Chronologies General Chronology of the Mediterranean The general chronology presented continues to weaken and early elec- on 3rd July, after the scandal provoked here assembles details of the most tions are announced. by his insinuations about the assassi- Appendices relevant events that have taken place nation of the government labour con- in each of the states of the Mediter- Spain sultant, Marco Biagi. ranean region between July 2002 and • On 23rd July, President Carlo June 2003. The episodes are organ- • On 16th July, in the French depart- Aseglio Ciampi denounces the conflict ised according to the months in which ment of Les Landes four people are between Prime Minister Silvio Berlus- they happened, and each month is arrested and accused of belonging to coni’s political duties and his power 2003 headed by a schematic selection of ETA. In Paris, a court sentences ex- over the media. The President calls for news items; and accounts are given commander of ETA, Francisco Javier legislation that will assure its pluralism Med. of the most significant events in the dif- García Gaztelu, alias Txapote, to ten and impartiality. ferent countries. Furthermore, the es- years in prison for the planning of ter- tablishment of the African Union is in- rorist acts. Croatia cluded, as well as the monthly section • On 18th July, the French police, in that includes a segment about the Eu- collaboration with the Spanish Civil • After a crisis in the coalition gov- ropean Union, whose power and ini- Guard, arrest eight alleged members ernment, the reformist Prime Minister tiatives have a decisive influence on of the urban guerrilla group, the First of Ivica Racan resigns on 5th July, pub- 238-239 the Mediterranean area. October Anti-fascist Resistance Group licly expressing his wish to set up a (Grupo de Resistencia Antifascista new cabinet and continue to move for- Primero de Octubre or GRAPO), in- ward with key reforms until the general July 2002 cluding their suspected leader, Fer- elections set for 2004. On 30th July, nando Hierro Txomon. the Chamber of Representatives (the In what is believed to be a new act of lower chamber of the bicameral legis- the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), thir- France lature) approves the formation of a new ty-eight people die when a bomb ex- government led by Racan. plodes in Algeria. The neighbouring • A man linked to extreme right-wing • On 12th July, the UN Security Coun- country of Morocco frees more pris- groups fires shots at President Jacques cil approves resolution 1434 (2002), oners from the Polisario Front, and Chirac, on 14th July, during the Bastille thereby extending the term of the UN descends into shaky relations with Day celebrations in Paris. There are no Mission of Observers in Prevlaka, the Spain due to the occupation by Mo- injuries and the gunman is arrested. disputed peninsula between Croatia roccan soldiers of the tiny Spanish • Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Yugoslavia until 15th october. Perejil/Leila Island. In France, the and the Minister of Internal Affairs • On 31st July, Fikret Abdic, a Bos- Prime Minister and the Minister of In- Nicolas Sarkozy visit Corsica on 26th nian Muslim «warlord» and former con- ternal Affairs visit Corsica in an at- and 27th July in order to present their tender to the Bosnian presidency, is tempt to re-launch the island’s process plan for decentralisation to local lead- sentenced to twenty years in prison by toward autonomy. The EU announces ers, in an attempt to re-launch the a Croatian court after being found an important revision of the Common process of autonomy for Corsica that guilty of committing crimes against hu- Agricultural Policy (CAP), which they was initiated by the Jospin administra- manity during the war in Bosnia. will specify in the coming months, and tion and later immobilised by the Con- at the same time Bosnia and Herze- stitutional Council in January. Bosnia and Herzegovina govina serves as the setting for the United States´ refusal to be submitted Italy • At the beginning of July, the future to the recently created jurisdiction of of the SFOR and the UN Mission in the International Criminal Court. In • The Minister of Internal Affairs Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) Turkey, Bulent Ecevit´s government Claudio Scajola resigns from his post appears bleak, with the US threaten- ing to abandon peacekeeping opera- eral Republic of Yugoslavia. This will Cyprus tions in Bosnia due to a disagree- shorten President Milan Milutinovic’s ment about the recently created In- term so that he may be transferred to • On 10th July, two commanders and ternational Criminal Court. On 12th the ICTY, where he will be tried for war three officials of the Greek-Cypriot air July, the US is able to temporaly safe- crimes committed in the Serbian pro- force die in a helicopter crash in which guard its peacekeeping troops from vince of Kosovo. they were realising defensive exercises. any investigation or processing by the • On 18th July, Serbian the legisla- new court. This step allows the UN ture approves a law establishing a new Turkey Security Council to extend the man- intelligence agency with the purpose date of the SFOR and the UNMIBH of fighting organised crime. • On 2nd July, a group of armed men until 31st December. • In Montenegro, Prime Minister Filip assassinate Ahmet Cevat Sevigli, the • On 2nd July, in Pale, Republic of Vujanovic fails in his attempt to form a Kurdish mayor of the south-eastern Srpska, SFOR troops raid the home new government, resulting in the dis- city of Kayablagar, at his home. of Rodovan Karadzic, Serbian-Bosnian solution of the legislature on 19th July, • The deteriorating health of Prime leader who served during the war and and legislative elections are planned Minister Bulent Ecevit continues to who stands accused of war crimes by for 6th October. Vujanovic had seen a dominate the political agenda, while the ICTY. loss of support from two parties in favour the coalition in power keeps losing • On 8th July, the ICTY confirms that of independence due to his agreement support. On 31st July, the Great Na- Bosnian Serb Miroslav Deronjic has to replace Yugoslavia with a new dual tional Assembly decides to move the been transferred to their Detention Unit state: Serbia and Montenegro. elections forward by almost eighteen in The Hague, after being arrested the • On 22nd July, Miroljub Labus, cur- months, to be held in November. previous day by SFOR troops in Bra- rently the Deputy Prime Minister, an- tunac. He is accused of crimes against nounces that he will stand in the presi- Lebanon humanity and of violations of the laws dential elections. and customs of war. • On 11th July, three members of the • On 10th July, Bosnian Serb Radovan Macedonia intelligence service of the Lebanese Stankovic is transferred to the Hague army are killed near the Ain al-Hilweh Tribunal, after having been arrested • On 4th July, Stojan Andov, President Palestinian refugee camp, the largest the day before near Foca by the SFOR. of the Sobranje, the unicameral leg- in the country. They are murdered He is accused of crimes against hu- islative body, fixes elections for 15th while on a mission to arrest Lebanese manity and of violations of the laws September. The last elections were national, Badih Hamada (Abu Ubaya- and customs of war. held in October and November of 1998. da), suspected of being involved with • On 31st July, Milojica Kos is re- The assembly, in accordance with the Palestinian Islamic activists. The sus- leased early from the ICTY Detention Ohrid accords of 2001, approves pect is eventually turned in by a dele- Unit in accordance with an order from the use of the Albanian language in the gation of religious leaders. the President of the tribunal, Claude legislative sessions. • On 30th July, the UN Security Coun- Jorda, given the day before. Despite cil approves Resolution 1428 (2002), having been found guilty of crimes Albania therefore extending the mandate of the against humanity, torture and violations UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of the laws and customs of war, he was • On 24th July, Alfred Moisiu takes until 31st October 2003. freed due to his «willingness to reinte- over as president, replacing Rexhep grate into society; his determination Mejdani. On 25th July, Pandeli Majko Jordan not to re-offend; his good physical and of the Socialist Party of Albania (PSS) mental health; his exemplary behaviour resigns as Prime Minister and Moisiu • On 3rd July, the Executive Director during detention; his attachment to his immediately names Fatos Nano as new of the IMF approves a 97.2 million Euro family; and his probability of finding executive leader. On 31st July, the loan to Jordan in support of its econom- employment». This is the second such Popular Assembly, the unicameral leg- ic program. order made by the tribunal. islature, approves the formation of the • The Financial Times issue of 5th July Nano government. reports that Jordan has prevented a plot Yugoslavia to attack American and Israeli interests in Greece the country. The article states that collab- • On 8th July, the district court of orators in the plan were arrested some- Prokuplje in Serbia sentences Ivan • Police arrest fourteen members of time between April and June in Amman, Nikolic to eight years in prison for the 17th November terrorist group, in- and that the group was led by the Jor- killing two Albanian Kosovar in 1999. cluding its suspected leader, Alexan- danian Palestinian, Wail al-Shalabi. It is the first war crime case tried by a dros Yotopoulos, and assure that with Serbian court. this arrest they have dismantled the Egypt • On 18th July, early elections are group, which was founded after the mil- announced for 29th September in itary junta´s repression of student dis- • Saadeddin Ibrahim, the leading hu- Serbia, the largest republic of the Fed- sidence in November 1973.