| Europe |
| After defeats in Ukraine and Africa, the European Union is trying to win back in Serbia |
| 2023-12-07 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Bogdan Kish [REGNUM] Early parliamentary elections will take place in Serbia on December 17. The position of the current government is strong, but the pro-Western opposition, not without outside help, intends to seriously compete for the majority in parliament and turn Belgrade towards the West. Due to its political position of neutrality and geographical location, Serbia is forced to constantly balance between the United States and the EU on the one hand, and Russia and China on the other. Therefore, elections here have always attracted increased attention from both the West and the East. However, this year the early parliamentary elections are attracting increased interest, primarily in Brussels. Against the background of the failed Ukrainian “counter-offensive”, the reduction of financial and military-technical assistance to Kyiv, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the economic crisis, the European Union is extremely interested in “stability” in the Balkans. By which is meant complete subordination to Brussels. Serbia has recently been a bone in the throat for the EU and the US, as it does not recognize Kosovo even under pressure and does not impose anti-Russian sanctions. Considering that both the United States and the EU are facing elections in 2024, the West is trying to close the “Serbian issue” as soon as possible. For the Western average, the presidential elections in the States and the elections to the European Parliament are more important than affairs “on the periphery of Europe,” so European and American politicians are trying to earn at least some political points by “settling” the situation in Serbia. They understand the complexity of the situation in Belgrade and are doing everything possible to prevent a united pro-Western coalition from coming to power. BETS ON VICTORY Predicting election results under such foreign political pressure and with a large number of domestic political problems is a thankless task. That is why, in general, it was not “independent,” pro-government or near-state structures that took up the task of compiling forecasts and figures, but bookmakers. In Serbia, this is more than just entertainment and a profitable business, it is a kind of state within a state. Therefore, in general, there is practically no doubt in their assessment of the approximate prospects of political forces. According to a joint analysis of the portal 192.rs and the bookmaker MeridianBet, the current government, represented by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has the greatest chances of winning and forming a majority in parliament. The SNA, led by Defense Minister Milos Vucevic , is projected to win approximately 42.5% of the vote. Next comes the pro-Western coalition “Serbia against violence” (SPN), led by Miroslav Aleksic - 21.3%. Third place goes to the coalition led by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) of Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic - 10.2%. The supposedly pro-Russian coalition, consisting of the Dveri and Zavetnica parties ( Boško Obradović and Milica Đurđević ), will receive approximately 6.2% of the vote. They are followed by the NADA coalition with Milos Jovanovic - 5.4%. Vuk Jeremic's People's Party and the coalition led by ex-President Boris Tadic will each gain less than 3%. At the same time, the population is not very interested in the current elections. Bookmakers for the parliamentary elections are predicting turnout at 53.5%, a drop from the 2022 election, when it was 58.6%. As practice shows, over the past 10 years, not a single party has been able to compete with the coalition of the SNS and the Union of Right Forces. Judging by the first forecasts, we should not expect any big changes and the power in Serbia will not change. Yes, the position of the Serbian Progressive Party has deteriorated greatly in recent years, but it still remains the most popular in the country. Moreover, the SNS, as has happened more than once, will be able to agree with the Socialist Party of Serbia on the formation of a majority, especially against the backdrop of the strengthening position of the pro-Western opposition “Serbia against violence.” At the same time, the SPN will obviously have problems forming a coalition after the elections. The pro-Russian opposition, represented by the Dveri and Zavetnitsa parties, is not ready to move towards rapprochement with pro-Western forces because of their position on Kosovo and Metohija, Russia and NATO. However, these forces have neither the unity, nor the influence, nor the great trust of citizens to claim a serious result. Therefore, for them, third or fourth place in the elections and getting into parliament will be considered a success. For Serbia Against Violence, the Serbs from Republika Srpska, located in Bosnia, are a big problem. Their leader Milorad Dodik openly called for voting against the pro-Western coalition, since it would first recognize the “genocide” in Srebrenica and turn away from Banja Luka to please the West. “The most important thing for Republika Srpska is that Serbia remains strong, and in order to remain strong, it must not fall into the hands of auto chauvinists ,” he said. According to Dodik, there are many people on the list of this coalition who believe that the Republika Srpska should not exist, therefore they are not political opponents, but enemies. Considering that many residents of Republika Srpska, including the top leadership of the entity, have Serbian passports, they will provide a large number of votes to other parties. The situation is similar with the Serbs in Montenegro. They oppose the SPN because this coalition will forget about the Serbian diaspora, which has been struggling for existence for 30 years against the backdrop of ever-increasing Serbophobia. GROSCHEL COMMISSION The greatest interest in the elections in Serbia is shown by Western embassies and directly by the United States and Germany. The duty speaker on the topic of elections is US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill , who since the 90s of the last century has been seen in ties with Albanian militants from the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army. Hill said being ambassador to Serbia during an election campaign is a special challenge, but he is not interested in interfering in the election process. At the same time, the American ambassador regularly makes anti-Russian statements and calls on Serbia to focus on cooperation with the West: “It is completely unrealistic to maintain good relations with Moscow, which has created huge problems and thereby made it clear to everyone what should be done . ” The EU also decided that it was impossible to remain on the sidelines. Therefore, Brussels decided to send a commission to Serbia to monitor the elections. An eight-member European Parliament delegation, led by Slovenian Klemen Grošelj , will ensure a “celebration of democracy.” At the same time, Groschel is an extremely interesting character. The Slovenian had previously strongly opposed early parliamentary elections and stated that they would be rigged in favor of the current government. According to him, the mission in Serbia will be “listening, observing, holding many meetings with all stakeholders and civil society.” True, the head of the European delegation, even before his election to this position, “listened and observed” and even met with representatives of the Serbian opposition. He also has his own favorites on the Serbian political landscape. Groshel recently visited Belgrade, met with the Free Citizens Movement and openly supported this party. “DSG is a political force that stands for a modern and democratic Serbia, which should become a full member of the European Union. They have my full support,” Groschel noted in September. A politician from Slovenia previously stated that the American and European policy of “appeasing Vucic” is to blame for the situation in Serbia. The US and EU allegedly turned a blind eye to his “undemocratic domestic political steps” in exchange for resolving the issue of relations with Kosovo. He called Serbia “ a country completely captured by the ruling regime, in which there are not the slightest conditions for any criticism of the government either from the opposition or from the media.” Obviously, it would be a stretch to call Groschel objective. Moreover, in addition to the Slovenian, the delegation will include the European Parliament rapporteur on Serbia, Vladimir Bilchik, as well as Andreas Schieder , who said before the elections in Montenegro that “our friend Milo Djukanovic is the best presidential candidate.” The West gave the Albanians carte blanche to terrorize the Kosovo Serbs It is especially interesting that the German Viola von Cramon , one of the main critics of Serbia and a member of the German parliament from the Greens, is mentioned as one of the members of the commission . This party, in the midst of the election campaign, hosted representatives of the “Serbia against violence” list in the Bundestag at a rally entitled “Serbia before the elections - between autocracy and democratic awakening.” Thus, “Serbia against violence” will have the strongest support not only from Western countries, but also from a number of Western and pro-Western media in Serbia and the region. Regardless of the outcome of the elections, enormous pressure will be exerted on the current government, and any pro-Serbian (pro-Russian) opposition will be marginalized by the “free” media to please Brussels and Washington. The SNA in a coalition with the SPS will still be able to form a majority, but in this case the pressure on Belgrade will increase exponentially, which will complicate Belgrade’s already fragile neutrality and defending its position on Kosovo and Metohija. Europe, against the backdrop of a series of defeats in Ukraine, the Transcaucasus and Africa, will put pressure on Serbia for political points before the upcoming elections, in order to somehow justify itself to its voters and prove that the EU still has authority. |
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| Europe |
| Kosovar Serbs block NATO forces |
| 2011-10-23 |
| ZUPCE, Kosovo: Hundreds of Kosovo Serbs prevented NATO troops in Kosovo (KFOR) from removing roadblocks on roads to two contested border crossings between the countrys volatile north and Serbia early on Saturday, witnesses said. Tensions have mounted in the north as Kosovos government tries to stamp its authority over this largely lawless area, home to 60,000 ethnic Serbs who want to stop Kosovo deploying its own police and customs at the Serbian border. Mostly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo is Serbias former southern province and declared independence in 2008 after a 1998-99 war and years under United Nations rule. The country is still patrolled by KFOR and EU law and justice mission, EULEX. At a roadblock in the village of Zupce, about 80 km (40 miles) north of Kosovos capital Pristina, Serbs sat in the road in front of armored personnel carriers and an infantry cordon. In the nearby village of Jagnjenica, Serbs parked trucks across the road to the Brnjak crossing, reinforcing a barricade there. KFOR troops tried and failed to get a bulldozer past meters-high earth and gravel barricades, a human shield and the trucks. On Friday the KFOR commander, German General Erhard Drews, said Kosovan Serbs must secure freedom of movement for his troops and other international missions. He said more talks were planned with local Serbs for Saturday and warned NATO was running out of patience. I still believe that the better solution would be a peaceful one but ... theres little hope we will come to the solution in time, he told reporters. Time is running out. Earlier this week KFOR used tear gas to disperse Serbs at a barricade along a network of roads leading to the Brnjak border post. Eight peacekeepers and about two dozen civilians were slightly injured in the scuffles. Hardline Serb leaders from northern Kosovo defied NATO calls to remove roadblocks and called for Belgrade to send in Serbian troops and police. In Belgrade, President Boris Tadic asked NATO to refrain from violence and Kosovo Serbs to secure freedom of movement for peacekeepers. Serbia holds parliamentary elections in 2012 and Kosovo, seen by Serbs as their historic heartland, will be a hot issue. Serbia still effectively runs Serb-dominated northern Kosovo, but is under pressure to resolve the impasse and mend ties with Pristina if it wants the European Commission to approve its candidacy for joining EU. More than 80 countries, including the United States and most EU states, have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign country. |
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| Clashes erupt in Belgrade to protest Mladic arrest |
| 2011-05-30 |
| BELGRADE, Serbia Protesters throwing stones and bottles clashed with baton-wielding riot police Sunday in Belgrade after several thousand Serbian nationalist supporters of jailed war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic rallied outside the parliament building to demand his release. By the time the crowds broke up by late evening, about 100 people were arrested and 16 minor injuries were reported. That amounted to a victory for the pro-Western government, which arrested Mladic on Thursday, risking the wrath of the nationalist old guard in a country with a history of much larger and more virulent protests. Rioters overturned garbage containers, broke traffic lights and set off firecrackers as they rampaged through downtown. Cordons of riot police blocked their advances, and skirmishes took place in several locations in the center of the capital. Doctors said six police officers were among the 16 people brought to a hospital with minor injuries. Police remained on the streets as the crowds broke up. The clashes began after a rally that drew at least 7,000 demonstrators, many singing nationalist songs and carrying banners honoring Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander. Some chanted right-wing slogans and a few gave Nazi salutes. Supporters of the extreme nationalist Serbian Radical Party were bused in to attend the rally. Right-wing extremists and hooligan groups also urged followers to appear in large numbers, creating the biggest test of Serbian sentiment and the governments resolve since Mladics arrest. The demonstrators, who consider Mladic a hero, said Serbia should not hand him over to the U.N. war crimes court in The Hague, Netherlands. Cooperation with The Hague tribunal represents treason, Radical Party official Lidija Vukicevic told the crowd. This is a protest against the shameful arrest of the Serbian hero. Demonstrators demanded the ouster of Serbian President Boris Tadic, who ordered Mladics arrest. A sign on the stage read, Tadic is not Serbia. More than 3,000 riot police were deployed around government buildings and Western embassies, fearing that the demonstration could turn violent. Riot police tried to block small groups of extremists from reaching the rally. Nationalists are furious that the Serbian government apprehended Mladic after nearly 16 years on the run. The 69-year-old former general was caught at a relatives home in a northern Serbian village. The U.N. tribunal charged Mladic with genocide in 1995, accusing him of orchestrating the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica and other war crimes of Bosnias 1992-95 war. Mladics arrest is considered critical to Serbias efforts to join the European Union, and to reconciliation in the region after a series of ethnic wars of the 1990s. |
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| Separatist Movements Rejoice - World court rules Kosovo independence lawful | ||
| 2010-07-22 | ||
Kosovo's unilateral secession from Serbia in 2008 did not violate international law, the World Court said on Thursday in a case that could have implications for separatist movements around the world, as well as Belgrade's stalled EU membership talks.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s non-binding ruling addresses Serbia's 2009 claim that Kosovo's declaration of independence secession was a "flagrant violation" of its territorial integrity. The United States and most other Western states recognized Kosovo's February 2008 declaration of independence but Serbia rejected it, as did its ally Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. "If the ICJ opinion establishes a new principle, an entire process of creating new states would open throughout the world, something that would destabilize many regions of the world," Serbian President Boris Tadic was quoted as saying by the Tanjug news agency. He was speaking before the court ruling. On Wednesday, the White House said U.S. Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed U.S. backing for Kosovo's independence at a meeting with visiting Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a two-year war between Serbia and ethnic Kosovo Albanians, and put in place a U.N. administration and a NATO-monitored ceasefire. Since then some 2 million Albanians and 120,000 Serbs have lived separately in Kosovo, mutually suspicious and occasionally hostile to each other.
EU ministers did not debate Serbia's candidacy in June, waiting instead to see progress in relations with Kosovo, a source close to Brussels has said. The EU has told some of its diplomats to delay summer vacation plans to begin lobbying Serbia and Kosovo immediately after the ICJ ruling. Kosovo has been recognized by 69 nations and already functions as an independent republic with a constitution and elections. Georgia filed a lawsuit in 2008 against Russia at the same court, saying that Russia's incursion into its South Ossetia province amounted to ethnic cleansing. Russia, which took two decades to crush a separatist rebellion in its Chechnya province, has recognized both rebel Georgian regions as independent states but few others have followed its lead. Spain, which has its own regions seeking greater autonomy, has already said it will not recognize an independent Kosovo. At the start of deliberations last December, judges at the ICJ -- the United Nations' highest judicial body -- heard statements from 29 other nations, including Spain, the United States and Russia. Although non-binding, the court's ruling will provide a framework for diplomats to try and establish a working relationship between Serbia and Kosovo, said Bibi van Ginkel, senior researcher at the Clingendael Institute. "The political implications of advisory opinions can be substantial," she said. Adding to the uncertainty, the Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal on Wednesday overturned the 2008 acquittal and ordered a retrial of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on charges of orchestrating torture, murder, rape and deportation during the war. NATO forces in Kosovo are on heightened alert but the commander of the 10,000 troops there said there was no sign of trouble brewing. | ||
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| Thousands mourn Srebrenica massacre victims, criticize UN | |
| 2010-07-11 | |
| Tens of thousands of people have commemorated the 15th anniversary of Europe's worst massacre since World War Two in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. Survivors have expressed frustration over the United Nation's perceived failure to prevent the killing of more than 8,000 Muslims by Serb forces in July, 1995. In the summer heat, huge crowds of mourning Muslims attended the biggest funeral near the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica. A hillside was dug out with graves for 775 green-draped coffins of recently identified victims of Europe's largest mass killing since the Holocaust. The youngest victims were two boys, aged 14, who were laid to rest alongside thousands of bodies already in the graveyard. The funeral at the Potocari Memorial Center was part of the 15th anniversary commemoration of what became known as the Srebrenica massacre. Before Sunday's ceremony, relatives of two men killed by Serbian forces at Srebrenica filed a complaint with the Netherlands' prosecutor's office against commanders of the U.N. Dutch battalion, Dutchbat, which was based in the Srebrenica enclave. The complaint charges the Dutchbat commanders with complicity in war crimes, lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld explained to Radio Netherlands Worldwide. "...There is sufficient evidence for war crimes and genocide in this case. The commanders of Dutchbat have evicted the victims from the Dutchbat compound in Srebrenica on the 13th of July 1995," Zegveld said. "They have forced them to leave a safe environment. It is supported by statements made at the time by the Dutchbat military stating that they feared for the fate of the Muslim men. That they feared a mass execution. That they knew that the men who were evicted from the compound were not arriving in the safe area ... whereas the women and children did arrive." Dutch soldiers have said they were outnumbered and not able to halt the Serbian invasion.
There was no official seen from the United Nations. Interesting photo of a Bosnian activist's 'monument' to the massacre in Berlin at link. | |
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| Kosovo blast kills one, injures 11 |
| 2010-07-03 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] A bomb blast has ripped through a group of Serb protesters in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica in Kosovo, leaving at least one dead and 11 others injured. The bomb exploded on Friday in the ethnically divided town some 35 km (20 miles) northwest of Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, during a protest staged by Serbs against the planned launch of a Kosovo government office in the northern part of the town, the Associated Press reported. Six women and five men were injured, and one was killed in the blast which went off after police prevented several hundred Serbs from entering the government office building. The incident drew widespread condemnation from Serb officials with President Boris Tadic calling on the international community to "urgently react, protect law and order and stop provocations and threats to peace." Serbs account for the majority of the population in northern section of Mitrovica in Kosovo, while the southern part is dominated by Albanians. In February 2008, the parliament of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. Russia, Serbia and most of the UN member states have not recognized Kosovo's independence. |
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| Serbia: Parliament offers Srebrenica apology |
| 2010-04-02 |
| [ADN Kronos] (AKI) - After a volatile 13-hour debate, the Serbian parliament voted early on Wednesday to issue an apology for the killing of thousands of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995 in the worst massacre in Europe since World War II. The landmark motion was approved by a narrow majority and it stated that Serbia should have done more to prevent the tragedy, but stopped short of calling the killings genocide. "The parliament of Serbia strongly condemns the crime committed against the Bosnian Muslim population of Srebrenica in July 1995," says the text. The vote took place half an hour after midnight and the pro-European government, headed by president Boris Tadic, managed to get a narrow majority of 127 votes in favor of the resolution in the 250-seat parliament. "We are taking a civilised step of a politically responsible people, based on political conviction, for the war crime that happened in Srebrenica," said Branko Ruzic of the Socialist Party. Bosnian Serb forces killed about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys after taking over the enclave in Srebrenica, which had been under the protection of the United Nations. Twenty-one deputies of former prime minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) voted against the motion, while other opposition deputies walked out in protest before the vote. Shortly before the vote took place, there was an anonymous call saying that a bomb had been placed in front of the parliament building, but it was a false alarm. Serbia has for years questioned the nature of the Srebrenica massacre and the vote showed that the country was still deeply divided on the issue. The motion offered "condolences and an apology to the families of the victims because not everything was done to prevent the tragedy". The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 2007 that Bosnian Serb forces had committed genocide in Srebrenica and blamed Serbia, whose former president Slobodan Milosevic supported Serb rebellion in Bosnia, for failing to prevent it. Though the resolution did not use the word "genocide", it acknowledges the court ruling and condemns the crime. Cedomir Jovanovic, leader of the most pro-Western leaning Liberal Democratic Party, insisted the word "genocide" be included in the resolution and walked out in protest because his amendment was rejected. Nada Kolundzija, the head of parliamentary majority, said that the resolution would help reconciliation in the Balkans and "close a tragic chapter in Balkan history". "Condemning the crime against the Bosniaks of Srebrenica, while paying respect to the innocent victims and offering condolences to their families, will lift the burden off future generations," Kolundzija said. But nationalist opposition deputies used the televised debate to hurl insults at the governing majority, accusing it of treason. "History will never forgive you for what you have done today against your own people," said opposition deputy Aleksandar Martinovic. Most opposition deputies demanded that all crimes, including those against Serbs, should be condemned in one resolution. Parliamentary speaker Slavica Djukic Dejanovic said the governing majority will start work on a new resolution this week, condemning crimes committed against Serbs in the wars that followed the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. |
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| Spain remains opposed to Kosovo independence | |
| 2009-03-10 | |
| MADRID - Spain remains opposed to the independence of Kosovo by political conviction and in line with international law, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday. Zapatero spoke at a joint press conference with Serbian President Boris Tadic, who was on his first state visit to Spain. Spain is one of the few countries not to have recognized the independence Kosovo declared in 2008, allegedly for fear that it could encourage separatist tendencies in Spanish regions. Spain gave its backing to Serbias aspiration to join the European Union, with Zapatero expressing hope that the country with a European vocation could present its candidature within the shortest possible time. The process has been blocked by the Netherlands, which is not satisfied with Serbian cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal on former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Zapatero said cooperation with the tribunal had improved, as shown by the arrest of former Bosnian-Serb president Radovan Karadzic in July. Tadic saw no contradiction between Spain opposing the independence of Kosovo and having peacekeepers there.
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| Kosovo prime minister seeks reconciliation with Serbia | |
| 2009-03-09 | |
| PRISTINA - Kosovos Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Sunday expressed a wish for conciliation with Serbia, inviting Serbian President Boris Tadic to the former Serbia province. Thaci made the invitation after a visit to Kosovos Serb enclave of Caglavica, a suburb of the capital Pristina. Communication between Pristina and Belgrade is unavoidable and is in the interests of Kosovo, said Thaci. Thaci invited Tadic to his office in Pristina, adding that in accepting such an invitation, Tadic should recognize that he should be visiting an institution of the Republic of Kosovo.
Meanwhile, more than 50 people were reported injured in a violent demonstration by Serbs in the Kosovo town of Gnjilane, media reports out of Belgrade said. Around 500 people blocked the Gnjilane-Kamenica road in protest against several days of lack of electricity, according to Kosovo police in Pristina. Five police officers were injured when demonstrators threw stones at intervening police. | |
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| Kosovo: New security force targeted in grenade attack |
| 2009-01-24 |
| (AKI) - Kosovo's newly formed security force was targeted in a grenade attack in the north-western town of Pec, police said on Friday. Police said on Friday the roof of one barracks was struck by a mortar shell. There were no injuries but serious damage was reported and the barracks was almost destroyed in the attack late Thursday, police said. Investigations were continuing but no-one has yet been arrested for the attack. The attack came a day after the Kosovo Security Force replaced a 3,000-strong civilian emergency organisation formed out of the disbanded ethnic Albanian guerrilla force. Serbia -- which rejects Kosovo's independence and insists Kosovo remains a part of its territory -- has said it will file a protest with the United Nations against the new force, which it says is designed to intimidate the Serb minority in Kosovo. The Kosovo Security Force was formed this week from members of the former Kosovo Protection Force and the Kosovo Liberation Army which started a rebellion against Serbian rule in 1998. Majority ethnic Albanians declared independence from Serbia last February and Serbia is afraid that the KSF is the basis for a future army. Serbia continues to oppose Kosovo's independence, which has been recognised by 54 United Nations member states, including the United States and most European Union countries. Serbian president Boris Tadic has written to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, saying that the formation of the KSF was in violation of Security Council resolution 1244 according to which Kosovo officially remains a part of Serbia. The force consists of 2,500 lightly armed men recruited mostly from the KPS and trained by NATO forces stationed in Kosovo. |
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| Kosovo: US reaffirms support for independence |
| 2008-10-08 |
| (AKI) - The United States has reiterated its support for an independent Kosovo and its opposition to any move to partition the country. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates made the remarks about Washington's position during a visit to Kosovo on Tuesday. Serbian President Boris Tadic said in a recent interview he might consent to a partitioning of Kosovo's Serbian enclaves if all other efforts failed. However, Gates said the US opposed partition. "Kosovo is an independent state...and the partitioning can't be a solution. Therefore the US supports territorial integrity of Kosovo," he concluded. Gates, the highest US official to visit Kosovo since it declared independence, met Kosovar President Fatmir Seidiu and Prime Minister Hasim Taci in Pristina. He also visited American soldiers at the US military base of Bondsteel near Pristina. He made a brief stop in Kosovo between visits to Hungary and neighbouring Macedonia. Gates said the 16,000 strong international force (KFOR) enjoyed great respect in Kosovo and would remain there as long at least until the end of next year. KFOR was deployed in Kosovo in 1999, after Serbian forces withdrew from the province following NATO bombing and the province was put under United Nations' control. Serbia, which rejects Kosovo's independence, is fighting a diplomatic battle to retain the former province under its control. Close to 50 countries have recognised Kosovo in the past eight months, but Serbia's ally Russia has threatened to block a resolution recognising Kosovo in the United Nations' Security Council. Seidiu and Taci thanked Gates for American support to Kosovo's independence bid and said they expected more countries to recognise it in the coming months. Serbia has submitted a resolution to the UN General Assembly demanding the International Court of Justice to consider the legality of Kosovo independence. The resolution will be considered by the General Assembly on Wednesday. |
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| Top war crimes suspect Karadzic arrested in Serbia | |
| 2008-07-22 | |
BELGRADE, Serbia - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, accused architect of massacres making him one of the world's top war crimes fugitives, was arrested Monday evening in a raid that ended a near 13-year manhunt, the country's president and the UN tribunal said. Karadzic is the suspected mastermind of mass killings that the UN war crimes tribunal described as scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history. They include the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica, Europe's worst slaughter since World War II.
President Boris Tadic's office said Karadzic has been taken before the investigative judge of Serbia's war crimes court - a legal procedure that indicates he could soon be extradited to the UN court at The Hague, Netherlands. If Karadzic is transferred to there, he would be the 44th Serb suspect extradited to the tribunal. The others include former President Slobodan Milosevic, who was ousted in 2000 and died in 2006 while on trial on war crimes charges. Heavily armed special forces have been deployed around the war crimes court in Belgrade where Karadzic reportedly was being held. Karadzic's brother, Luka, also arrived at the location in central Belgrade. Serbian police deployed throughout central Belgrade as well as in front of the US embassy, which was targeted in nationalist rioting over Kosovo's declaration of independence in February. The White House called the arrest an important demonstration of the Serbian Government's determination to honor its commitment to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal. | |
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