal for council enlargement. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1660662,00.html -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Suspected London bomber arrested British media have reported that one of the suspects from last week's failed bombing attempts in London has been arrested. The man was allegedly captured in a pre-dawn raid in the English city of Birmingham. Police refused to confirm or deny the report. Three other men were also detained by police in the raids. Another man was arrested under anti-terrorism laws as he prepared to travel on a flight to the southern French city of Nimes from Luton airport north of London. It was not immediately clear if he was connected to the London bombing investigation. Meanwhile, several British newspapers have reported that one of the men suspected of trying to set off bombs in London last week has a prison record. The suspect, Muktar Said Ibrahim, was reportedly convicted of a string of muggings and then learned his Islamist extremist views in prison. UK, Spain plan 'alliance of civilizations' British Prime Minister Tony Blair has welcomed a Spanish proposal on creating an alliance of civilizations between Western and Muslim countries in the fight against terror. Blair said at a press conference with his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in London that the idea was to have Western countries and Muslim countries form a coalition of civilised people from different races and religions to combat terrorism. Earlier, the British prime minister, held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Blair said Turkey too was involved in the proposal. Abudcted Algerian envoys in Iraq killed An Al Qaeda linked organisation in Iraq has said in an internet posting that it had killed two kidnapped Algerian envoys. The statement has not yet been verified. Ali Belaroussi and Azzedine Belkadi were kidnapped a week ago in the capital Baghdad by armed gunmen. On Tuesday, the pair appeared in a video blindfolded, giving their names and home addresses. Earlier, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to Iraq. News reports said he had urged Iraqi officials to finish their draft constitution before the August 15 deadline. Media reports also said Iraq's prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari was pushing for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from the country. But Rumsfeld said troops would stay in Iraq as long as needed. Guilty decisions in Mont Blanc trial A French court has found the main defendants in the Mont Blanc tunnel disaster guilty of manslaughter, six years after a fire that killed 39 people. The court in Bonneville ordered the security officer in charge of Europe's longest tunnel to six months in prison. The former head of the tunnel operator, ATMB, received a two-year suspended sentence, whereas the Belgian truck driver who caused the 1999 fire received a four-month suspended sentence. The fire in the middle of the 12 km long tunnel between Italy and France was one of the worst-ever European road disasters. Sharon in Paris for a fence-mending visit Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has met with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris in the hope of improving ties between the two countries. Sharon angered the French last year when he encouraged French Jews to emigrate because of anti-Semitism in France. In a brief comment as Chirac greeted him at the Elysee Palace, Sharon said he hoped the visit would bring an additional reinforcement to relations between the two countries. Sharon also praised France's role in the Middle East peace process. Chirac said France was standing by the Israeli and Palestinian people during the Gaza pullouts scheduled for August. Germany rules against phone tapping Germany's highest court has limited the right of police to tap telephone calls of suspected criminals. The Federal Constitutional Court said the wide-ranging powers granted to police in the
[SNN] Clinton made 1995 Ethnic Cleansing in Krajina Possible - Mary Mostert]
Original Sources Scroll Clinton made 1995 Ethnic Cleansing in Krajina Possible Croatian Ethnic Cleansing of Serbian Krajina is Reflected in World Almanacs By: Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources (www.originalsources.com) July 24, 2000 There was no outcry against the ethnic cleansing that took place in full view of the world, and made possible by US Air support in 1995 in the Krajina area of Croatia. Hundreds of thousands of Serbs were driven from their homes, and up to 20,000 of them were kill. Some of them have been refugees twice. Some of them who survived the Krajina ethnic cleansing fled to Kosovo and have been driven out of Kosovo back into Serbia. . Not only are they refugees, but are refugees who have been bombed twice by U.S. bombs and missiles, while most Americans remain blissfully unaware of their plight. I recently brought up the subject in a conversation with one of my own children, who had never heard about the 250,000-275,000 Serbs who were driven out of Krajina, after more than 500 years of living in the area. She thought I was making it up because she was sure it would have been on the evening news if it had happened. In May 1999, Valdan Zivadinovic sent me a report on what happened in August 1995 during the worst refugee crisis in the 1990s Balkan wars of the 1990s when the Croatians drove the Serbs out of Krajina. The author of that ethnic cleansing was Franjo Tudjman, who was re-elected as president of Croatia following the 1995 Dayton Accord. In the intervening five years there has been no international demand that the Croatians allow the Serbs who had occupied the Krajina area for more than 500 years to return to their homes. Furthermore, it is an ethnic cleansing that is VERIFIED by the World Almanacs of 1993 and 2000. In 1993 the population of Croatia was 4, 763,000 with 75% being Croatian and 18% being Serbian. In numbers that turns out to be 840,885 Serbs in Croatia in the 1992 census figures. In the year 2000 World Almanac the population of Croatia was down to 4,671,584 with 78% being Croatian and 12% being Serbian. In numbers that would be 560,590 Serbs - a difference of 280,295 people. Most of them are in Yugoslavia's Serbia province. Many of them, an estimated 17,000-20,000 are dead. The Ottawa Serbian Heritage Society, ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) issued a press release Saturday commemorating the ethnocide and genocide committed on Serbs in Krajina , Bosnia and Kosovo. August 4th is Krajina Dan, the Memorial Day for Serbian Krajina. This commemorates the day that Knin, the capital of the Serbian Krajina region, fell to invading Croatian forces in 1995. Croatia continues to occupy the region today and of more than 250,000 Serbian people whom the Croatian Army either killed or ethnically-cleansed out of the region in August, 1995, the number who have returned is virtually zero to this date. Every August 4th a Krajina Dan Memorial is held to remember the victims of this genocide. This year's program is: Memorial Prayer Service and a wrath laying at the Human Rights Memorial, Elgin and Lisgar streets, at 6:00pm - 6: 30pm. After the perpetrator of this ethnic cleansing, Croatian President Tudjman, died on December 11, 1999, high level representatives from the United States and Western Europe did not attend the funeral in fear that doing so would be a political liability if and when Tudjman's war crimes and his un-reconstructed Fascism from World War II became known. Zivadinovic's paper, found on pages 131-140 in NATO in the Balkans: KRAJINA, ISBN 0-9656916-2-4), is a chilling indictment of man's inhumanity to man. It is an ugly story, but it is time that the American people ask themselves if they really want to continue the Serb sanctions and the Kosovo ethnic cleansing of all minorities and the general anarchy that exists there under NATO and UN occupation. Zivadinocic wrote: In early August 1995, the Croatian invasion of Serbian Krajina precipitated the worst refugee crisis of the Yugoslav civil war. Within days, more than two hundred thousand Serbs, virtually the entire population of Krajina, fled their homes, and 14,000 Serbian civilians lost them lives. According to a UN official Almost the only people remaining were the dead and the dying. The Clinton administration's support for the invasion was an important factor in creating this nightmare. The previous month, Secretary of State Warren Christopher and German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel met with Croatian diplomat Miomir Zuzul in London. During this meeting, Christopher gave his approval for Croatian military action against Serbs in Bosnia and Krajina. Two days later, the U.S. ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, also approved Croatia's invasion plan. Stipe Mesic, a prominent Croatian politician, stated that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman received the go-ahead from the United States. Tudjman can do only what the Americans allow him to do. Krajina is the reward for having
[SNN] The New Streets of Belgrade
The New Streets of Belgrade By Alex M (07/25/05) Last year about 50 street names were changed in Belgrade, and the new street signs have been put up on them just a few days ago. This may not seem like much to Americans, but the new street signs in Belgrade are a cause for celebration among many Serbs. The 50 old signs were all communist street names and the new signs either are the old street names, prior to WW 2, names that relate to Serbian historical figures and leaders, or are completely NEW names. The pictures are "Bulevar oslobodjenja" - Boulevard of Liberation (could mean from the Turks, the Germans, the communists). The other, my favorite, is now called again by its old name - "Kraljice Natalije" - Queen Nathalie Street. Bulevar oslobodjenja - Boulevard of Liberation Kraljice Natalije - Queen Nathalie StreetIve attached pictures of two of the signs. Of course, they are in cyrilic. At least you now have an idea of what it looks like in cyrilic. People must have thought of me as a loony toony as I walked around Belgrade taking photos of street names. WHO ELSE DOES THAT? Nobody, probably.But it makes me so happy to see these new street names that remind us of Serbias rich history, its historical figures, leaders, important people, tradition and romance. Many of the streets have the names of our much loved Kings and Queens of a happier time in history, when Serbia had its place, its meaning. The Royal Palace is now located at Prince Alexander Boulevard, ironically bearing the identical name of our Crown Prince who was able to return home after the fall of the communist government and after the democratic peaceful revolution that changed Serbia in October 2000. It is wonderful to have the Palace occupied again with a Prince and a Princess who are helping to rebuild the country and our traditions and, especially, our hospitals, helping the elderly, the ill and the young. What they are doing is very heartwarming.YES, Serbia is finding its traditional roots again. And with that will come the strengthening of our faith in God and Jesus Christ that has always been the strength of the Serbian people. Every little step like this is actually a big one for us, because it means that Serbia is winning and communism is losing (whatever still remains of it). That is a process which cannot be stopped or reversed. And that is the biggest reason why I am writing this to you.Greetings from Belgrade,AlexEditors note: Just another of our efforts to help Americans and Europeons understand each other a little better. http://www.americandaily.com/article/8398 SPONSORED LINKS Yugoslavia Serbian Serb Flag of yugoslavia Yugoslavia flight YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Srebrenica ICTY Video - Version II
The following is different version of (ICTY) and Natasa Kandic's video on 'Srebrenica. Pls. have a look and judge by yourself. http://www.lopare.net/srebrenica.wmv Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] SERBIAN COMPANIES AT THE FANCY FOOD TRADE SHOW IN NEW YORK
SERBIAN COMPANIES RETURN FROM THE FANCY FOOD TRADE SHOW IN NEW YORK WITH CONTRACTS July 26, 2005 Belgrade - From July 10-12, sixteen food companies from Serbia exhibited their best products at the Fancy Food trade show in New York, one of the premier events for the speciality food industry worldwide. Fruit, fruit preserves, juices, mushrooms, confections, organic and other products from Serbia were exhibited in a special Best of Serbia pavillion. The trip to the trade show was organized by the Serbia Enterprise Development Project (SEDP), which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This activity is part of longer term strategies to help Serbian agriculture move away from bulk frozen markets, and into higher value added processed and fresh products. As part of their export strategies, some companies redesigned their packaging to make it more appropriate for international specialty food markets. SEDP offered matching grants to help pay for the new labels and packaging and brought in consultation from a leading packaging design studio based in Maryland. Companies that exhibited at Fancy Food were: Atle, Čokolada, Desing, Donimpex, FreshCo, Foodex, Foodland, IGDA, Malina Produkt, Marni, ML, Resava Komerc, Arex Marzipan, Soko Štark, Suncokret and Radoslovi. Almost all of the companies listed above returned from New York with contracts that will enable them to penetrate the US market. Numerous additional contacts were gained that may turn to future sales. For most companies this was the first opportunity to present their products on the demanding but huge US market, which makes this an even greater success. About SEDP The Serbia Enterprise Development Project (SEDP) is a USAID program tasked with strengthening the global competitiveness of Serbian businesses. Trade show participation is one part of a broader strategy to help companies develop new exports. SEDP started on July 1, 2003 and is scheduled to run through June 30, 2006. SEDP works with six industry sectors in Serbia: fruit products, tourism, furniture, clinical research, information and communications technology and apparel. The U.S. Agency for International Development was created in 1961. USAID is an independent agency of the U.S. government that provides economic, development, and humanitarian assistance around the world. Serbia Enterprise Development Project Kralja Aleksandra 86/III 11000 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro Press Office: 381-(0)11 3020 739 Fax: 381-(0)11 3020 743 Slobodan Brkic, Press Relations E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] As from September 1, 2005, Media Center will continue its activities in the Sava Center (Object A,the Press Center), where all press conferences and other events will be held. More details will be available on a later date. You have received this email because you have been subscribed to Media Center mail services. If you want to unsubscribe please visit our site using the link you have received during the registration and modify the profile. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Serbia and Montenegro - Pulling Together for Europe
TRANSITIONS ONLINE: Serbia Montenegro: Pulling Together for Europe by Aleksandar Mitic25July2005 Brussels tells Belgrade and Podgorica to forget their internal squabbles and focus instead on association talks. BRUSSELS, Belgium | The European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, has urged Serbia and Montenegro to firmly focus on the forthcoming negotiations on a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) expected to start in early October. Solana's message was particularly addressed to the Montenegrin authorities, who have hinted they might push for a referendum on independence in the spring of 2006. This could slow down or even derail the process of negotiating with Brussels, expected to take at least nine months. Solana visited Belgrade on 19-20 July, a week after the European Commission proposed the framework for negotiating the SAA with the state union of Serbia and Montenegro.The EU foreign policy chief said Brussels was "eagerly awaiting Stabilization and Association negotiations with Serbia-Montenegro in October," in line with the assessment of Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Rehn had expressed the wish to initiate the negotiations on 5 October, the fifth anniversary of the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic.Serbia and Montenegro obtained a positive feasibility study from the EU in April, which cleared the way for the start of SAA negotiations. Under the SAA, Serbia and Montenegro would gradually harmonize its legislation with EU law, particularly in the key area of the EU internal market.FOCUS ON THE SAA, FORGET THE REFERENDUM Brussels is worried that the negotiations would be derailed if the government of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic goes ahead with the planned referendum on independence."We want Belgrade and Podgorica to concentrate to the maximum on the question of negotiations on stabilization and association with the EU, because this is the real road towards European integration," Solana's spokesperson Christina Gallach said in Brussels on 18 July. "We have always said that the referendum was legitimate, but not urgent. What is urgent is putting on the right track the basics of the [SAA] negotiations process," she added.The Serbian government of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said in a statement following the meeting with Solana that "Serbia and Montenegro should use the period ahead of us in favor of the European integration of the state union." The statement went on to say, "This issue should have priority over all other issues in Serbia and Montenegro, in particular over a possible referendum which has been announced in Montenegro.The head of Serbia and Montenegro's mission to the EU, Pavle Jevremovic, told TOL that the EU's support for the state union was "rational." "Neither Solana's office nor the Commission want to be arbiters in the relations between Serbia and Montenegro. That is our domestic issue. But simple logic says that by uniting our potentials … both Serbia and Montenegro would advance much faster and easier." Jevremovic also said that not everyone agreed with this analysis. "I find this a paradox: wanting to get into Europe, but separately rather than jointly. If you look at the links between Serbs and Montenegrins for centuries, the current divisions appear plain and simply stupid." POOR PROGRESS ON KOSOVOThe possible referendum in Montenegro in 2006 is not the only problem likely to complicate the SAA talks. This fall, talks are set to commence on the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo, where a majority Albanian population seeks secession from Serbia but faces firm opposition from Belgrade and the Kosovo Serbs. The beginning of these negotiations is dependent on a report by Kai Eide, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy for the evaluation of key standards in Kosovo, which include the freedom of movement, the return of more than 200,000 displaced Serbs, and decentralization. Eide, the Norwegian ambassador to NATO, is expected to present his report by the end of summer, likely ahead of the UN General Assembly's September session.During a visit to Pristina on 20 July, Solana gave his "full support" to Eide and expressed his dissatisfaction with progress on the standards, which he blamed on Kosovo's government. "I am surprised to see ... a slowdown in the process of standards and decentralization, Solana said in Pristina. "That is a mistake. This is a moment when you are being watched by the international community." A "EUROPEAN FUTURE"Brussels insists that whatever solution is found for its future status, Kosovo has to have a "European future" – a sentiment echoed in Belgrade. "I find it very encouraging that our public opinion in Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo, sees Europe as the way out of the current situation," ambassador Jevremovic told TOL."Europe is a symbol of normal life, tolerant religious and interethnic relations. All the problems that will appear in the upcoming
[SNN] KAI EIDE: I WANTED TO SEE GREATER PROGRESS AND POLITICALMATURITY
KAI EIDE: I WANTED TO SEE GREATER PROGRESS AND POLITICAL MATURITY (Most Kosovo dailies) Zëri reports that in an interview given to ISN Security Watch, Kai Eide who is preparing the report on Kosovo situation, has joined the voices of those who expressed dissatisfaction during the last period, saying that he was dissatisfied with the what he has seen in Kosovo during the last weeks. Yes, I say it honestly that I wanted to see greater progress and political maturity in Kosovo and amongst its political leaders, said Eide. Further, paper writes that he was especially concerned about the issue of returnees, most of them Serbs who have left Kosovo after the war. There is no doubt on the progress, there is a legal framework, and things in this direction have improved but however, they could have done more, especially in order to create the political climate that they need. They could have, and should have done more, said Eide. Eides did not address this only to Kosovo Albanian leaders. What I would like to see now is a strong commitment of the international community on Kosovo issue, he added. On the other hand, Eide said that with such tense international agenda it is very difficult to have a sustainable commitment. Eide said that he asked Kosovo leaders to take into consideration Serbs concerns especially in the Kosovo Assembly. He also said that he told Serb leaders that he wants to see the return of Kosovo Serbs into Kosovo institutions, which they are boycotting. Paper writes that Eide refused to tell the recommendations that he will put in his report, after his visit to Kosovo. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] News, 26.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 26. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- We'd like to introduce you to our latest newsletter: Germany Light give you a weekly look at Germany's cultural, peculiar and sometimes odd happenings. To sign up for regular dose of fun and entertainment, please go to our Newsletter section at http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1170241,00.html -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: CDU/SPD Coalition Bad News for Economy Economists assessing the possibility of a grand coalition of the SDP and CDU in German government after the September election are concerned that such a coupling could spell more trouble for the economy. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1659663,00.html -- Space shuttle Discovery reaches orbit The space shuttle Discovery has reached orbit after lifting off successfully from Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida. During a 12-day mission, its crew will deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. They will also test safety measures adopted after the space shuttle Columbia burst into flames two years ago upon its reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. The Discovery's mission is NASA's first shuttle mission since the Columbia accident. The launch was delayed by two weeks owing to problems with a fuel gauge. Blair rejects Iraq as motive for bombs British Prime Minister Tony Blair has again denied that the Iraq war was a motive for the London bomb attacks. Speaking in London, Blair said terrorists were using the war in Iraq as a pretext. The terrorists will always find an excuse, said Blair in his first news conference since the bombings. Blair added that it was completely unacceptable to say that the London bombings were in retaliation for the killing of civilians in Iraq by US and British forces. The British premier promised not to give an inch to the terrorists. According to an opinion poll most Britons believe that their country's Iraq policy was a contributory factor to the London bombing campaign. Britain to review anti-terror laws British Prime Minister Tony Blair has met with opposition leaders for a summit on tightening anti-terror laws after the London bombings. The move comes after British police called for changes to the current law to allow authorities to hold suspects without charge for up to three months. A controversial notion of allowing secret phone taps to be presented as court evidence was also considered at Tuesday's talks. More talks are scheduled in September. Meanwhile British police have identified two of the four men they believe tried to bomb the London transport system on July 21. Police are investigating various leads in North London. Van Gogh killer gets life sentence A court in the Netherlands has sentenced the self-confessed killer of a Dutch filmmaker to life in jail. The murder sparked a wave of attacks on mosques, religious schools and churches. Mohammed Bouyeri was convicted of killing Theo van Gogh as he cycled to work in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. Judge Udo Willem Bentinck told the court Bouyeri had murdered Van Gogh in a gruesome manner without mercy and had shown no remorse for his actions. Bouyeri confessed to murdering during his trial earlier this month, saying he had been motivated by his religious convictions. Six-way North Korea talks begin Six-party talks on North Korea's alleged nuclear arms programme have begun in Beijing. Pyongyang's delegate, Kim Kye-Gwan, said his country was committed to demilitarising the Korean Peninsula, provided that the US first give security assurances. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill began by stressing the importance of keeping nuclear arms out of the region. Earlier this year, Pyongyang declared itself a nuclear power. South Korea, China, Russia and Japan are also taking part in the talks. Burma foregoes ASEAN chair in 2006 The European Union has welcomed Burma's agreement not to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, in 2006. The EU, along with the United States, had threatened to boycott ASEAN meetings if Burma had taken over chairmanship of the 10-member regional forum. Rangoon is under international pressure to institute democratic reforms and release political prisoners such as detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in the Lao capital of Vientiane said Burma had requested
[SNN] Brazilians demand arrest of London officers
Brazilians demand arrest of London officers The Associated Press WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2005GONZAGA, Brazil Hundreds of relatives and friends of a Brazilian killed in London after being mistaken for a terrorist marched along the cobblestone streets of his hometown, demanding the arrest of the British police officers who fired the fatal shots. Some of the protesters held banners Monday denouncing the British police as the real terrorists; other placards were adorned with snapshots of the victim, Jean Charles de Menezes, urging Prime Minister Tony Blair to send his body home so it could be buried. All said that Blair's apology did not go far enough. "Apologies don't help, we want justice," they chanted, stopping briefly to offer a prayer for the 27-year-old electrician who left Brazil to work in Britain so he could return home with enough savings to start a cattle ranch. Menezes' killing has been the top story on radio and television broadcasts since Sunday. In London, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said he had instructions from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva "to take firm measures to defend the interests of the family of a Brazilian who died in an absurd manner." The militant Landless Rural Workers' Movement scheduled protests Tuesday in front of the British Embassy in Brasília and the consulate in Rio de Janeiro. The movement said in a statement that Menezes "was assassinated in cold blood, a victim of intolerance" and called for the British withdrawal from Iraq. Gonzaga's mayor, outraged over news of the shooting, called it an "assassination." "It's easy for Blair to apologize, but it doesn't mean very much," said Mayor Júlio de Souza. "What happened to English justice and England, a place where police patrol unarmed?" Many were angry that there was still no word on when the body might be shipped back to Gonzaga, a central Brazilian town of 6,000 where young men often head to the United States and Europe to finance a better life back home. Menezes was killed last Friday, and Brazilians traditionally bury their dead no later than 24 hours after death. "We don't want apologies, he's ours and he should be here," said María José Carvalho, who has two sons working in the United States. Governor Aécio Neves of Minas Gerais, the rural state where the electrician was born, said the government would pay to fly his body back to Brazil for burial. Some of Menezes' cousins were upset that Blair's apology included a defense of the British police, who Blair said were working under intense pressure to prevent more terrorist attacks. "His apologies aren't easing our pain," said Arialva Pereira, one of the cousins. "He's not saying anything about punishing the police who did this, it's more like he's supporting them." The march on Monday ended in front of the town hall, where the Brazilian flag hung at half staff and a large black sheet was hung from the second floor as a sign of mourning. Menezes was killed in a London Underground station as the police investigated a wave of botched bombings the day before and the deadly transit bombings of July 7. Witnesses said he was wearing a heavy, padded coat when plainclothes police chased him into an Underground car, pinned him to the floor and shot him. While Menezes' relatives said he was working legally in Britain and had no reason to fear the police, the BBC said Menezes' visa had expired, suggesting a reason why he might have run. At a joint news conference in London with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Amorim said the Brazilian Embassy had told him Menezes was living legally in England. Brazilian correspondents also quoted Straw as saying that he understood that Menezes' situation was legal. Copyright © 2005 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com
[SNN] Top Kosovo Officials May Be Sacked For String Of Political Murders
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Politicsloid=8.0.190376221par=0ADN Kronos International (Italy) July 25, 2005KOSOVO: PETERSEN READY TO SACK DEPUTY PRIME MINISTERPristina - The head of the United Nationsadministration in Kosovo (Unmik) Soren Jessen Petersenis about to sack the deputy prime minister Adem Salihaj and two of his ministers - Melihata Termokliand Astrit Haraci - Albanian language daily KohaDitore, said on Monday.Over three months ago the opposition Democratic Partyof Kosovo (DPK) accused Salihaj and the two ministers of corruption, saying that Salihaj was also heading anillegal organisation called Security of Motherland,which was responsible for several political murders.After the accusations DPK leader Hasim Taci demanded Salihaj's resignation, but the call went unheeded.According to DPK, Salihaj was behind the killing ofseveral members of President Ibrahim Rugova'sDemocratic Alliance of Kosovo.Koha ditore said that Petersen, who as UN head has wide powers in Kosovo after the withdrawal of theSerbian army in 1999, was losing patience and wouldsack Salihaj and two ministers for abuse of power bySeptember, if president Kosumi didn't act by then. The paper said that Petersen wanted Salihaj to leavehis post before talks start on the final status ofKosovo, whose majority ethnic Albanians demandindependence. According to Koha Ditore, Security of Motherland has threatened to kill its editor andseveral prominent politicians for making publicSalihaj's illegal activities. YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Inter-KLA Blood Feuds Wrack Kosovo
http://www.budapesttimes.hu/index.php?art=958Budapest TimesJuly 25, 2005Journalist, family members of political figures shotdead in two months of violence Suspected blood feuds in Kosovo threaten final statustalksNeil BarnettA spate of ruthless assassinations in Kosovo isthreatening to divide the Kosovo Albanian elite. Asfinal-status talks loom – with most bets on late summer to early autumn – this could splinter it andweaken the Albanian side, should it develop into arenewed power struggle. With some form of hedgedindependence the most likely outcome of thenegotiations, the stakes are high. On June 3 Bardhy Ajeti, a journalist on the newspaperBota Sot, was shot in the head near Gnjilane. He laterdied. Bota Sot is close to President Ibrahim Rugova'sDemocratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and Ajeti was a vocal critic of the post-war elite, most of whom wereassociated with the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK).Then, on July 12, two members of the Musaj family werekilled in a drive-by shooting near Pec in western Kosovo.The killings fall into a pattern of feuds that runboth on the family and clan level, and at thepolitical level. The Musaj family was prominent in theArmed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK) during the late 1990s.FARK was allied to the LDK, and was a bitter rival ofthe UCK. During the 1998-99 conflict the Haradinajfamily, also from the Pec area and influential in theUCK, became embroiled in a vendetta with the Musajs. Ramush Haradinaj commanded the UCK's 'Dukagjini'Operational Zone and then founded the Alliance for theFuture of Kosovo (AAK) after hostilities ceased.In December 2004 he became prime minister after the AAK became Rugova's junior coalition partner. Fourmonths later he was indicted by the Hague Tribunal andresigned his post.The Haradinaj-Musaj feud became emblematic of widerFARK-UCK bloodletting. In 2000 Ramush Haradinaj was involved in a gun battlewith members of the Musaj family at their home inStrelnik, western Kosovo. The Musajs allege that heordered the murder of their brother and three others in 1999.Then in November 2002 the hybrid international-localwar crimes court in Pristina convicted Haradinaj'sbrother Daut of torturing and killing four people inthe aftermath of the conflict in 1999 – including a member of the Musaj family. He was sentenced to fiveyears in jail. Subsequently Musaj family members whotestified at the trial were threatened and harassed.One of them, Sadik Musaj, was shot in Pec byunidentified gunmen on February 2 and died later from his wounds.In March, days after Ramush Haradinaj surrendered toThe Hague, his younger brother Enver was murdered bygunmen. According to a source in The Hague, formerFARK members have co-operated in the indictment against Haradinaj.The indictment includes the following: "RamushHaradinaj [and those under his command] did nottolerate the presence of any other Albanian factionsfighting against the Serbs, such as the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK) in their territory.On July 4 1998, Ramush Haradinaj along with soldiersof his headquarters in Glodjane/Gllogjan beat,humiliated and seriously injured four members of these forces."If FARK members did indeed assist The Hague, it willadd further intensity to the conflict. Nevertheless,it appears so far to have been confined geographicallyand politically.According to Jeta Xharra, Kosovo director of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), "Thereis definitely a personalised, local vendetta inwestern Kosovo, but it does not affect Pristina.Although these are the military wings of LDK and AAK, the parties themselves remain in coalition andunaffected. This is a wild, thuggish and irrationalwar, and it doesn't matter to them what happens inPristina."For those watching the security situation as status talks approach (for which KFOR's intelligence capacityhas been bolstered considerably) it is hoped that theconflict does not break out of its local confines andspread to civilian politics. For many, however, possibly including the local police, the vendetta isalmost a natural phenomenon that must be allowed torun itself out. "This sort of thing happens inKosovo," one seasoned Balkan diplomat told TheBudapest Times. YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] Kosovo: UNMIK Fires Pepper Spray, Warning Shots At Besieged Serbs
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/07/0e2462d4-c94d-4b4d-849a-5b97c9d9.htmlAssociated Press July 25, 2005UN Police Disperse Crowd In Northern KosovoUN police fired warning shots and pepper spray todisperse a crowd of Serbs during a confrontation innorthern Kosovo during the weekend. The incident occurred yesterday in the Kosovar town ofMitrovica - which is divided by the Ibar River alongSerb and Albanian ethnic lines.Authorities say police attempted to arrest a Serb manwho was seen throwing bottles at a UN police officer on the main bridge across the Ibar River. They say acrowd of Serbs charged at police from the north sideof the river and pushed them back until the suspectescaped.A UN police statement says four warning shots were fired into the air as the crowd continued to advanceon the officers. No injuries were reported. YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 25.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 25.07.2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Last Chance Talks for G4 UN Hopefuls Diplomats from Germany, India, Japan, Brazil and the African Union meet in London on Monday to thrash out what could be their last chance at agreeing a common strategy for expanding the UN Security Council by September. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1658665,00.html -- Send us your favorite picks for sight-seeing, museum hopping, historical edification whatever youve got to share with others heading to Germany. Restaurants, hotels, back-country hideaways write to us with your insider tips and tell us about what you liked best about traveling in Germany. For more information, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1096790,00.html -- Blair expresses regrets on shooting London police have identified two of the four suspected bombers wanted in connection with last week's attempted bombing of the London transport system. Earlier the head of Scotland Yard revealed the names of two bomb suspects. News has also emerged of the discovery of a fifth unexploded bomb over the weekend in a London park. Police, meanwhile, have arrested two more people linked to the July 21 bombing during a series of raids in North London. Meanwhile British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he was desperately sorry for the the death of an innocent Brazilian during an anti-terror chase, but that police were forced to make a split-second decision on a possible bombing threat. Police shot dead 27-year-old electrician Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell underground station on Friday. Britain, France pledge to fight terror The prime ministers of Britian and France Tony Blair and Dominique de Villepin have underlined their commitment to fighting terrorism during talks in London. Britain and France will cooperate more closely on anti-terrorism following the London bombings, exchanging names of suspected Islamic extremists and other information. At a joint news conference, Blair said we are not going to yield one inch to terror ideology. The French premier insisted that in face of terrorism no country is safe today. Dozens detained in Egypt bomb probe Egyptian police are searching for six Pakistani men as part of the probe into Saturday's deadly bombings in Sharm el-Sheik. Police distributed photographs in the Red Sea resort of the six men, who have apparently been missing since the bombings. At least 88 people died and some 200 were injured in Egypt's deadliest ever terrorist attacks. Dozens of other people have been detained for questioning. Officials say the group behind the bombs probably had links with one that attacked hotels in Sinai last year, killing 34 people. Two rival claims of responsibility have emerged for the bombings, but neither statement could be authenticated. One was by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades of al-Qaeda in Syria and Egypt. The other was by the previously unknown Holy Warriors of Egypt. Schily calls for greater police powers Germany's Interior Minister Otto Schily has called for an increase in federal police powers in the wake of the Egyptian bombings which killed at least 88. In an interview with the Bild newspaper, Schily said it was important that the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation was able to take preventative measures against terrorist attacks. Currently, the bureau passes on tips to state agencies, who then carry out arrests or other measures. Schily said this extra step could delay quick action on a terror threat. The move would mean a change to the constitution. Schily has also called for the introduction of no-fly zones during the Pope's visit to Germany in August, and during the Soccer World Cup in 2006. The move comes after a small plane crashed near the German parliament building in Berlin on Friday. Two blasts in Baghdad kill fifteen Two suicide car bombings in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, have left at least fifteen people dead and nearly thirty others wounded. The first bomb exploded near a hotel in central Baghdad. The Iraqi Defence Ministry says 13 people were killed and 18 were injured. An hour later, a second bomb went off near an entrance to the so-called Green Zone, a heavily fortified government and diplomatic compound. Two policemen died and 10 other people were wounded in that attack. The blasts came less than a day after a suicide truck bombing in the
[SNN] Pseudo-medical interferences by Dr. Van Dijkman in Mr. Milosevic defence affairs
Law firm Steijnen, Olof Stelling Couwenhoven 52-05 3703 ER Zeist tel. 030-6956867 fax 030-6957830 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dr. P.R.M. Van Dijkman Ten Hovestraat 66a 2582 RN Den Haag 25 July 2005 re: pseudo-medical treatment with respect to Mr. S. Milosevic, former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dear Mr. Van Dijkman, The so-called 'Yugoslavia tribunal' is again about to step up its efforts to silence my cliënt Mr. Milosevic either by seeking to push him to the background in his own defence case which is currently going on. Or to silence him by seriously affecting his healt condition as a result of further deliberately deteriorating the conditions of his defence imposed on him. Again the 'tribunal' administration invoked your aid in order to achieve that well-considered aim. Again you are requested to allow yourself to be abused by the so-called 'tribunal' in order for the latter to obtain an alibi for infringing the fundamental right of Mr. Miloesevic to defend himself. As already pointed out in my initial complaint on behalf of mr. Milosevic, filed against you with the Regional Disciplinary Board for Healthcare, by making statements regarding the ability of Mr. Milosevic regarding the ability of mr. Milosevic to defend himself in various modalities of court session load, you make yourself guilty on the pronouncement of a pseudo-medical judgement, and thereby to a medically reprehensible act. This because, as pointed out by me earlier, any answer to the question of what Mr. Milosevic physically is or is not able to do regarding the trial in progress, depends to a large extent on various other factors. Like, for instance, the time Mr. Milosevic daily needs for the preparation of his case. So the question is not, like put to you by the so-called 'tribunal', whether or not Mr. Milosevic could physically stand various modalities of more court hours a week, but whether or not it would be acceptable to further severely deteriorate the amount of time left to mr. Milosevic to prepare his defence case. Doubtless and prima facie these two elements are directly linked: the more time Mr. Milosevic will be supposed to spend a week in court sessions, the more the time will be further decreased needed by him for the daily preparation of his defence case. And, as a consequence, there is also another direct relationship: the more time Mr. Milosevic, despite all restraints already put upon him, will stick on appropriate defence preparations in a situation of further increase of the weekly court session load, the less time is left to him to take the necessary rest and to recuperate from the enormous daily stress put upon him. So this all brings about a third direct relationship: the more the weekly court session load for Mr. Milosevic will be increased, the more he will be forced to choose between his health care and caring about his defence. It is this evil dilemma the administration of the so-called 'tribunal' is about to force on Mr. Milosevic. And your help is considered indispensible in order to cover this operation with a pseudo-medical sauce in order legitimatize this action. So I summon you, on behalf of mr. Milosevic, to refrain from giving answers with respect to - inevitably pseudo-medical - content to the recent questions, posed to you by the so-called 'tribunal', by failing to do so I will take further juridical action against you. Sincerely yours, N.M.P. Steijnen Attached you will find a summon to Dr. van Dijkman demanding that he will refrain from further pseudo-medicalinterferences with respect to Mr. Milosevic'defece affairs. Best wishes for all of you, Nico Steijnen YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] UN seeks to leave Kosovo, but a deal is elusive
UN seeks to leave Kosovo, but a deal is elusive By Nicholas Wood The New York Times TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2005PRISTINA, Kosovo In the six years since NATO bombers forced Yugoslav troops out of this troubled province, progress toward resolving the entrenched enmity between Serbs and ethnic Albanians has been slow. The United Nations, which has been administering Kosovo, now wants to broker a deal and step aside. The negotiations are bound to be painful. Serbs are determined to keep Kosovo, their religious heartland, while ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of the population, demand independence after years of ethnic violence that culminated in the war of 1998 to 1999. The majority of each community barely acknowledges the existence of the other. Serbs face the possibility of living in an independent, Albanian-dominated state. Diplomats say that if Albanians want to achieve anything like independence they will have to give the Serbs basic rights, such as freedom of movement, and grant the right of return to those Serbian refugees who fled the region. The framework for the negotiations is far from clear. The United Nations has commissioned a report to determine if and when talks can start. Despite some Russian and Chinese opposition in the Security Council, most diplomats expect the negotiations to begin by early October. The talks would involve local Albanian and Serb leaders as well as the Serbian government and representatives of the leading industrial democracies. While many Western officials privately acknowledge that independence is perhaps the only solution that the Albanian population will accept, the Serbian government is hoping Kosovo will remain within Serbia, but be granted substantial autonomy. Any resolution has to grapple with Kosovo's nearly complete division along ethnic lines, a rupture that goes back to June 1999, the month the Serb-dominated Yugoslav forces who were accused of committing atrocities against Albanians were forced by NATO troops to withdraw. As the soldiers left, the returning ethnic Albanian refugees sought revenge on their Serb neighbors, and forced up to 200,000 to flee the province. Those Serbs who stayed - their numbers are seasonal and fluctuate between 70,000 and 130,000, according to local aid agencies - have led volatile lives. Interethnic violence, which can dissipate for months on end, often reappears without warning. In March last year, 50,000 Albanians rioted across the province, attacking Serbs and other minorities and forcing 4,000 from their homes. Few Serbs remain in Kosovo's cities, with the exception of Mitrovica, which is divided down the middle along ethnic lines. Instead, most Serbs live in rural enclaves like Gracanica, the largest such enclave, with a population of 5,000, just three kilometers, or two miles, south of Pristina. Gracanica, like most Serbian villages across Kosovo, retains links with the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Serbia provides such basic services as health and education and some documentation, like passports and birth and marriage certificates, services that rankle Albanians who regard the United Nations and their regional government as the only rightful authorities in the province. Albanians drive through the town, which lies on one of Kovoso's main trunk roads, but pedestrians and those in the cars studiously ignore each other. "We live in two separate worlds," said Sasa Sekulic, a Serbian business owner in Gracanica. Forced to leave his home in Pristina by ethnic Albanian looters, Sekulic set up a small business making Turkish delight, a sticky jellylike candy. He planned to sell it in Kosovo, but while Albanians are happy to sell him the ingredients to make the sweets, Albanian shops refused to stock his products after a television news show revealed they were made in Gracanica. "They will buy products from the rest of Serbia,
[SNN] News, 24.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 24. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- Last chance to play! DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Police Stick by Policy Despite Wrong Killing London's police chief said he deeply regretted the killing of an innocent Brazilian in the hunt for the attackers, but added that police remain under orders to shoot suspected suicide bombers in the head if necessary. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1657850,00.html -- Truck bomb in Baghdad kills 22 A truck bomb has killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 20 others in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Both civilians and policemen were among casualties in Sunday's attack on a police station in the Mashtal area in eastern Baghdad. In other violence, the police chief of Baghdad's Kathimiya district was assassinated as he was driving to work. Two other police officers were killed in separate incidents in Baghdad and Kirkuk. Meanwhile, Sunni Arab leaders have said they will consider ending their boycott of talks on Iraq's new constitution. The boycott was called in protest at the murder on Tuesday of two Sunni members of the committee. Sunni officials said the government was responding positively to their demands, including one for better security for committee members. Brazil seeks explanation of UK death The Brazilian government has demanded an explanation into Friday's shooting of a Brazilian man by British police. Jean Charles de Menezes was pursued through a London subway station by plain-clothes police before being cornered and shot repeatedly in the head. Police have now admitted he was not connected to last Thursday's attempted bombings in London. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said it was shocked and perplexed by the death of the 27-year old electrician. British Islamic groups have called for a public inquiry into the shooting amid fears that Asians and Muslims would be targeted by police in a shoot-to-kill policy. Meanwhile, police have arrested two men in south London in connection with Thursday's bomb attacks. Dozens arrested in Egypt Dozens of people have been arrested in Egypt as the country launches a massive hunt for terrorists responsible for three bomb blasts in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik. The explosions, two caused by suicide bombers, hit a hotel and a coffee shop packed with European and Egyptian tourists. At least 88 people were killed and some 150 others were injured, many of them critically. Officials warned that the death toll could rise. Police said at least nine foreigners were among the dead and another 20 wounded. The dead comprised two Britons, two Italians, one Ukrainian, one Russian, one Dutch citizen, a Czech national and an Israeli of Arab descent. Egyptian Interior Minister Habib al-Adly claimed investigators already had leads and suggested the attacks could be connected to bombings on October 7 which killed 34 people. Train bomb in Russia kills one A bomb has gone off under a train in Russia's Dagestan region, killing one person and injuring four others. The explosion occured underneath the first carriage, partially derailing the train. Dagestan's authorities blame Islamist rebels for the violence. The ethnically diverse region borders Chechnya and has seen increasing attacks on trains this year. Bulgaria forms new minority goverment Bulgaria's Socialist Party is to form a minority government with a Muslim party after winning June elections. Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev has unveiled a new cabinet made up of 13 ministers from his party, and five from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Stanishev will submit his cabinet suggestions to Bulgaria's President later in the day and parliament is due to vote on it on Tuesday. Stanishev was forced to form a minority government after the country's former centrist rulers, the National Movement Simeon II, refused to enter into a coalition with the Socialists. Further violence in Gaza Three Palestinian militant groups have claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of an Israeli couple near the Gaza border. Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees, and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades all said they carried out the attack. Israeli
[SNN] Serbia: SPS Demands Recall Of Foreign Minister For Treason, NATO Capitulation
http://www.blic.co.yu/danas/broj/E-Index.htm#4 Blic (Serbia and Montenegro) July 22, 2005 SPS for recall of Draskovic The Socialist Party of Serbia says that it does not accept that NATO troops are passing through the territory of Serbia and Montenegro. The Socialists also claim that they shall support any initiative in the parliaments of SCG and Serbia for the recall of SCG Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic. -- http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?nav_id=32509style=headlines B92 (Serbia and Montenergo) July 22, 2005 Dispute over NATO transit agreement -[T]he Socialist Party of Serbia, with whose support in the parliament the minority Kostunica Government clings to power, said that it unacceptable that NATO armies cross our country, as though it is a defeated and occupied territory which they have conquered. The party said that it would support an initiative for Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic to be dismissed following the decision that NATO forces may cross Serbia-Montenegro. BELGRADE - The federal defence minister has defended the signing of a troop transit agreement with NATO this week without consulting the governments of the member states. The signing was in accordance with the law said Prvoslav Davinic, but added that in future important international agreements should not be signed without the member states having previously stated their position. This did not mean, he said, that Foreign Affairs Minister Vuk Draskovic had overstepped the line when he signed the agreement with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Although the governments of the member states had not been consulted, the appropriate ministries had been. Now there is a conflict about the authority of the federal Cabinet and when the position of the government needs to be sought. This is what were now clearing up and we have come to the conclusion that in the case of important political agreements its desirable that the governments of the member states give their opinion, said the defence minister. The agreement still needs to be ratified by the federal Parliament but, according to Davinic, it may be applied, even before ratification. The agreement wasnt signed overnight: theres been four years of work on it. Four years ago NATO proposed a text for the agreement and various government have dealt with it, said the defence minister, adding that the draft agreement had been approved by the justice and finance ministries of both Serbia and Montenegro. However the Serbian Governments media representative, Srdjan Djuric says that no Serbian ministry had given a positive opinion of the agreement, which gives NATO troops the right of transit across Serbia-Montenegro in the event of an emergency in Kosovo. According to Djuric the ministries had not even seen the final version of the agreement. Meanwhile, the Socialist Party of Serbia, with whose support in the parliament the minority Kostunica Government clings to power, said that it unacceptable that NATO armies cross our country, as though it is a defeated and occupied territory which they have conquered. The party said that it would support an initiative for Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic to be dismissed following the decision that NATO forces may cross Serbia-Montenegro. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] The Cunning Realist
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=3373 The Truth Seeker How did Greenspan Know about the London Bombings Two Days before Mike Whitney uruknet.info July 21, 2005 Two days before the London subway bombings, Fed-Master Alan Greenspan flushed nearly $40 billion in liquidity into financial markets. The sudden activity was an astonishing departure from the current policy of tightening interest rates to stifle inflation. The Chairman has not explained his erratic behavior, but theres growing speculation that Greenspan may have had information about the likelihood of terrorist attacks and decided to preemptively head-off a run on the markets. As it turns out, his actions may have been a positive factor in stabilizing the market following the incident, (check: The Cunning Realist; following the money for more on the Feds unusual action:) but that doesnt address the larger issue of whether Greenspan had inside information that an attack was imminent. Many people are unaware that the Federal Reserve gets information directly from the CIA. Perhaps, the level of chatter was sufficiently high to warrant the extraordinary measures. (The Fed almost doubled its temporary pool in just a few days!) That doesnt explain, however, why alarms were not raised in England. In fact, as Democracy Now reported on July 19, London lowered the security threat just before the July 7 bombings. Why? The details now surfacing about the London bombings are familiar to those who have researched the anomalies surrounding September 11. In both cases the government version of events is shot with holes. Israel Insider cites Mossad Chief Meir Dagan, in an interview with the German Newspaper Bild am Sonntag: The Mossad office in London received advance notice about the attacks, but only six minutes before the first blast, the paper reports, confirming an earlier AP report. As a result, it was impossible to take any action to prevent the blasts. (from http://www.antiwar.com/blog/index.php?id=P2229 ) So, at the very least we have confirmation that Israeli Intelligence had some advance warning of the attacks. But, the Mossads announcement doesnt square with other reports on the same day. Just hours after the July 7 attacks, the Stratfor Intelligence Agency published an article Israel warned United Kingdom of Possible Attacks on antiwar.com that stated, Israel warned London of the attacks a couple of days ago, but British authorities failed to respond accordingly to deter the attacks and While Israel is keeping quiet for the time-being, British Prime Minister Tony Blair soon will be facing the heat for his failure to take action. The article concludes on a somber note, The British government sat on this information for days and failed to respond. Though the Israeli government is playing along publicly, it may not stay quiet for long. This is sure to apply pressure on Blair very soon for his failure to deter this major terrorist attack. The Stratfor report has gotten little attention from anyone except conspiracy theorists, but it is likely to resurface in connection to Greenspans inexplicable behavior and as the official story upheld by Blair and co. continues to melt-down under greater scrutiny. The Blair narrative has taken full advantage of the evil ideology theory of terror and completely eschews the facts as they dribble in from the police investigation. At FOX News the government approach was clear from the very onset; they believed that the attacks were the work of suicide bombers, a theory that promotes the racial-stereotypes that appeal to FOX viewers. From the FOX perspective, this justifies pushing through Blairs new regressive legislation, savaging civil liberties, and pursuing an endless war against Islamic extremism. Blairs posturing has followed the speculative analysis of FOX in nearly every respect. Armed with nothing more than over-heated rhetoric and unsubstantiated claims, Blair has framed the bombings as an attack on our way of life; a spurious charge intended to fuel the public rage and incite violence against immigrants. The fact that the alleged terrorists bought round-trip subway tickets, placed a Park-n-Ride ticket in the window of their car at the station, and didnt strap the bombs to their bodies, has increased suspicion that the governments story may veer substantially from the truth. One of the suspects actually stayed out partying late the night before. Is that what one would expect on the last day of ones life? Another has an 18 month old baby, and still another had a baby on the way. Men dont commit suicide when they have kids on the way, despite Mr. Blairs impassioned rhetoric. So far, the government version is laced with inaccuracies; a hopeless tangle of loose-ends, spurious allegations and blatant propaganda. The myriad unanswered questions about the bombings suggest that we should
[SNN] News, 23.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News July 23rd 2005, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: High-speed Election Campaign Gets Going With federal polls now almost sure to take place, Germany's politicians face their shortest ever election campaign. The winner may seem certain, but experts say the campaign will prove to be the most exciting to date. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1657364,00.html -- -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- At least 83 killed in Egyptian bombs The death toll from three bomb explosions at Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik continues to rise. The interior ministry said 83 people have been killed, and more than 200 injured. At least nine foreigners are among the dead, including a Czech and an Italian. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that German tourists were among those injured. Egyptian officials said many of the injuries were serious, and the death toll was expected to rise. The blasts damaged two hotels in the resort area of Naama Bay, while the third blast hit a coffee shop in a market. Deutsche Welle Correspondent Samar Aboul Foutouh said at least two car bombs were responsible for the explosions. She said Egyptians are in shock because Sharm el-Sheik was seen as a safe city. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has arrived on the scene along with Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. Mubarak condemned the mulitple bombings and vowed his country's security forces will hunt down those responsible. A group calling itself the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Levant and Egypt, has claimed responsibility for the bombings in an internet posting. But the Interior Ministry said there could be a connection with the October bombings that killed 34 people further north in the Sinai peninsula. Beirut blast injures 12 At least 12 people have been injured in a bomb blast in a Christian neighbourhood in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The explosion was caused by a bomb placed under a parked car outside a restaurant in the east of the city. Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora said the bomb was aimed at destabilising Lebanon and shaking confidence in the new government. Lebanon has been hit by a series of bombs since the February blast that killed former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The incident took place just hours after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a flying visit to Beirut to show US support for the new government. Further arrest in London bomb case British police have arrested a second man in connection with the investigation into Thursday's attempted bombings in London. Police said the man was arrested in Stockwell in south London, the same area where another man was arrested on Friday. Police have released security camera images of the four men suspected of detonating Thursday's bombs. Earlier, plain-clothes officers shot dead a man at Stockwell underground station. They said the shooting was directly linked to the investigation. But they have not yet revealed what the man's exact role in the bombings was. Rice praises Palestinian peace efforts US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has praised Palestinian efforts to ensure security ahead of Israel's Gaza withdrawal. But during her meeting with Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmud Abbas, she said more needed to be done. Rice also reiterated that the United States was committed to making sure that there was a stop to Israeli settlement activity. Speaking after talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Rice said the pullout should be coordinated with the Palestinians. In the latest flare-up, a Palestinian civilian was killed and an Israeli soldier wounded during a firefight between militants and the army in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Plane crash at German parliament A light aircraft has crashed on the lawn close to the German parliament building and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's office, killing the pilot. No-one on the ground is reported to have been injured. The cause of the crash, which occurred late Friday evening, is unclear. Berlin police says they do not believe the incident is connected to terrorism. Since the London bombings, the German
[SNN] News, 22.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche WelleEnglish Service News22. 07. 2005, 16:00 UTC--DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If youanswer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. Toplay, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english --Police shoot man in LondonScotland Yard has confirmed that police have shot dead a man inLondon's Stockwell Underground station in the city's south. Police say the shooting was directly linked to the search for four peoplesuspected of involvement in Thursday's attempted bomb attacks onLondon's transport network. Police have now released CCTV images ofthe suspects and asked the public for its help. Meanwhile, in an Internet statement, an Al-Qaeda-linked group has claimedresponsibility for Thursday's bomb incidents. The group, callingitself the Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, has also claimed to be behindthe July 7 bombings in London, which killed more than 50 people, and injured hundreds more.Pakistan arrests 90 more militantsPakistani security forces have arrested 90 more suspected Islamicmilitants. Officials said that this brings the number of detainees from raids since the July 7 London bombings to more than 300. ButPakistani and British officials say authorities have so far failedto arrest any suspects linked to the London attacks, which killedmore than 50 people. The move comes a day after President Pervez Musharraf announced new measures aimed at stopping religious leadersfrom spreading hate against non-Muslims. Referring to the Londonbombings, Musharraf pledged to co-operate in international effortsto combat terrorism, but cautioned against singling out Pakistan for blame.Rice, Sharon discuss Gaza pulloutUS Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has held talks with IsraeliPrime Minister Ariel Sharon. The meeting was hastily arranged afterfresh violence in Gaza jeopardised Israel's planned withdrawal from the occupied territories. Israeli radio quoted an official as sayingthe talks were excellent, and that the pair discussed efforts toco-ordinate the pull-out with Palestinians. The two-hour meeting at Sharon's ranch in the southern Negev Desert took place away from themedia. There was no scheduled press conference. The Israeliwithdrawal from 21 Gaza settlements and four Jewish enclaves in thenorthern West Bank is due to begin in less than four weeks. Guantanamo inmates stage hunger strikeInmates at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have begun ahunger strike to protest against their detention. Militaryauthorities said in a statement that the 52 detainees have refused at least nine consecutive meals. The US-based Center forConstitutional Rights said the prisoners started the hunger strikebecause of the inhumane conditions at the facility on Cuba. TheCenter said the hunger strikers wanted respect for their religion, open trials, and proper food and clean water. The statement comes aday after US authorities released eight suspects. More than 500people are imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. Many of them have been heldfor more than three years without any formal charges raised against them.Japan passes missile lawJapan's parliament has passed a law which allows the defence chiefto order the interception of a missile without having to ask cabinetfor permission. The law was approved by the upper house by 126 votes to 94. The move comes amid concern over North Korea's militaryprogramme. The main opposition Democratic Party opposed the bill,saying that parliament needed to be notified before a missileintercept. Japan is constitutionally barred from using force or maintaining a military because of its role in World War II.Blazes grip Portugal and SpainPortugal and Spain remain in the grip of forest fires. Five morevillages have been evacuated in central Portugal where 2,000 exhausted firefighters are into their fourth day. So far more than20,000 hectares have been scorched and one person killed. Insouthwestern Spain, where a fire is burning on two fronts, 1,000people have left their homes. Hundreds have also been evacuated at hotspots in northern Spain and near Barcelona. A fire nearGuadalajara in central Spain that trapped and killed 11 firefighterslast Sunday has been declared under control. A senior regionalofficial has resigned, saying he took responsibility for the tragedy. It was apparently sparked by walkers who lit a barbeque.Smaller fires have also been reported in southeastern France and onSpain's island of Gran Canaria. Each one scorched 200 hectares. Kenya approves new constitutionKenya's parliament has approved a new constitution despite massivestreet protests against the bill. Lawmakers voted 102 to 61 toapprove the draft constitution. The move comes after three days of violent demonstrations by protesters who said the bill waters downthe original proposal and
[SNN] Kosovo media about Solana's visit
Petersen: Standards In Kosmet Not Fulfilled 20 Jul (Radio Srbija I Crna Gora) - UNMIK Head Søren Jessen Petersen has stated that none of the eight democratic and legal standards for Kosmet, set by the UN Security Council, have been fulfilled. Petersen stated that there was certain progress but that the biggest obstacles in the realization of standards are those in areas of freedom of movement, minority rights, return of displaced persons and decentralization. Emphasizing that the process of defining the future status of Kosmet depends on the report of UN Special Envoy for the Evaluation of Standards Kai Eide, Petersen underlined that the final solution should imply a European future in a democratic and multiethnic society. Solana surprised with delays in standard implementation and decentralisation The EU diplomacy chief Javier Solana stated in Prishtina that the processes of decentralisation and standard implementation are in deadlock. He said that these are two processes which need to be accelerated, adding that Kosovo is being monitored by the international community at the moment. I have been really surprised to see slowdown in the processes of standards and decentralisation. I think this is a mistake. This is the moment when Kosovar leaders and the Government should do the opposite. They should move quicker and show that these two processes are something they believe in, Solana said. The SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen asked for a stronger commitment from the PISG and opposition. They must show a stronger commitment, but also as long Serbs do not have the permission from Belgrade to participate, there will be limitations on how much progress we will have in returns and freedom of movement, Jessen-Petersen said. During the meetings with the political leaders, Solana conveyed the message for having at least two cadastral zones in the decentralisation pilot-projects. Following the meeting with Solana, President Ibrahim Rugova said that he hopes for a positive standard evaluation. He added that Solana conveyed to them the message that Kosovo has a European perspective. Talking about delays in decentralisation, PM Bajram Kosumi said, This is a process, and there were delays there were delays for many reasons, because there was not a proper transparency in the process from the time when it started. The previous governments and the Council of Europe were not transparent enough, and my Government had to face all the problems at once. Both PDK and ORA leaders Thaçi and Surroi said that Solana evaluations were concerning. They said that that Solana had considered the situation in Kosovo as going through a paralysis. They said that the negative evaluations will have negative impacts even in the status negotiation process and in the standard evaluation by Kai Eide. Solana appealed to Serb leaders to join the PISG. Oliver Ivanovic said, It is clear that the LSKM cannot enter institutions with these conditions. We said this to Solana as well, irrespective of his support and support from international community in general. During the several-hour visit to Kosovo, Solana said that the EU will continue to support Kosovo, and added that he would like to see progress by the time he returns in September. (All K-wide broadcasters, RTK) Solana warns Kosovo leaders over slow fulfillment of UN standards (AFP) PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro, July 20 (AFP) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana warned Kosovo leaders on Wednesday not to lose momentum in meeting UN-set democratic standards, key for opening talks on the province's final status. "I was a bit surprised to see a slowdown of the process of the standards and the process of decentralization," Solana said after his brief visit to the province. The UN began last month to review whether Kosovo authorities have met a set of democratic standards, a precondition for the opening of talks on the territory's final status. Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since a NATO-led bombing campaign ousted Serbian troops from the mainly ethnic Albanian province in 1999 to end a Serbian crackdown on rebels. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities are keen for talks to open to push for independence, while Belgrade wants the territory to remain part of Serbia and Montenegro. Progress "cannot be slowed down at the moment in which a new page of the history of Kosovo is probably beginning to be written," said Solana. "This is a moment in which leaders of Kosovo, the government should move faster, should prove that really the process of standards and decentralization is something in which they believe full-heartily." One key issue is reform of local administrations, notably in areas populated by minority Serbs, which could improve the return of refugees and provide full freedom of movement. Solana said he had "made it clear" to all Kosovo leaders that the European Union would "like to
[SNN] Prosecutors ask to reopen case against Milosevic
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/world_7559074KathiLevxml/aspKath/world.asp?fdate=21/07/2005 Kathimerini (Greece) July 21, 2005 S/E EUROPE Balkan Briefs Prosecutors ask to reopen case against Milosevic AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - UN prosecutors have applied to reopen their case against former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to present new evidence including a shocking video of the murder of six Muslims, the Hague tribunal said yesterday. Prosecutors wrapped up their case in February 2004 after calling about 290 witnesses over two years. Chief UN prosecutor Carla del Ponte said in a written application to the three judges trying Milosevic that she wanted to reopen the Bosnia and Kosovo parts of the prosecution case to present 49 extra documents and question six new witnesses. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Kosovo Media
Solana surprised by stagnation in standards and decentralisation (All dailies) All dailies report during his yesterday visit to Prishtina, the EU diplomacy chief Javier Solana stated that he is surprised that process of standard fulfilment, especially the decentralisation, is moving slowly and asked a greater dedication of local leaders to this process. I have been really surprised to see slowdown in the processes of standards and decentralisation. I think this is a mistake. This is the moment when Kosovan leaders and the Government should do the opposite. They should move quicker and show that these two processes are something they believe in, Solana said. During his stay to Kosovo, Solana had separate meetings with President Ibrahim Rugova, PM Bajram Kosumi, the PDK chairman Hashim Thaçi, Ora leader Veton Surroi, and with political representatives of Kosovo Serbs. Koha Ditore reports that Solana was very critic to Kosovo leaders comparing to all previous visits. Zëri reports that Solana was in a hurry to reach the airport when he said, I would like more pilot-projects for Kosovo Serbs, they currently, have one pilot project, but they should have at least two. On the other hand, UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Petersen explained the Solanas request by saying, Solana wanted to say that there should be at least two cadastral zones in each pilot project. Contradictory positions regarding security situation (All dailies) All dailies report about the Assembly session, which discussed the security situation in Kosovo. On front page, Koha Ditore reads that international representatives in charge of security and Kosovo political parties came out with completely different positions regarding this issue. While UNMIK Police Commissioner Kai Vitrup considers that the security situation is stable, local representatives are not satisfied with it and asked for more competencies in this field. In addition, Zeri reads that instead of serious reports and discussions, the Assembly session was dominated by usual political speeches and phrases. Kosovo MPs were also critical towards the report of Commissioner Vitrup, but they sometimes forgot the agenda spoke about economy, education, healthcare etc. Criticising the reports of Commissioner Vitrup and KPS Colonel Sheremet Ahmeti, Sabri Hamiti, an LDK MP, stated, I will say immediately that I noticed that the international police commissioner abstained to speak about the issue he is here for. What he said is an elegant abstention. On the other hand, Koha Ditore writes that Minister Melihate Termkolli accused the PDK of cooperating with Serbia for compiling the Homeland Security list. Eides mission changes (Lajm) The paper quotes a source in the Government of Kosovo as saying that Kai Eides report will have 16 pages and only three of those will deal with his assessment on implementation of Standards. The rest will be focused on the overall situation in Kosovo. Standards Coordinator with Kosovo Government Avni Arifi said the larger part of the report would address the general situation in Kosovo. Eide will not make a comprehensive assessment of standards, but rather one of the situation in Kosovo, said Arifi adding that this does not, however, mean that Eides mission has changed. It has expanded. KOSOVANS ARE READIER TO PROTEST FOR ECONOMIC RATHER THAN FOR POLITICAL REASONS (Most dailies) Most dailies report that according to the results of the Report of early warning, done by Riinvest and supported by UNDP and USAID, the readiness of Kosovans to protest for economic issues is higher (64%) then the readiness to protest for political issues (48%). The main results, made public in the UNDP premises in Prishtina, show that compared to last year, the satisfaction with the work of Kosovo Assembly and Government has declined, while the satisfaction with UNMIK and KFOR work increased. Around 37% of Kosovans supports decentralisation, while 22% are against it in a current form. 36% of Albanians, 35 % of Serbs and 46 % of other communities consider that there are needs for decentralisation. Around 36 % of Kosovans have heard about the existence of intelligence services within political parties., while 60 % responded that they do not know about it. The main problems Kosovo is facing with according to ethnicities are: insecurity over final status of Kosovo, unemployment and poverty for the Albanians, while for the Serbs is public and personal security, interethnic relations and unemployment. The poll involved 1,267 respondents out of which 922 Albanians, 196 Serbs and 149 from other minorities. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] EXCELLENT!!! The Price of Empire , Nebojsa Malic
July 21, 2005 The Price of Empire by Nebojsa Malic Holbrooke Proud of Balkans Victory By all rights, Richard Holbrooke ought to be a has-been. His 15 minutes of fame were under Clinton, when he emerged from the dark shadows of the American foreign policy elite to spearhead a military and political blitz that ended the Bosnian War on Washington's terms. Less stellar was his failure to bully Slobodan Milosevic into surrendering Kosovo in 1998, which resulted in a war that nearly broke apart NATO. When Bush II claimed the 2000 election, Holbrooke's hopes of succeeding Madeleine Albright as secretary of state sank with Al Gore's presidential dreamboat. A similar shipwreck happened last year, when Holbrooke once again emerged from political obscurity to campaign for John Kerry, attempting to contrast the developing fiasco in Iraq with victory in the Balkans. American voters didn't buy it; unfortunately, Bush II eventually did. Perhaps desperate for any victory, even one claimed by political foes, the current Emperor has co-opted a platform developed by a cabal of powerful policymakers, institutes, and lobbyists who have all profited handsomely from Bill Clinton's Balkans interventions. Whether they label themselves Democrats or Republicans, they are all dedicated to the idea of American Empire, and emotionally attached to the days of its founding in the Balkans. Clintonites Resurgent A Balkans-watcher from a decade ago who happened to be in Washington this summer could think that the Clinton days were here again. Holbrooke is a rising star again. Madeleine Albright's NED is funding the NGOs currently destroying Serbia. Nicholas Burns is in charge of the new Balkans policy same as the old policy. Editorials by noted presstitutes peddle the policy spam of the ICG and Council on Foreign Relations. Demonization of Serbs is once again in high gear, with the media harping about the genocide in Srebrenica and collective guilt of the Serbian nation. The United States and the Emperor personally are represented by two Clinton officials, Holbrooke and Pierre-Richard Prosper, war crimes ambassador, at the Srebrenica ceremony. A week after the New York Newsday, a stalwart supporter of the 1990s intervention, editorializes about the moral glory of the Empire, Holbrooke pens his monthly column in The Washington Post and does exactly the same. The piece is many things: a rehash of old propaganda, a narcissistic advertisement for Holbrooke himself, but also a call to the American people to recommit to the Imperial dream: Forget Iraq or Afghanistan, where things are going badly: look at the Balkans, where victory came easy, and another can be easier still. Not one American was killed in combat in Bosnia, Holbrooke writes (for once, accurately). He claims this is because everyone respects and admires (i.e., fears) the U.S. and NATO, and would probably reject out of hand the mere insinuation that perhaps the Serbs that he so reviles are nowhere near as murderous or fanatical as the Islamist insurgents in Iraq. That numerous NATO soldiers have been killed in Kosovo at the hands of the Albanian KLA is not mentioned. Indeed, Kosovo is glossed over almost completely, except for one nauseating sentence toward the end. Disturbing facts have no place in a fluffy narrative of Imperial greatness that Richard Holbrooke has constructed to frame his legacy. Wallowing in the Valley of Evil As one might have suspected, Holbrooke begins with claiming that one place justifies American intervention in Bosnia by its very existence: a really horrible place, one whose name has become synonymous with genocide and Western failure Srebrenica. He calls it a valley of evil and invokes moving emotional images of grieving women in muddy fields, burying their dead and still nurturing both grief and hatred from a decade ago. But if Srebrenica has become a symbol of anything, it is because it was made into one by the Holbrookes and Amanpours of this world, always striving to replace reality with something more favorable to their agendas. So it is with Holbrooke. According to his version of history, Srebrenica was a failure of Europe and the UN, proof that Washington needed to act: As assistant secretary of state for European affairs at the time, I argued, unsuccessfully, that we needed NATO airstrikes to stop the Bosnian Serbs bullies who preferred long-range artillery and short-range murder to anything resembling a real military operation. But Britain, France and the Netherlands had troops deployed, as part of the United Nations' peacekeeping force, in three extremely exposed enclaves in eastern Bosnia, including Srebrenica. Facing the brutal threats of Mladic, they refused to consider airstrikes until the Dutch troops were ignominiously escorted out of Srebrenica. By then it was too late. In the aftermath, Bill Clinton made a decision that took real political courage, and with the support of only 36 percent of the Americans
[SNN] ATTACK ON THE DEFENSE OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC IN GERMANY
ALERT: ATTACK ON THE DEFENSE OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC IN GERMANY President Slobodan Milosevic and his witnesses by power of truth day by day dismount the false accusations against the Serbian people and the failed project of the destroyers of Yugoslavia, called the Hague tribunal. The power of truth is mobilizing impoverished and suffering people of Serbia to make an end of the rule of lie in Serbia. Every new desperate attempt to save what cannot be saved (Scorpions video, allegations against the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, servants' moves of Belgrade officials) just produce the counter effect and return like boomerang against those who make such attempts. Best they can achieve with such attempts is shame. Neither Serbia nor the World is ready anymore to stand the dictatorship of lie. This doesn't mean that there wouldn't be new harmful and dangerous attempts. The latest one, targeting ICDSM and President Milosevic's defense, took place yesterday in Germany. The tax police broke into private apartment of Peter Betscher, treasurer of the German section of ICDSM (the most effective segment of ICDSM in fundraising), took his computer and papers and froze the bank account. Below is the story about this event, based on information from our German friends and the article on the issue that appeared this morning in Junge Welt. Most of the donations collected by the German committee were used to cover imminent expenses of the assisting members of the President Milosevic's co-workers' team at The Hague. Their normal operation is now at stake. I call upon for your increased solidarity in this situation - and strengthened fundraising (there are working accounts e.g. in Switzerland and Italy). We will keep you updated about the present outrage. Belgrade, 20 July 2005 Vladimir Krsljanin Foreign Relations Assistant to President Milosevic *** This Tuesday, the German section of the ICDSM was attacked for the second time. This time, the tax police entered the apartment of Peter Betscher in his absence. Betscher, who is the person responsible to administer donations for the defense work at The Hague, was informed by phone on his working place. When he arrived, the police already took out his PC and several documents. After he insisted that police should wait for his lawyer, the police told him that he has no right to say anything and that they are in control. In a written document that gave the police the permission to enter the flat, the purpose of the operation was outlined as: to investigate the use of the money and to find out the names of the donors! Asked for the basis of the investigation, a police officer responded that it was based on an EU regulation. Mr. Betscher was also informed that the donations bank account was frozen. Roughly one and a half years ago, the donations account as well as the personal account of a member of the German section of the ICDSM were frozen on basis of an EU regulation: the EU sanctions against President Milosevic, his family and closest associates. At that time, the judge decided in favour of the ICDSM: it is the basic right of any accused to have a defense. When Mr. Betscher mentioned that court decision, the police said they acted on order. ** Razzia bei Milosevic-Unterstützern Kontenpfändung und Wohnungsdurchsuchung in Darmstadt, verschafften sich Zollfahnder Zutritt zur Wohnung von Peter Betscher , http://www.jungewelt.de/2005/07-20/011.php 20.07.2005 Inland jW-Bericht Razzia bei Milosevic-Unterstützern Kontenpfändung und Wohnungsdurchsuchung in Darmstadt Am Dienstag morgen verschafften sich Zollfahnder Zutritt zur Wohnung von Peter Betscher in Darmstadt. Der hatte zwar keinen Slivovitz geschmuggelt, sammelt aber namens der Vereinigung für Internationale Solidarität (VIS) Spenden zum Rechtshilfefonds für Slobodan Milosevic, den in Den Haag vor dem »Kriegsverbrechertribunal« stehenden ehemaligen Präsidenten Jugoslawiens. Die Beamten waren nach VIS-Angaben im Besitz eines Durchsuchungsbeschlusses des Amtsgerichts Darmstadt. Die Leitung des Einsatzes hatte das Zollfahndungsamt Essen, angestiftet von der Oberfinanzdirektion Koblenz. Begründet wurde die Maßnahme mit einer Verordnung der EU-Kommission vom 19. Juni 2001, nach der »alle Gelder (...), die Herrn Milosevic und Personen seines Umfelds gehören, einzufrieren« sind. Schon 2003 stellte ein Gericht fest, daß diese Verordnung in diesem Fall nicht anwendbar ist, da es ein elementares Grundrecht sei, sich gegen Anklagen zu verteidigen. Davon ungerührt ließen die Fahnder gestern einen PC, Datenträger und Kontoauszüge mitgehen, um Spender und Mittelverwendung auszuforschen. Das Spendenkonto wurde ebenfalls gepfändet. Die VIS hat rechtliche Schritte gegen die Willkürmaßnahmen eingeleitet. Klaus Hartmann, Sprecher
[SNN] FROM BROOKLIN TO PRISTINA
How does a gun purchased legally in the US end up in action in a guerilla war in Kosovo? OVERVIEWKosovo in Context IN DEPTHConnect the Dots: US Gun Laws and the International Arms Trade Florin Krasniqi's story depicts how the Kosovo Liberation Army waged war against Serb forces in the late 1990s using powerful weapons that were manufactured and bought legally in the United States. "The Brooklyn Connection" is a powerful reminder of the relationship between disparate worlds: a Brooklyn backyard barbeque and a Kosovo border village. In this interactive multimedia feature, you can piece together how guns travelled from US factories and gun fairs through airports and onto planes, over the Atlantic, to be smuggled over borders and put into action in guerilla battles. The journey of a gun depicted in this feature represents a composite illustration of activities Florin Krasniqi engaged in over several years. Krasniqi has shipped many weapons using these techniques, and this feature demonstrates how guns were moved from one location to another, rather than depicting the actual travels of one specific firearm. (Macromedia 7 Player required) NEXT: Did you know that there are over 600 million small arms and light weapons in circulation worldwide? Learn more about the international weapons trade in two interviews with experts. http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2005/thebrooklynconnection/ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "BalkanNews" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[SNN] News, 20.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche Welle English Service News 20. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC -- DW-WORLD's Click Back monthly review quiz for July is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Left Party Puts Rivals on Offensive The newly formed Left Party is already gaining ground in the opinion polls -- at the cost of the conservative opposition. Although the leftists don't want to rule, they will take important votes. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1653845,00.html -- Over 200 arrested in Pakistan Pakistani security forces have arrested more than 200 suspected Islamist extremists in a series of raids. There are unconfirmed reports that a British Muslim believed to be wanted in connection with the London transit system bombings is among those detained. Pakistan has been under pressure to take action against Islamic extremists since it emerged that three suicide bombers involved in the London attacks were Britons of Pakistani origin. The three had also visited Pakistan within the past year. The raids and arrests come after President Pervez Musharraf ordered a fresh crackdown on militants. Britain plans conference on extremism Prime Minister Tony Blair has said Britain is planning an international conference on Islamic extremism following the London bombings. The British leader said an international response was needed to confront terrorism at its roots, which were deep and widespread. Blair noted that about 26 countries had suffered Al-Qaeda-linked attacks since 1993. In the aftermath of the July 7 attacks, Blair also emphasised his confidence in the country's security services following news that Britain had lowered its threat assessment level as a result of a confidential intelligence report just three weeks before the blasts. Five killed in Kashmir car bombing A car bomb has gone off in the Indian Kashmir summer capital Srinagar, killing at least five Indian troops and injuring about a dozen other people. Police said preliminary investigations indicated a car laden with explosives was driven into the back of an army vehicle, possibly by a suicide bomber. The militant group Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred near a Christian missionary school in a high security zone. Kashmir is in the grip of an almost 16-year-old insurgency by Islamic militants against Indian rule in the disputed region. China protests at Pentagon report China has launched a strong protest over a US Pentagon report which warned of Beijing's growing military strength. The annual Pentagon report released Tuesday said China is building up its military at a pace that is tipping the balance against Taiwan and could pose a credible threat to other armies in the region. It said Chinese defence spending was estimated at up to 90 billion dollars this year, the largest in Asia and number three in the world after the United States and Russia. Beijing said in a statement that the report unreasonably attacks the modernisation of Chinese national defence. Israeli demonstrators vow to march on Israel's parliament has voted against delaying a withdrawal from the occupied Gaza Strip, squashing the last political attempt by Jewish settlers to stall the plan before evacuations start next month. The defeat by a wide margin dealt another blow to rightists whose hopes of reinforcing Gaza settlements have been blocked by security forces in the desert outside the strip. Thousands of demonstrators protesting against Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip have pledged to carry on with their march to Gaza settlements, despite a government ban. Security forces have surrounded protesters in their encampment about 15 kilometres east of Gaza, to prevent them from marching on to the territory. Nazi victims remembered in Germany Ceremonies have been held across Germany for past victims of Nazi atrocities as the country remembers the failed attempt on Adolf Hitler's life on July 20th 1944. A group led by the German army officer Claus von Stauffenberg tried to assassinate Hitler during the Second World War with a bomb planted under a table. Hitler survived that attack and the conspirators were executed. At a wreath-laying ceremony on Wednesday at Ploetzensee memorial in Berlin,
[SNN] In London, the war against Iran has started
Unsubscribe, add or change an address : DO NOT answer, just click http://www.michelcollon.info/mailinglist_en.php In London, the war against Iran has started MICHEL COLLON (11th of July) His name was Jack. Or Robert. Or Hassan. He was against the war and he hated Bush Blair. Just as many Londoners who were going to work on that Thursday morning. But he didn?t know that this was going to be the last trip he ever took. A majority of Londoners is against the occupation of Iraq and Londoners had voted in an anti-war mayor. Many of the other victims, misled by their own domestic media, simply did not understand the economic nature of the Iraqi war. To defend the memory of these victims means to condemn the barbaric act committed in London. Because Blair and Bush are going to try to use these deaths as a pretext for further attacks and inflicting more suffering. Here and there. On the same day, Bush theatened Iran. Victims of terrorism? Yes. But especially of State terrorism. It is the terrorism of the strongest, those who, in order to remain the strongest, bomb and torture other peoples. Whose only fault lies in the fact that they want to remain the masters of their own soil, their own lives, and the future of their children. While, in Baghdad, it is King's Cross every day. Because of Blair. Disturbing Questions In moments like these, whith political and mediatic manipulation of the emotions, it is important to stay calm and to ask two questions: 1) What are they hiding? 2) Who is benefiting from the crime? What are they hiding ? On Friday, a leading official of the London constabulary declared that there was no way of anticipating that something like this would take place. (Reuters, July 8). Really? The whole world knew that London would be next after New York and Madrid. The G-8 meeting had been announced months in advance, and it provided a convenient opportunity. Now, strangely, in June, British intelligence lowered the threat level from grave, general to important ». US intelligence also claimed immediately after 9/11 that it had not anticipated any attacks. But several inquiries have demonstrated that they knew many things and had shown themselves to be curiously irresponsible, to say the least. (See September 11: Why They Didn't Stop the Hijackers , by Peter Franssen and Pol De Vos, http://www.epo.be/international/bookinfo.php?isbn=3-935249-23-3, 2002) Who Benefits? The London bombing comes at the right time for the hawks. Bush was getting into more and more trouble because of the blatant failure of U.S. policy in Iraq. Members of his own party began calling for a withdrawal. His last speech on a more secure world and more freedom convinced no one at all. And Blair was isolated in Europe about this war. The solution? We need a common enemy to unite us, recently said Condoleeeza Rice. And how is it being done? Here is what David Rockefeller (director of Esso, the Chase Manhattan Bank, but also of the powerful Council on Foreign Relations, where the ruling business elite and politicians are developing a strategy to rule the world) has to say: We are on the eve of a global transformation. All that we need is the right major crisis, and nations are going to accept the New World Order. Bush Blair need terrorism; they want their people to feel that they are in danger. To spread their global war, and to conceal the fact that it serves only multinational corporations, it is necessary to instill fear among the people so that they will support the violent policies of their government, as shown by Michael Moore in his film, « Bowling for Columbine ». Where does Poverty come from ? Right after the London attacks, we saw Bush in Glenneagles facing the cameras with his tremored voice saying : The people gathered here in the G-8 are trying to find solution for the Poverty in Africa The truth is, if there is a child dying every 3 seconds, it's because of Bush and the multinationals. The poverty of the third world didn't come out of no where, It's the consequence of five centuries of robbery of natural ressources, and still today, with the economic relations imposed to the colonies. Through this unfair relations, the multinationals are still sucking the third world 's richnesses and keeping the gap deeper and deeper every day in a dramatical way. And whenever any country try to pursue it's development independently or try to get profit from it's own oil, natural ressources or it's labour force, how do the great powers react ? First, they try to drag this country to full submission through the blackmail of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, in order to make it give up its industries, public services toward it's population and to become docile to the multinationals. Once it's not enough, they pass to the economic embargo, to civil wars, excited or imported. And finally they get to the Bombardments or the Coup d'Etat executed by the CIA. The War of The Hundred Year
[SNN] MONTENEGRO SEPARATISM by James Bissett
Following is the speech of Mr. James Bissett at the conference Montenegro at the beginning of the 21st century: between stability and risk held in number of cities in Montenegro on July 2-6, 2005 === MONTENEGRO SEPARATISM It is an honour for me to be here today to speak to you about the possibility of Montenegro separating from Serbia. As a Canadian I am familiar with the problem of separatism. My country has been dealing with a separatist issue for almost fifty years. During that period we have learned a great deal about separatism. We are still threatened by it. Today I am going to talk about Canada's experience and hope that what I say might be helpful to Montenegro. As a former Ambassador to the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia I have continued to follow events in the Balkans with a great deal of interest. I am also aware that as a general rule when things go wrong in this part of the world it is usually when outside powers intervene in the affairs of Balkan countries. More often than not the outside powers have very little understanding of or interest in what is happening on the local scene. Their motives are purely selfish. They intervene to satisfy domestic or foreign policy objectives that frequently have little to do with Balkan issues. There are many examples of this in Balkan history: invasion and occupation by the Hapsburgs, the Ottomans, by Hitler, by Stalin, and more recently by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and by the United Nations. None of these interventions that caused so much violence and bloodshed among the peoples of the Balkans was inspired by genuine concern for the security or well being of the local populations. Indeed when the Balkans were left alone and did not become the pawns in deadly international chess games, their peoples lived together peacefully and in harmony. The intervention by the United States leading to the recognition of Izetbegovic's Islamic Bosnia and later the US led NATO bombing of Serbia and Montenegro over Kosovo had really nothing to do with allegations of ethnic cleansing or human rights abuses. The United States supported the Muslims in Bosnia because after the first Gulf war the Americans were desperate to find a Muslim cause they could champion. They intervened in Kosovo to prove to an increasingly critical public that as it approached its fiftieth birthday NATO still had a dominating role to play in Europe. There surely are lessons to be learned here. Why did the United States urge Montenegro to separate from Serbia? Only the naive and innocent would believe it was because of concern for the people of Montenegro. There were only two reasons: the first was to weaken the Milosevic regime and the second was a belief that an independent Montenegro would be more easily managed and manipulated by the Pentagon. I believe any objective person would say that these are not good reasons upon which to base the breakup of a long and mutually beneficial union. Moreover, in the world of international affairs conditions change rapidly and policies favoured one day may not be so eagerly pursued later if the reasons for doing so no longer remain valid. Reasons for separation that might have appeared valid ten years ago might not be valid in 2006. The former President of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic is in a jail cell in The Hague. There is now a democratic government installed in Belgrade. The European Community is showing signs of concern about the growing number of states wishing to become members of the Community. More significantly, the United States has more immediate and pressing problems on its agenda than Montenegro separatism. It would be wrong for anyone to assume that the United States today has as strong and pressing an interest in Montenegro affairs as it did ten years ago. It would also be folly to believe that substantial financial or material assistance might be forthcoming that country should separation take place. History has surely shown that the United States has friends one day that become enemies the next. Saadam Hussein, Manuel Noriega and even Milosevic can all attest to that. Why then should Montenegro separate from Serbia? There seem to be no logical or pressing reasons. From an historical perspective most separatism is caused because one part of the state or nation or an ethnic minority is being suppressed or mistreated by a more numerous or powerful segment of the same country. This would hardly seem the case in today's Serbia/Montenegro. They both share a common history. They speak the same language. They have a common religion and a common culture. They are linked together by geography. Perhaps even more importantly they have in the past faced common enemies and their people have made terrible sacrifices together. These are normally the bonds that weld a nation state together, not the characteristics that motivate secession. My own country has faced a serious separatist
[SNN] Tadic Ready to Meet with Rugova on Two-hour Notice
Tadic Ready to Meet with Rugova on Two-hour Notice In an interview with the German daily Die Tageszeitung Serbian President Boris Tadic repeated that an independent Kosovo was absolutely unacceptable to Belgrade, because it would lead to instability and would cause a domino effect and new turbulence in the Balkans. Tadic said that when it comes to Kosovo a creative policy must be pursued, as the usual political and legal solutions often do not work in the Balkans. He pointed out that the Serb community in Kosovo is in a grave situation: The Kosovo Serbs live in ghettos and without human rights and 95% of them are unemployed, said Tadic and added that 63% of the Kosovo Albanians are also out of work and in such a catastrophic social and economic situation, it is not surprising that organized crime is flourishing. The Serbian President once again expressed his readiness to meet with Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova: He would only have to tell me two hours in advance and I would go to Pristina. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[SNN] Was Bosnia Worth It? By Richard Holbrooke
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Was Bosnia Worth It? By Richard Holbrooke http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/18/AR200507180 1329.html Tuesday, July 19, 2005; Page A21 If you wonder whether the 1995 American intervention in Bosnia was the right decision, go to a really horrible place, one whose name has become synonymous with genocide and Western failure. Go to Srebrenica. Ten years after Bosnian Serbs under the command of Gen. Ratko Mladic murdered 7,000 Muslims there, I found myself back in that valley of evil as part of the official American delegation representing President Bush and the nation. We walked across muddy fields, under leaden skies, through a vast throng of victim families who were burying more than 600 of their loved ones, their grief and personal hatred of those who had done this undiminished by the passage of a decade. SREBRENICA, BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA - JULY 11: The 610 coffins of the Srebrenica massacre victims are seen prior to the funeral attended by their family members at the Srebrenica Memorial site during the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre on July 11, 2005 in Srebrenica, Bosnia Herzegovina. Srebrenica marked the 10th anniversary of the massacre with a massive funeral of about 610 victims who were identified after being exhumed and who will be buried at the memorial site. Some 8,000 Muslims, mostly boys and men, were slaughtered at Srebrenica in July 1995 by Bosnian Serb soldiers who had overrun the eastern town. The killings, in what was then a U.N.-protected zone, came shortly before the end of the country's 1992-95 war. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images) (The Coffins Of More Than 600 Victims Of The 1995 Massacre Of Muslims In Srebrenica Are Lined Up Before A July 11 Memorial Service. By Marco Di Lauro -- Getty Images) But even in Srebrenica, there has been progress since my last visit, five years ago. Then, only 10 brave -- one might say recklessly brave -- Muslim families had returned to their homes, and they lived in constant fear among 12,000 Serbs. Today 4,000 Muslims have returned, and one-third of the Serbs have already left. This is astonishing, and more of the same seems certain if the international community -- and especially the United States, the most respected nation in the Balkans -- remains involved; in this regard, Bush's strong words of support at the ceremony -- read by the head of his delegation, Ambassador for War Crimes Pierre Prosper -- were welcomed. There was also an important effort at reconciliation: Top leaders from Serbia and the Serb part of Bosnia came to lay wreaths, an important acknowledgment of Serb responsibility for what happened. Things have improved even more in the rest of Bosnia. Above all, there is peace and not simply a cease-fire; this war will not resume. Nor has Bosnia become two separate states, as many critics of the Dayton Peace Agreement predicted. Although many (including in the Pentagon) predicted a Korea-like demilitarized zone between Serbs and Muslims, there are no barriers between the regions, and there are growing economic and political ties between ethnic groups. More than a million refugees have returned to their homes, many, like those in Srebrenica, to areas where they are in a minority. Both the European Union and NATO are beginning talks that could lead to association agreements between Bosnia and Brussels. So there is good news (which often means no news to editors) from Bosnia. But not nearly enough. From the beginning, implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement was insufficiently aggressive. The most important failure was not capturing the two most wanted war criminals in Europe, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. This is a story unto itself of missed opportunities and poor intelligence. Mladic is, after all, in Serbia, and has been seen in public. I would guess that Karadzic has trimmed his trademark gray pompadour, grown a beard, and is hiding in some monastery in the deep mountains of eastern Bosnia or Montenegro. If Karadzic and Mladic are not brought to justice, the international security force (now a European Union force, with NATO reduced to a small office and fewer than 200 American troops) will never be able to leave, and Bosnia's return to a multiethnic society (and the institutions of Europe) will be delayed or prevented. It is by now universally understood that a great crime was committed in Srebrenica. As assistant secretary of state for European affairs at the time, I argued, unsuccessfully, that we needed NATO airstrikes to stop the Bosnian Serbs -- bullies who preferred long-range artillery and short-range murder to anything resembling a real military operation. But Britain, France and the Netherlands had troops deployed, as part of the United Nations' peacekeeping force, in three extremely exposed enclaves in eastern Bosnia, including Srebrenica. Facing the brutal threats of Mladic, they refused to consider airstrikes until the Dutch troops were
[SNN] News, 18.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr UTC
Deutsche WelleEnglish Service News18. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC--Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:G4, AU Still at a Stalemate Over UN Reforms Brazil, Germany, India and Japan reached no compromise with theAfrican Union (AU) Sunday, but agreed to press on with negotiationsto overcome remaining differences over the proposed reforms of the UN Security Council.To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on theinternet address below:http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1651753,00.html --Send us your favorite picks for sight-seeing, museum hopping,historical edification – whatever you've got to share with others heading to Germany. Restaurants, hotels, back-country hideaways –write to us with your insider tips and tell us about what you likedbest about traveling in Germany.For more information, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1096790,00.html--Court blocks German's extradition Germany's highest court has ordered the release of a suspected alQaeda operative. The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe upheld theargument of Syrian-German businessman Mamoun Darkazanli that hisextradition to face charges in another country would violate Germany's Basic Law. It said the European arrest warrant under whichDarkazanli was arrested in Hamburg last year, provided insufficientlegal protections to German citizens. Spanish authorities want to put him on trial on terrorism charges. EU arrest warrants are meantto improve co-operation in prosecuting suspected terrorists. Thecourt ruling said EU warrants could only be implemented with a newGerman law that would allow German judges to review all extradition orders.Mass rally of Gaza pullout opponentsMore than 20,000 opponents of Israel's planned withdrawal from theGaza Strip are holding a mass rally in the south of the country.The swelling crowd is matched by about 20,000 soldiers and police seeking to contain the protest, which the authorities say isillegal. The march in Netivot in southern Israel comes as thousandsof Israeli troops remain poised for a possible ground assault in theGaza Strip to end Palestinian rocket attacks, following a recent upsurge in violence.Iraq poised for oil deal with IranIranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has said thatconstruction would begin soon on an oil pipeline between Iran andIraq. The announcement came as Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari wrapped up a landmark visit to Tehran. The Iranian News Agencyreported that the pipeline, which is being built under an agreementsigned ten months ago, should be operational by the middle of nextyear. It will link oil fields in Basra in southern Iraq to a refinery in Abadan in Iran. It will carry 150,000 barrels a day tothe refinery and receive in return 50 million liters of oil productsincluding gasoline and kerosene.Straw denies Iraq war put UK at risk British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has dismissed suggestions thatBritain's involvement in the Iraq war had made it more vulnerable toterror attacks. Straw rejected a claim by the respected foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House that linked the July 7 Londonbombings to the UK's support of the United States-led invasion ofIraq in 2003. Chatham House concluded in a report that the war inIraq gave what it called a boost to Al-Qaeda and made Britain especially vulnerable to suicide attacks.EU foreign ministers talk terrorismForeign ministers of the European Union countries are discussing inBrussels how better to counter international terrorism. Actions already decided by justice and interior ministers are expected to beapproved. Other topics are the nuclear talks with Iran, thesituation in the Middle East and the planned talks with Turkey onits membership. A poll just released by the EU found that only 35 per cent of EU citizens support plans to bring Turkey into theUnion. The poll also showed lukewarm support for Romania andBulgaria who are due to join the EU in 2007.Singh, Bush discuss deepening ties Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has held talks at the WhiteHouse with US President George W. Bush. The two leaders discussedexpanding trade relations and battling terrorism. Bush said themeeting reflected what he called the growing bonds of cooperation between the US and India. Singh was welcomed in a formal ceremony atthe start of three-day state visit. On Tuesday, Singh will address ajoint session of the US Congress, something only a handful offoreign leaders have done since Bush took office in January 2001. Forest fire kills 11 Spanish firefightersEleven Spanish firefighters are dead after being trapped in a giantforest fire in central Spain. The massive blaze was apparentlystarted on Saturday by an improperly extinguished barbecue. Fuelled by strong winds, it swept through the drought-stricken province ofGuadalajara,
[SNN] Srebrenica, Mon Amour
Srebrenica, Mon Amour An Ostracized Narrative http://www.swans.com/library/art11/ga195.html by Gilles d'Aymery (Swans - July 18, 2005) A long-time defender of historical justice in the Balkans recently wrote, I have become so disillusioned with this whole situation. The media and our politicians have demonized the Serbs so successfully, that I doubt they will ever be able to come back as a people. We didn't even treat the Germans this badly after they lost the war. Indeed, the past week saw its stream of Serb bashing on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the massacre of Srebrenica. Then and there, as the 14 July 2005 Editorial of the New York Times reported according to the devoted and beloved narrative, Ten years ago, during the war in Bosnia, ethnic Serb forces murdered more than 7,000 men and boys in Srebrenica, almost every Muslim male in the city. That genocide stands as the worst atrocity against civilians in Europe since World War II... [...] The ethnic Serbs who terrorized the Srebrenica region were bent on killing or driving away every Muslim Bosnian. United Nations commanders, knowing that a Serb assault on Srebrenica was imminent, rejected calls from local peacekeepers for airstrikes on Serb positions. The United Nations disarmed the people of the town and declared it a safe area. But the 370 Dutch peacekeepers assigned there had only light weapons and orders to use them only in self-defense. The United Nations allowed Serb soldiers to round up the men and boys, and to take them away and kill them. There, you have it. The entire story, in a nutshell -- actually 544 words, title of the Editorial included. Genocidal Serbs, child killers, incompetent United Nations -- The United Nations disarmed the people of the town and declared it a 'safe area.' (ibid.) -- new discovery of a 610-person mass grave identified through DNA tests of bones, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic still at bay...a blight on the civilized world, undoubtedly. The Editorial ends, [C]apturing Mr. Karadzic and Mr. Mladic is not just a way to keep faith with the dead -- it is the only way to move these regions into the modern world. Mission accomplished. So, here you are, standing in front of a narrative, written in stone, rehashed year after year for a decade (and another decade will ensue, and another, and another), and you're left faced with the sempiternal question: What to say, what to say? Not much. It's been repeated for so long that to dare rebuke it or offer a different explanation is a sure means to embark on a trip to the ostracizing abattoir. In these circumstances, myth debunking turns into a futile exercise. For instance, can the editors of the august paper define what an ethnic Serb is, or characterize Serb, Bosnian, Croat ethnicity? Same language, same genetics, but different religions... Has religion become so ingrained in us that it can be identified through DNA tests of bones dug up from mass graves? Safe Areas (aka safe havens) is another intriguing myth that keeps being peddled by Officialdom. The UN did not disarm the people in Srebrenica, or in Zepa for that matter; for how can it be explained that an entire division, the 28th Infantry Division of the Bosnian (Muslim) Army was within the Srebrenica enclave from which regular attacks were mounted against the Serbs? And how is it that they were being re-supplied with arms and ordnance? If you don't believe it, you may wish to read the March 17, 2000 Dani (Sarajevo) interview of General Sead Delic who was the commander of the Second Corps of the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Delic talks candidly on the weapons re-supply issue. As to the origin of the supplied arms, the editors of the New York Times may wish to grab a copy of Dutch Professor Cees Wiebes's book Intelligence and the War in Bosnia 1992-1995 (LIT Verlag, 2003, ISBN 3-8258-6347-6). They'll discover, if they don't know it yet, that Bill Clinton and the Pentagon were in cahoots with no less than the Iranians, among others (Saudi Arabia, Turkey...), to bring to Bosnia, from 1992 to 1996, both weapons and advisers -- that is, Mujihadeen fighters from Afghanistan, Algeria, Chechnya, Yemen, etc. If pressed for time, they may want to read Brendan O'Neill's contextual article, You are only allowed to see Bosnia in black and white, in Spiked (January 23, 2004). Brendan presents a clear synthesis of Cees Wiebes's findings and the mess created by the Western powers. Another perceptive article, well-worth reading, is America Used Islamists to Arm the Bosnian Muslims: The Srebrenica Report Reveals the Pentagon's Role in a Dirty War, by Richard J. Aldrich, Professor of Politics at the University of Nottingham, in the Guardian on April 22, 2002, a copy of which can be read on the Global Policy Forum. They'll find out that [W]eapons flown in during the spring of 1995 were to turn up only a fortnight later in the besieged and demilitarised enclave at Srebrenica. When these shipments were
[SNN] Kosovo media about freedom of movement ( 15.07.2005)
GOVERNMENT: FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT EXISTS IN 92% OF KOSOVO TERRITORY (All dailies) All dailies report about the meeting of working group for Freedom of Movement and Sustainable Returns, which concluded that full freedom of movement exists in 92% of Kosovo territory. Koha Ditore reads that following this meeting, Local Governance Minister Lutfi Haziri stated that Kosovo municipalities have reached great results in meeting the standards. According to him, the result is that freedom of movement exists in almost 100% of Kosovo territory. In addition, Zeri quotes Minister Haziri on front page as saying, In 92% of Kosovo territory, freedom of movement is 100%, except for the three municipalities in the north of Kosovo, where Albanians, other ethnic groups, as well as the residents of that region cannot move freely because of the security conditions. Koha Ditore quotes Minister Haziri as saying, In north, our authorities are weak in comparison to what they should do. I can say that there are psychological obstacles in Kosovo, because there are people who do not feel fully secure because of the huge impact of parallel structures, Haziri stated. According to the Minister, this has an impact on reaching a bigger progress, which would take Kosovo closer to the final status. He assessed this as a challenge which may be bypassed by the implementation of 22 projects, which are ready for a sustainable returns. The Kosovo Government has donated 8.8 million Euro, which will be used for sustainable returns this year. This figure shows that Kosovo Government is the biggest donor of this project, which has started to be applied in Rahovec, Haziri. However, according to him, 22 million are needed for the implementation of the sustainable returns policy. Only 8 percent of Kosovo territory lacks freedom of movement In 92 percent of the Kosovo territory, freedom of movement, a standard set by the International Community, has been provided one hundred percent to all citizens, except in three municipalities in the north, in which there is limitation in the freedom of movement not only for Albanians as the majority, but also for other ethnic groups and for residents of that area themselves due to security conditions. Of course, eight percent is too much in Kosovo at this stage when general political evaluation is required, said Minister of Local Government Lutfi Haziri. While our authorities are vain towards what is requested for fulfilment one hundred percent of the freedom of movement, UNMIK authorities even six years after the war continue not to exercise full administration in the entire territory of Kosovo. Psychological barriers, prejudices, and above all allowing functioning of parallel structures are considered as an opportunity provided to the Serb minority to use the right for setting freedom of movement. On the other hand, 22 projects have been approved so far for sustainable return. The strategy for returns has cost 8.8 million to the Kosovo budget. Additional 22 million are needed for implementation of the policy of sustainable return in Kosovo within the framework of the protocol with Montenegro and Macedonia and in the framework of talks we are having with Belgrade authorities at the Technical Group, Minister Haziri said. Number of Kosovo minority members who have returned to Kosovo is 12,500. The exact number of refugees and IDPs within Kosovo continues to be an approximation. Census, which Kosovo has been lacking for more than two decades, is expected to destroy various speculations and tendencies. Governmental data state that over 100,000 minority members live in Kosovo. (All K-wide broadcasters, RTK) Freedom Of Movement Exists In 92% Of Kosova Territory, Except Three Northern Municipalities Trans. B. Sylejmani Prishtina, 14 Jul (Radio Kosova) The Kosova government working group for the implementation of the third and fourth standards discussed the realization of the action plan for the months of June and July. The UNMIK and government representatives of this group said that an affirmative result is achieved and recommendations throughout municipalities have marked a dynamic increase in the implementation of several technical duties about the naming of settlements, streets and taking care of necessary funds, Minister of Local Authority Lutfi Haziri said after the meeting. The role of the municipalities in preventing the crime and the working groups at municipality levels have showed great results and also by gradually involving the three Kosova municipalities in the north, which were the greatest challenge for the coordination of activities in this level, Haziri added. Our objective for the coming month mainly aims engagement and improvement of the freedom of movement, said Haziri claiming that they have already ensured the freedom of movement for all the citizens in 92% of Kosova territory. Except in the three northern
[SNN] To the Editor of Toronto Sun
The article The slaughter at Srebrenica By ERIC MARGOLIS (Toronto Sun, July 17, 2005, http://torontosun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Margolis_Eric/2005/07/16/1134865. html) is a landmark of an anti-Serb biased and even hate mongering. Here is what Margolis chose not to mention in his article on Srebrenica: August 2, 1995 the Times of London reports: Thousands of the missing Bosnian Muslim soldiers from Srebrenica (7.000 - 8.000) who have been at the center of reports of possible mass executions by the Serbs, are believed to be safe to the northeast of Tuzla, a spokesman of the Red Cross in Geneva said. In the first election after Srebrenica's change of authorities, 3,009 of the missing Bosnian Muslim men registered to vote. Most of the Bosnian Muslim victims were fighters, not civilians, as the Bosnian Serbs bused the Srebrenica women and children to safety. Agency France Press reported (Croatian Serb Exodus Commemorated,, Aug. 4,2004) that : In the graves around Srebrenica through 1999, among the 1,895 bodies only one was identified as female. The Croatians made no such provision and many women, children and old people were slaughtered in Krajina. Robert Fisk, of The Independent reported on 09/04/9: Croats burn and kill with a vengeance; ethnic cleansing of the Krajina Serbs is in full swing, with bodies piling up and buildings gutted. Veritas estimated that 1,205 Krajina Serb civilians were killed in Operation Storm by US led Croatian army, including 358 women and 10 children. It is estimated that some 250.000 Serbs have been ethnically cleansed from Croatia. In the face what U.N. observers in Croatia call the largest instance of ethnic cleansing in the entire Balkan wars, writes Charles Kreuthammer, in Washington Post, Editorial, on 08/15/95 As for Kosovo: Over 230,000 Kosovo Serbs, Roma, and Jews have been expelled from Kosovo since the illegal NATO occupation of the Serbian province. Over a thousand Kosovo Serb civilians have been murdered, including women and children by Islamic warriors, fighting for a Great Albania. Serbs live in nazi type ghettos in Kosovo today. Serbian priests have been attacked and murdered. Over 150 Serbian Orthodox churches have been destroyed and Orthodox cemeteries desecrated by Albanians in Kosovo. The US and western governments, media, and so-called political analysts and think tanks have deluded themselves and have manipulated the facts about who is the victim and who the culprit in the Balkan tragedy at the end of the 20th century. So has Eric Margolis. Boba Borojevic Canada Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
