DOCSLIB.ORG

Kosovo Monthly Review Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises May 2012

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kosovo Monthly Review Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises May 2012 CIVIL - MILITARY FUSION CEN TRE The Mediterranean Team Presents Kosovo Monthly Review Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises May 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE This document provides an overview of developments in Kosovo from 01—31 May with hyperlinks to source material highlighted and underlined in the text. For more information on the topics below or other Governance issues pertaining to the region, please contact the members of the Mediterranean Basin Team, or visit our Security website at www.cimicweb.org. Economic Development Humanitarian Affairs Governance Socio-Cultural Development Serbian Elections ABOUT THE CFC Tomislav Nikolic, the leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and former ultranationalist, won the runoff presidential election held 20 May with 50.21% of the vote over incumbent Presi- The Civil-Military Fusion Centre (CFC) is an information and dent Boris Tadic’s 46.77%, reports EurActive. SNS also won the most seats in the parliamentary knowledge management election on 06 May with 24%, or 73 of 250 seats, whereas Tadic’s Democratic Party won 67 organisation focused on improving seats and the Socialist Party of Serbia’s (SPS) won 44 seats. The 06 May election led to a contin- civil-military interaction, facilitating uance of the coalition between the Democratic Party and SPS, Southeast European Times information sharing and enhancing (SETimes) writes. SPS increased its representation by nearly 16%, becoming an important bloc situational awareness through the in the creation of a new and stable pro-EU government, in which Nikolic is committed to select- CimicWeb portal and our weekly ing Tadic as prime minister, as Tadic’s Democratic Party and party allies have managed to domi- and monthly publications. nate the new cabinet. AP writes that the position of prime minister holds more power than the CFC products link to and are based president; even so, Nikolic commented that he and Tadic “have one common goal and that is for on open-source information from a Serbia to move forward so that its citizens can live better,” further commenting that “I think that wide variety of organisations, you can view Serbia’s political stability in the future with much more optimism”. Nikolic added research centres and media sources. that “[t]here are no longer any bad guys in Serbia,” noting that Serbia is no longer a country of However, the CFC does not endorse political extremism, AP reports. and cannot necessarily guarantee the accuracy or objectivity of these Nikolic and Putin in Moscow Addressing parliament after taking his oath of sources. office, Nikolic made clear that Kosovo will not CFC publications are be abandoned, even though Nikolic will seek independently produced by further action into EU membership, reported the Desk Officers and do not news source B92. On 26 May, during his first reflect NATO policies or official visit to Russia, Nikolic emphasised in an positions of any other interview with Russia Today “Europe is a very organisation. attractive partner for Serbia and our country should fulfil almost all the conditions that the The CFC is part of NATO Allied EU imposes. This process should stop only if Command Operations. they ask us to renounce a part of our territory: I’m referring to Kosovo.” Nevertheless, Nikolic is open to a potential referendum giving autono- my to northern Kosovo, in order to receive an Source: Tanjug/RIA Novosti EU membership, as some EU diplomats have proposed. The EUobserver reported Nikolic will only accept the proposal if a Serbian majority CONTACT THE CFC vote backs a referendum. For further information, contact: Rule of Law EULEX reports that during the visit of Danish Minister for European Affairs, Nicolai Wammen, Ida Benfield, Asst. Desk Officer to the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) Headquarters, the acting head of EU- Linda Lavender, Team Lead LEX, Andy Sparks, emphasised that preferential treatment in the judicial system continues to be Mediterranean Team of concern in Kosovo. Mr. Sparks expressed, however, that Kosovo has seen improvement in its [email protected] police and customs sectors and aims to promote justice “through our mentoring, monitoring and advising the judges and prosecutors”. Beginning in June 2012, EULEX will begin decreasing its Kosovo Monthly Review total staff by 25% to 30%, including reductions in the number of EULEX police officers from 1,250 from 1,700 and local staff from 1,200 to 1,000 to prepare for complete withdrawal, reports the EUobserver. EULEX is withdrawing from Kosovo, as its mission to train local officials seems to have been a success. In a press conference on 25 May, EU Civilian Operations Commander Hansjoerg stated that “[i]t is time for Kosovo to take responsibility for themselves” going further to state “EULEX needs to adapt and needs to prepare its own disengagement from Kosovo”. Instead, EULEX will take on special investigations in the future, focusing on organ- ised crime, corruption, war crimes, and missing people, while NATO upholds security, reports EUobserver. The Albanian government approved a bill on 02 May giving EULEX teams unprecedented access into Albania to investigate the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)’s alleged harvesting of Serbian war prisoners’ organs, Balkan Insight reports. Albanian leadership expressed its support of a thorough investigation into allegations. Israeli citizen Moshe Harel has been arrested in Israel and charged with illegal organ trafficking in Kosovo, according to Adnkronos International. In 2008, Mr. Harel fled Kosovo after being arrested on suspicions that he organised an international ring for the illegal trafficking of organs. A Turkish doctor, Yusuf Sonmz, and the owner of the Pristina-based Medicus clinic, Lufto Dervishi, have also been indicted for their involvement in about 30 illegal organ transplants carried out at the clinic and are currently on trial. Adnkronos International reports that although some organ recipients paid up to EUR 100,000 for organs, donors who are primarily impover- ished Eastern Europeans, were often not paid although promised EUR 15,000. Eight people were arrested by Serbian Police in predominantly ethnic Albanian towns near Kosovo’s border with southern Serbia on 04 May, according to AP. Five of those arrested are suspected of committing war crimes against Serbian civilians during a 2001 con- flict. A source tells AP that two leading suspects, also accused of war crimes, are still free and assumed to reside in Kosovo. Further- more, AFP reports that Kosovo police and EULEX have arrested four former and current special police officers for their connection to the 2007 “Bill Clinton Boulevard bombing” of a café in Pristina, which killed two and wounded 12 others. It was widely under- stood that the bombing was an act of revenge against the café owner, a mob boss assumed to have killed a police officer. On 18 May, Balkan Insight reports that Kosovo police arrested J. Miljkovic of Serbian ethnicity in connection with the sabotage of a police checkpoint at the site of last month’s deadly bombing in Mitrovica. Approximately 50 Serbs protesting the arrests blocked a street to an ethnically-diverse neighbourhood in north Mitrovica. During the week of 21 May, six people were arrested, charged with petrol smuggling, Balkan Insight reports. EULEX suspects Zvinko Veselinovic, a Kosovo Serb businessman, is part of the smuggling scheme; Veselinovic and his brother are wanted for murder and have nine pending charges. According to Balkan Insight, the smug- gling extended from northern to southern Kosovo. Jeta Xharra, “Life in Kosovo” The prosecutor from the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office (SPRK), working under EU- LEX, confirmed on 04 May that Infopress was indicted for making threatening statements on behalf of Mayor Lushtaku, who is also facing charges, writes Balkan Insight. In 2009, both the newspaper and the mayor allegedly made threats and defamatory comments to- wards BIRN Kosovo Director Jeta Xharra, who aired a controversial programme called “Life in Kosovo”. The programme reported on the problems of freedom of speech in the country. In the aftermath, Balkan Insight reports that an article in Infopress claimed “Jeta has herself chosen not to live a long life” further stating that Ms. Xharra is a “servant of the Serbian police.” Many news agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had de- manded a criminal investigation into the harassments of Ms. Xharra by Infopress. Source: BIRN Kosovo politician Fatmir Limaj, an ethnic Albanian and former KLA commander, has been exonerated of torture and killing of Serb detainees in 1999 by a Kosovo court under the supervision of EULEX, reports BBC. According to BBC, the verdict came after a key witness committed suicide while under witness protection in Germany. Mr. Limaj was also acquitted of war crimes in 2005 by a UN court. The Serbian prosecutor called the verdict “shameful and unjust”, and questioned whether anyone in Kosovo will ever be con- victed for crimes against the Serbs. Recognition of Kosovo Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci recently stated to a Sarajevo newspaper that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) should recognise Kosovo as an independent state to promote “regional stability,” reports SETimes. However, the President of Republika Srpska1 Mi- lorad Dodik disagrees, arguing that “Kosovo is a source of a long-lasting instability in the region” and comments that “[t]he recogni- tion has been supported by great powers wanting to punish Serbia and the Serbian people” and as such, “Kosovo cannot get a legiti- mate recognition form Republika Srpska.” In 2011, Kosovo applied customs fees on Serbian and BiH merchandise to counter Serbia 1According to the U.S. Department of State, Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into two regions, Republika Srpska which is predominantly Serb and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina which is predominantly Bosniak and Croat in composition. May 2012 Page 2 Kosovo Monthly Review and BiH non-recognition of Kosovo’s customs seal, SETimes writes.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Violence Against Kosovar Albanians, Nato's
    VIOLENCE AGAINST KOSOVAR ALBANIANS, NATO’S INTERVENTION 1998-1999 MSF SPEAKS OUT MSF Speaks Out In the same collection, “MSF Speaking Out”: - “Salvadoran refugee camps in Honduras 1988” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - December 2013] - “Genocide of Rwandan Tutsis 1994” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - April 2014] - “Rwandan refugee camps Zaire and Tanzania 1994-1995” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - April 2014] - “The violence of the new Rwandan regime 1994-1995” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - April 2014] - “Hunting and killings of Rwandan Refugee in Zaire-Congo 1996-1997” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [August 2004 - April 2014] - ‘’Famine and forced relocations in Ethiopia 1984-1986” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [January 2005 - November 2013] - “MSF and North Korea 1995-1998” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [January 2008 - 2014] - “War Crimes and Politics of Terror in Chechnya 1994-2004” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [June 2010 -2014] -”Somalia 1991-1993: Civil war, famine alert and UN ‘military-humanitarian’ intervention” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2013] Editorial Committee: Laurence Binet, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Marine Buissonnière, Katharine Derderian, Rebecca Golden, Michiel Hofman, Theo Kreuzen, Jacqui Tong - Director of Studies (project coordination-research-interviews-editing): Laurence Binet - Assistant: Berengere Cescau - Transcription of interviews: Laurence Binet, Christelle Cabioch, Bérengère Cescau, Jonathan Hull, Mary Sexton - Typing: Cristelle Cabioch - Translation into English: Aaron Bull, Leah Brummer, Nina Friedman, Imogen Forst, Malcom Leader, Caroline Lopez-Serraf, Roger Leverdier, Jan Todd, Karen Tucker - Proof reading: Rebecca Golden, Jacqui Tong - Design/lay out: - Video edit- ing: Sara Mac Leod - Video research: Céline Zigo - Website designer and webmaster: Sean Brokenshire.
    [Show full text]
  • Information Imbalances: Communications and The
    "INFORMATION IMBALANCES": Communications and the Developing World Shashi Tharoor* A Latin American newspaper ignores a historic economic conference between the under-developed nations and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in order to play up the opening of a New York photographic exhibition by Caroline Kennedy. On a single day a newspaper in India devotes three times the wordage to Princess Anne's fall from a horse than it has accorded neighboring Sri Lanka Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike in a week. The South China Morning Post prints Peking-watcher stories written in Hong Kong by New York Times correspondents whose copy is cabled back after being edited in the United States. A Kuwaiti learns about political developments in Thailand from reports by a transnational' news agency based in New York. These are "information imbalances," the international media's latest cause for concern, a concept referring to the disequilibria in the structure of communication that result in the preponderance of Western, and specifically American, sources of information in the world today. The post-World War II enthusiasm for democratic principles, which caused the ideals of a free press to be enshrined almost univer- sally, has abated considerably in recent years. With the Third World's ' ' 2 acquisition of an "international class-consciousness these principles the 1975-76 *Shashi Tharoor (MA 1976), a candidate for the MALD at The Fletcher School, won Kripalani Award forJournalism in India. the big four news agencies 1. The numerous authorities consulted differ on whether to term This article uses both locutions, (Reuters, AP, UPI, AFP) "multinationals" or "transnationals." that these agencies are not "inter- interchangeably; the only important distinction to note is national frontiers.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Information in The
    Environmental information in the A journalist’sMediterranean guide to key questions and institutions CREDITS The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or Agencia EFE, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, Agencia EFE or other participating organizations. Reproduction of this publication for educational and other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the sources are fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. This publication was funded by MAVA Foundation. Published by: IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and Agencia EFE Produced by: IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Málaga, Spain; Agencia EFE, Madrid, Spain. Written and coordinated by: Catalina Arévalo and Lourdes Lázaro Marín Review: Andrés Alcántara, Juan María Calvo, Ignacio Fernández Bayo, Alain Jeudy, Arturo Larena, Sonsoles San Román y Carla Danelutti Citation: Arévalo, C., Lázaro Marín L. et al. 2016. ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. A journalist’s guide to key questions and institutions. Gland, Switzerland, and Malaga and Madrid, Spain. IUCN and Agencia EFE. 96 pp Translations: Sonsoles San Román English proofreading: C. Tribe Design: porfinlunes.es Printed by: Solprint S. L. (Málaga) ISBN: 978-2-8317-1830-9 Available from: www.iucn.org/mediterranean, www.efeverde.com © 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and Agencia EFE Acknowledgements The present document is the result of a first step of collaboration with the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies and its environmental and scientific journalists.
    [Show full text]
  • UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo Order Online
    UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo Order online Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Glossary 1. Executive Summary The 1999 Offensive The Chain of Command The War Crimes Tribunal Abuses by the KLA Role of the International Community 2. Background Introduction Brief History of the Kosovo Conflict Kosovo in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kosovo in the 1990s The 1998 Armed Conflict Conclusion 3. Forces of the Conflict Forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Army Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs Paramilitaries Chain of Command and Superior Responsibility Stucture and Strategy of the KLA Appendix: Post-War Promotions of Serbian Police and Yugoslav Army Members 4. march–june 1999: An Overview The Geography of Abuses The Killings Death Toll,the Missing and Body Removal Targeted Killings Rape and Sexual Assault Forced Expulsions Arbitrary Arrests and Detentions Destruction of Civilian Property and Mosques Contamination of Water Wells Robbery and Extortion Detentions and Compulsory Labor 1 Human Shields Landmines 5. Drenica Region Izbica Rezala Poklek Staro Cikatovo The April 30 Offensive Vrbovac Stutica Baks The Cirez Mosque The Shavarina Mine Detention and Interrogation in Glogovac Detention and Compusory Labor Glogovac Town Killing of Civilians Detention and Abuse Forced Expulsion 6. Djakovica Municipality Djakovica City Phase One—March 24 to April 2 Phase Two—March 7 to March 13 The Withdrawal Meja Motives: Five Policeman Killed Perpetrators Korenica 7. Istok Municipality Dubrava Prison The Prison The NATO Bombing The Massacre The Exhumations Perpetrators 8. Lipljan Municipality Slovinje Perpetrators 9. Orahovac Municipality Pusto Selo 10. Pec Municipality Pec City The “Cleansing” Looting and Burning A Final Killing Rape Cuska Background The Killings The Attacks in Pavljan and Zahac The Perpetrators Ljubenic 11.
    [Show full text]
  • WATCH February 2019 Foreign News & Perspectives of the Operational Environment
    community.apan.org/wg/tradoc-g2/fmso/ Foreign Military Studies Office Volume 9 Issue #2 OEWATCH February 2019 FOREIGN NEWS & PERSPECTIVES OF THE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT EURASIA INDO-PACIFIC 3 Radios in the Russian Ground Forces 21 Chinese Military Launches Largest-Ever Joint Logistics 50 IRGC: Iran Can Extend Ballistic Missile Range 5 Northern Fleet Will Receive Automated C&C System Exercise 51 Turkey to Create Space Agency Integrating Air, Land and Sea 23 Luo Yuan Describes an Asymmetric Approach to Weaken 52 Iran’s Army Aviation Gets UAV Unit 6 The Inflatable Sentry the United States 53 Turkey to Sell ATAK Helicopters to the Philippines 7 The S-350 Vityaz Air Defense System 25 Military-Civil Fusion Cooperation in China Grows in the 54 Chinese Military and Commercial Cooperation with Tunisia 8 Bigger is Better: The T-80BVM Tank Modernization Field of Logistics 10 The Power Struggle for Control of Russia’s Arctic 27 Chinese Military Completes Release of New Set of Military AFRICA 11 The Arctic Will Have Prominent Role in 2019 Operational- Training Regulations 55 Anger in Sudan: Large Protests Against al-Bashir Regime Strategic Exercise “Center” 28 China Defends Xinjiang Program 56 Africa: Trouble Spots to Watch in 2019 12 Preparation for the 2019 Army International Games 29 Is Pakistan Acquiring Russian Tanks? 57 Can Businessmen Bring Peace in Gao, Mali? 13 Cossacks – Hybrid Defense Forces 30 Russia to Deploy Additional Anti-Ship Missile Batteries 58 Chinese Weapons in Rwanda 14 Update on Military Church Construction Near Japan by 2020
    [Show full text]
  • State Policy in the Arctic
    INFORMATION DIGEST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARCTIC October 2020 KEY TOPICS: NORTHERN SEA ROUTE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE NORTH STATE POLICY IN THE ARCTIC 30 October 2020, TASS Alexander Krutikov: large economic projects will appear in almost all Arctic regions “The system of preferences that exists in the Arctic is different from the one in the Far East. <…> The first block of support measures was put into operation. It is meant for large economic projects that significantly change the economic environment. <…> Such projects are planned for practically every Arctic region,” shared Deputy Minister for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Alexander Krutikov during the roundtable organized by the Ministry and the Roscongress Foundation. The second block applies to small and medium businesses. It offers premium rebates: when a small business becomes a resident of the Arctic zone, its premium rate goes as low as 3.025%. The third block includes non-tax measures. tass.ru/ekonomika/9876979 26 October 2020, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, TASS, RIA Novosti, Regnum, etc. Vladimir Putin approved Arctic Zone Development Strategy President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the Arctic Zone Development Strategy and ensuring national security until 2035. Within the next three months, the Government will need to approve a unified action plan to implement the basics of the state policy in the Arctic and the afore-mentioned strategy. The Government will report on their status annually. rg.ru/2020/10/26/putin-utverdil-strategiiu-razvitiia-arkticheskoj-zony.html 26 October 2020, TASS Public Council of Russia’s Arctic Zone is chaired by President of Russian Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the North Grigory Ledkov, President of the Russian Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, is now the Chairman of the Public Council of Russia’s Arctic Zone.
    [Show full text]
  • Judo Star Carries Kosovo Hopes for Gold at First Olympics
    SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016 SPORTS US sailor lends hand to clean Rio’s bay before Games RIO DE JANEIRO: Bobbing on Rio de bish from the Bay which is clogged by held. Two academic studies seen by down in the competition. Inea has the situation considerably, but that more Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay in a blue and sewage from some 15 municipalities, Reuters in June showed the waters were deployed 12 green eco-boats - each with needed to be done. white fishing boat, American sailor Brad home to some 9 million people. “I decid- infected by drug-resistant super bacteria a wire metal scoop on the front that lifts Inea has appealed to Rio’s citizens to Funk uses a plastic bin to scoop rubbish ed that if I am not going to compete, I and microbes normally found only in hos- rubbish out of the water and into its hull. stop throwing waste into canals and into from the waters where Olympic sailing want the sailors to not have problems pitals. The State Environmental Agency It has also placed 17 red floating eco-bar- the bay. On the airplane over to Rio, races will take place next month. when they sail,” he told Reuters. “I love (Inea), which is conducting daily monitor- riers across the mouth of rivers and canals Funk met Camila Avelar who decided to Funk missed out on his dream of com- Rio, and it is very important to me that ing of water quality with the help of the feeding the bay, which collect debris volunteer to help his effort, hoping to peting in Rio 2016 in the two-man 49er the Olympic Games is a success and the World Health Organization (WHO), insists floating on the water’s surface.
    [Show full text]
  • Media News Bulletin 11
    Issue No. 11, August 20 – September 02, 2011 Content Wikileaks publishes cables on adoption of the Law on Information in September 2009 – Serbian Progressive Party dissatisfied with media reporting in Zrenjanin – Miodrag Isakov condemns lack of freedom in the media – Verdict against priest who threatened journalist is annulled – Three trials for two articles published in Borske Novine – Draft Media Strategy is completed – Media Strategy is delivered to Committee composed of state officials – Committee to deliver its opinion until September 5 – Draft Media Strategy is kept confidential – New draft unacceptable to UNS and NUNS – Media Strategy is expected on September 15 – RTS refuses to broadcast film Haircut – Beta correspondent from Russia is seriously injured – Russian police refuses to investigate – Investigation in Russia launched after protest by UNS, NUNS, SEEMO and the Embassy of Serbia . 20th anniversary of the Prozor protest – the longest and largest protest against lack of freedom in the media – TV Pink postpones boycott of Croatia – Newspaper circulation in Serbia drops in the first half-year – Croatian TV host on TV Pink . Only three verdicts related to violations of advertising limits – Ombudsman of the Province of Vojvodina opposes privatization – Telecom Serbia buys four Arena Sport channels – Pink negotiates sale of TV to SBB – SBB issues denial . Dragan Velikic is a new honorary member of NUNS – RATEL approves Rulebook on Transfer of Phone Numbers – RATEL approves 48 licenses for internet voice services . Media Center
    [Show full text]
  • SERBIA Jovanka Matić and Dubravka Valić Nedeljković
    SERBIA Jovanka Matić and Dubravka Valić Nedeljković porocilo.indb 327 20.5.2014 9:04:47 INTRODUCTION Serbia’s transition to democratic governance started in 2000. Reconstruction of the media system – aimed at developing free, independent and pluralistic media – was an important part of reform processes. After 13 years of democratisation eff orts, no one can argue that a new media system has not been put in place. Th e system is pluralistic; the media are predominantly in private ownership; the legal framework includes European democratic standards; broadcasting is regulated by bodies separated from executive state power; public service broadcasters have evolved from the former state-run radio and tel- evision company which acted as a pillar of the fallen autocratic regime. However, there is no public consensus that the changes have produced more positive than negative results. Th e media sector is liberalized but this has not brought a better-in- formed public. Media freedom has been expanded but it has endangered the concept of socially responsible journalism. Among about 1200 media outlets many have neither po- litical nor economic independence. Th e only industrial segments on the rise are the enter- tainment press and cable channels featuring reality shows and entertainment. Th e level of professionalism and reputation of journalists have been drastically reduced. Th e current media system suff ers from many weaknesses. Media legislation is incom- plete, inconsistent and outdated. Privatisation of state-owned media, stipulated as mandato- ry 10 years ago, is uncompleted. Th e media market is very poorly regulated resulting in dras- tically unequal conditions for state-owned and private media.
    [Show full text]
  • Annex 4: Mechanisms in Europe
    ANNEX 4: MECHANISMS IN EUROPE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA Conflict Background and Political Context The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) emerged from World War II as a communist country under the rule of President Josip Broz Tito. The new state brought Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Albanians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, and Slovenes into a federation of six separate republics (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) and two autonomous provinces of Serbia (Kosovo and Vojvodina). Ten years after Tito’s death in 1980, the country was in economic crisis and the mechanisms he had designed to both repress and balance ethnic demands in the SFRY were under severe strain. Slobodan Milošević had harnessed the power of nationalism to consolidate his power as president of Serbia. The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolved in January 1990, and the first multiparty elections were held in all Yugoslav republics, carrying nationalist parties to power in Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia.1763 Meanwhile, Milošević and his political allies asserted control in Kosovo, Vojvodina, and Montenegro, giving Serbia’s president de facto control over four of the eight votes in the federal state’s collective presidency. This and the consolidation of Serbian control over the Yugoslav People’s Army (YPA) heightened fears and played into ascendant nationalist feelings in other parts of the country. Declarations of independence by Croatia and Slovenia on June 25, 1991, brought matters to a head. Largely homogenous Slovenia succeeded in defending itself through a 10-day conflict that year against the Serb-dominated federal army, but Milošević was more determined to contest the independence of republics with sizeable ethnic Serb populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia's Role in the Balkans – Cause for Concern?
    Russia’s Role in the Balkans – Cause for Concern? By David Clark and Dr Andrew Foxall June 2014 Published in June 2014 by The Henry Jackson Society The Henry Jackson Society 8th Floor, Parker Tower 43-49 Parker Street London WC2B 5PS Registered charity no. 1140489 Tel: +44 (0)20 7340 4520 www.henryjacksonsociety.org © The Henry Jackson Society 2014 The Henry Jackson Society All rights reserved The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and are not necessarily indicative of those of The Henry Jackson Society or its Trustees Russia’s Role in the Balkans – Cause for Concern? By David Clark and Dr Andrew Foxall All rights reserved Front Cover Image: Welding first joint of Serbian section of South Stream gas pipeline © www.gazprom.com Russia’s Role in the Balkans – Cause for Concern? AUTHOR | AUTHOR By David Clark and Dr Andrew Foxall June 2014 Russia’s Role in the Balkans – Cause for Concern? About the Authors David Clark is Chair of the Russia Foundation and served as Special Adviser at the Foreign Office 1997-2001. Dr Andrew Foxall is Director of the Russia Studies Centre at The Henry Jackson Society. He holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford. i Russia’s Role in the Balkans – Cause for Concern? The Henry Jackson Society The Henry Jackson Society is a cross-partisan think-tank based in London. The Henry Jackson Society is a think tank and policy-shaping force that fights for the principles and alliances which keep societies free – working across borders and party lines to combat extremism, advance democracy and real human rights, and make a stand in an increasingly uncertain world.
    [Show full text]
  • 882329.En Pe 476.499
    Question for written answer E-010256/2011 to the Commission Rule 117 Pino Arlacchi (S&D), Guido Milana (S&D), Vincent Peillon (S&D), Victor Boştinaru (S&D), Evgeni Kirilov (S&D), Fiorello Provera (EFD) and Mario Mauro (PPE) Subject: VP/HR - EULEX witness protection program In the answer to question E–004539/2011 of 10 May 2011 (by Pino Arlacchi) about the protection of witnesses and judges in Kosovo, the Vice-President/High Representative stated: ‘EULEX has developed a highly professional witness security unit, able to offer protection to witnesses and where appropriate seek relocation out of Kosovo. Experience has shown that the mission is capable of handling high-level and sensitive cases involving protected witnesses’. Agim Zogaj, a key witness in the war crimes trial against Fatmir Limaj, a top former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (now one of the most powerful politicians in the country), was found dead last week in the German city of Duisburg. Fatmir Limaj has been under house arrest since last September, awaiting trial on charges of killing and torturing Serbian and Albanian prisoners during the Kosovo war. Mr Zogaj was under witness protection from the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). The inability of EULEX to protect Mr Zogaj is an appalling failure that has cast strong doubts over international efforts to establish the rule of law in the region. EULEX has declined to comment on the death and issued only a short statement saying that ‘witness protection and security are extremely sensitive issues and we will not confirm nor deny any operational details’.
    [Show full text]