UNMIK: Serbian-Montenegrin
Agreement Will Not Affect Kosovo Status
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia -- The agreement between Serbia
and Montenegro will not affect the status of Kosovo, says Susan Manuel,
spokeswoman for the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In response to
statements by ethnic Albanian leaders that the agreement would
"contribute to the creation of an independent Kosovo", Manuel
insisted that the question of Kosovo's independence would not be
discussed over the next three years. Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram
Rexhepi plans to address the new Yugoslav agreement at the first cabinet
session Friday. It was still unclear whether the Kosovo Serbian
coalition Return would attend that session.
Meanwhile, commenting on Rexhepi's statement that the
Kosovo government did not recognise the border agreement between
Yugoslavia and Macedonia, UNMIK chief Michael Steiner noted that
Pristina had no authority to make decisions on border issues. He told
the Voice of America that the UN Security Council had insisted the
border agreement be respected "by all". (FoNet A1 TV, BEF -
15/03/02; BBC, B92, Tanjug, MIA - 14/03/02)
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Date of Macedonian Elections
Expected Within Week
SKOPJE, Macedonia -- A date for parliamentary
elections in Macedonia should be set within a week, says EU envoy Alain
Le Roy. He met Thursday (14 March) with Parliamentary Chairman Stojan
Andov who is expected to consult with leaders of the four main parties.
Previous negotiations mediated by President Boris Trajkovski produced no
results. Le Roy predicts the parliamentary vote would be held in
September or October.
Meanwhile, it appears that the implementation of the
new amnesty law has eased re-entry of ethnically mixed police patrols in
some areas formerly held by rebels. Thursday, police entered the village
of Radusa on the border with Kosovo, from which they had been barred
repeatedly. (Dnevnik, Utrinski Vesnik - 15/03/02; AFP, DPS - 14/03/02)
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Ashdown Testifies at Milosevic
Trial
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Britain’s Paddy Ashdown
became the first major Western politician to appear at Slobodan
Milosevic’s trial in The Hague, testifying Thursday (14 March) about
the forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from
Kosovo. Involved in peace missions during the 1990s, Ashdown had
personal contacts with all the principal political players in the
region. He insists there was an agreement between Milosevic and the late
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to divide Bosnia between Serbia and
Croatia.
Ashdown says he heard from ethnic Albanian refugees
who described their forcible deportation from Kosovo in 1998, months
before the start of NATO’s bombing campaign. Milosevic maintains that
the bombing triggered their exodus. He is to cross-examine Ashdown
Friday. (Reuters - 15/03/02; AP, BBC, Reuters, AFP - 14/03/02)
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SFOR Commends Sarajevo for
Contribution to Anti-Terrorism Fight
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- The NATO-led
Stabilisation Force (SFOR) on Thursday (14 March) praised the efforts of
BiH authorities in the fight against terrorism. SFOR spokesman Maj Scott
Lundy specifically cited the government’s prompt action in freezing
the financial assets of the al-Haramain non-governmental organisation
suspected of terrorist links, as well as the quick passage of a persona
non-grata law. (OHR/OSCE/UNMIBH/UNHCR/SFOR joint press conference, FENA
- 14/03/02)
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BiH Leaders Fail to Agree on
Constitutional Reforms
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- Negotiations
on constitutional reforms in BiH are likely to continue next week as
leaders of the main parties failed again to hammer out an agreement
Thursday (14 March). The officials need to reach a consensus on draft
changes to both entity constitutions to ensure the equal status of all
three constituent peoples in BiH. The international community's high
representative Wolfgang Petritsch has set a 31 March deadline for an
agreement. (HINA, NTV Hayat - 14/03/02)
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Croatian Parliament Adopts Part of
Defence, National Security Bills
ZAGREB, Croatia -- Croatia's parliament Thursday (14
March) adopted certain articles in the bills on defence and national
security, despite opposition from the Croatian Democratic Union and
Croatian Party of Rights. The groups had sought extended discussion of
the measures and opposed the downsizing of the military.
Defence Minister Jozo Rados urged parliament to pass
the remaining articles by the end of March to allow for the start of
reforms in the armed forces and to increase chances for NATO membership.
The government, meanwhile, forwarded to parliament the final bill for
restructuring the secret service into three agencies -- intelligence,
counter-intelligence, and military intelligence. (Jutarnji List,
Vecernji List, Vjesnik - 15/03/02; HINA - 14/03/02)
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Bulgarian Cabinet Approves Accord
With Macedonia on Restitution Rights
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria's government approved
Thursday (14 March) a draft version of an agreement with Macedonia
providing for owners to step forward and reclaim real estate that had
been nationalised in each other’s countries. Bulgarian Justice
Minister Anton Stankov said he received authorisation to hold
negotiations and sign the agreement, which will be subject to
ratification. The document concerns the restoration of ownership in real
estate nationalised after WWII. It gives the original owners or their
legal heirs the right to reclaim property or receive proper
compensation. (Pari - 15/03/02; BTA, BBC - 14/03/02)
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NATO Official: Bulgarian Army to be
Led by NATO-Trained Staff
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- NATO Assistant Secretary General
for Political Affairs Guenther Altenburg suggests that Bulgaria’s Army
should be led by generals educated in countries that are members of
NATO, rather than by the current Russian-trained staff. Meeting this
week with Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov, Altenburg added
that it is crucial that Sofia’s MIG-29s be modernised to the point of
compatibility with NATO aircraft. He also welcomed Bulgaria’s decision
to decommission the SS-23 missile complex this year.
Meanwhile, wrapping up a visit to Washington,
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi proposed broader participation
of the Plovdiv-based Multinational Peace Force South Eastern Europe in
NATO peacekeeping missions.
On one other note, during a visit to Bucharest
Thursday (14 March), Vice President of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly
Markus Meckel said Romania and Bulgaria stand a good chance of joining
NATO. He stressed, however, that Romania’s prospects for an invitation
in November rest largely on economic reforms it will implement over the
next six months. (Mediapool, BTA - 15/03/02; Pari, Dnevnik, Standart
-14/03/02)
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Volunteers Start Work at
Romania’s New Drug Use Prevention Centres
BUCHAREST, Romania -- Around 300 volunteer experts
will start work at six new centres for prevention of drug use. The
centres opened Wednesday (13 March) in Bucharest and other major cities
as part of the government’s national anti-drug programme, launched in
October. The staff members would guarantee confidentiality to those who
seek help. (Mediafax - 14/03/02)
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