Macedonia Protests Statement
by Kosovo Prime Minister
SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The Macedonian government reacted
angrily to a statement by Kosovo's newly elected prime minister, Bajram
Rexhepi, who said he did not recognise the border agreement between
Belgrade and Skopje. Macedonian Foreign Minister Skobodan Casule warned
that Rexhepi's words amounted to "a declaration of war". The
government in Skopje has sent letters of protest to the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council and is seeking clarification from
both Kosovo’s political leaders and UN administrator Michael Steiner.
In a separate development, Irena Guzelova, spokeswoman
for the EU special representative to Macedonia, is urging authorities in
Skopje to allow an independent international investigation into an
incident early Saturday that resulted in the deaths of seven terrorist
suspects. She said many of the details were unclear. (FoNet - 07/03/02;
AFP, A1 TV, MIA - 06/03/02)
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Steiner, Rexhepi Deny War Crimes
Allegations
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia -- Bajram Rexhepi, Kosovo's newly
elected prime minister, denied allegations that he was involved in war
crimes during the 1998-1999 conflict when he served as a field surgeon
in the Kosovo Liberation Army. According to media reports, the
accusations were made in two letters Serbian Deputy Prime Minister
Nebojsa Covic sent to Kosovo’s new UN administrator Michael Steiner.
Rexhepi accused Belgrade of attempting to destabilise his government.
Steiner says there is no evidence that could lead to charges.
Steiner met Covic for the first time in Pristina on
Wednesday (6 March) to discuss future co-operation between the province
and Serbia. Covic reported the Kosovo Serb coalition Return will decide
by the end of the week whether to participate in the new government. (FoNet
- 07/03/02; Reuters, AFP, B92, BBC, Tanjug - 06/03/02)
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Witness at Milosevic Trial Recounts
Grisly Discoveries
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A Kosovo Albanian human
rights activist took the stand Thursday (7 March) in Slobodan
Milosevic's trial and described gruesome murders and mutilation of
villagers by Serbian forces during a crackdown in 1998. Sabit Kadriu
worked for a group that supplies information about such atrocities to
the UN war crimes tribunal.
Wednesday, Milosevic lost his bid for temporary
release. The judges rejected his request, saying he was a flight risk.
He had argued he needs temporary freedom to better prepare his defence.
Earlier in the week, a small fire in a cafeteria at
The Hague prompted officials to postpone proceedings there for a day.
(Reuters - 07/03/02; CNN, AFP, AP, Reuters - 06/03/02; AFP, AP, Reuters
- 05/03/02)
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Still No Agreement Between Serbia
and Montenegro
PODGORICA, Yugoslavia -- The Serbian and Montenegrin
presidents failed to reach common ground on federation issues late
Tuesday (5 March) in Podgorica. The local FoNet agency reported that
Milo Djukanovic insists on keeping the euro, maintaining separate
customs agencies and regulations, and maintaining independent monetary
policies. The Montenegrin president did not, however, rule out the
possibility of postponing the independence referendum for a year. EU
security chief Javier Solana says he will stay away from the talks until
the two sides start making some headway.
Local media, meanwhile, reports that the Yugoslav
government is still far from reaching a final decision on co-operation
with the UN war crimes tribunal. Belgrade-based B92 Radio said Wednesday
that the working group assigned to the issue within the ruling coalition
has disbanded. (FoNet - 07/03/02; B92, BBC, Tanjug, SRNA - 06/03/02)
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Croatian Ruling Coalition Continues
Talks on Cabinet
ZAGREB, Croatia -- Talks among the five parties in
Croatia's ruling coalition continued Wednesday (6 March) in an attempt
to redefine the duties of new ministers, chief among them First Deputy
Prime Minister Drazen Budisa, who leads the Croatian Social Liberal
Party (HSLS). Still unclear is where former First Deputy Prime Minister
Goran Granic will end up in the reshuffle.
The state news agency HINA, meanwhile, reported
Wednesday that Croatia expects to join NATO's Membership Action Plan
(MAP) at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Reykjavik, Iceland, in
May. Zagreb reportedly hopes entry in MAP would mean another step
towards future full membership in the alliance. To that end, parliament
Wednesday approved the government’s bill on national security. The
measure restructures the existing Office for National Security into
three independent intelligence service units, more in line with NATO
standards.
Elsewhere Wednesday, Croatia signed Protocol 12 of the
Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Basic Freedoms. The
convention is regarded as the most important European instrument of its
kind, giving individuals the right to appeal directly to the European
Court for Human Rights. (Vecernji List, Jutarnji List, Vjesnik -
07/03/02; HINA, HRT, Infopress - 06/03/02)
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Bosnia Calls on Former Yugoslav
Countries to Ratify Succession Agreement
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- The
three-person BiH presidency Wednesday (6 March) urged the other former
Yugoslav republics to ratify the Agreement on Succession, signed in
Vienna last June. So far, only BiH and Macedonia have ratified the
document, which could jeopardise its implementation and regional
stability, in BiH's view.
Meanwhile, the BiH government unveiled a draft action
plan for combating corruption Wednesday. The World Bank and the Office
of the High Representative helped prepare the plan, which aims to
harmonise legislation already on the books in each entity. The plan has
already been approved by the BiH Council of Ministers and will now go to
parliament for final endorsement. (FTV, NTV Hayat - 06/03/02)
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Romanian Government Signs Social
Pact with Employers, Some Unions
BUCHAREST, Romania -- The government Wednesday (6
March) signed the Social Pact for 2002 with three trade union
federations and seven employer organisations. The deal sets some major
macroeconomic targets in accordance with commitments to the IMF. It
envisions a 25 per cent increase in the minimal gross wage, a 4 per cent
increase in real wages, and an unemployment rate of no more than 9.2 per
cent. The two major union federations, BNS and Cartel Alfa, still refuse
to sign the document, which may limit its effectiveness.
A parliament defence panel, meanwhile, approved a
measure spelling out regulations in the event US troops are deployed in
Romania. The initial document was signed in Washington in October. (Mediafax,
Rompres, BBC - 06/03/02)
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Bulgarian Parliament Speaker
Demands Albania Recognise Bulgarian Minority
TIRANA, Albania -- Ognyan Gerdjikov, speaker of the
Bulgarian parliament, met Wednesday (6 March) with his Albanian
counterpart Namik Dokle and demanded recognition of the Bulgarian
minority in Albania. Gerdjikov referred specifically to ethnic
Bulgarians in Liqenas, and requested they receive minority status as
provisioned in the Albanian constitution.
In Sofia, meanwhile, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg
met Wednesday with lawmakers from the National Movement Simeon II, the
ethnic Turk party Movement for Rights and Freedoms and the opposition
United Democratic Forces, urging all parties to unite in efforts to
accelerate legislation that will result in an invitation to join NATO. (Mediapool,
BTA - 06/03/02; Sega, Monitor, 24 Chasa - 05/03/02) |
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