|
19 March Latest News
Washington Warns Yugoslavia on
Co-operation With UN Tribunal
WASHINGTON, United States -- US Secretary of State Colin
Powell warned Monday (18 March) that a "lack of progress" in
Yugoslavia's co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal could cost Belgrade
$40m in US aid. Powell’s comments followed a meeting with the tribunal's chief
prosecutor, Carla del Ponte. Washington has set a deadline of 31 March for
co-operation. The United States could also block loans from the IMF if Belgrade
fails to comply with requests from the tribunal. Earlier this week, Serbian
Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said that the government will co-operate but may
miss the deadline. Still unclear is whether a long-awaited law on co-operation
with the tribunal will be approved by month’s end. (AFP, AP, Reuters, B92 -
18/03/02)
Back to top
UNMIK: No New Ministries in Kosovo Cabinet
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia -- The UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) says
no new ministries will be added to Kosovo’s cabinet, despite demands by the
Return coalition for a ministry on refugees. Kosovo Serb leaders and Belgrade's
co-ordinator on Kosovo Nebojsa Covic will meet Tuesday (19 March) with UNMIK
head Michael Steiner to discuss Return's position. UNMIK has indicated it is
ready to discuss broader Kosovo Serb participation in other ministries.
Steiner, meanwhile, visited Skopje Monday, reiterating that
Macedonia’s border agreement with Yugoslavia should be respected by all. He
added that UNMIK experts would work to resolve problems related to the Kosovo
side of the border.
In other regional news, Covic; Stefano Sannino, the head of
the OSCE mission in Yugoslavia; and Presevo Mayor Riza Halimi have agreed to
hold early local elections in South Serbia provinces ofPresevo, Bujanovac and
Medvedja in mid-June. (FoNet, Dnevnik, Utrinski Vesnik - 19/03/02; BBC, BETA,
B92, Tanjug, MIA - 18/03/02)
Back to top
Albanian Attorney General Fired
TIRANA, Albania -- After a marathon debate that continued into
the early hours of Tuesday (19 March), parliament voted 78-10 to dismiss Arben
Rakipi, Albanian attorney general. Lawmakers said the attorney general's conduct
had damaged the office of the general prosecutor. The leading opposition
Democratic Party first accused him of corrupt practices and covering up
information that linked high-ranking state officials to organised crime
activities. The ruling Socialist Party decided to support Rakipi's dismissal
after hours of internal debate. (BBC, Albanian News, ATA, TVSh - 19/03/02)
Back to top
Kostunica Ready to Step Down if
Serbian-Montenegrin Agreement Is Not Approved
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica
said Monday (18 March) he would resign if the agreement between Serbia and
Montenegro on the Yugoslav federation is not approved by the federal, Serbian
and Montenegrin parliaments. Kostunica commented, "Serbia and Montenegro
have a chance to define their relations in a completely new way, having learned
a lesson from the mistakes and disbelief of the past." Montenegro’s
Parliament will discuss the agreement Friday. B92 radio reports approval may be
difficult, given objections from two parties. (BBC, Montenegrin Radio, B92 -
18/03/02)
Back to top
Russia to Cut Troops in Balkans
MOSCOW, Russia -- Russia may cut its troops in the Balkans by
up to a third, the newspaper Izvestia reports, quoting Land Forces
Commander Gen Nikolai Kormiltsev. The paper says Kormiltsev's deputy, Lt Gen
Valery Yevnevich, has flown to the region to determine specifics. Russia
reportedly intends to trim its presence from 1,962 to 1,300 servicemen, due to
costs. (AP - 18/03/02)
Back to top
Petritsch Says BiH Constitutional Talks
Should Result in Consensus
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- The international
community's high representative in BiH, Wolfgang Petritsch, says a new round of
constitutional talks among Bosnia's eight leading parties must result in an
agreement ensuring equal status of the nation's three constituent peoples. He
described Monday’s (18 March) discussions as "tough but
constructive", adding that the parties realise the need to find an adequate
solution themselves. Aides have implied Petrisch will impose the changes if no
agreement is reached within days.
In other news, Bosnian authorities reportedly have launched a
major operation against the threat of Islamic terrorism. AFP reported Tuesday
that officials are looking closely at more than 700 Arabs who may have obtained
Bosnian citizenship using improper documents. Police in the Federation of BiH,
meanwhile, are trying to untangle a complicated web of Islamic charities, some
of which are believed to have funnelled money to Osama bin Laden's terrorist
network. (AFP - 19/03/02; FTV, FENA, HINA - 18/03/02)
Back to top
Macedonian Delegation to Visit NATO
Headquarters
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A senior Macedonian delegation, including
representatives of the government and the army, is to visit NATO headquarters in
Brussels Tuesday (19 March). The group will meet with members of the North
Atlantic Council to discuss the pace of reforms in Macedonia's defence sector,
with an eye to eventual NATO membership.
Monday, meanwhile, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in
Europe, Gen Joseph Ralston, said Bulgaria has made significant progress towards
membership, compared to his last visit to Sofia nine months ago. Ralston says he
will continue to insist that Bulgaria receive an invitation to join NATO at the
Prague summit. (A1 TV, MIA, Nova Makedonija, Dnevnik, Standart - 19/03/02; BTA,
Mediapool - 18/03/02)
Back to top
EU Urges Bulgaria to Decommission Older
Kozloduy Units
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Michael Lee, chief negotiator of the
European Commission for Bulgaria, says Sofia should decommission older units of
the Kozloduy nuclear power plant as scheduled. Lee met Monday (18 March) with
Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg to discuss Bulgaria's progress in accession
negotiations with EU. He stressed that Kozloduy’s safety is important to the
international community. According to a 1999 memorandum between the EU and
Bulgaria, Sofia is to close the first and second units before 2003 while the two
sides hammer out a timetable for the decommissioning of the third and fourth
units. The EU wants them closed in 2006 at the latest, while Bulgaria prefers
2008 or 2010.
In other news, Romania will sign a contract Tuesday with the
South Korean company Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP). The firm will provide
technical assistance to operate the first unit of the Cernavoda nuclear power
plant. KHNP will also help build the second unit, scheduled to begin operating
in 2005. (Dnevnik, Standart, Pari - 19/03/02; BTA, Mediapool, Mediafax, BBC -
18/03/02)
Back to top
Croatia Asks Bosnia to Take Refugee-Related
Measures
ZAGREB, Croatia -- Croatia’s Ambassador Josip Vrbosic in
Sarajevo submitted an official note to the Council of Ministers in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (BiH) Monday (18 March) asking for measures to prevent a large flow
of refugees to Croatia. Vrbosic sent similar letters to Wolfgang Petritsch, the
international community’s high representative in BiH, and to the OSCE mission
there. Last week, Croatian authorities accommodated 16 families from the Bosnian
town of Drvar and estimated that several thousand Croats from central Bosnia and
Republika Srpska might seek shelter in Croatia.
Also Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
announced that more than six years after the war in Bosnia, 17,000 persons are
still reported missing. ICRC official Pascal Cutat called on local authorities
to step up efforts to resolve the cases, which are seen as a main obstacle to
reconciliation. (Vecernji List, Vjesnik - 19/03/02; HRT, HINA - 18/03/02)
Back to top
|
