If this witch would just shut up and let things happen, there would be a lot less trouble....
Sat Jul 29, 12:24 PM ET
Serbia is finally showing the political will to arrest Bosnian Serb fugitive Ratko Mladic after years of delays and false starts, the chief prosecutor of the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague said on Saturday.
Carla del Ponte has been calling for Mladic's handover since her court indicted him in 1995 on two counts of genocide for his role in the 1992-95 Bosnia war. She told the Serbian daily Vecernje Novosti that Belgrade had been dithering for years. WTF???
"I personally think that Serbian authorities were not searching for Mladic to arrest him but to have him surrender," del Ponte told Novosti in an interview. "They were trying to disable his helpers and send him the message he should surrender."
The Serbian government shies away from talk of arresting Mladic, using instead the term "cooperation with The Hague." It is an open secret in Belgrade that officials long hoped to persuade him to surrender to avoid public ire at the humiliation of a man many Serbs see as a hero.
But there are signs that attitude is giving way to more pragmatic political calculations.
In May, the European Union took del Ponte's advice and froze talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, a first step toward EU membership, citing Serbia's failure to hand over the former general.
Facing pariah status, Serbia presented EU officials with an "action plan" for Mladic's arrest earlier this month, hoping that a serious show of effort would placate del Ponte and persuade the EU to restart talks.
"Since the action plan was adopted, I think the political will to arrest Mladic exists for the first time," del Ponte said. "I would like to see the operational plan and be involved."
She said she was still "grateful" to Brussels for putting pressure on Serbia by freezing the talks. "I hope the EU will keep that condition -- no resuming talks without full cooperation with us, which means Mladic in The Hague." In other words, another hurdle to be overcome; what next, I wonder: each and every Serb held personally accountable for what others have done supposedly in his/her name?
The plan has not been made public but it is said to include a media campaign to convince Serbs that it is necessary to arrest Mladic, who is accused of orchestrating the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims.
A government survey published on Thursday showed 51 percent of those polled opposed Mladic's extradition, 34 percent supported it and 15 percent were undecided.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060729/wl_nm/warcrimes_serbia_delponte_dc_1
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
SERBIA: Position in Kosovo Talks Depends on The Hague, Says PM
2006-07-28 17:18:48
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica stated on July 27 that the completion of cooperation with the Hague tribunal would enable Serbia to have a different position in the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo. Speaking at a news conference after a government session held in Krusevac, Kostunica said that, coupled with the resumption of talks with the European Union, this cooperation would be very important "in this complex time, when the future status of Kosovo is being discussed - the part of Serbia that has been and always will remain Serbia." Commenting on a statement by Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic, who said that a plan was not needed for the arrest of Ratko Mladic, but primarily political good will, Kostunica said Draskovic wanted to point out that what was important was the end result, with which, as he said, he also agreed. Kostunica said the Serbian negotiating team would agree on its further activities on July 28. He said much time has been lost during the talks on concrete issues in Kosovo, to which, in his words, the insufficiently skillful conducting of the negotiations by U.S. special envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his deputy Albert Rohan contributed. Source: BETA News Agency
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=62297&LangID=1
2006-07-28 17:18:48
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica stated on July 27 that the completion of cooperation with the Hague tribunal would enable Serbia to have a different position in the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo. Speaking at a news conference after a government session held in Krusevac, Kostunica said that, coupled with the resumption of talks with the European Union, this cooperation would be very important "in this complex time, when the future status of Kosovo is being discussed - the part of Serbia that has been and always will remain Serbia." Commenting on a statement by Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic, who said that a plan was not needed for the arrest of Ratko Mladic, but primarily political good will, Kostunica said Draskovic wanted to point out that what was important was the end result, with which, as he said, he also agreed. Kostunica said the Serbian negotiating team would agree on its further activities on July 28. He said much time has been lost during the talks on concrete issues in Kosovo, to which, in his words, the insufficiently skillful conducting of the negotiations by U.S. special envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his deputy Albert Rohan contributed. Source: BETA News Agency
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=62297&LangID=1
Some good news, for a change....
Article Last Updated: 7/28/2006 03:39 AM
NBA all-stars help needy Serbs
Fremont fundraiser will buy medical equipment
By Angela Woodall, STAFF WRITERInside Bay Area
FREMONT — Some of Serbia's hospitals still are struggling to get the medical equipment they need, more than a decade after warfare tore Yugoslavia apart.
That is why the Niles Rotary Club is lending a helping hand by hosting the Majestic Evening of Hope fundraiser today at the Fremont Marriott.
The club is getting a boost from some high-profile figures: NBA all-stars Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac; Kenneth Behring, founder of Blackhawk and the Wheelchair Foundation; and Prince Alexander and Princess Katherine of Serbia, whose titles are honorary....
Serbs are trying to cope with a frail, cash-strapped health system in which much of the medical equipment is either broken or decades old. Wheelchairs in particular are "desperately needed," said the Serbian government's coordinator for humanitarian aid.
Fremont is home to a Serbian Orthodox monastery and there are sizable Serb communities in Northern California, including Sacramento.
The two have founded charities aimed at helping needy children in their former homeland, the Group Seven Children's Foundation and the Predrag Stojakovic Children's Foundation.
The princess said all of her country's ethnic and religious groups will benefit from the equipment that the fundraiser will make accessible to Serbian hospitals.
"I believe we are all God's children. This planet is very small," she said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_4106920
Article Last Updated: 7/28/2006 03:39 AM
NBA all-stars help needy Serbs
Fremont fundraiser will buy medical equipment
By Angela Woodall, STAFF WRITERInside Bay Area
FREMONT — Some of Serbia's hospitals still are struggling to get the medical equipment they need, more than a decade after warfare tore Yugoslavia apart.
That is why the Niles Rotary Club is lending a helping hand by hosting the Majestic Evening of Hope fundraiser today at the Fremont Marriott.
The club is getting a boost from some high-profile figures: NBA all-stars Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac; Kenneth Behring, founder of Blackhawk and the Wheelchair Foundation; and Prince Alexander and Princess Katherine of Serbia, whose titles are honorary....
Serbs are trying to cope with a frail, cash-strapped health system in which much of the medical equipment is either broken or decades old. Wheelchairs in particular are "desperately needed," said the Serbian government's coordinator for humanitarian aid.
Fremont is home to a Serbian Orthodox monastery and there are sizable Serb communities in Northern California, including Sacramento.
The two have founded charities aimed at helping needy children in their former homeland, the Group Seven Children's Foundation and the Predrag Stojakovic Children's Foundation.
The princess said all of her country's ethnic and religious groups will benefit from the equipment that the fundraiser will make accessible to Serbian hospitals.
"I believe we are all God's children. This planet is very small," she said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_4106920
Uh-oh, this doesn't sound promising....
Serbia extremist: Armed option for Kosovo
BELGRADE, Serbia, July 28 (UPI) -- A nationalist leader says Serbia will go to war to take the predominantly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo should the province declare independence.
"We shall never accept an independent Kosovo. We shall take up arms to fight forever to keep Kosovo within Serbia," Tomislav Nikolic, deputy leader of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, said on the state-controlled, nationwide RTS Serbian Radio-Television Thursday night.
Vojislav Seselj, the leader of the extremist Radical party, has been detained in the U.N. tribunal in The Hague awaiting trial on war crimes charges in the former Yugoslavia from 1991-95.
In the past three years, Seselj's radicals have enjoyed the support between 30-40 percent of Serbs in public surveys. The Radical party is the strongest group in Serbia's parliament, but it is in opposition to a coalition of the ruling Serbian Democratic party of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
In ongoing talks, led by U.N. envoys, to decide to will govern Kosovo, the Serbian government offers a high degree of autonomy for its province, while ethnic-Albanian leaders insist on Kosovo being independent of Belgrade.
LICENSE© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060728-092640-2442r
Serbia extremist: Armed option for Kosovo
BELGRADE, Serbia, July 28 (UPI) -- A nationalist leader says Serbia will go to war to take the predominantly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo should the province declare independence.
"We shall never accept an independent Kosovo. We shall take up arms to fight forever to keep Kosovo within Serbia," Tomislav Nikolic, deputy leader of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, said on the state-controlled, nationwide RTS Serbian Radio-Television Thursday night.
Vojislav Seselj, the leader of the extremist Radical party, has been detained in the U.N. tribunal in The Hague awaiting trial on war crimes charges in the former Yugoslavia from 1991-95.
In the past three years, Seselj's radicals have enjoyed the support between 30-40 percent of Serbs in public surveys. The Radical party is the strongest group in Serbia's parliament, but it is in opposition to a coalition of the ruling Serbian Democratic party of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
In ongoing talks, led by U.N. envoys, to decide to will govern Kosovo, the Serbian government offers a high degree of autonomy for its province, while ethnic-Albanian leaders insist on Kosovo being independent of Belgrade.
LICENSE© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060728-092640-2442r
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Funny, when Israel says this, it's a GOOD thing....
Kosovo Makes Bid to Split from Serbia
by Emily Harris
All Things Considered, July 24, 2006 · Kosovo formally stakes its claim to independence from Serbia at a meeting held in Vienna. The session, which brought together the president and prime minister of Serbia and their interim counterparts from Kosovo, formally puts the international status of Kosovo on the agenda of U.N.-led final status talks.
Diplomats say concrete results from Kosovo's statement are unlikely, citing an apparently unbridgeable chasm between the two sides. Most ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's two million people, reject any return to Serbian rule. But Serbia says Kosovo is its "Jerusalem."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5579032&ft=1&f=1001
Kosovo Makes Bid to Split from Serbia
by Emily Harris
All Things Considered, July 24, 2006 · Kosovo formally stakes its claim to independence from Serbia at a meeting held in Vienna. The session, which brought together the president and prime minister of Serbia and their interim counterparts from Kosovo, formally puts the international status of Kosovo on the agenda of U.N.-led final status talks.
Diplomats say concrete results from Kosovo's statement are unlikely, citing an apparently unbridgeable chasm between the two sides. Most ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's two million people, reject any return to Serbian rule. But Serbia says Kosovo is its "Jerusalem."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5579032&ft=1&f=1001
Wonder who will have to bend over and flex more....
The U.N.-brokered talks are aimed at steering both sides toward a solution by year's end.
The six-nation Contact Group — the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia — supervising the process urged both sides to engage constructively and show flexibility and willingness to reach "realistic compromised-based solutions."
The group has set guidelines for the talks, however, including rejections of the province's return to Belgrade's control or of its partition or unification with other regional countries. It also has said the solution should be acceptable to Kosovo's people.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-25-kosovo-talks_x.htm?csp=34
The U.N.-brokered talks are aimed at steering both sides toward a solution by year's end.
The six-nation Contact Group — the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia — supervising the process urged both sides to engage constructively and show flexibility and willingness to reach "realistic compromised-based solutions."
The group has set guidelines for the talks, however, including rejections of the province's return to Belgrade's control or of its partition or unification with other regional countries. It also has said the solution should be acceptable to Kosovo's people.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-25-kosovo-talks_x.htm?csp=34
Apparently, now Croatia and Serbia are trying to become buddies, even though isn't C suing S for reparations--or is that only Bosnia?
REGION: Press Points Out Sanader’s Support To Serbia’s EU Aspirations
2006-07-24 20:58:48
The Serbian press on Saturday extensively reported about Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's visit to Belgrade on Friday and underlined his support to Serbia's efforts to integrate with Europe. The front-pages of dailies 'Politika and 'Danas' carried headlines "Sanader's Thumbs Up for Serbia", and the papers quoted the Croatian premier's statement about his country's being supportive of Serbia's efforts to carry out its plans and sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union by the end of this year. Politika cited a statement that Serbia and Croatia "share a belief in a united Europe" adding that Sanader and his Serbian host, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, "expressed firm commitment to European values". Danas reported about Sanader's visit to the ethnic Croat community living in the northern city of Subotica in the province of Vojvodina. According to the daily, Sanader congratulated "the Serb minority in Croatia and the Croat minority in Serbia for their mutual cooperation". The "Vecernje Novosti" daily ran a headline "Now Together To Europe" and cited Sanader as saying that a solution for (the UN-administered province of) Kosovo cannot be imposed. The newspaper assessed that the relations between Serbia and Croatia were growing better. The most important thing for the paper are conclusions from the talks of the two premiers that Serbia and Croatia share a joint future in a united Europe and that the past must not be forgotten but the future must be built on stable foundations of mutual respect and cooperation. The Blic paper carried a short news item headlined "Sanader in Belgrade" on its second page. It also quoted Sanader as saying "'we are keeping our fingers crossed for Serbia that it signs agreement over stabilization and association with EU until the end of the year. The "Glas Javnosti" paper carried a front-page article about the joint inauguration of the renovated border crossing Bajakovo-Batkovci under the headline "The Border-Crossing for Cooperation without Borders" A former ambassador of Serbia-Montenegro in Zagreb, Milan Simurdic, wrote an article in his column in the Danas, commenting on Sanader's visit. Recalling the days when he started his ambassadorial term in late 2001, Simurdic wrote about visa requirements which were in place at the time and rare traffic at the joint border. "Our (Belgrade's) decision to abolish visas and the initial 'restrained' suspension of visas by the Croatian side were a decisive step forward in the bilateral relations," the diplomat wrote. Commenting on the chronology of recent visits and meetings by officials of the two countries, Simurdic added that "it is nice to see how the relations are being promoted... A test for our foreign policy is our relations with the neighbours." The same ambitions about Euro-Atkantic integrations and the identical goals of Belgrade and Zagreb in foreign affairs are a framework guaranteeing that the relations will be further fostered, Simurdic wrote. He commended Sanader for having visited the ethnic Croat community in Subotica, but added that he also expected a visit to refugees who left Croatia and are now living in Serbia. Source: Hina
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=62089&LangID=1
REGION: Press Points Out Sanader’s Support To Serbia’s EU Aspirations
2006-07-24 20:58:48
The Serbian press on Saturday extensively reported about Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's visit to Belgrade on Friday and underlined his support to Serbia's efforts to integrate with Europe. The front-pages of dailies 'Politika and 'Danas' carried headlines "Sanader's Thumbs Up for Serbia", and the papers quoted the Croatian premier's statement about his country's being supportive of Serbia's efforts to carry out its plans and sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union by the end of this year. Politika cited a statement that Serbia and Croatia "share a belief in a united Europe" adding that Sanader and his Serbian host, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, "expressed firm commitment to European values". Danas reported about Sanader's visit to the ethnic Croat community living in the northern city of Subotica in the province of Vojvodina. According to the daily, Sanader congratulated "the Serb minority in Croatia and the Croat minority in Serbia for their mutual cooperation". The "Vecernje Novosti" daily ran a headline "Now Together To Europe" and cited Sanader as saying that a solution for (the UN-administered province of) Kosovo cannot be imposed. The newspaper assessed that the relations between Serbia and Croatia were growing better. The most important thing for the paper are conclusions from the talks of the two premiers that Serbia and Croatia share a joint future in a united Europe and that the past must not be forgotten but the future must be built on stable foundations of mutual respect and cooperation. The Blic paper carried a short news item headlined "Sanader in Belgrade" on its second page. It also quoted Sanader as saying "'we are keeping our fingers crossed for Serbia that it signs agreement over stabilization and association with EU until the end of the year. The "Glas Javnosti" paper carried a front-page article about the joint inauguration of the renovated border crossing Bajakovo-Batkovci under the headline "The Border-Crossing for Cooperation without Borders" A former ambassador of Serbia-Montenegro in Zagreb, Milan Simurdic, wrote an article in his column in the Danas, commenting on Sanader's visit. Recalling the days when he started his ambassadorial term in late 2001, Simurdic wrote about visa requirements which were in place at the time and rare traffic at the joint border. "Our (Belgrade's) decision to abolish visas and the initial 'restrained' suspension of visas by the Croatian side were a decisive step forward in the bilateral relations," the diplomat wrote. Commenting on the chronology of recent visits and meetings by officials of the two countries, Simurdic added that "it is nice to see how the relations are being promoted... A test for our foreign policy is our relations with the neighbours." The same ambitions about Euro-Atkantic integrations and the identical goals of Belgrade and Zagreb in foreign affairs are a framework guaranteeing that the relations will be further fostered, Simurdic wrote. He commended Sanader for having visited the ethnic Croat community in Subotica, but added that he also expected a visit to refugees who left Croatia and are now living in Serbia. Source: Hina
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=62089&LangID=1
SERBIA: Tadic, Kostunica and Draskovic To Participate in Kosovo Talks
2006-07-24 17:15:51
Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic will participate in their first direct talks on Kosovo's future status, due to be held in Vienna on Monday (24 July), a government spokesman said at the weekend. Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Agim Ceku are expected to represent Pristina in the talks. In other news, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was in Belgrade Friday for meetings with Kostunica and Tadic. He said bilateral co-operation has stepped up significantly over the past year, expressed confidence that Serbia's action plan for co-operation with the UN tribunal would bring results, and reiterated his government's position on Kosovo -- namely, that any solution must involve Belgrade, and should not be unilaterally imposed. On Friday, Sanader and Kostunica also opened the modernised border checkpoint at Batrovci-Bajakovo, which was co-financed by the EU. Source:www.setimes.com
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=62052&LangID=1
2006-07-24 17:15:51
Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic will participate in their first direct talks on Kosovo's future status, due to be held in Vienna on Monday (24 July), a government spokesman said at the weekend. Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Agim Ceku are expected to represent Pristina in the talks. In other news, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was in Belgrade Friday for meetings with Kostunica and Tadic. He said bilateral co-operation has stepped up significantly over the past year, expressed confidence that Serbia's action plan for co-operation with the UN tribunal would bring results, and reiterated his government's position on Kosovo -- namely, that any solution must involve Belgrade, and should not be unilaterally imposed. On Friday, Sanader and Kostunica also opened the modernised border checkpoint at Batrovci-Bajakovo, which was co-financed by the EU. Source:www.setimes.com
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=62052&LangID=1
Sunday, July 23, 2006
On this day in history....
Austria Ready to Invade Servia, Sends Ultimatum
Demands by 6 P.M. Tomorrow Disavowal of Anti-Austrian Propaganda
Suppression of Societies
Also Punishment of All Accomplices in Murder of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and Wife
Servia May Not Comply
Will Resist Requirements for the Suppression of Political Organization, Berlin Hears
7 Army Corps at Temesvar
Fleet of Danube Monitors Gathering at Semlin, Opposite the City of Belgrade
Germany and Italy to Aid
Prepared to Prevent at All Cost Interferences on Behalf of the Little Kingdom
Special Cable to The New York Times
Berlin, July 23 -- A note from Austria couched in the peremptory terms of an ultimatum and demanding a reply by 6 o'clock Saturday evening was delivered to the Servian Government at Belgrade this evening at 6 o'clock. It demands the punishment of all accomplices in the murder of the archduke Francis Ferdinand and the [text unreadable] fomented rebellion in Bosnia. The Servian Government must publish on Sunday an official disavowel of its connection with the anti-Austrian propaganda. It is understood here that Belgrade will refuse to comply with the demands for the suppression of the societies. Grave importance is attached to the fact that Baron Hoetzendorf, Chief of the Austrian army would invade Servia. Seven corps have been ordered to be held in readiness and several monitors have proceeded to Semlin. In case of Servia's non-compliance with the ultimatum the army will invade the kingdom without further parley. Germany and Italy have expressed full approval of the Austrian programme and announced their readiness to go to extremes to "keep the ring" for their ally in case interference in support of Servia is offered from any quarter. German officers, it is learned from an authoritative quarter, have been able to obtain leave during the last few days only on condition that they will return instantly to their posts on telegraphic notice.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0723.html#article
Austria Ready to Invade Servia, Sends Ultimatum
Demands by 6 P.M. Tomorrow Disavowal of Anti-Austrian Propaganda
Suppression of Societies
Also Punishment of All Accomplices in Murder of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and Wife
Servia May Not Comply
Will Resist Requirements for the Suppression of Political Organization, Berlin Hears
7 Army Corps at Temesvar
Fleet of Danube Monitors Gathering at Semlin, Opposite the City of Belgrade
Germany and Italy to Aid
Prepared to Prevent at All Cost Interferences on Behalf of the Little Kingdom
Special Cable to The New York Times
Berlin, July 23 -- A note from Austria couched in the peremptory terms of an ultimatum and demanding a reply by 6 o'clock Saturday evening was delivered to the Servian Government at Belgrade this evening at 6 o'clock. It demands the punishment of all accomplices in the murder of the archduke Francis Ferdinand and the [text unreadable] fomented rebellion in Bosnia. The Servian Government must publish on Sunday an official disavowel of its connection with the anti-Austrian propaganda. It is understood here that Belgrade will refuse to comply with the demands for the suppression of the societies. Grave importance is attached to the fact that Baron Hoetzendorf, Chief of the Austrian army would invade Servia. Seven corps have been ordered to be held in readiness and several monitors have proceeded to Semlin. In case of Servia's non-compliance with the ultimatum the army will invade the kingdom without further parley. Germany and Italy have expressed full approval of the Austrian programme and announced their readiness to go to extremes to "keep the ring" for their ally in case interference in support of Servia is offered from any quarter. German officers, it is learned from an authoritative quarter, have been able to obtain leave during the last few days only on condition that they will return instantly to their posts on telegraphic notice.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0723.html#article
While most people may think Kosovo is the big problem of the moment, there are other worries in Serbia of a more pressing and immediate nature....
Heat wave still grips Serbia
23 July 2006 16:31 Source: B92
BELGRADE -- Serbia is, like much of Europe, in a heat wave.
Except up in the mountains, there isn’t a single location where the temperature stands at below 30 degrees.Similar weather conditions are expected to continue in the coming days, while a drop in the temperatures is expected at the end of July and the beginning of August. Emergency medical services have had their work cut out for them in the past couple of days. The doctors warn that everyone, even those in perfect health, should be mindful of the liquid intake – an adult needs between four and six liters a day in these weather conditions. This liquid quota can be made up of juices or fruit, but doctors stress that sodas and alcoholic beverages only create an illusion of quenched thirst. Advice to those who start feeling poorly: go to your doctor immediately – call the emergency medical services only if you absolutely must. Swimmers, either in pools, rivers or lakes, should also take care not to go into the water right after a meal. The Belgrade city emergency services say that the heat did not cause an increase in the number of calls yesterday. Nevena Ćirović, meteorologist, explains that the heat is generated in cloudless conditions, when the earth’s surface absorbs a huge amount of heat. “As the air is not heated by the sun, but by the surface, so the earth radiates heat vertically and upwards, and this whole mechanism makes Serbia very hot indeed”, Ćirović said. If the temperature reaches 40 degrees Centigrade, the government will have to declare a estate of emergency, something that already took place in Poland. The whole of central Europe suffers just like Serbia.
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=07&dd=23&nav_category=111&nav_id=35779
Heat wave still grips Serbia
23 July 2006 16:31 Source: B92
BELGRADE -- Serbia is, like much of Europe, in a heat wave.
Except up in the mountains, there isn’t a single location where the temperature stands at below 30 degrees.Similar weather conditions are expected to continue in the coming days, while a drop in the temperatures is expected at the end of July and the beginning of August. Emergency medical services have had their work cut out for them in the past couple of days. The doctors warn that everyone, even those in perfect health, should be mindful of the liquid intake – an adult needs between four and six liters a day in these weather conditions. This liquid quota can be made up of juices or fruit, but doctors stress that sodas and alcoholic beverages only create an illusion of quenched thirst. Advice to those who start feeling poorly: go to your doctor immediately – call the emergency medical services only if you absolutely must. Swimmers, either in pools, rivers or lakes, should also take care not to go into the water right after a meal. The Belgrade city emergency services say that the heat did not cause an increase in the number of calls yesterday. Nevena Ćirović, meteorologist, explains that the heat is generated in cloudless conditions, when the earth’s surface absorbs a huge amount of heat. “As the air is not heated by the sun, but by the surface, so the earth radiates heat vertically and upwards, and this whole mechanism makes Serbia very hot indeed”, Ćirović said. If the temperature reaches 40 degrees Centigrade, the government will have to declare a estate of emergency, something that already took place in Poland. The whole of central Europe suffers just like Serbia.
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=07&dd=23&nav_category=111&nav_id=35779
Friday, July 21, 2006
One of the big guns himself--that should be interesting....
Fri Jul 21, 6:19 AM ET
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica will attend top-level talks with Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders on the fate of the breakaway province next week in Vienna, the government said on Friday.
Kostunica had kept U.N. mediators guessing as to whether he would turn up at the meeting on Monday, the first time the presidents and prime ministers of both sides will hold face-to-face talks since their 1998-99 war.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060721/wl_nm/serbia_kosovo_dc_1
Fri Jul 21, 6:19 AM ET
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica will attend top-level talks with Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders on the fate of the breakaway province next week in Vienna, the government said on Friday.
Kostunica had kept U.N. mediators guessing as to whether he would turn up at the meeting on Monday, the first time the presidents and prime ministers of both sides will hold face-to-face talks since their 1998-99 war.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060721/wl_nm/serbia_kosovo_dc_1
Thursday, July 20, 2006
At least it's good they are planning to show up....
July 20, 2006
World Briefing Europe
Serbia to Attend High-level Talks on Kosovo
By REUTERS
Serbia will take part in talks in Vienna on Monday with ethnic Albanian leaders on the future of Kosovo after all, said the Serbian president, Boris Tadic. The talks will be the highest-level meeting between the sides since NATO drove Serbian forces from the province in 1999 and the first to address Kosovo’s final status, with independence or autonomy as options. Kosovo said on Monday that it would demand independence.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/world/europe/20briefs-008.html
July 20, 2006
World Briefing Europe
Serbia to Attend High-level Talks on Kosovo
By REUTERS
Serbia will take part in talks in Vienna on Monday with ethnic Albanian leaders on the future of Kosovo after all, said the Serbian president, Boris Tadic. The talks will be the highest-level meeting between the sides since NATO drove Serbian forces from the province in 1999 and the first to address Kosovo’s final status, with independence or autonomy as options. Kosovo said on Monday that it would demand independence.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/world/europe/20briefs-008.html
Sunday, July 16, 2006
From a DER SPIEGEL interview with Vuk Draskovic
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How would Belgrade react if Kosovo should indeed become independent?
Draskovic: If an internationally recognized Albanian state should be formed on Serbian territory, we wouldn't recognize it.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What consequences would an independent Kosovo have for the region?
Draskovic: This criminal solution would turn the entire region into a dangerous flash point and cause political earthquakes in the neighboring countries. No authority in the world could then explain to the Serbs in Bosnia why they don't have a right to an autonomous state, while the Albanians do.
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,426607,00.html
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How would Belgrade react if Kosovo should indeed become independent?
Draskovic: If an internationally recognized Albanian state should be formed on Serbian territory, we wouldn't recognize it.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What consequences would an independent Kosovo have for the region?
Draskovic: This criminal solution would turn the entire region into a dangerous flash point and cause political earthquakes in the neighboring countries. No authority in the world could then explain to the Serbs in Bosnia why they don't have a right to an autonomous state, while the Albanians do.
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,426607,00.html
Friday, July 14, 2006
The NYT is back at it again...nothing on Kostunica's visit to US this week to talk about Kosovo, but plenty about the new trials....
July 14, 2006
7 Serbs Go on Trial Before War Crime Tribunal
By MARLISE SIMONS
PARIS, July 14 — They lined up in the courtroom dock this morning, seven men, once officers in the Bosnian Serb forces, now having to account for their presence at Srebrenica, a place of cold-blooded killing in July 1995. Taking their seats behind a phalanx of defense lawyers, they were flanked by an array of United Nations guards. On the dais, a panel of four international judges faced a courtroom that had never been this packed. For the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, it is the largest group trial in its history.
Five of the accused are facing charges of genocide, the highest crime. The trial will probe their role during Europe’s worst massacre since World War II. Srebrenica was a United Nations safe haven in Bosnia, but nearly 8,000 unarmed men and boys were systematically executed there. So far, almost 60 mass graves have been found in the area.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/world/europe/14cnd-hague.html
July 14, 2006
7 Serbs Go on Trial Before War Crime Tribunal
By MARLISE SIMONS
PARIS, July 14 — They lined up in the courtroom dock this morning, seven men, once officers in the Bosnian Serb forces, now having to account for their presence at Srebrenica, a place of cold-blooded killing in July 1995. Taking their seats behind a phalanx of defense lawyers, they were flanked by an array of United Nations guards. On the dais, a panel of four international judges faced a courtroom that had never been this packed. For the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, it is the largest group trial in its history.
Five of the accused are facing charges of genocide, the highest crime. The trial will probe their role during Europe’s worst massacre since World War II. Srebrenica was a United Nations safe haven in Bosnia, but nearly 8,000 unarmed men and boys were systematically executed there. So far, almost 60 mass graves have been found in the area.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/world/europe/14cnd-hague.html
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Bosnia Serbs honor own Srebrenica victims
SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina, July 12 (UPI) -- Thousands of Bosnian Serbs on Wednesday observed the 14th anniversary of the deaths of 3,262 Bosnian Serbs in the eastern town of Srebrenica....Serbia's government-controlled RTS radio-television said Bosnian Muslim units under command of Naser Oric killed Bosnian Serbs in villages around Srebrenica from May to December in 1992.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060712-105555-3970r
SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina, July 12 (UPI) -- Thousands of Bosnian Serbs on Wednesday observed the 14th anniversary of the deaths of 3,262 Bosnian Serbs in the eastern town of Srebrenica....Serbia's government-controlled RTS radio-television said Bosnian Muslim units under command of Naser Oric killed Bosnian Serbs in villages around Srebrenica from May to December in 1992.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060712-105555-3970r
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
July 11, 2006
War Crimes Trial Begins for 6 Milosevic Aides
By MARLISE SIMONS
PARIS, July 10 — Four months after the death of Slobodan Milosevic, the trial of six of his top aides opened Monday, beginning a process that may finally render a verdict on the sweep of Serbia’s actions during the 1999 war in Kosovo...
Much of the evidence the prosecution will present is believed to be similar to that already used in the Milosevic trial. But to obtain a verdict, prosecutors must demonstrate to the panel of three judges — from Britain, Pakistan and Bulgaria — that Belgrade had a “criminal plan” to permanently expel a large portion of the Kosovo Albanians and, as prosecutors put it, “to change the ethnic balance of Kosovo.”
The world has seen many images of Kosovo refugees flooding into Albania and Macedonia, of caravans of bedraggled, frightened people on tractors, trailers, buses and trucks.
But lawyers familiar with the tribunal proceedings said prosecutors must prove there was a Serbian plan to expel them. Prosecutors may resort to insiders or documents, but admit that they have few. They may try to make their case by “inference,” one of the lawyers said in an interview on Monday, by using the facts on the ground. The lawyer insisted on not being identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
In his opening statement on Monday, the lead prosecutor, Thomas Hannis, said “there was a clear plan directed from the top” to drive out ethnic Albanians. The people were not combatants; many were women, children and older people, and their identity cards and vehicle licenses were destroyed to make sure they could not return, he said. To hide their actions, prosecutors said, Serbian forces buried their civilian victims in secret mass graves, often many miles outside Kosovo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/11/world/europe/11serbia.html
War Crimes Trial Begins for 6 Milosevic Aides
By MARLISE SIMONS
PARIS, July 10 — Four months after the death of Slobodan Milosevic, the trial of six of his top aides opened Monday, beginning a process that may finally render a verdict on the sweep of Serbia’s actions during the 1999 war in Kosovo...
Much of the evidence the prosecution will present is believed to be similar to that already used in the Milosevic trial. But to obtain a verdict, prosecutors must demonstrate to the panel of three judges — from Britain, Pakistan and Bulgaria — that Belgrade had a “criminal plan” to permanently expel a large portion of the Kosovo Albanians and, as prosecutors put it, “to change the ethnic balance of Kosovo.”
The world has seen many images of Kosovo refugees flooding into Albania and Macedonia, of caravans of bedraggled, frightened people on tractors, trailers, buses and trucks.
But lawyers familiar with the tribunal proceedings said prosecutors must prove there was a Serbian plan to expel them. Prosecutors may resort to insiders or documents, but admit that they have few. They may try to make their case by “inference,” one of the lawyers said in an interview on Monday, by using the facts on the ground. The lawyer insisted on not being identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
In his opening statement on Monday, the lead prosecutor, Thomas Hannis, said “there was a clear plan directed from the top” to drive out ethnic Albanians. The people were not combatants; many were women, children and older people, and their identity cards and vehicle licenses were destroyed to make sure they could not return, he said. To hide their actions, prosecutors said, Serbian forces buried their civilian victims in secret mass graves, often many miles outside Kosovo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/11/world/europe/11serbia.html
Sunday, July 09, 2006
They can't get Slobo, so they move to the next link on the food chain--
By Nicola LeskeSun Jul 9, 12:42 PM ET
Four months after the death of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, his closest ally, Milan Milutinovic, and five others also accused of war crimes in Kosovo in 1999 will stand trial at the U.N. tribunal on Monday.
Milutinovic, 63, and his co-accused are charged with the persecution of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, the forcible deportation of about 800,000 civilians and the murder of hundreds of civilians by Serb forces.
Milutinovic succeeded Milosevic, who died at the U.N. jail on March 11, as president of Serbia in 1997.
He and former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, former army chief and defense minister Dragoljub Ojdanic and army commander Vladimir Lazarevic returned from provisional release to The Hague last week.
The four are indicted with army commander Nebojsa Pavkovic and security chief Sreten Lukic, also released on bail, as well as former chief of public security Vlastimir Dordevic, who is still at large.
Prosecutors allege Milutinovic had at least formal control ????? over the Serb forces who killed hundreds of ethnic Albanians and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060709/wl_nm/warcrimes_milutinovic_dc_1
By Nicola LeskeSun Jul 9, 12:42 PM ET
Four months after the death of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, his closest ally, Milan Milutinovic, and five others also accused of war crimes in Kosovo in 1999 will stand trial at the U.N. tribunal on Monday.
Milutinovic, 63, and his co-accused are charged with the persecution of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, the forcible deportation of about 800,000 civilians and the murder of hundreds of civilians by Serb forces.
Milutinovic succeeded Milosevic, who died at the U.N. jail on March 11, as president of Serbia in 1997.
He and former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, former army chief and defense minister Dragoljub Ojdanic and army commander Vladimir Lazarevic returned from provisional release to The Hague last week.
The four are indicted with army commander Nebojsa Pavkovic and security chief Sreten Lukic, also released on bail, as well as former chief of public security Vlastimir Dordevic, who is still at large.
Prosecutors allege Milutinovic had at least formal control ????? over the Serb forces who killed hundreds of ethnic Albanians and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060709/wl_nm/warcrimes_milutinovic_dc_1
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Hope that old VK isn't being prophetic....
SERBIA: Kostunica Urges Accelerated EU Integration, Compromise on Kosovo to Prevent Radicalisation
2006-07-05 19:40:41
Speaking on national TV RTS, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned that democratic forces would not be able to prevent radicalisation if there are further delays in negotiations with the EU and if Kosovo becomes independent. He also said the idea of preparing an action plan for co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal should have been raised with the EU before talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement were halted.
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=61481&LangID=1
SERBIA: Kostunica Urges Accelerated EU Integration, Compromise on Kosovo to Prevent Radicalisation
2006-07-05 19:40:41
Speaking on national TV RTS, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned that democratic forces would not be able to prevent radicalisation if there are further delays in negotiations with the EU and if Kosovo becomes independent. He also said the idea of preparing an action plan for co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal should have been raised with the EU before talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement were halted.
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=61481&LangID=1
Sunday, July 02, 2006
I guess it's all in how you spin it....]
Thousands Welcome Commander of Srebrenica
By AIDA CERKEZ-ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer2:43 PM PDT, July 1, 2006
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Cheering crowds on Saturday welcomed home the Muslim commander set free by the U.N. war crimes tribunal after his conviction for failing to prevent murder and torture of Serb captives....
This is our birthday," said Safet Omerovic, who served under Oric. "All these years we have been listening to accusations that the Muslims in Srebrenica are almost as guilty for the war there as the Serbs. Now it's official: we defended ourselves, they committed genocide."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-bosnia-srebrenica,1,7764828.story
Thousands Welcome Commander of Srebrenica
By AIDA CERKEZ-ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer2:43 PM PDT, July 1, 2006
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Cheering crowds on Saturday welcomed home the Muslim commander set free by the U.N. war crimes tribunal after his conviction for failing to prevent murder and torture of Serb captives....
This is our birthday," said Safet Omerovic, who served under Oric. "All these years we have been listening to accusations that the Muslims in Srebrenica are almost as guilty for the war there as the Serbs. Now it's official: we defended ourselves, they committed genocide."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-bosnia-srebrenica,1,7764828.story
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Now, this type of talk is just petty....
BY DEJAN ANASTASIJEVIC
Posted Saturday, Jul 1, 2006There couldn't be a clearer admission of their inability to bring accused war criminals to justice: the Serbian government has issued a plea for foreign spies to join the hunt for the former Bosnian Serb military leader General Ratko Mladic, who was indicted by the UN war-crimes tribunal in 1994 and is presumably hiding on Serbian soil.
http://www.time.com/time/europe/eu/article/0,13716,1209904,00.html?promoid=rss_world
Oh, well, I guess it's okay if THEY do it....
July 1, 2006
World Briefing | Europe
The Hague: Muslim Freed After Conviction
By MARLISE SIMONS
The International War Crimes Tribunal sentenced Naser Oric, the wartime commander of the Muslim force at Srebrenica, to two years imprisonment for failing to prevent the cruel treatment and killing of Serbian prisoners during Bosnia's 1992-95 civil war. He was immediately released because he had already spent three years in detention. Prosecutors had asked for an 18-year sentence, for the looting and burning of Serb villages by the poorly trained volunteer force under his command. But the judges said the "abysmal conditions" of the town — surrounded by Serbian troops and overwhelmed with refugees, many of them starving — had led to a such breakdown of law and order that Mr. Oric, just 25 when he was appointed commander, could not be held accountable for crimes by his irregular defense force. He left the area two months before the infamous Serbian execution of some 8,000 unarmed men and boys in 1995.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/01/world/europe/01briefs-003.html
July 1, 2006
World Briefing | Europe
The Hague: Muslim Freed After Conviction
By MARLISE SIMONS
The International War Crimes Tribunal sentenced Naser Oric, the wartime commander of the Muslim force at Srebrenica, to two years imprisonment for failing to prevent the cruel treatment and killing of Serbian prisoners during Bosnia's 1992-95 civil war. He was immediately released because he had already spent three years in detention. Prosecutors had asked for an 18-year sentence, for the looting and burning of Serb villages by the poorly trained volunteer force under his command. But the judges said the "abysmal conditions" of the town — surrounded by Serbian troops and overwhelmed with refugees, many of them starving — had led to a such breakdown of law and order that Mr. Oric, just 25 when he was appointed commander, could not be held accountable for crimes by his irregular defense force. He left the area two months before the infamous Serbian execution of some 8,000 unarmed men and boys in 1995.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/01/world/europe/01briefs-003.html
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