03 March  2002

Macedonian Police Kill Seven Terror Suspects

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski announced that police killed seven suspected terrorists early Saturday (2 March). He said the group tried to ambush a Macedonian police patrol in a Skopje suburb, triggering a shootout. Authorities reportedly have recovered AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers, and uniforms of the now disbanded National Liberation Army. Documents in Arabic were found on the dead, some of whom are believed to be Pakistani nationals. Boskovski says the group planned to attack Western embassies in Skopje. The Agence France-Presse reported that this terrorist cell appeared linked to four men - two Jordanians and two Bosnian citizens - arrested in Macedonia last month. (Reuters, AFP, AP, BBC, MIA, btv - 02/03/02)

NATO's Hunt for Karadzic Continues

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- The NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) pledged to continue the search for Radovan Karadzic, despite two failures last week in the village of Celebici. His brother told a local newspaper Saturday (2 March) that the Bosnian Serb wartime leader is in good health and does not intend to surrender to the UN war crimes tribunal. According to Nezavisne Novosti , the tribunal's most wanted suspect is changing houses every night and sometimes crosses into Montenegro to avoid arrest. A former adviser told the newspaper that Karadzic would not testify against any of the indictees if arrested. Republika Srpska President Mirko Sarovic, meanwhile, accused SFOR of acting "out of mandate" in its house-to-house searches in Celebici. (B92 Radio, AFP - 02/03/02, Tanjug - 01/03/03)

Kosovo Serbs to Boycott Election of Top Officials

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia -- The Kosovo Serb coalition, Return, will likely boycott the elections for president and prime minister, because it was not consulted prior to the power sharing agreement reached between the ethnic Albanian parties. After meeting with the head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Michael Steiner, on Saturday (2 March), Return caucus head Rada Trajkovic said that Return's request for a second ministerial post was turned down. Thus, she said, the Kosovo Serbs would assume only the agricultural ministry, despite being the third largest party in parliament. (B92, Tanjug, BBC, Serbian Radio - 02/03/02)

Yugoslav Ruling Coalition to Decide Soon on War Crimes Co-operation Draft

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said Saturday (2 March) that it would be clear Sunday whether all parties within the ruling coalition support the law on co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal. Montenegro's Socialist People's Party, a member of Serbia's ruling Democratic Opposition of Serbia, has expressed general dissatisfaction with the law. A vote on the draft is expected this week. Five of the 15 Yugoslav indictees are senior officials, including Serbian President Milan Milutinovic.

Also Saturday, federal parliament Chairman Dragoljub Micunovic predicted Yugoslavia would be admitted to the Council of Europe (CoE) by September, at the latest. Just back from a meeting of the CoE Political Committee in Paris, he said the committee acknowledged that Yugoslavia has made "huge steps" towards fulfilling prerequisites, including Serbia’s decision to abolish capital punishment. (BBC, BETA. Tanjug, B92, BalkanWeb - 02/03/02)

Ashdown Nominated to Succeed Petritsch in Bosnia

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the British Liberal Democrat party, has been nominated as the new High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is due to take over from Austrian Wolfgang Petritsch in May. During his two-year term, Ashdown says his aim will be to work "with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to move the country forward toward full statehood within Europe." (Reuters - 02/03/02)

Romania and Britain Set Up Intelligence Unit to Fight Illegal Immigration

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romania and Great Britain agreed to establish a special unit, to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking. The unit, which will be based in Bucharest, will consist of a senior British police officer with international experience, an immigration officer, and eight Romanian investigators. Their main task would be to crack down on the trafficking of women, and to break up smuggling networks. This is the first time the British government has used the model of joint intelligence units in order to tackle illegal migration. (Rompres - 01/03/02)

US Lobbyist: Bulgaria and Romania Could Only Enter NATO Together

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The chairman of the US Committee on NATO Enlargement, Bruce Jackson, says only the simultaneous entry of Romania and Bulgaria would make strategic sense, especially with the support of their neighbouring NATO members Turkey and Greece. Jackson wrapped up a three-day visit to Sofia on Saturday (2 March), and says he urged leaders to press ahead with reforms, both military and social.

On Friday meanwhile, NATO chief George Robertson sent a message congratulating Albania’s new cabinet and vowed "NATO will continue to support the reforms in Albania and efforts towards consolidation into democratic institutions". He said that speeding up the process of meeting NATO standards should be a priority. (ATA, BalkanWeb - 02/03/02; BTA, Bulgarian National Radio, BBC - 01/03/02)

Bulgarian and Serb Police Chiefs Meet in Sofia

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The chief secretary of Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, Boyko Borisov and the head of Serbia's Police Directorate Milorad Simic met in Sofia on Friday (1 March, the first such meeting of its kind between senior interior ministry officials. They agreed that their two countries have very similar problems with trans-border human trafficking and smuggling of goods, adding that co-operation between their institutions is key. They also agreed on the need for more active exchange of information. (BTA - 01/03/02)

Croatia's Ruling Parties to Continue Talks on Future of Coalition

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Croatia's five ruling parties will meet again Tuesday (5 March), in a bid to resolve differences within the coalition. They met Friday night, to discuss the future of the coalition in light of last week’s resignations of six cabinet ministers from the Croatian Social Liberal Party. Prime Minister Ivica Racan pointed out that the stability of the government would depend on the ability of the parties to resolve the current situation. (HINA - 01/03/02)