Serbia, Weapons factory opens in central town

Source: Tanjug

VELIKA PLANA -- First Deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić opened a plant for production of complex weapons systems in the central Serbian town of Velika Plana on Saturday.

Aleksandar Vučić is seen in Velika Plana

“The biggest job of this and every future government is to employ people. We have already shown that this can be done with our own means, strength and intelligence,” Vučić, who is also a defense minister, said.
Economy and Finance Minister Mlađan Dinkić said that the military industry was a great export chance for Serbia.

He added that the government will invest additional funds in the military industry in the following period.

He said that 30 cooperators would work for the new plant, including Prva petoletka, FAP, FADIP and Metal sistemi.

“The Finance Ministry will together with the Defense Ministry, Serbian Army and SDPR plant make a plan in order to determine how many military equipment Serbia could sell in the world and how to employ the domestic economy as much as possible,” the minister said.

The factory will have around 100 employees and will produce BOV M10, BOV M11 armored carriers, Nora B-52 self-propelled howitzers and it is expected to produce Lazar 1 and Lazar 2 transporters in cooperation with Russian partners in the future.

Continues the Berisha`s program for nationalism 
 
Berisha: "Do not be afraid of the Albanian nationalism is the most civilized"
Nobody should be afraid of Albanian nationalism, which is inspired by the fundamental values ​​of freedom and democracy, said Prime Minister Sali Berisha of Albania in the event Albanian government for the Albanian Media.

 'Despite the fact that the end of the last century and until now we go through the worst storms nationalism, Albanian nationalism is more civilized and inspired only by freedom "Berisha said.
Albanian Prime Minister underlined the contribution of the media, which "shed light on historical truth" and expressed confidence that in the same way and will promote the process of unification of Albanians and their association with Europe.

 Among other Berisha stressed that the government led has made great efforts were crowned with success.

 "This year we were fortunate to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the independence of Albania and tried by all means and capabilities to honor the place in this 100th anniversary. The Albanians celebrated with dignity and united, dynamic and celebrated more beautiful than ever Independence Day and I am confident that this positive energy will push forward the process of union between us and the union with Europe, "Berisha said.

Lagarde List Heads For Parliament (VIDEO)

Lagarde List Heads For Parliament (VIDEO)

VIDEO - Extensive report on SKAI channel with Nikos Evangelatos at 21 minutes into the video

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmHgxU394HiIAsN1fMegqzw?annotation_id=channel%3Ad1981458-1160-2836-942d-e0cd230a6&feature=iv&src_vid=d_PpMB4D5Dg

The authentic copy of a list of Greeks with sizeable bank accounts at a Swiss branch of HSBC, resent by French authorities following a request made by Greece through official channels, was finally forwarded to Parliament on Friday. The information, dubbed the 'Lagarde list', will be added to other evidence sent to Parliament in the context of an investigation of a possible political involvement to hide serious tax evasion.

Financial prosecutors Grigoris Peponis and Spyros Mouzakitis had earlier delivered the list to their superiors at the Supreme Court so that it might be sent on to Parliament but they were both absent when it arrived, so the list was secured in the office of Supreme Court Prosecutor Ioannis Tentes.

On Friday a meeting at Tentes' office would be held with Supreme Court Deputy Prosecuture Nikos Pantelis, the immediate supervisor of the two financial prosecutors, to discuss the list and its contents. The document is then to be sent to Parliament via the justice ministry.

The existence of the 'Lagarde list' first came to light some months ago when former finance minister Evangelos Venizelos produced a copy of it on a portable flash drive that had been in his possession for roughly a year. The original list had been sent to his predecessor at the finance ministry, George Papakonstantinou, in the form of a CD that has not been found and of which there is no record.

The discovery of the list launched an investigation into whether the names on the list might be guilty of tax evasion and extensive speculation as to why its existence had not been revealed earlier. There was also speculation that the original list sent from France may have been tampered with, prompting Greek authorities to request that a second copy of the list be sent from France and turned over to the two financial prosecutors investigating the case.

There is no information at present on whether a comparison of the first list in the hands of the prosecutors and the second sent from France has yielded any new evidence. The process of comparing the two lists has now been completed and the two prosecutors intend to review all the material in the case file over the next few days in order to determine whether further action must be taken with regard to non-politicians implicated in the case, namely the two former heads of the finance ministry's financial crimes' squad SDOE that have been called to testify as suspects.

Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to investigate the people named in the list to determine whether they can account for the provenance of the funds they have sent abroad.

Three names on the new list sent to Greece by French authorities containing the names of Greek depositors at a branch of HSBC in Geneva are linked to former Finance Minister Giorgos Papakonstantinou, SKAI television reported on Friday. According to their report, the new list contains three additional names to the 200-odd on the original record. These three names are allegedly connected to Papakonstantinou, who had received the original list, and one of the three is said to have deposits at HSBC in Geneva of more than $1.22 million. Sources told SKAI television that no other new names appeared on the new list that is being investigated by financial prosecutors. But again, this is just lots of buzz and nothing has been confirmed by competent authorities.

References
AMNA
SKAI Television

Sfakianakis: Politicians Should Face Trial "We Live In A Dictatorship"

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2012/12/sfakianakis-politicians-should-face.html

Greek politicians who have managed public funds from 1974 and onwards and who have or were implicated in scandals should be tried for treason says outspoken and famous singer Notis Sfakianakis. In an interview to the "Espresso" newspaper at the weekend, Sfakianakis notes that the Greek people are living in "absolute dictatorship". To support his argument, he says citizens pay public servants but are robbed of services and dignity in return.

Not being afraid to show his frustration with the system, he said he also believes that every sort of "immunity should be abolished" and such rights should not be ever given again to lawmakers. "Why should (our) employees (referring to politicians) have immunity?"

At this point the reporter asked him if he advocates for a dictatorship type of government and Sfakianakis surprisingly answers that "what the dictators did (back in the late 60s and early 70s) was within the law". The Greek pop singer said that it was a period when order had finally won over anarchy and villainy in Greece. In his opinion, after the junta was toppled the powers of anarchy and chaos returned. Zooming to the present day, he says he supports the views of many parties such as SYRIZA, the Communist Party, the Golden Dawn or the Independent Greeks party, while he notes that he has no hangups about always speaking his mind and advocating for the truth and justice.

Macedonian opposition holds protest in Skopje

Source: Tanjug

SKOPJE -- A protest of the Macedonian opposition started in Skopje on Saturday and participants will then march the streets.

(Tanjug, file)

Police have set up barricades and are out in force.
The opposition has been blocking traffic in Skopje for four nights but organizers have announced that today’s protest will be the last one this year.

SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski has announced that the opposition will leave parliament and that they “will fight in the streets”. He also accused the government of making a “police state” out of Macedonia.

Crvenkovski has also announced that he may not participate in the local elections next March unless all democratic standards are fulfilled and guaranteed by international organizations.

Greek HSBC Swiss Account Holders “Lagarde List”

October 29, 2012 in Greece

The following is a list of 2,059 names of Greek citizens that have bank accounts with HSBC’s branch in Geneva, Switzerland.  The list was originally published by a Greek magazine called Hot Doc on October 27, 2012 resulting in the arrest of its editor Kostas Vaxevanis for “breach of privacy”.  These scanned images of the magazine were originally posted on the website of the Greek television program Zougla.  We have taken the images and converted them into a PDF file for easier viewing.  The original scanned images of the magazine are also available in a ZIP archive.  Thanks to Darker Net for pointing out the scanned images.

List of 2,059 names in PDF format	19 pages	Download (5.58 MB)
Scanned images of original publication in ZIP archive		Download (48 MB)

Tags: Greece, HSBC, Swiss Bank Accounts, Tax Evasion 9 Comments »

Related Material From the Archive:

1. Greek Debt Downgraded to Junk Status
2. More Riots as Greek Austerity Plan Passes
3. Goldman Sachs faces Fed inquiry over Greek crisis
4. GAO U.S. Agencies Are Not Able to Fully Account for U.S. Nuclear Material Located at Foreign Facilities
5. HSBC North American Unit Still Under Investigation for Money Laundering
6. One Tip is Enough to Put Your Name on Terror Watch List
7. Swiss Bank Indictment Details Tax Evasion Methods
8. DoD Develops Classified List of “Cyber Weapons”

Greatest security threats come from Kosovo

BELGRADE - Serbia's Defence Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said Serbia is committed to peace, but also exposed to numerous security threats and challenges, of which the greatest come from Kosovo, where there is always fear of the Albanians attacking the Serb population.

"Kosovo and everything happening there is our greatest security challenge. There is always fear and danger the Albanians could attack the Serbs. We hope international factors will prevent that, but also sense among Albanians," he told the magazine Odbrana.

He said that during his recent visit to the U.S., he asked Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to keep U.S. troops in Kosovo because they could then always protect the Serb population.
"We have confirmation from the U.S. that they will grant our request, before the decision by the NATO Council in February, which is very important to our country," Vucic noted.

He pointed out to the excellent cooperation with all the countries that have troops in Kosovo, stressing mutual understanding and awareness of the complicated nature of the situation, which was why it was important that KFOR guaranteed peace and safety for the Serb population.

The cooperation between the Armed Forces and Defence Ministry with other armies and ministries should create friendships, and Serbia's participation in numerous multinational operations indicated it belonged to the responsible part of the world.

Serbia uses Partnership for Peace to establish the best possible cooperation with many western countries, and it has formed a serious cooperation with the Russian military for the first time in 12 years, he noted. There are no great limits within the joint security and defence policy of the EU, he said, adding that it was separate from joining NATO and stressing that Serbia would work with everyone who put peace in Europe and a policy of peace and security as their chief goal.

As for cooperation in the Balkans and Southeast Europe, Vucic underscored that Serbia had to and wanted to cooperate, but that it should be on a completely real and rational basis.

Commenting on potential for new contracts for the defence industry and strengths of Serbia's military, Vucic said Serbia's products were in line with Russian and NATO standards.
"Thanks to the friendships we have made in Asia and Africa as well, we have good access to important markets and can take advantage of that," he explained.

About 1200 families from Himara with American citizenship, risk their properties

No care for the property of American citizens.
Names known as the former Director of the CIA, George Tenet, and the US representative of Congress (Republican),  Gus Billirakis, risking their families properties.

 Large surface, in the Himara Region, being robbed and recorded quickly, with the help of goverment institutions, and the Albanian courts

The U.S. government had forecast a deterioration of the situation of human rights and properties in Albania. The agreement between the U.S. Ambassador to the years 1994 - 1996 Joseph Like and Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, Ylber Vrioni, published for the first time.

Meanwhile, about 1200 families from Himara, American citizens, risking their fathers properties, if that does not interfere through the U.S. Department of State.

A process of registration of properties from OSCE funded by the EU (Greece, Switzerland and the Czech Republic), for The Himara and Lukovo Regions, threatens to be used by the Albanian Mafia, if that citizens who are interested, American citizens and European, will not react close to the respective states.

About 20 thousand is the number of citizens from Himara, with Greek citizenship, which at the same time, are the taxpayers of this project.

Meanwhile, property sales have increased by some real estate agencies, in Himara and Lukovo Region, for which confidential sources, shows that are included senior Albanian politicians.

Kakome, Dhraleo, Perivolo, Jala, Porto Palermo, Lukovo, are the epicenter of robbery of the properties.

50 percent of Brits would vote to leave EU, poll shows

Source: B92, The Guardian

LONDON -- More than a half of British citizens say they would vote to take Britain out of the EU if a referendum took place tomorrow, according to a Guardian/ICM poll.

(Beta/AP)

The public mood of Euroscepticism is hardening, according to the poll that finds 51 percent of respondents would vote to take Britain out of the EU, against just 40 percent who say they would vote to stay in.
This is the first time that poll results show that more than a half of British citizens are opposed to the EU, even though in autumn 2011 opinion was already leaning in the anti-European direction, by 49 percent against 40 percent.

The Guardian points out that the citizens’ stance toward Brussels has drastically changed in the last decade. When ICM asked a slightly differently worded question in May 2001, the public indicated that it wanted Britain to remain a member of Europe by 68 percent to 19 percent.

Even worse news for the pro-Europeans emerges when respondents were asked about how definite they were in their view, the paper writes.

Fully 36 percent say they would definitely vote to pull Britain out, against just 22 percent who definitely want to stay in. That compares with 18 percent who say they would probably want to stay in, and 15 percent who indicate that they would probably want to get out.

The deteriorating standing of the EU emerges at the end of a year in which it has won the Nobel peace prize for its success in bringing peace to a continent, but also – and perhaps more significantly – a year which has been marked by the crisis of the single currency moving from an acute to a chronic phase, the Guardian writes.

When voters were asked to provide a "school report grade" for the work of various institutions, the EU was awarded a D+, somewhat worse than the C- average mark awarded to both David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1002 adults over the age of 18 by telephone on December 19-23, 2012.

smanalysisBalla: "Corruption is being legalized"
27/12/2012

The opposition reported in Parliament the law amends for public procurements. Taulant Balla argued that there is only one reason why the government rushed to pass these laws.

"They want to legalize a form of corruption that already exists in the public procurements. You want to hold public tenders with only one bidder, because you want to make these business agreements since January 3rd. All you want to do is to use the entire procurement fund before the elections", Balla declared.

According to the Socialist MP, the amends don't correct some of the major problems of the current law, and that it excludes once again the Ministry of Defence.

"Arben Imami keeps selling scrap materials without respecting the public procurement rules.  This is why you leave these legal gaps, so that he can sell the remaining scrap in the next six months before the elections", Balla added.

Another regulation that the current procurement law needed was the distribution of the public advertisement, which allows the government to distribute the funds without transparency.

"The public advertisement agreements are still excluded. The bidder can easily be evaluated through the number of viewers, and with no transparency, no one knows where is the money going. How can you spend 7 million USD to keep Alexander Frangaj's TV and Fahri Balliu's newspaper? This is the problem that the public advertisement has today", declared the Socialist MP.

The amends in the public procurement law do not regulate the relations between the contractor and the state, causing the unprecedented case that the government doesn't pay dozens of companies that have made public works. Balla declared that this shows that the amends were made only for corruption purposes.

Despite the arguments, the laws passed only with the majori

President on Kosovo resolution, NATO membership

Source: Beta, Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolić was answering citizens’ questions about Kosovo, NATO and other issues on RTS on Thursday night.

Tomislav Nikolić (Beta, file)

He said that he expected the parliament’s resolution on Kosovo to be adopted on January 11 and that it would have a majority support of MPs.
“I think parliament will on January 11 adopt the resolution that the platform is a part of and which will be slightly changed compared to the initial draft but principles will remain unchanged. Once parliament has adopted it, it will no longer be possible to change it and we can call it the Holy Bible from then on,” the president explained.

He expressed expectation that opposition representatives would show during the voting on the resolution that they were responsible.

“I did not expect I could propose something that Albanians would be satisfied with because that would be Kosovo’s independence but an ideal result would be that would leave neither Serbs nor Albanians dissatisfied,” Nikolić said.

Commenting on the monument to members of the so-called Liberation Army of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa (UCPMB; OVPMB) in the southern town of Preševo, he said that the authorities should remove the memorial if ethnic Albanian political leaders refused to remove it themselves. He added that he had already discussed the issue with PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić.

“Serbia needs to react and Serbia will react. The memorial should be removed by Albanians themselves, by political leaders of the Albanians in southern Serbia and if they want to show that they lead their people so they can have a good life in Serbia. If they do not want that, then Serbia should remove the plaque in broad daylight and show that something like that is not allowed by Serbia’s laws,” Nikolić underscored.

He added that the government had his full support to remove the memorial and that he was ready to “take the risk for possible attacks from the country and the world”.

“This is not allowed anywhere, anywhere in the world and it will not be allowed in Serbia either,” the president stressed.

According to him, talks with ethnic Albanians’ political leaders are already underway.

He said that Serbia needed to show decisiveness now, just as it had been showing it in combat against crime and investments.

“This is not a small issue, it is about nipping the evil in the bud or letting it thrive,” the president explained.
analysis

,After a life threatening message to Archbishop Janullatos

42 Orthodox clergy against census and Red & Black Alliance: Janullatos has not afraid of death

42 Tirana archdiocese Orthodox clergy have reacted with a joint statement in defense of Anastasios Yannoulatos.

Their attitude comes after strong reactions against the Red & Black Alliance, for Archbishop and after a census that sees Orthodox in third place in terms of religion in the country.

Clergy say in a joint statement that Janullatos, has not afraid of death, but it remains unclear who has threatened her life.

The statement said that response to Janullatos are slandering a sick fantasy.

The statement noted that Janullatos has remained close to the people, not only the Orthodox, to help in difficult situations.

Clergy say that he deserves the high command of Scanderbeg, given by the president.

Clergy say he has contributed greatly to the development of the country.

http://www.gazetatema.net/web/2012/12/28/42-klerike-ortodokse-kunder-censusit-dhe-ak-janullatos-nuk-ka-frike-nga-vdekja/

Photo: hotel-relax-dhermi.com

10 Reasons 2013 Is The Time To Visit Albania

Submit this story

Isolated for decades under a dictatorship that was harsh even by Communist standards, Albania opened up in the 1990s and has since been hustling to catch up to the rest of Europe. On a recent visit, many locals complained that their country might be catching up too fast. For travelers that's all the more reason to visit soon, before busloads of tourists convert secret spots into more crowded destinations.
Below are the 10 good reasons you should visit Albania in 2013. If you go, you'll undoubtedly come up with more.
This said, Albania's headlong rush into the future has not been painless. The country remains poorly-equipped for mass tourism: waste treatment is inadequate, the litter problem is severe and some roads are poor. It is a delightful country for travelers, but requires patience

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leyla-giray/albania-tourism-2013_b_2352931.html#slide=more271770

PROVOCATION - Incident At Imia - Turkish Coastguard Threatens Greek Boat

PROVOCATION - Incident At Imia - Turkish Coastguard Threatens Greek Boat

Greek and Turkish coastguard vessels came face to face again. According to a report on defencenet, coastguard vessels from Greece and Turkey clashed in the area of Imia on December 26, and a "mini" battle broke out for the second time in less than three months.

The incident began when Greek fishing boats from Kalymnos and Leros decided to throw their fishing nets in the area near Imia in hopes of cashing in on a good catch. Soon after they did this, they were surprised to see a Turkish coastguard vessel, which rushed to the area and demanded that they leave immediately because they were fishing without a license "in Turkish territorial waters."

The threats promoted the fishermen to immediately contact the Hellenic Coastguard and as soon as they arrived the  coastguard vessels began chasing each other around the Greek fishing boats, placing the fishermen at harms way. One source apparently also told defencenet that a second Turkish vessel arrived on the scene to back up the Turkish boat, adding more tension to the scene.

Once again, the Turkish vessel attempted to ram the Greek coastguard, but our officers put up a pretty good fight, and confronted the situation with calmness and logic.

The fishermen were not that lucky though. They unfortunately decided to call it a day and sailed back to their islands without a catch to their names, since there were not enough forces to protect them.

Some may recall that a similar incident occurred in late September of this year near the island of Farmakonisi. At the time,  the Slovenians on board a FRONTEX ship that was patrolling the eastern area of Farmakonisi island on Tuesday morning to scare away pirate boats that were smuggling illegal immigrants into Greece, were shocked when they received a command from the Turkish side to abandon the area immediately because they were sailing in Turkish territorial waters! The FRONTEX officials called the Greek coastguard and in no time they came face-to-face with Turkish authorities and weapons were unlocked.

references: http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2012/12/provocation-incident-at-imia-turkish.html
defencenet

Stratfor Questions Ability of Greece To Defend A Possible Invasion In The Aegean

Stratfor Questions Ability of Greece To Defend A Possible Invasion In The Aegean

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In its latest report on Greece, Stratfor, (also known as the "shadow CIA"), which is greatly respected by Washington and staffed with former US State Department officials as well as intelligence agencies, says that the strategic defense of the Aegean is the next issue that Greece will have to face amid the economic crisis in the new year.

According to this US think tank, by controlling the Aegean Greece facilitates trade, defence and communication in the Mediterranean and in their opinion protecting this core from a possible invasion, might possibly become Greece's main geographic challenge. Stratfor  says that overcoming the effects of the economic crisis will be a key feature of Greece's economic, social and political life in the coming years.

Conclusion: Stratfor obviously questions whether or not Greece has the ability to meet the challenge (or challenges) of defending the Aegean in the years to come and this certainly raises some questions.

(Hmmmm....)

Here is a small portion of the video report below which was posted on defencenet and you can make your own judgements

"Greece is a mountainous country located in Southeastern Europe. It borders Albania, FYROM (referred to as Macedonia), Bulgaria and Turkey. The Rhodope and Pindos Mountains form natural barriers with its northern neighbors. The Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Ionian Seas surround Greece giving it one of the world's longest coastlines. The country has more than two thousand islands and Greek life has traditionally revolved around the sea.
Athens and the Aegean Sea that surrounds it is the country's core. Controlling the Aegean facilitates trade, defence and communication. Protecting this core from invasion, is Greece's main geographic challenge."

Watch video for the continuation

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2012/12/stratfor-questions-ability-of-greece-to.html

Army chief tours Ground Safety Zone

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army (VS) Lt. Gen. Ljubiša Diković on Thursday visited some VS units deployed in the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ).

A file photo showing members of the Serbian security forces in the GSZ (Tanjug)

The zone stretches along the administrative line between central Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija.
Diković met with soldiers and officers "who will spend the New Year holidays performing responsible duties and presented the most deserving with official recognitions", the VS said on its website.

Maj. Gen. Milan Mojsilović accompanied the army chief during his tour of the area, according to the same source.

Greek Berisha`s syndrome of Gruevski

  Picture:

Nikola Gruevski: With Bulgaria we have an artificial crisis, I've said nothing nationalist or negative about Bulgaria

27 December 2012 FOCUS News Agency

Skopje. “In my opinion, with Bulgaria we have artificial crisis created by their side”. This is what Prime Minister of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski announced in an interview on the Jaj Burek TV show on Sitel 3. In the interview Gruevski talks on the current issues around the crisis of the budget vote in the National Assembly of Macedonia, as well as relations with Bulgaria and Greece. Excerpt from the TV show is uploaded to youtube.

"I can’t understand why they do that. In the things they cited as reasons, I can not find a real reason. The first thing out is that the government in Macedonia, or sometimes they say Macedonia, the government, etc., have nationalist rhetoric towards Bulgaria. I responsibly declare that I haven’t mentioned Bulgaria so far in any context, much less in the negative one," Gruevski said.

  Picture: AFP

Macedonia: Civil Society GEM urges Prime Minister, Parliament and the interior minister to resign
 

27 December 2012  FOCUS News Agency

Skopje. Civil Society GEM (Citizens for European Macedonia) demanded the resignation of Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanovski, Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Macedonian Plus Info online edition informed.

According to GEM Veljanovski gave permission to the police to invade the parliament, which is against the constitutional order. From GEM pointed out that Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has violated the constitution by removing members of opposition by government officials.

Albania’s Abstention on Palestine U.N. Vote and the Islamist Response

 By STEPHEN SCHWARTZ

       

On November 29, Albania was the sole Muslim-majority country in the United Nations to be counted among the 41 abstainers from the proposal to admit Palestine as a non-member observer. Certain Islamists were displeased, to say the least. In particular, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of the “fundamentalist-lite” Justice and Development Party or AKP, responded with one of the tantrums that has become a hallmark of his administration.

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan declared that he had exerted pressure on an unnamed Muslim land to abandon its intention to vote “no,” encouraging it to support the Palestinians, and arguing that an abstention would be considered the same as a “no” by Turkey.

“I told them that this would damage bilateral relations we have. . . . It would upset us,” Erdogan complained. He went on to lament, “there are many cowards in the world.” The Istanbul daily Hurriyet soon revealed that the target of Erdogan’s fit of pique was Albania and its prime minister, Sali Berisha.

Outsiders may not grasp how offensive Erdogan’s snit was to Berisha and his people, especially as it came during Albania's celebration of the centennial of its independence from the Ottoman Empire. For a Turkish politician to call Albanians “cowards” is breathtakingly heedless and arrogant.

The leading Albanian-American journalist Ruben Avxhiu, editor of the New York-based semi-weekly Illyria, warned on December 7, in the daily Panorama published in Tirana, that the Albanian proclamation of freedom in 1912 “ended five centuries of Turkish occupation. Albanians . . . were determined not to let Turkey ever again make decisions on their behalf. This remains true today.”

“Intl. community must respect reality in Kosovo”

Source: Tanjug

KOSOVSKA VITINA -- Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo Director said Wednesday that the international community needed to respect the reality on the ground.

He explained that the platform for Kosovo had shown that Serbia would respect its Constitution and laws as well as the reality on the ground, but that it expected the same from the international community.
"We expect the international community to understand and accept that Serbs in Kosovo recognize only one state and will not recognize another," Vulin told reporters while visiting the village of Vrbovac.

"The platform is our message that we want a durable, just and peaceful solution, we want Serbs to remain in the province and have what many other ethnic groups in Europe have demanded and received," he noted.

According to Vulin, the platform is a message that Serbia has not given up on its people in Kosovo and does not divide them into those living south and north of the Ibar river.

He added he expected the Kosovo Albanians and the international community to consider the stance of Serbia and the Kosovo Serbs, as "there can be no just solution and lasting peace otherwise."

Reactions:

U.S. ambassador: No trade in Kosovo territory

Source: Večernje novosti

BELGRADE -- It should be clear to everyone that there will be no trade of the Kosovo territory, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Michael Kirby told daily Večernje novosti.

Michael Kirby (Beta, file)

“This should be taken off the table. I am happy with the talks led by the two prime ministers. I believe that staying on this course will lead us to a good place,” he said when asked how the issue of northern Kosovo should be solved.
“Over the years, borders in Europe have been changing a lot. We think it would be the best to stop. If you do this with Kosovo now, there is a question why not somewhere else, what about Bosnia-Herzegovina, border with Hungary, Bulgaria. Where will it end? It’s a box we would rather not open,” Kirby was quoted as saying.

When asked to comment on a draft platform for Kosovo presented by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, the ambassador said that he had no official comment because this was not an official document yet.

He stressed that the U.S. had good and open cooperation with the current Serbian government.

When asked whether Serbia should abandon its EU pathway and turn to Russia and China, the U.S. ambassador said:

“You are already in Europe. You cannot take Serbia and relocate it to some other part of the world. What other model, aside from the EU, you have at your disposal? Switzerland? You do not have banks. Norway? You do not have oil and natural gas. Russia? You are not a nation of 150 million people, you have no natural resources. Staying on the sidelines will not help,” Kirby concluded.

FYROM - Tension Between Opposition And VMRO-DPMNE Loyalists (VIDEO)

December 26, 2012

FYROM - Tension Between Opposition And VMRO-DPMNE Loyalists (VIDEO)

Anti-riot police separated pro-government loyalists and SDSM-led opposition who demonstrated near the FYROM Parliament at the weekend following a Constitutional crisis that started from a government decision to bypass all legal procedures concerning the acceptance of the 2013 state budget by the Parliament Assembly. Meanwhile, the journalist union in Skopje decided to quit contacts with the government, due to violent expulsion of journalist from the Assembly of FYROM..

Russian Warships Gather in Mediterranean

Russian Warships Gather in Mediterranean

Yaroslav Mudry
RIA Novosti

About a dozen Russian warships are converging on the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aden as part of a large-scale strategic exercise, a high-ranking representative the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces said on Tuesday. “This part of the world’s oceans is very important from the point of view of Russia’s geopolitical interests, including the fact that the Russian Navy has a logistical base here [in Syria],” he said.

The warships will conduct air-defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine drills and call at some foreign ports, including Tartus in Syria, he said. He declined to specify whether the large landing ships were carrying military equipment for Syria. “The main aim of sending the ships to the Mediterranean is to accomplish the missions set by the navy command, conduct exercises and show the flag,” he said.

On Christmas Eve, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov dismissed media reports there were commando units and military equipment for Syria on board some of the warships.

A naval task force from Russia’s Northern Fleet left the Severomorsk base last Wednesday and set course for the Horn of Africa on a new anti-piracy mission, the Defense Ministry said.

It includes the large antisubmarine ship Severomorsk, the salvage tug Altai, and the tanker Dubna, as well as a contingent of naval infantry subunits. The force will travel the length of the Mediterranean, pass through the Suez Canal and relieve the Pacific Fleet task force that has been there on an anti-piracy mission since November.

A Baltic Fleet task force set sail last Tuesday for the eastern Mediterranean where it will relieve a group of Black Sea warships. The force includes the frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the large landing ships Kaliningrad and Alexander Shabalin, the salvage tug SB-921 and the tanker Lena.

The new anti-piracy mission is expected to reach the region by mid-January.

Russia keeps a naval task force in the Gulf of Aden as part of the international effort to fight piracy off the Somali coast.

On Monday, large landing ships Azov and Nikolai Filchenkov from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet left Novorossiysk for the Syrian port of Tartus. The ships are carrying naval infantry units for protection during the voyage. They are expected to join the Black Sea Fleet task force comprising the missile cruiser Moskva and the frigate Smetlivy in the Aegean Sea on December 28 before heading to Tartus.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich confirmed that Russia has a contingency plan for evacuation of Russian citizens from Syria if necessary.

Starting from 2013, the Protocol of Corfu for the Northern Epirus, to be in diplomatic agenda

Golden Dawn: Becoming a full review of the legal status of the National Greek Minority in Albania


Meeting with Foreign Minister Mr. D. Avramopoulos yesterday afternoon was the Head of Sector Foreign unredeemed Greeks Abroad and the Golden Dawn, Christos Pappas. In the meeting that lasted over an hour, Mr. Pappas, informed about current issues in Greek foreign policy, proximal the opportunity to develop the positions of the Golden Dawn on matters of foreign policy and the agony of movement expressed in the proposal "Apply national foreign policy." Then enecheirise Mr. Avramopoulos tens of questions from all members of the Golden Dawn to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the responses from the Ministry, on which he said that most of them are not sufficient and satisfactory.
The Head of Sector Foreign unredeemed Greeks Abroad and the Golden Dawn then enecheirise and another document, parts of which developed in D. Avramopoulos. This document represents the views of the Golden Dawn on issues of national foreign policy that could lead the country into geostrategic upgrade to help economic recovery, contributing to national sovereignty and give new perspective to the Greeks and Greece. Early next year and will follow other meetings with both the minister and with skilled players both for information and for more detailed presentation of the Golden Dawn proposals on national issues and foreign policy issues.

The full text of the letter:

As part of our first meeting at the Foreign Ministry, I take this opportunity to apprise you the locations of the People-League Golden Dawn for some very serious issues in Greek foreign policy.

A. Required to expedite action on the delimitation of the Greek EEZ, particularly with Egypt based on the principle of the median line and the final boundary line. This country has already delineate the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus in the midline between the two countries.

B. We must denounce the distortion by the Albanian authorities of the results of the census of 2011 in Albania. Implement appropriate leverage and negotiation with Albania in order to free itself from this military cooperation with Turkey and finally to recognize the agreement in 2009 with the establishment of maritime zones.

To promote the diverse oppression of the Greek Northern Albanians.

Becoming a full review of the legal status of the National Greek Minority in Albania. Specifically:
i) Recognition of county Gjirokastra, Korca and Saranda in minority areas. Within the minority population to prohibit alteration against the Greek element. To institutionalize real Greek minority public education. Institutional presence of the Northern quota in civil services, army and police in minority areas. Establishment of specific sanctions which will enforce the Greek State in Albania where violation of human rights or minority of Greeks of Northern Epirus. Establish a special department in Ioannina which will be staffed by experienced diplomats will address liability and deal progress and strengthening of the National Greek Minority in Albania.

ii) Ensure the right of the Greeks of Albania to use the term Northern Epirus-Northern Epirot. Securing the right to celebrate and urban centers with solemnity all Greek national holidays, and the anniversary of the proclamation of Autonomy of 1914.

iii) Effective financial incentives for staying of Northern (especially younger) in their homes. Setting the issue of OGA.

iv) simplification and speeding up performance of Greek citizenship to Northern Epirus. Particular attention in cases of Albanian citizens who do not have Greek ancestry.

C. Active alliance with Russia and cooperation in economic matters. To promote the construction of energy pipelines Greek-interests in order to strengthen the geopolitical position of Greece in the Balkans and to neutralize the threat of the Turkish factor in Thrace.

D. Must be reconsidered Greek policy on the countries of the Western Balkans into the European Union.

E. Strengthening the Greeks of Turkey and especially Istanbul and secure their rights.

F. Exercise independent Greek policy in the troubled region of North Africa and the Middle East with emphasis on the protection of Greek Orthodox populations. Strengthen the Orthodox patriarchates.

G. No compromise on the name issue of Skopje view of the integration process in the European Union and other international organizations. Not contain the word Macedonia or derivatives thereof.

H. National settlement. Application of the Doctrine of the Single Area Defense Greek Cyprus.

Category
Policy

Omer Satin murder investigation

The Turkish media announced that police are conducting investigations for the murder of businessman Omer Satin. They are scrutinizing all problems that the businessman might have had, including his businesses outside Turkey, such as Albania.

The 54-year-old businessman was shot near a bust station in Istanbul. He had just left his house saying that he would meet a Turkish friend, owner of a bar in Hungary.

But while he was waiting, a person approached and fired four shots against him. One of the bullets entered his heart and Omer Satin died immediately.

According to the daily Hurriyet, Police are focusing on the businessman’s relations outside Turkey. The journal says that Satin had partnered up with some Albanian businessmen in an oil refinery.

Omer Satin is a 100% shareholder of a company called “Al Group”, and 40% of “BT International Engineering Services Limited % Arun Construction Joint Stock Company”,  which traded oil and its processing in import and export.

The other shareholders of this company were Rezart Taci, with 40%, Sinan Jashar Abdula, with 5%, and Riza Aydin Arun, with 15%.

The Turkish media say that the partners have had problems among them, and their relations could be one of the investigation leads.