Croatian parliament approves Sanader's resignation

03/07/2009

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Parliament on Thursday (July 2nd) approved the surprise resignation of Ivo Sanader from his post as prime minister. This starts the clock on up to 30 days of consultations before President Stipe Mesic taps a successor. The frontrunner is Sanader's choice, Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, of the senior ruling Croatian Democratic Union party.

Earlier, lawmakers adopted changes to a law that allows for an interim cabinet to function until the new prime minister is elected, a first for Croatia. Consultations with Mesic begin Friday. (HRT, HINA - 02/07/09)

Contested votes to be counted in Tirana

03/07/2009

TIRANA, Albania -- The Central Election Commission (CEC) decided on Thursday (July 2nd) to bring the last voting boxes from the Lezha and Fier regions and count the ballots live on national TV in Tirana. The final results are expected late Friday. Voting has been contested in Shkodra, Berat and Fier.

Results as of Thursday had the ruling coalition headed by the Democratic Party one seat short of the 71 needed to establish a government. The opposition Union for Change coalition has 66 seats, and the Socialist Movement for Integration has four.

In separate statements Thursday, both the Albanian Helsinki Committee and US Ambassador to Albania John Withers urged the CEC to conclude the vote count with dignity. (Top News, Alsat, Ora News, Shekulli, Telegrafi, Top Channel, News 24 - 03/07/09)

Serbia says Kosovo Serbs shouldn't vote

03/07/2009

BELGRADE, Serbia -- The government backed President Boris Tadic on Thursday (July 2nd), agreeing that minority Serbs in Kosovo should not participate in November local elections there. Tadic, leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DS), says conditions for Kosovo Serbs are inadequate and that their security cannot be guaranteed.

At a meeting Thursday, the Serbian cabinet concluded that the November elections will not be organised in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244, which puts Kosovo under UN control. The only dissent in Belgrade came from the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, a former faction within the DS. Party leader Cedomir Jovanovic says Belgrade should not have urged Kosovo Serbs to boycott the vote. (FoNet, Beta, Tanjug, B92 - 02/07/09)

Croatia joins NATO forces in Kosovo

03/07/2009

ZAGREB, Croatia -- The defence ministry announced on Thursday (July 2nd) that Croatia is joining NATO's forces in Kosovo, deploying a unit of 20 military officers and two helicopters. This marks the first NATO operation in the Balkans for Croatia, which joined the Alliance in April. Last month, NATO authorised the gradual reduction of its forces in Kosovo, which currently number 14,000 personnel. (AFP, HRT, Nacional - 02/07/09)

EU urges Macedonia to name integration minister

03/07/2009

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- EU Special Representative to Macedonia Erwan Fouere reiterated on Thursday (July 2nd) that the government should appoint a successor to resigning Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Ivica Bocevski as soon as possible. Fouere said he had stressed that during a meeting with Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. "We believe that it is very important to continue the process of reforms. An empty position in such an important institution may have negative impact," he said. Bocevski resigned on Tuesday, saying he has done all he can in the post. (Kirilica, MIA - 02/07/09)

BiH sentences former Serb police officer

03/07/2009

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- The war crimes court on Thursday (July 2nd) sentenced former Serb police officer Damir Ivankovic to 14 years in prison in connection with the murders of over 200 Muslims and Croats in August 1992. Ivankovic, 39, admitted involvement in the murders on Vlasic Mountain in central BiH. (AFP, Nezavisne Novine BTA - 02/07/09)

Greek media cancel strike after court ruling

03/07/2009

ATHENS, Greece -- A strike planned by the media Thursday (July 2nd) had to be cancelled after a court in Athens declared it illegal. The decision came shortly after the strike action began at noon, forcing a halt to it. Journalists were protesting the closing of two media outlets -- Eleftheros Typos newspaper and radio station City -- whose owners blamed the ongoing economic crisis. Protest organisers say they aren't giving up.

In other news, two powerful explosions shook central Athens early Friday. The first damaged cars and buildings at an intersection in the Ambelokipi district. Two newspapers received calls warning of the bomb, but no specific location was mentioned. The second blast caused heavy damage to the Hellenic Migration Policy Institute. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack yet. (Nafhtemporiki, Ethnos, Vima, Sky, AFP - 03/07/09; Focus - 02/07/09)

Cypriot leaders discuss reunification again

03/07/2009

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat held another round of talks aimed at reunifying the divided island Thursday (July 2nd). This one wrapped up the first stage of talks on the Territories chapter of the negotiations. The next session, in a week, will focus on security issues. (Famagusta Gazette - 03/07/09; Cyprus Mail, Zaman, UN news centre - 02/07/09)

Kosovo's Sejdiu downplays lack of recognition

03/07/2009

PRISTINA, Kosovo -- President Fatmir Sejdiu said on Thursday (July 2nd) he is not concerned about the relatively low number of countries that have recognised Kosovo's independence, or that none have in more than a month. "We cannot set the itineraries or the movements of states on decisions that they have to take," Sejdiu explained. "I never want to compare the developments with histories of other states ... however, I know that some countries from the former Yugoslavia had to wait up to six months for their first recognition," he added. (Koha Ditore, Telegrafi, Kohavision - 03/07/09)

Kosovo's Thaci blames judiciary for corruption

03/07/2009

PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on Thursday (July 2nd) that the fragile justice system in Kosovo is an obstacle to fighting corruption. He held a news conference to respond to democracy watchdog Freedom House's latest report, published on Tuesday. It described the judiciary as one of the weakest links in Kosovo's rule of law. "Despite the improvement in the legislation, there is a general lack of political will to fight corruption," the report warned. Thaci welcomed the analysis, saying it is the most positive report on Kosovo so far, because it went on to praise the young country for showing improvement in both local and national governance.

Also Thursday, during a debate in Pristina entitled "Traditional Judiciary in Kosovo", participants said reforms are essential for establishing a stable, democratic society where the rule of law and justice are respected. OSCE High Commissioner for Minorities Knut Vollebaek said his organisation is ready to help the reform process. He added that communication between communities is key to success in Kosovo.

EULEX Justice Component chief Alberto Perduca said that for countries in transition, it is crucial for those who have committed serious violations of human rights to be prosecuted. He added that in recent months, the Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office has been handling 63 war crimes cases. (Kosova Sot, Zeri, Express, Lajm - 03/07/09; RTK, TV 21 - 02/07/09)