Albanian Opposition accuses Argita Berisha's company

Top Channel TV

The Socialist Party suspects that the Prime Minister’s daughter, Argita Berisha Malltezi, is exploiting her father’s government position to work as a consultant with companies that try to invest in Albania.

MP Taulant Balla explained where the Prime Minsiter’s influence is turned into consultancy for his daughter, Argita.

“This is a case when a foreign investor, who is a consul of honour for Albania in his country of origin, arrived to propose a project of strategic importance in the energy area. He met Berisha and they found the way to pass through Berisha’s daughter for consultancy. This is the odyssey of a foreign investor who arrived with a development project and retreated after not being able to afford the requests of Argita Berisha”, Balla declared.

According to Taulant Balla, the person in question is the Paki Zafar Ansar.

“What do you have to say about Mr. Ansar, who withdrew the investment after communicating with you? We are waiting for answers and the defamation doesn’t help to explain your situation to the public and let us go on with the next topic of transparency. There’s no reason to have doubts that the practice followed by Argita and her Prime Minister father was not a standard one for the lucrative work of the Berisha family. From this practice it is clear that the Prime Minister’s family is well coordinated and the Prime Minister’s children have grown up and turned into defamers of the opposition”, Balla declared.

Top Channel learned that the opposition has a folder of documents through which they claim that the consultancy office of Argita Berisha had been negotiating with Ansar for a long time. The same source confirmed that the content of the folder will be made public in the days to come for what the Socialist Party calls transparency of the new “Blue Blockmen”.

Albanian arrest for burglary in the house of the Mayor of Corfu

The perpetrator of the robbery that took place last Thursday at his Corfu mayor house, was of Albanian origin.

The Albanian emigrant along with two accomplices even removed money and other items.

Research Subdivision for Security in Corfu to identify the accomplices of the accused, is in progress.

Albanian Islamic menaces USA

Brooklyn Resident from Albania Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Attempting to Support Terrorism

U.S. Attorney’s Office January 08, 2013

Eastern District of New York (718) 254-7000

Earlier today, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, New York, Agron Hasbajrami, an Albanian citizen and Brooklyn resident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Hasbajrami will be removed from the United States at the conclusion of his sentence.
The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Lisa O. Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.
As stated on the record during the guilty plea and sentencing proceedings and according to court filings, in early 2011, while living in Brooklyn, Hasbajrami exchanged e-mail messages with an individual in Pakistan who indicated that he was a member of an armed group that had murdered American soldiers. Hasbajrami sent the individual more than $1,000 to support the jihadist cause. Then, in pursuit of his goal to engage personally in violent jihad, Hasbajrami arranged to meet the individual in the Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan (the FATA). In one e-mail message, Hasbajrami stated that he wished to travel abroad to “marry with the girls in paradise,” using jihadist rhetoric to describe his desire to die as a martyr.
In September 2011, Hasbajrami purchased a one-way airplane ticket to travel to the Middle East on his way to the FATA to fight violent jihad. He was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, as he embarked on his one-way flight. At the time of his arrest, Hasbajrami was carrying a tent, boots, and cold-weather gear. A search of Hasbajrami’s residence in Brooklyn revealed, among other items, a note reading “Do not wait for invasion, the time is martyrdom time.” In April 2012, Hasbajrami pled guilty in federal district court in Brooklyn to attempting to provide material support to terrorists by joining a jihadist fighting group overseas. United States District Judge John Gleeson imposed sentence earlier today.
“Hasbajrami sought to use New York as the launching pad for his terrorist scheme. Hoping to die a martyr to the cause of violent jihad, he will spend 15 years of his remaining days in federal prison. In addition, this sentence should serve as a strong deterrent to anyone who would consider supporting terrorism or launching an operation from the United States,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “This case exemplifies how law enforcement works to protect both our citizens at home and our servicemen abroad.” Ms. Lynch thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the United States Secret Service; the other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies who participate in the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York; and the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section for their work on the case.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “The global nature of our effort to prevent terrorism works in two directions. We continue to work with overseas partners to thwart those plotting abroad to do harm here. Today’s sentence shows the result of our efforts to prevent someone here from going overseas to endanger or kill Americans abroad.”
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth D. DuCharme and Matthew S. Amatruda, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Courtney Sullivan of the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice.

 

Albanian Nationalists Request Unification with Kosovo

World | January 8, 2013, Tuesday| 60 views

A map of the so-called Greater Albania. Image by Wikipedia

Albanian nationalist Red and Black Alliance has filed a request with Albania's election authorities for the calling of a referendum for the unification between Albania and Kosovo.
"This is an historic chance to unite two states that belong to one people. There are no internal or external obstructions for such a step," stated Alliance leader Kreshnik Spahiu.
The Red and Black Alliance's position is that the union should be constituted as an Albanian Federation, which will then apply for membership and join the European Union.
The Alliance, founded in March 2012, is a movement and political party of extreme Albanian nationalists, led by the respected legal expert Spahiu.
Known in local liberal circles as "the Albanian Vojislav Seselj," he is a vocal critic of Albanian PM Sali Berisha, whom he sees as "a Graeco-Serbian marionette."
Among other things, the Red and Black Alliance has called for Albanian foreign policy to show stronger interest in Serbia's Presevo Valley, populated by many Albanian communities.

Greater Albania: a United States project against the Orthodox world?

by Alexandre Latsa

Wednesday, December 5, 2012, the Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha advocated granting Albanian citizenship to all Albanians, wherever they reside. This statement was made during a visit of the city of Vlora where the independence of the Albanian state was declared, only 100 years ago. At the time Albania had just liberated itself from Ottoman rule.

Voltaire Network | Moscow (Russia) | 4 January 2013

français  Español  Deutsch 

This declaration follows a separate statement, collective this time, that Sali Berisha had made with his Kosovar counterpart Hashim Thaci a few weeks ago, promising the union of all Albanians. The place was, I must say, well chosen since the vast majority of the inhabitants of Kosovo today are of Albanian origin, which has not always been the case.

During the Balkan War in 1913, Serbs still constitute the majority of the population. In 1941, Kosovo is attached to the Greater Albania (already) fascist Italian protectorate. After the war, Tito would prohibit Albanian immigration since Yugoslavia, according to him, could be strong only if Serbia were as weak as possible. In 1974, it is he who attributes to Kosovo autonomous province status which would be removed by Slobodan Milosevic in 1989, while the Serbs already composed no more than 15% of the population.
When in 2008 Kosovo declares independence, nearly a decade after the Western military intervention, few commentators call attention to the dominant "Albanity" of this new small state. On the contrary, it is a time of real celebration for that supposedly oppressed people who finally gained freedom. In most Western countries and the European Union, the recognition is instantaneous, without any question being raised about the treatment of the Serb minority and the future that awaited it, despite the terrible precedent of 2004, when Christians were victims of pogroms, burned down churches, and the violation of their most basic human rights. It is true that Europe, sorry the European Union, at that time had other priorities: the essential organization of gay pride in Belgrade.

It took only 4 years for the farce of Kosovo’s independence to finally emerge publicly. Only 4 years for the Albanian Prime Minister to prove the Serb nationalists right when they consistenly maintained that it was not Kosovars (the inhabitants of the Kosovo region being Serbs) they were facing but well and truly Shqiptars, in a new episode of the ancient conflict in the Balkans that has pitted for nearly 6 centuries the Orthodox Slavs against the sons of the Ottoman Empire converts.

In October 1999, the U.S. General and NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark (far right) meets with the head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner (second from left), and KLA leader Hashim Thaci (far left). Today, as Prime Minister of Kosovo, Thaci is accused in a report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to have participated in the trafficking of organs taken, inter alia, from Serb prisoners by men of the KLA.

Western support for the creation of Kosovo and hostility against Serbia may seem completely inexplicable. Yet from 1991 to 2008, U.S. strategists have been led by a single logic: the destruction of Serbia, to debilitate her as much as possible for the inevitable historical moment in the future when she would again turn to Russia.
Of course, it was necessary at the same time to also devitalize Russia. If, from 1991 to 2000, a military and media war was waged against Milosevic’s Serbia with the aim of annihilating it, an economic and moral war was being unleashed against Yeltsin’s Russia. The crusade against the communist world has turned into a crusade against the Orthodox world, and essentially against its most sovereign political nerve center: Russia.
The theoretician of Russia’s containment in Eurasia, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said himself in 2007 that "After the collapse of the USSR, the main enemy of the USA will be the Russian Orthodox Church." The creation of Greater Albania can probably be seen in this historical and geostrategic light. It is like tossing a new match, one that could create a spark and start a new fire in the Balkan inferno. This fire would result in the further weakening of Europe, but also deepen the destabilization of the Orthodox world (Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia ...) and curb its rapprochement with Russia. Indirectly, it is Russia’s influence in Eastern Europe that would be challenged, and therefore its rapprochement with Western Europe. In doing so, the United States would once again achieve their primary objective: to prevent a rapprochement between continental Europe and the Catholic and Orthodox worlds.

Alexandre Latsa

http://www.voltairenet.org/article177054.html

  Picture: Нова Македония

Nova Makedonija: UN mediator Nimetz to arrive in Athens, Greeks suggest Vardar or Northern Republic of Macedonia
 

08 January 2013 | 14:26 | FOCUS News Agency

Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans

 

Skopje. UN mediator in the Greek-Macedonian name dispute Matthew Nimetz arrived in Athens for participating in the next stage of the negotiations over Macedonia’s name, Nova Makedonija informed. Possible proposals regarding Maceodnia’s name would most probably be connected with geographical qualifiers.
According to Greek media, two of the possible suggestions would be Vardar Republic of Macedoia or Northern Republic of Macedonia.

  Picture: FOCUS News Agency

MIA, Macedonia: Vatican concerned over radical Islam in Albania
 

08 January 2013 | 10:09 | FOCUS News Agency

Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans

 

Tirana. The Catholic Church expresses concern over the breakthrough of radical Islam in Albania, reads a Holy See report, Macedonian news agency MIA reports from Tirana.
Archbishop of Shkodra, Monsignor Angelo Masafra has submitted a detailed report to the ACR Foundation, which is a donor of the Catholic clergy.
"Radical Islam upsets the Muslim tradition itself. There are enormous funds pouring in from Saudi Arabia and Turkey", reads the report.
Ilir Kulla, former chair of the Association of Religious Communities, believes the last census in Albania has in a way accelerated radicalism.
According to him, the opening of the Islamic University will serve for gathering of young Muslims "in order to prevent them from schooling in other places and assimilating with other dogma".

Russian War Ships Pass Straits Of Gibraltar Heading In Full Force Towards East Med.

Russian War Ships Pass Straits Of Gibraltar Heading In Full Force Towards East Med.

CLICK ON BOLD LINKS TO CROSS-REFERENCE ARTICLE

An unprecedented armada or Russian warships, consisting of the Northern and Baltic Sea Fleets just passed through the Straits of Gibraltar and is heading in full force towards the Eastern Mediterranean. All these ships are capable of amphibious operations and can certainly carry thousands of marines and scores of tanks and armoured personnel carriers. They are accompanied by guided missile destroyers and at least one cruiser.

A report on defencenet that was published late on Monday night said that the armada consists of a Yaroslavl mudra frigate, and the Kaliningrad, Alexander Sampalin and other LANDING ships. Accompanying them is a missile destroyer, a salvage tug boat SB-921, and the tanker Lena, etc.

Meanwhile, another series of boats requested permission to pass through the Black Sea.

Meanwhile at the other end of the Mediterranean, the electronic warfare ship Azov, which was already stationed here left the area and is already sailing into the Aegean. Accompanying this ship is the N. FILCHENKOV, (No. 152) Class Alligator. The latter ship was part of the first group that was going to get the cruiser Moskva, last November, but for unknown reasons this did not happen. Parallel to this, the PYTILIVIY (No. 808) Class KRIVAK frigate has also entered the Aegean. It too is being accompanied by another ship with dates of entry January 9 and January 13, respectively. Strangely the NOVOCHERKASS ship, is also on its way back to the Black Sea (January 12-13), but the Smetliviy destroyer ship (which is in the Aegean), will remain.

When all this re-shuffling of ships is complete the MOskva battle team will consist of 2 destroyers and 2 frigates. The report on defencenet noted that Russia is strengthening its battle units and thus gathering a large number of LANDING ships in the areas instead. Let us not forget that several units from the Pacific Fleet, including several battle ships are also expected to join the battle team very soon.

It is the largest Russian force in the area in well over four decades and quite a powerful armada. One really has to wonder what will follow in Syria. It is obvious that the a full-scale war against the government of Assad is being staged.

On January 6, Press TV headlined “Russian warships gathering off Syria waters to deter West: Report.” The Sunday Times was cited. It said Russia sent sent several landing ships. On board are military vehicles, hundreds of marines, and combat vessels.

“Russia should be prepared for any developments as it believes the situation in Syria might reach its peak before Easter,” it said.

A separate article from Stephen Lendman at sjlendman.blogspot.com quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying that Russia intends to deter “the West from deploying ground forces.” Moscow says its ships are to “improve the management, maintenance, and testing of the interaction of naval forces.”

On January 2, Iran’s Fars News Agency (FNA) headlined “Foreign Military Intervention in Syria: Red Line for Russia.” Mehdi Sanayee is a senior Iranian legislator a National Security and Foreign Policy Commission member and a Russian expert. Apparently he told the FNA that causing developments through military intervention and remaining empty-handed in the developments in Syria are Moscow’s red lines.

On the stop making sense news site we also read that deploying Russian forces represents a “new step” in the Syrian conflict. “Russia tries to prove on the international scene that it is committed to its strategy, which is opposition to and confrontation against foreign military intervention and unilateral moves in Syria to show that it has not surrendered on them,” he said. He referred to Vladimir Putin’s earlier comments. They suggested Moscow’s new position. It remains to be seen what follows.

As well as protecting Russia's interests in Syria, the presence of Russian marines was intended to discourage western countries from putting special forces on the ground in the uprising against Syrian President B.Assad. Officially the Russian navy said the ships were preparing for an exercise to improve the management, maintenance and testing of the interaction of naval forces, but from what it looks like Russia is preparing itself for any developments, as it believes the situation in Syria might reach its peak before Easter.

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/01/russian-war-ships-pass-straits-of.html

Things Are Getting Serious - France Sending Stealth Corvette Via "Greek And Cyprus EEZ"

Things Are Getting Serious - France Sending Stealth Corvette Via "Greek And Cyprus EEZ"

The newfangled stealth corvette from the French fleet, "L'Adroit" -the first ship of the class "Gowind"- is going to make its appearance in the Eastern Mediterranean regions within Greece's continental shelf with a final destination in Cyprus on January 23. Already defence analysts are saying that this move speaks volumes in terms of France's geostrategic on the issue of Greece's and Cyprus' EEZ.

The ship, which is a top surface vessel class of 2,000 tonnes, is then set to remain in the port of Limassol.

The appearance of "L'Adroit" in the sea areas which Turkey's statements attempted to set ablaze on Monday was sparked after Ankara's refusal to accept Greece's continental shelf rights. It should be reiterated that while speaking on the Turkish TRT Channel on Monday Turkish Foreign Minister A. Davutoglu directly threatened Greece with a "hot" crisis -or WAR- if Athens even attempted to move ahead with the proclamation of its EEZ.  And this because there are overwhelming reports in Athens that claim that the government of Antonis Samaras will make a proclamation of Greece's EEZ by sending the coordinates of the outer limits of Greece's continental shelf to the United Nations in the first months of 2013.

(Of course Turkey did the same thing with Cyprus, but then decided to stick their tail between their legs and just stomach what followed.) In any case, the presence of the French in this area of the Mediterranean is significant. It also shows that a mobility has begun to resurface the French frigate program FREMM for Greece.

A senior official told the military news site defencenet on Tuesday that the ship will sail to Greek and Cypriot areas or basically "through a backdoor" sequence of the Greek and Cypriot EEZ, thus rejecting all Turkish wannabe demands.

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/01/things-are-getting-serious-france.html

Kosovo: Serbs attending Christmas liturgy detained

Source: Beta, Tanjug

GRAČANICA -- The Kosovo police, KPS, on Monday detained several young Serbs after they attended Christmas liturgy in Gračanica.

Aleksandar Vulin in Gračanica (Tanjug)

The medieval Serb Orthodox monastery is located near a Serb enclave south of the Ibar River.
Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Aleksandar Vulin told Tanjug that he wished to visit the police station in Gračanica, where the Serbs were being held.

He explained that nine young men from northern Kosovo, and one local youth, who came to the police station to inquire about the group, were all brought in.

Vulin stressed that he discussed this development with EU's special representative in Kosovo, Samuel Žbogar, and that the Serbs were "detained, but not arrested".

After he headed toward the police station in Gračanica, Vulin was stopped by members of the KPS who told him they were ordered to "escort" him to one of the crossings on the administrative line between Kosovo and central Serbia.

Meanwhile, Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić told Beta that the KPS detained a group of young men who were accompanying Vulin and attending Christmas Day liturgy in Gračanica.

Pantić, who is also Vulin's deputy at the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, said that he had received the confirmation of this unofficially from the KPS, and that Belgrade expected the international community to prevent this type of provocation.

Pantić also revealed the reason the group was brought in: they are suspected of being "members of the civil defense of the Serbian security services". This official denied the claims, and said the arrests were treated as "a serious provocation" staged on the "greatest and most joyous Christian holiday".

Belgrade expects the international community to urgently exert influence on Kosovo's Albanians to release the Serbs from custody, Pantić added.

Previously, the interior minister of the government in Priština, Bajram Rexhepi, said that nine persons were arrested in Gračanica and that he "was informed that the reason was that they were wearing insignia of the civil defense".

A large number of KPS members were seen in Gračanica this Christmas Day, according to news agency reports.

Protest against Golden Dawn

Top Channel TV

After the Greek Nationalist Party released offensive declarations against the Albanian people, many groups have reacted from different Albanian forums.

A reaction was organized in Tepelena by the forum “Boys of Gjirokastra, Laberia, Permet, Saranda and Delvina”. They held a meeting in front of the Ali Pasha Tepelena memorial.

The same meeting was organized in Delvina and Gjirokastra. The forum reacted to the declarations of the Greek Party “Golden Dawn”, which offended the Albanians. The members of this forum burned what form them represents the flag of the Greek Nationalist Party “Golden Dawn”.

  Picture: FOCUS News Agency

Police in Strumica raid homes of 6 citizens with both Macedonian and Bulgarian citizenship
 

07 January 2013 | 14:59 | FOCUS News Agency

Strumica. Police in Strumica raided the homes of six citizens with double citizenship – Macedonian and Bulgarian, who were authorised to represent candidates for Bulgarian citizenship. Lazar Mladenov, Chairperson of the Bulgarian Culture Club in Skopje, announced the news for FOCUS News Agency.
On January 2, 2013, under the pretext of carrying out a check for forged and fake documents officers with the Macedonian Interior Ministry rudely raided the homes of the six citizens of Strumica (all with both Macedonian and Bulgarian citizenship), who were legally authorised by Macedonian citizens with Bulgarian self-awareness to represent them in the application for Bulgarian citizenship.
After the raids the six were interrogated individually for two to three hours at the police. One of them was even taken away with a bag on his head.
The police told the people, who were under interrogation, that they did not have the right to file claims and threatened them not to complain before the Bulgarian Embassy. After the interrogation the six were released without being given any documents explaining the purpose and goal of the detention.
In one of the cases the police raid was done only at the presence of underage children, as their father was returning from a trip to Bulgaria. He was informed about the raid when arriving at the border. When the man returned to Strumica the check continued at his office, where the Macedonian authorities confiscated 22 ready Bulgarian passports, 22 ID cards and 30 sets of application documents.
In another case authorities confiscated 52 medical documents from healthcare institutions in Macedonia, which were translated and legalised and ready to be used in the application for Bulgarian citizenship.
All the people, whose homes and offices were raided, were banned from leaving Macedonia.
Many of the affected people sent written complaints to the Bulgarian Culture Club in Skopje. According to them, the latest action of the Macedonian authorities aims at threatening the Macedonian citizens, who express their Bulgarian ethnicity, Lazar Mladenov said.

Turkey Threatens WAR If Greece "Dares" To Proclaim EEZ

Turkey Threatens WAR If Greece "Dares" To Proclaim EEZ

English: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. December 2, 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Word has it that Greece is going to proclaim its EEZ in the forthcoming weeks at the United Nations. Obviously this is not something that is in the interests of Turkey which has claims in Greece's continental shelf. That is why the Turkish government on Monday openly threatened Greece with war if it "dared" to move ahead with this plan of action.

More exactly, while speaking about the issue of EEZ on the Turkish TRT Channel on Monday Turkish Foreign Minister A. Davutoglu said that "we must ignore one-sided moves that might result to a (strong) 'response' by Turkey. In a period when relations between both countries (Greece and Turkey) have matured, it is vital that every decision that is taken is done so in cooperation. Of course we all recognize our national position, both country's recognize their positions. (If Greece proclaims its EEZ) In such an instance, Turkey will respond, but let us hope that this will not be necessary. There is a network of dialogue between us, as there are other avenues (as well)" said the Turkish FM.

Basically, he directly threatened Greece with a "hot" crisis -or WAR- if Athens even attempted to move ahead with this plan of action. And even though Turkey is presently busy with Syria, and the ongoing crisis there, he also left it to be understood that regardless of whether Turkey is busy in Syria or not, Ankara "will react instantly."

And as intimidating as this all sounds, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz on his part also threatened Greece not to even think of conducting surveys in areas of the Aegean which Ankara still labels as being "disputed" or gray without the consent of Turkey!

Yes you head correctly, Greece is not allowed to survey its own territorial waters.

Of course "virtual" diplomacy quickly took over -the Turks are really good with that- and Yildiz quickly said that "I do not think that the neighboring country, which is dealing with so many economic difficulties, will open new fields of litigation." (Fake tears). He said Turkey has not proclaimed its EEZ even though it has a (virtual) booming economy, and his government does not believe that Greece will do so because it's currently facing a terrible economic crisis. "We are not planning to operate in disputed areas of the Aegean. We have taken positive steps to strengthen relations between our countries and we plan to continue that way."

(It should be noted that when Cyprus was getting ready to make the same moves, he said the very same thing but he ended up swallowing the drill which was set up there a little shortly after and just had to stomach it.)

So the obvious question is why did Davutoglu feel the need to make these comments now? Well there are increasing reports that claim that the government of Antonis Samaras will make a "partial" proclamation of Greece's EEZ by sending the coordinates of the outer limits of Greece's continental shelf to the United Nations in the first months of 2013.

Hopefully the Greek government will not do that, and will rather be brave and make a full and not partial proclamation because it will immediately show its weakness and incompetence.

Turkey is busy with Syria and will not attempt aggressive moves.

Most importantly, there are many that say that the US, which has a strong influence in the region, is not against this Greek initiative either. So if Greece has the support of Washington then everything is OK right? Well... Yes. But Greek citizens are still weary because history has shown us that when the US has to choose between Greek and Turkish interests it definitely does not allow the scale to tip in the favor of Athens. So anything is possible.

Nonetheless, the government in the meantime is getting prepared. At present it knows the exact state of the Armed Forces especially its Navy and Air Force because EEZ type-games apparently require other types of tricks. A relevant report on defencenet says that they are looking into more powerful surface units with strong radars, powerful missile defense areas, aircraft naval cooperation, surveillance systems such as satellite communications and surveillance units, fighter planes that can patrol for 60" over the areas that will probably be exploited, etc.

This is all certainly necessary but it's really all a matter of political will and courage. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs follows the example of Cyprus which faced serious security risks when it proclaimed its EEZ -its armed forces are much weaker than that of Greece- then Greece does indeed have a chance to succeed. Cyprus who is led by patriots did not hesitate to proceed and exercise its international rights and Greece must do the same, so a "partial" proclamation will not suffice, our government must finally show decisiveness and political will and allow this country which has been oppressed for far too long to finally go forward.

Unfortunately for our country no one paid attention to the countless reports and calls for action that were published in various news sites and blogs on the decisions that were taken by the PASOK government last year (specifically Feb, 2012). At the time reports spoke about surveys that were being conducted by Turkey off of Adana, Antalya, Antioch and Mugla, and then later included areas in Greece's continental shelf such as south of Rhodes south and east of Karpathos, Kastellorizo, south and east of Crete and parts of the Cyprus' EEZ.

In the same period, we did not see any tears from that PASOK led government when the Turkish government gazette published a Council of Ministers decision on March 16, 2012 granting the Turkish State Oil Company (TFAO) licenses for hydrocarbon exploration in these areas (2012/2802, 2012/2968, 2012/2973 , 2012/2974, 2012/2975, 2012/1753).

The government only woke up when Ankara announced that it hired a Norwegian company to conduct hydrocarbon surveys. That is when they realized that Turkey is creating -de facto- situations in the Aegean and we are guessing that this made them come to the realization that in the long run this would obviously hurt Greek interests.

Let us hope that the government of Samaras succeeds and finally does what is needed. The conservatives cannot repeat the countless mistakes that were made by the socialists who allowed this country's political and economic oligarchs to never operate for the "we" (the nation), but rather for only for their own pockets.

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/01/urgent-turkey-threatens-war-if-greece.html
Source in Greek - defencenet

Two MPs expelled from DIMAR, Papakostantinou To Give Interview On ERT

Two MPs expelled from DIMAR, Papakostantinou To Give Interview On ERT

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/01/two-mps-expelled-from-dimar.html

Two MPs of the smallest of the three coalition government parties, Democratic Left (DIMAR), were expelled from the DIMAR parliamentary group on Monday by decision of party leader Fotis Kouvelis. In a letter to parliament president Evangelos Meimarakis, Kouvelis informed the House of his decision to expel Odysseas Voudouris and Petros Moutsinas, noting that "the two MPs have for some time, with their systematic and firm differentiation from all the positions and initiatives of the party, come to a full rift with the functions and directions of the DIMAR parliamentary group".

DIMAR, he added, has exhausted all margins for their continued stay in the party's parliamentary group "despite the disdain they have shown for our collective decisions". "What has become manifestly clear is that the two MPs do not simply express different opinions but support a different policy plan than that of DIMAR," Kouvelis concluded.

In early November, the DIMAR executive committee had condemned the stance of Voudouris and Moutsinas in not following the party's line in the vote for the omnibus bill introducing a new package of austerity measures, while Kouvelis had warned them over their tactic of not observing the party's collective decisions.

DIMAR is a junior partner in the Antonis Samaras coalition government. The party's line was to vote 'present' in the parliamentary vote on the austerity package, but the two MPs defied the party line and voted against.

The Lagarde list has provoked outrage among austerity-hit Greeks furious that authorities have done little to crack down on tax evasion by the wealthy elite. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's government has rejected calls to look into accusations that Evangelos Venizelos -former finance minister who heads the PASOK party- has not done enough to pursue the alleged tax cheats. The government has instead focused on the role of Venizelos's predecessor at the finance ministry, George Papakonstantinou.

In the Greek blogsphere, it was announced that many revelations will also be made this week about this controversial case.

There is also talk about the "shady" role of some judicial authorities on this case, who are apparently in full consultation with the political and business elite to use Papakostantinou as a scapegoat and blame their own political and economic sins on him because of their greed. It is also rumored that one judge has been commissioned to make a lot of noise over this issue but then again, all of this is just blog talk and nothing to really make a fuss over.

On the other hand, what should be interesting is Elli Stai's talk show on Monday night. The head anchorwoman of the state-owned ERT Channel announced on Sunday that she was going to host Papakostantinou on her show on Monday night and we expect that this is going to be one talk show that will score big ratings.

Obama taps John Brennan to be next CIA director, White House officials say

Brennan, center, with former CIA director George Tenet and former Bush advisor Fran Townsend.

Jewel Samad / AFP

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan's career includes a stint as CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia.

By Andrea Mitchell, NBC News

WASHINGTON -- Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan will be nominated as director of the Central Intelligence Agency by President Barack Obama, White House officials told NBC News on Monday.

Brennan worked at the CIA for 25 years, including a stint as station chief in Saudi Arabia. He also served as chief of staff to then CIA Director George Tenet from 1999 to 2001, when he was named the agency's deputy executive director.

Obama was expected to make the announcement on Monday.

RS president advocates partition of Kosovo

Source: Blic, Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Republic of Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik has stated that he advocates partition of Kosovo in “two states for two people”.

Milorad Dodik (Tanjug)

Dodik said that an international conference modeled after Dayton would be detrimental to Serbia’s interest because it would give an opportunity to various international factors to open up the issue of Sandžak and Vojvodina.
“Insisting on the partition of Kosovo in two states for two people, which is what I advocate, is the last line of defense of the Serbian national interests,” he told daily Blic.

However, Dodik added that the RS’ primary principle was to follow and back Serbia whatever it decided.

“Whatever Serbia’s position on Kosovo is, we will back it primarily in order to prevent Kosovo from being recognized by Bosnia-Herzegovina,” he was quoted as saying.

The RS president believes that northern Kosovo should be territorially incorporated into the Serbian territory and that Serbs south of the Ibar River who want to leave Kosovo should be provided housing and help for the making of new homes.

“We are even prepared to be a part of the process,” Dodik stressed and added that those who wanted to stay in Kosovo should continue to have protection of the state of Serbia.

Dodik believes that Kosovo will in a few months or a couple of years “de facto become independent thanks to the implementation of the Brussels’ policies”.

He said that the EU would eventually demand from Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence in order to join the EU.

“I think this story about Serbia and Europe is about giving nothing. They gave a candidate status without a date for the negotiations. What does that mean? Nothing. The accession negotiations are a serious thing,” the RS president said and assessed that “Europe will not want Serbia until a permanent solution for Kosovo is found”.

K. Albanians try to prevent Serbs from visiting church

Source: RTS, Tanjug

ĐAKOVICA -- A group of Kosovo Albanians have prevented a group of Orthodox believers from visiting the Church of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary in Đakovica.

RTS has reported that the Albanians were protesting against the visit of displaced Serbs who used to live in the town.
Ethnic Albanian Self-Determination Movement activists and Voice of Mothers organization members gathered in front of the entrance to the church on Christmas Eve and did not allow Serbs to go in.

Orthodox nuns did not even go out in the yard on Sunday.

RTS has reported that around 40 Serbs managed to bring the Yule log into the church despite the protest and then safely leave the town in a bus.

Kosovo police arrested two protesters and pushed several hundreds of Albanians 20 meters away from the church so Serbs could briefly enter the church.

The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and its believers celebrate Christmas on January 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar.

Berisha didn't answer for Pan-Albanian League

In Kosovo there’s hope that the declarations of the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, for creating a Pan-National Football League will be followed by tangible steps.

The Kosovo Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Memli Krasniqi, declared that this idea was discussed even earlier, but never became concrete.

“I trust that my homologue, Aldo Bumci, will take tangible steps. We need a proposition and then we could take the necessary steps in coordination with the respective federations, which are responsible for the organization of championships”, Krasniqi declared.

The Head of the Kosovo Football Federation, Fadil Vokrri, says that politics has its role, since federations can realize it within 24 hours if this will be allowed by FIFA, since KFF is not a member.


One of the oldest football clubs in Kosovo, FC Prishtina, asked to be part of the Superior League of Albania. The Albanian Football Federation Committee supported the idea, but in the decision they said that this must be seen from a wider angle not only legally, but also institutionally.

One day after Prime Minister Berisha’s declaration, the President of FC Prishtina, Remzi Ejupi, reminds that he had made such a request to the Albanian President, Bamir Topi, the Albanian Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, and the Albanian Parliament Speaker, Jozefina Topalli, but he had never received an answer.

However, he values the initiative as good news and hopes that it will not remain only a political declaration.

“The declaration was wonderful. This is a historical moment, although the declaration was delayed. But this could also be political marketing, as the Shengjin Port and the Albanian passports. However, it would be wonderful if this would come true”, Ejupi declared.

According to him, a common league would be more attractive and would increase the rivalry between groups and the interest of football fans.

Dodik: We will not allow Bosnia to recognize Kosovo

Source: Tanjug

BANJA LUKA -- President of the Serb Republic (RS) Milorad Dodik that no amount of pressure would force this Serb entity to allow Bosnia-Herzegovina to recognize Kosovo.

Milorad Dodik (Tanjug, file)

"We have survived the pressure although it was very strong," Dodik told Tanjug and noted that he himself was exposed to "enormous pressure in order for Bosnia to recognize Kosovo in the euphoria surrounding the acknowledgment of Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence."
"For Bosnia to recognize something, the RS position also has to be taken into account, and the RS does not and will not give its consent," he said.

Dodik also noted that the entity was "facing an absurd situation in which it is being accused by many for separating the RS (from Bosnia), while we are saying that we will not allow separatism in countries such as Serbia".

According to him, "Kosovo has been taken from Serbia" by a violent act of international factors and the international law was thus violated, while Serbia, all Serbs, were humiliated.

"Bosnia will not recognize Kosovo and no documents on slow or creeping recognition can be planted. We are following Serbia in this," said Dodik, noting that "those in Sarajevo" were irritated by that, but that the RS would do nothing, or give any contribution to any policy that is outside the bounds of Serbia's official policy.

RS president added that in the search for a solution, he personally would start with the fact that Kosovo, however important, must not entrap Serbia in the coming decades and the solution has to be a lasting one.

"Nobody mentioned that if Kosovo was reintegrated in Serbia's structure, (ethnic) Albanians would be brought back to the political system and form the most compact caucus in parliament, and would at the same time have the right to ask for one of the three most important offices on grounds of constitutionality which could be recognized in their case," Dodik was quoted as saying.

He went on to add that this would imply that "Albanian would have to be introduced in parliament as an official language".

Dodik believes that the approach according to which northern Kosovo has to remain a part of Serbia can yield results and added that he did not think that a multiethnic society cannot be set up in Kosovo.

He noted that he "does not believe Kosovo Albanians can establish a democratic society in which Serbs would feel comfortable":

"Even the foreigners who recognized Kosovo said that they did so because it is impossible to set up inter-ethnic cooperation between Serbs and Albanians. ed and noted that now that Serbs are a marginal minority in Kosovo, international community says that we must build a multiethnic Kosovo."

According to the RS leader, the international factor cannot expect Serbs, whether in Serbia or in the RS, to recognize Kosovo "in the manner in which they think it should be done".

He further believes that the problem if Kosovo "is no longer a problem of Serbia alone, because Serbs are united on this issue", but that it has in the meantime become a problem for those who hurried to recognize it as independent - "for which reason the EU has a crisis of unity on its hands today, making it impossible to establish a multilateral approach".

"The EU has more of a problem on how to solve this Kosovo issue, because Serbia has a clear stance on it, saying that Kosovo is a part of Serbia, and that's that," Dodik concluded.

  Picture: FOCUS News Agency

Press24: Greece’s Golden Dawn not to accept name with term Macedonia in it

 

02 January 2013  FOCUS News Agency

 

Skopje. Greek political party Golden Dawn announced it would not accept a name containing the term Macedonia in it, Macedonian online news edition Press 24 reported.

Party’s leader, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, said in an interview for Greek Stoxos newspaper that if the ruling in Athens accepted a name with the word Macedonia in it, they would have to face and deal with the Golden Dawn.

“I do not know what they would do, they are capable of anything. But if they recognise Skopje with a name that contains the word Macedonia, they would have to deal with us. Such a thing cannot pass. Macedonia is one and it is Greek,” Michaloliakos remarked.

  Picture: AFP

Albanian President praises Albanian contingent’s work in Afghanistan
 

02 January 2013 FOCUS News Agency

Tirana. In a video press conference Albanian President Bujar Nishani gave a high evaluation to the work of the Albanian troops in Kandahar, Kabul and Herat, KS Reporter informed.

“We are proud of you and your readiness to serve in the name of democracy. Your sacrifice made Albania’s name stronger,” the president remarked.

Russia to Hold Large-Scale Mediterranean, Black Sea Naval Drills

Russia to Hold Large-Scale Mediterranean, Black Sea Naval Drills
© Svetlana Kostyleova

 

 02/01/2013

MOSCOW, January 2 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will hold large-scale naval drills in the Mediterranean and Black Seas in late January with the involvement of warships from the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press office reported on Wednesday. “The Russian Navy’s drills of this scope will be held for the first time over the past few decades and are designed to improve control, ensure and practice multiservice force interaction of the fleets in the far-off maritime zones,” the press office said.
The drills will be held in line with the Russian Armed Forces’ 2013 combat training plan and will aim to “practice the issues of establishing a multiservice grouping of forces (troops) outside Russia, planning its use and conducting joint actions as part of a united naval grouping based on a common plan,” the press office said.
The naval task forces from the Russian Fleets are currently heading towards the designated areas of the naval exercises.
The drills will also simulate operations to load marine troops and paratroopers from the rough coast of the North Caucasus onto amphibious ships and will help the Navy’s personnel acquire necessary marine practice skills during the performance of “combat training missions in the Black and Mediterranean Seas,” the press office said.

Raising again the etnic tensions, between Albania and Greece 





Red & Black Alliance: Golden Dawn, do not touch Albania, you will burn the earth under their feet

Red and Black Alliance reacted today to the Greek party statement, where the Golden Dawn, except protective response after its request for the removal of Archbishop Anastasios, listed a variety of insults and provocations for the Albanian nation.R&B says that is a party that seeks good neighborly relations in the region, but no relationship with the Nazi party, seeking to extend metastasis in the Albanian state. By R&;B, the Golden Dawn should fix better than in Albania will burn the earth under their feet and sneezing of the Greeks, the maximum can scare the Berisha government.  

Red & Black Alliance, said it will include the Cham issue in the party's agenda.Below the full statement of Prof. Dr. Lisen Bashkurti, Foreign Relations Secretary in the Red and Black Alliance party:"Greek Nazis of Golden Dawn, call the Albanian nation as "Cacak nation "that does not" boast "consider" a nation made by Italy, by American Zionists, and the Ottoman Empire. "Greek Nazi Golden Dawn called "baseless and wild Albanian request to Cham issue" and warn that "will open their branches within the political borders of the Albanian state in Himara, Tepelenë, Gjirokastër and Saranda." 

Against this political attack and media orchestrated by Greek Nazis against the Albanian nation, the Berisha government shut demonstrating its servile subjection to Athens and Greek Nazis.Red and Black Alliance is born to meet god Albanian nation, Albanians throughout the world and to protect the identity, values ​​and our interests by any force that threatens them. Red and Black Alliance is proud of the support they have given historical and prospective allies, the United States of America, Italy and Turkey and is determined to be strategic allies forever.Red and Black Alliance said suggests Greek Nazi Golden Dawn that the Albanian nation is the nation's oldest, most cultured and most pro-European in the Balkans and has nothing in common with the Greek nation bankrupt politically, economically, institutionally morally nationally and internationally. 

 Greek Nazis can not transfer their state failure in Albanian lands and in relations with Albania.Red and Black Alliance was Greek Nazi suggests that as a political party and the more red and black government tomorrow, will include in the agenda of our national and international political and diplomatic solution of the issue of Cham as a matter of right and legitimate nation.  

The decisions of this parliament for not adopts resolution on Chameria, we will approve next parliament with red and black votes.Finally Red and Black Alliance warns Greek Golden Dawn Nazis do not tend to spread Nazi metastasis within the political borders of the Albanian state, because the Red and Black Alliance will make recall the tragic loss the Battle of Lëkurs in the beginning of the last century, leaving the bone Greek fascists of Metaxa in our territories during World War II and the Greek monarcho-fashsits, the fatal failure in the South, were displayed in 1949. 

Red and Black Alliance is for good neighborly policy, but based on the relationship of mutual respect and mutual interests. Greek Nazis to fix well in mind, that in Albania was burn the earth under their feet and that would just scare Greeks sneezing nationals Berisha government, but the nation never Albanian people ".

www.balkanweb.com
 
Reaction

Golden Dawn provokes Albanians
Top Channel TV

Through a highly offensive article that evokes hate, the Golden Dawn Greek Neo-Nazi provoked once again not only the common Albanian citizens, but the entire Albanian nation.

This article came after the Red and Black Alliance publicly asked the Orthodox Archbishop to leave Albania peacefully,  by defending the Autocephalous Albanian Church and the Orthodox religion.

The article starts with epithets that sow ethnic hate by considering the Albanians a nation of frightened and ragged bandits that are threatening the Archbishop, taking advantage by the weakness of what they consider the puppet government of Athens. Golden Dawn declares that the requests for the Albanian Chameria are unfounded and wild.

The article says that the Albanian nation was created by the Italians and that today is supported by the "Zionist American Factor". They consider Albania the remains of the ottoman empire in the ancient Greek land of Illyria. Golden Dawn states that the Greek Nationalists will return order, and as regards the neighbors (Albanians) who pride with their 100 years of independence, they say that it will just take for Greece to sneeze and the last Albanian in the world will shut his mouth.

According to the article, the Greek army liberated the Northern Epirus in 1940 and by then they did not encounter any Albanian army, but only bandits who went after the Italian army and were known only for avoiding battles and defecting. He added that the Greek nationalists have what to be proud about, different from the Albanian ones.

The propaganda article rejects that the Golden Dawn and the Red and Black Alliance are equal type of parties. They trumpet that time will come when they will found branches of this party in Korce, Himara, Delvine and Tepelena, satisfying this way the request for military Helenisation of the Northern Epirus.


 

Jahjaga "also ready to meet with Nikolić"

Source: Tanjug

PRIŠTINA -- "The moment she took her office, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga expressed readiness to meet with presidents of the neighboring countries."

This is was said in a statement issued by her office in Priština, which added that this "included Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić".
The statement came in the wake of Nikolić's announcement that he had invited Jahjaga for a meeting.

"On the last day of the Summit in Budva, Montenegro, the Office of the Kosovo President was contacted by the Office of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić suggesting of a meeting between the two presidents,"Jahjaga's spokesperson Arber Vlahiu stated.

"High EU officials contacted President Jahjaga and discussed the possibilities and models of the meetings between the two presidents, as an encouragement to the dialogue process and reaching agreements whose goal is to facilitate the life of citizens and influence full normalization of the relations between Kosovo and Serbia," the statement adds.

The spokesperson said that Jahjaga gave a positive response to such an initiative, adding that this was her initiative as well, and voicing belief that meetings between political leaders "of the two countries". contribute to the European agenda on "good neighboring relations and the resolution of open issues through dialogues and agreements".

"Jahjaga suggested to the EU leaders to organize and mediate the first meeting between the Kosovo president and the Serbian president, which could take place after the next meeting between the prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia," the statement said.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians five years ago unilaterally declared independence, but Serbia rejected the proclamation as illegal and considers the territory its southern province. A dialogue between the two sides has been ongoing in Brussels under the sponsorship of the EU.