The "chams" won the race ...with Athens

Panagiotis Barka article on SKYnews
Headings with the "chams" and agreement on maritime borders during his visit to Athens, Edmonton Panariti 'staged' the morals of his countrymen in Albania. The Albanian media and public opinion in Albania show quite satisfied. Almost all the headlines are extensive references to Panariti visit to Athens and determination to "defend" the Albanian interests.
The communication of the Albanian Foreign Ministry writes that "Referring to the issue of maritime borders between the two countries Panariti Minister stressed that the Albanian side will face in identification with the interests of the country, the Constitution and international law."
The same announcement also mentions that Mr. Panariti raised and the chams topic. "During the meeting, he said,-emphasizes the statement of the Albanian Foreign Ministry-of chams matter and the properties of Albanians in Greece require a solution."
He Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Panariti Albania, Asked by the news website: "BalkanWeb", if indeed the chams issue raised in Athens said "Yes, in three cases, the tet a tet meeting, press conference and a formal form '.
Was the immediate reaction of the Party of Chams, PDIU. In his statement welcomed the position of Foreign Minister Panariti, saying that "The issue chameria won the race with time." Also, between the other states. "The submission of the request of the Albanian Tsamouria , of the Albanian state, by Mr. Panariti is a constructive step forward to introduce net approach European agenda to promote dissolution of chams issue."
This was welcomed today by all Albanian media (except the pro-government) and is considered a national success. Also, it seems clear that it will be exploited politically by the Socialist Movement for Integration Party of Ilir Meta, that Party, representing the government, the Foreign Minister Berisha Panariti.
The same happened about 10 years ago when Ilir Meta, then representing the government of the Socialist Party during a visit to Athens, raised again the question "Chameria."
However, although divided the Albanian media not left unremarked episode with an Albanian flag placed upside down on the background of the joint press conference between the two Foreign Ministers.
The most extreme negative position is the red-Alliance, who considered the incident "Capitulation of Tirana in Athens."

 

Russia tells NATO to stay away from Syria

MOSCOW | Tue Oct 2, 2012 10:01am EDT

(Reuters) - Russia told NATO and world powers on Tuesday they should not seek ways to intervene in Syria's civil war or set up buffer zones between rebels and government forces.
Moscow further called for restraint between NATO-member Turkey and Syria, where violence along their shared border has strained relations between the former allies.
Tensions have flared since a mortar round fired from inside Syria struck the territory of Turkey. Ankara has threatened to respond if the strike were repeated.
When asked by Interfax if Moscow worried whether the tense border situation could prompt NATO to intervene to defend Turkey, its easternmost member, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov warned against any such step.
"In our contacts with partners in NATO and in the region, we are calling on them not to seek pretexts for carrying out a military scenario or to introduce initiatives such as humanitarian corridors or buffer zones."
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, one of Assad's most caustic critics, recently lashed out at Russia for blocking efforts at the U.N. Security Council to exert pressure on Assad and said Moscow's stance allowed massacres in Syria to continue.
Turkey has floated the idea of setting up "safe zones" inside Syria to protect civilians from the conflict but that would also have to be approved by the Security Council.
Russia and China have vetoed three Security Council resolutions condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and have blocked attempts to impose further sanctions on his government or intervene more directly in the conflict.
Ankara has repeatedly complained of artillery and gunfire spilling over the border into Turkey, leading to threats of retaliation.
"We believe both Syrian and Turkish authorities should exercise maximum restraint in this situation, taking into account the rising number of radicals among the Syrian opposition who can intentionally provoke conflicts on the border," Gatilov was quoted as saying.
The West accuses Russia of supporting Assad in the bloody 18-month conflict and imposing a stalemate in the Security Council as violence in Syria has spiraled.
Moscow says Syrians themselves should decide their fate and says it will veto any Security Council resolution that could serve as a springboard for military intervention.
Russia accuses the West of overstepping its mandate when it set up a no-fly zone in Libya last year, leading to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi to a popular uprising and insurgency.
Western diplomats in Moscow say Russia seems to believe Assad may still successfully cling to power though they see Russia's dialogue with some Syrian opposition groups as an attempt to secure its interests there if he were overthrown.

The incident with the Albanian flag, the Greek minister apologizes

Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos officially asks Albania's public apology for the incident with the Albanian flag.

Minister Avramopoulos called Albanian counterpart personally apologized stating that this incident will not affect bilateral relations.

He has provided minister Panariti that his visit to Greece has had a huge impact and positive and has requested that telephone conversation becomes official and public apology be, reports "Ora News TV".

While the Greek Embassy in Tirana is expected to present an official apology today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania.

Albanian flag was upside down during yesterday's press conference with the two foreign ministers, Albania Edmond Panariti and that Greece Dimitris Avramopoulos.

Former CIA director George Tenet praises Ripon College's new president

Former director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, left, congratulates Dr. Zach P. Messitte on his inauguration as Ripon College's 13th president. / Submitted photo

Written by

Jay Alderson

Zach P. Messitte was inaugurated Saturday as the 13th president in the 161-year history of Ripon College.
College presidents and dignitaries from across the country, Ripon Mayor Gary Will, and Congressman Thomas E. Petri, who represents Wisconsin’s Sixth Congressional District, all welcomed Messitte and expressed confidence in his ability to bring vibrancy and leadership to the college.
The special guest speaker was George Tenet, former director of Central Intelligence, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Tenet and Messitte have known each other for nearly 25 years, when both worked for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
“Even 25 years ago, with shoulder-length hair, (Messitte) had a thirst for knowledge, and an inquisitive, curious nature that brought out the best in all of us,” Tenet said. “He looked at the world with a sense of awe. While specialists would try to explain a complicated problem, he would step back and, through the study of culture, language, history and the arts, reposition our thinking to focus on the bigger more important considerations, before we wrestled with the specific problem at hand.”
Tenet said Messitte is passionate and engaging.
“What he will convey to all of you is a deep appreciation of your history and yet challenge each and every one of you … to up your game, think bigger, engage the world and be the crown jewel of small liberal arts colleges that are so absolutely essential to the success of our country and this world.”

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Turkey shells Syria: Will NATO be drawn into conflict?

Turkey shells Syria in retaliation after Syrian fire kills 5 civilians in a border village, and experts say NATO’s subsequent statement of support could make Ankara even bolder.

By Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer / October 3, 2012

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Smoke rises over the streets after an mortar bomb landed from Syria in the border village of Akcakale, southeastern Sanliurfa province, October 3.

Rauf Maltas/Anadolu Agency/Reuters

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Washington

The United States expressed “outrage” at the deadly shelling of a Turkish border village from inside Syria Wednesday. But even as Turkey retaliated against Syria, the resulting heightened tensions are unlikely to translate into military action by the US or any of Turkey’s NATO partners.

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  In Pictures: Life in the Syria-Turkey border

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The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

NATO’s strong formal statement of support for Turkey late Wednesday, however, even after Turkish forces responded by shelling targets in Syria, suggests to some regional experts that Turkey will now feel emboldened to confront the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the event of further provocations – or perhaps even without them.
“Assad will see that it would be suicidal for him to provoke any further the NATO powers strongly backing Turkey, so he will step back,” says Soner Cagaptay, an expert on Turkey at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “But that will mean that, down the road, Ankara will see that it has more opening to retaliate against any Syrian actions or even to move first militarily against a particular threat if it feels it has to.”

Why no safe zone in Syria, yet? 5 complications.  

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in warning the Syrian regime over the potential dire consequences of provocative actions such as the morning shelling that killed five civilians in the Turkish village of Akcakala.
“We stand with our Turkish ally,” the White House said in a statement. In a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Secretary Clinton pledged US support for Turkey in the UN Security Council.
The Syrian shelling, apparently by government forces, was not the first fatal attack from Syrian territory to strike Turkey this year. Cross-border shootings have resulted in Turkish deaths, and in June the Syrian military shot down a Turkish jet that strayed across the border.
Indeed, Mr. Cagaptay says he suspects that Turkey seized on Wednesday’s border incident to strike back in retaliation for the June shootdown. Turkey had said at the time that Syria’s aggressive act was causing it to change its rules of engagement, and that henceforth it would retaliate in such cases.
Now confident of NATO’s backing, Turkey will remain cautious but will feel freer to take action when it feels it has to, Cagaptay says. He notes that Akcakala, the border village, actually straddles the border and is comprised of both Turkish and Syrian neighborhoods, and that the Syrian government apologized for what it said was a mistake.
But Cagaptay says Turkey’s quick retaliation suggests it decided to overlook the apology and send a signal of strength to Assad instead.   
The border incident occurred as a number of countries, including Iran, have recently warned of the potential for the Syrian war to descend into a broader regional conflict. US and Western officials have also recently put Iran on notice that its arming of the Assad regime – and provision of “boots on the ground” in the form of military advisers – risks igniting a wide confrontation.
Russia warned NATO and other Western powers the day before Wednesday’s border exchange not to “search for pretexts” for intervention in Syria’s conflict. Russia said the West should not be looking to enter the conflict through initiatives like humanitarian corridors or border buffer zones.
Despite such worries, Cagaptay says there is one party to the conflict that was undoubtedly buoyed by Turkey’s intervention against Assad, and that’s the Syrian opposition and rebel forces.
Noting that the shelling that struck Turkish Akcakala was what opposition strongholds in Aleppo, along the border, and elsewhere in Syria face every day, he says, “This [Turkish action] was good news for the Syrian opposition, because it was the first time anyone from outside Syria has done something about Assad’s aggression.”

Continues the oldest music between Greek Albanian relations: "The Greek National Minority should be a bridge of friendship"
 
Nothing news between Avramopoulos - Panariti Meeting in Athens, even after 6 years no relations

Avramopoulos

"The Greek National Minority should be a bridge of friendship between the two countries and the position will improve, as Albania progresses and adapted to European standards. So it is important to build trust among the representatives of the minority and the Albanian institutions".

Panartiti

"Of course, we share the same opinion regarding the prospect that both countries have towards the Euro-Atlantic challenges, and considering that this year is a very special year for Albania, it is the century of our independence, I invited Dimitris to pay a visit in Albania in this very historical event of our country."
more from Foreign Greek Minisry:

http://www.mfa.gr//epikairotita/proto-thema/deloseis-ton-upeks-elladas-kai-albanias-abramopoulou-kai-panariti-meta-te-sunantese-tous.html

IMF advises Albania to keep debt in check

By Benet Koleka

 

TIRANA Oct 2 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund has told Albania to use the proceeds from a planned sale of oil and gas rights to reduce its government debt, which it said has risen to levels that could pose risks to economic stability.
Albania, which meets the IMF on a consultation-only basis, has been keeping its public debt just below 60 percent of gross domestic produce, a limit set by Albanian law, although it has continued to raise public sector wages and pensions.
"Albania's high public debt carries macroeconomic and fiscal risks. Tackling it requires a credible commitment to a medium- term fiscal consolidation path," Nadeem Ilahi, the IMF's mission chief to Albania, told a news conference on Tuesday.
Unlike other Balkan countries, Albania has avoided a recession, but the aftershocks of the financial crisis are slowing growth "and exacerbating domestic and external vulnerabilities", the IMF said.
Ilahi said the 2013 budget should target an unchanged debt to GDP ratio, which "would require raising revenues and reducing current spending, while supporting capital and targeted social spending".
Albania has received an offer of 850 million euros ($1.1 billion) from Vetro Energy, a little known U.S.-based firm, to buy its state-owned oil firm and the rights to oil and gas reserves for 25 years.
"Receipts from privatisation of natural resource wealth should be utilized primarily to lower debt but also to clear unpaid government bills," Ilahi said.
While admitting that Albania's public debt was the highest in the Balkans at 801 billion Albanian leks ($7.4 billion), Albanian Finance Minister Ridvan Bode said it was the least "damaging and dangerous", because it was funded by domestic instruments and development loans with low interest rates.
Since the onset of the global financial and economic crisis in 2008, Albania's public debt has grown by just 3 to 4 percent while neighbouring economies have doubled their debt, Bode said at the news conference.
While the government needs to be alert to the danger posed by government debt, "the risk should be taken with some reserve to give ourselves the chance to support the agenda of economic growth", Bode said.
The IMF kept its forecast for Albania's economic growth unchanged for 2012 at 0.5 percent but revised its estimate for 2013 down to 1.3 percent from 1.7 percent.
"Risks to the outlook are mostly on the downside, as the economy remains vulnerable to external risks, particularly from the euro area crisis," Ilahi said.
He said the IMF's forecast did not include the use of privatisation proceeds. "It is our belief that the way these receipts are spent will influence how the economy recovers."
Bode revised the government target of 4.3 percent growth for this year down to 3 percent. The economy contracted 0.2 percent in the first quarter.

SP: Albanian weapons in Yemen
02/10/2012

The suspicious affair between the Albanian Defense Ministry and the Serbian arm merchants has taken bigger proportions.

The Ministry headed by Arben Imami is involved in an arms trade with Slobodan Tesic, who is on the black list of the UN Security Council, since his company “Moon Storm Enterprises” has sold arms to the regimes considered as terrorists by the USA. MP Erjon Brace proved the connections of Tesic with the Albanian Ministry of Defense.

“The Moon Storm Company is owned by the Serbian citizen Slobodan Tesic, who is on the UN black list. The documents show that he and his company have supplied weapons to the barbarian African dictators, especially Gadaffi, in Libya. The period the documents refer to is 2009-2011. These documents show that during this period, the Albanian Defense Ministry has signed a series of agreements with Moon Storm. He has even had favors with the ministry postponing the contractual deadlines by insisting until the end to work with him”, Brace declared.

According to the Socialist MP, the weapons involved in these agreements have ended up in Yemen.

“We have a new set of unclassified trade documents, besides the RPG rockets' transaction. We are talking about an agreement that has as object the sale of 20.000 120mm rockets in Yemen and 4 million bullets. The corresponding period is the end of 2009, the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. The period referred in the partners’ information corresponds with the period when the civil conflict took place in Yemen. The Zolja rocket trasnaction, according to the documents, had a 1 year delay for the agreement. On December 2010, MEICO insisted for the implementation of the Moon Storm agreement, and asked for a second time to postpone the Export License till the first three months of 2011. The transaction was realized by using Montenegro and the Tivar Port as transitory, on January 2011, when the final transport of the weapons was made”, Brace declared.

Since the Defense Ministry has had a problematic arms dealer, Slobodan Tesic, the Socialist MP Erjon Brace asked the Defense Minister to resign.

“Albania has been stained by this partnership that Imami made with the Serbs. There is a very high penal and political responsibility. Minister Imami must resign today. The director of SECA (State Export Control Authority at the Defense Ministry) and the Military Intelligence Service must be discharged and left outside the Ministry. Everyone should undergo penal investigations”, Brace declared.

Ministry: The act is legal. Socialists’ interest is defamation

“The Socialist Party continued today with other conspiracy theories which are public facts. The Ministry of Defense has sold arms to Yemen in full accordance with the national and international law. This fact has been reported to the UN and was published on SECA’s report, which can be easily found on internet. When the agreement was signed, there was no sign of civil war in Yemen, besides the authorities fighting against the Al Qaeda terrorists.

Đukanović: Relations with Serbia improving

Source: Tanjug

PODGORICA -- DPS party leader Milo Đukanović says the relations between Montenegro and Serbia "are on the rise and have a good outlook".

Milo Đukanović (FoNet, file)

According to him, this is "thanks in large part of Serbia's state policy which respects Montenegro's independence".
"It is my impression that Serbia's current state policy is promising for everyone in the region and I think this is something that should be encouraging for all of us," Đukanović told Tanjug.

He welcomed the position of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić to respect Montenegro's independence, as well as the statement of Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić who said he would do everything in his power to keep relations with Montenegro at the highest possible level, but without nostalgia and desire to return to the old days.

"We are glad Serbia's current state policy is formulated in such a way that it takes Montenegro's independence as a political fact, respecting the historical closeness between the two countries and reflecting the need to build bilateral relations on sound foundations, as well as offering a good example for regional cooperation," said Đukanović.

"This should also encourage our European partners that through such relations in the region, we will create the conditions for constructive cooperation and regional competitiveness, which will serve as an incentive to all and ensure that all countries in the Western Balkans become a part of the EU in the near future," Đukanović said.

Đukanović heads the Coalition for a European Montenegro, which includes the DPS, the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party.

The ruling coalition is the favorite to win the Montenegrin parliamentary election set for October 14.

SP: Albania trafficking arms
01/10/2012

The Albanian Defense Ministry, besides the excessive ammunition inherited by the communism era, is involved in the sale of military materials from the former Yugoslavia.

The agreements in question mount up to 1 million USD. This was the recent report of the Socialist MP Erjon Brace.

Referring to the official documents that do not hold the “secret” stamp, as the Ministry of Defense insists, the Socialist MP declared that the Serbian arms dealer, Zoran Damjanovic, the favorite of Minister Imami, is the protagonist in this suspicious affair, where Albania has no reason to be involved in these transactions of the former Yugoslav military weapons.

“The Ministry of Defense has defended itself so far by saying that they are cleaning Albania from the communist era, referring to the weapons, ammunition, explosives and local military weapons, which are administered by the Albanian Army. I want to show to you today that the relation between the Defense Ministry and the Serbian state company is much more than that. It goes beyond the sale of the communist residues in the Albanian Military. Here is a full file that documents the biggest transaction of military weapons by the Ministry of Defense”, Brace declared.

Braçe gave the details of the Yugoslav arms

“We are talking about products of the Yugoslav Army, administered by the Montenegrin Army, given to the ‘Montenegro Defense Industry”, branch of the Serbian Yugoimport. 10.000 RPG rockets, 64 mm RBR M-80 ‘Zolja’. The entire issue has great obscurities. There are two trade agreements”, Brace declared.

Brace said that the entire issue has been mysteriously covered by the Albanian side, which confirms that these goods have not entered Albania, while the documents show the contrary, that the goods have entered the country. 11

“One is connected with the ‘Zahen Ltd’, the other with the ‘Moon Storm Enterprises’. The Ministry of Defense State Export Control Authority declares that the entire transaction has not been realized. Another Montenegrin authority says that the export has been realized to Albania. These obscurities need an answer and an investigation of the Defense Ministry and Arben Imami himself. He must explain to the public why Albania has been involved with the trade of weapons that they don’t own”, Brace concluded.

The greek Militaties in protest

Athens, ready to open the cards with Albania for Northern Epirus International Agrements

Ismail Kemali: "We want to put the north border with Kosovo, not with Toskeria of Greece"
 
Thea founder of the Albanian state, Ismail Kemal declared that with Greece, we recognizes as Greek territory throughout Toskeria.

"March 30, 1914. Ismail Kemal landed at Brindisi and starts his journey to Rome, Vienna, Paris and London.

 Asked from the correspondents of newspapers for the purpose of his trip, said he went to try on the border of North and not the South, since the borders of the North had previously definitive conclusion from the London Conference and those of the South was under negotiation.

 This statement was hosted by all European newspapers and was a highly interest and enthusiastic welcome from the Greek press, who on the occasion of the southern border agreement published by the Greek government with Ismail Kemal which recognized throughout Toskeria as Greek territory.Ismail Kemal kept his word, because in all discussions with foreign correspondents talked about Kosovo and never for Toskeria and Tsamouria.Asked in Rome from the Parisian newspaper correspondent Bruce what his view of the borders of the South, who was then traded to the London Conference, Ismail Kemal said that members were not the boundaries of the South, but the borders of the North . In French: "Ce n 'estait pas la frontiere du Sud qui le il preoccupait, mais celle du Nord" ».

http://www.defencenet.gr/defence/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56663&Itemid=169

Washington: Must Open the cards, to show transparency between nations

Foreign Minister of Albania, Edmont Panariti, with the agenda of Chamuria in his protocol to Athens

Athens may require to Albania, to implement "The Corfu Protocol" for large Autonomy in Northern Epirus.

Sources of Foreign Albanian Ministry inform that Edmont Panariti, will make surprise to the Chameria properties to Greece
 
The Albanian Foreign Ministry speak to the national clash, scheduled visits in 6 October, between Edmont Pananiti ad his counterpart, Dimitri Avramopoulos

According to information coming from the Albanian Foreign Ministry, the next visit of Edmont Panariti in Athens scheduled to 6 October, will bring big surprises.
 
Panariti will submit open the properties of the Albanians in Greece, which in many cases, belong to the Chameria Community.

Meanwhile, it is thought that the Greek side, may require application of the Protocol of Corfu, in 1914, which was signed by Albania and major powers in this time.

It is worth emphasizing that the signing of the agreement for TAP pipeline, is done under the direct influence of Washington, for which, sources said that the Greeks and Albanians, should be put to their future, in light of the new reality in Balkan Region .

The Himara Community
Tirana, Albania

Press Release

 
The Himara Community, calls as false speech, of the Albanian Presidenit, Bujar Nishani, held in ONU


"Human rights and freedoms, starting from the identity, religion, family and property"

 
The Himara Community, is deeply disappointed by the false statements of the Presdent of Albania, Bujar Nishani, for his declaration: "Albania, is a champion of human rights and freedoms", held at the session of United Nations organizations in New York.

 
The reason why Albania is not a champion of these rights, in reality, is obvious: Albania, has not conducted a fair and transparent to its Population Census process, for self declaration of religion and nationality of the citizens.  

The Census of 2011, was conducted under a nationalist pressure against the Greek National Minority, and the second, has not managed to return of properties of the Greek Community living in all areas in the south of Albania (in Northern Epirus), especially in the Himara Region.

In Albania, are killed about 8500 people, only for the issue of the property rights, since 1991.



Tirana
September 28, 2012
 

From General Assembly podium, Albanian President calls for UN reform

President Bujar Nishani of Albania addresses General Assembly. UN Photo/Marco Castro

“Notwithstanding an unprecedented global awareness, climate change remains a major source of preoccupation,” President Nishani told the 67th Assembly on the third day of its annual General debate, at UN Headquarters in New York. “The continued deteriorating global economic climate continues to be a permanent disturbing source of anxiety everywhere.

27 September 2012 – From the podium of the General Assembly, Albania’s President Bujar Nishani today called on the United Nations to reform itself to better tackle the multiple crises facing the world.

“Threats to peace and security in different parts of the world show how far we still are from achieving the desired global security,” he added. “It is therefore only just that we expect the United Nations, the organization we have placed at the centre of international architecture, to be more responsive, efficient, effective and transparent.”

President Nishani noted that Albania, in June, hosted the 5th High Level Conference on Delivering as One, the initiative aimed at enabling the United Nations and its various agencies and programmes to strengthen their collective capacity to support countries’ efforts to overcome poverty, hunger, inequity and achieve other development priorities.

“A growing number of countries are looking more clearly and closely to the benefits of having the UN work and implement assistance program with more coherence and efficiency,” he said.

“Delivering as One has convincingly shown in practice how the operational activities of the United Nations could be delivered with higher efficiency and how the UN system can do better and more with less, in reaching the national and internationally agreed development goals,” he added.

Other topics covered in his statement to the gathering included the Middle East peace process, Iran’s nuclear programme, the crisis in Syria and the status of Kosovo.

The Albanian President is one of scores of world leaders and other high-level officials presenting their views and comments on issues of individual national and international relevance at the Assembly’s General Debate, which ends on 1 October.

Golden Dawn Opens New York Office

By Andy Dabilis on September 23, 2012

The Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party has set up an office in New York City in a bid to bolster its support among expatriate Greek communities and promising to dispense it only to Greeks and not immigrants it blames for a rise in crime and who it wants pushed out of the country.

The ultra-nationalist party has been collecting food and medicine at drives in New York for Greeks left destitute by the country’s massive financial crisis and recently distributed the aid in Athens, the Kathimerini daily reported, getting response from Greek-Americans who favor their anti-immigrant, anti-government agenda.

The website of the Golden Dawn New York branch, which features the party’s black swastika-like symbol across a dark New York skyline, promises the aid will be donated “only to Greek people.” Similar drives also have been held in Melbourne, Australia and Montreal, Canada.

The move comes as the party, which got only 0.29 percent of the vote in the 2009 elections but skyrocketed to 6.97 percent in this year’s elections to win 18 seats in Parliament, is soaring again on the back of its pledge to rid Greece of all immigrants.

The party has hit 10-12 percent in recent polls, behind only the ruling New Democracy Conservatives and the major opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA,) and ahead of the once-dominant PASOK Socialists who have fallen to about 8 percent because of its support for austerity measures that Golden Dawn opposes.

Greek and Turkish Coast Guard Vessels Collide in Aegean

A Greek and a Turkish coast guard vessel have collided in the Aegean Sea, the Greek foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding that a complaint would be made to Ankara over the issue.
“The Turkish coastguard vessel was sailing dangerously and collided with a Greek coastguard vessel» on anti-immigration patrol near the island of Farmakonissi, the ministry said.
“Instructions have been given to the Greek embassy in Ankara for a demarche,» the ministry said, adding that Greek territorial waters had also been breached in the process.
There were no immediate reports of injuries among the crews.

Berisha, ready to attack properties of  himariotes

An action warned to Ionian coast, is to start next week, under the name, "to clean up the beaches, from abusive constructions".

The news was given by families himariotes, which have taken notice, for the demolition of buildings, which are located near public beaches.

It is sure, that the attack on the destruction of objects of  himariotes, is deeply political, as "National Inspectorate of Construction" is an institution that belongs Cameria party, within the coalition of the government of Berisha, a political profile which has targeted its rhetoric against the Greek National Community, especially, the Himara Region.

Meanwhile, there is one more reason to think that cleaning the beaches of the Himara Region, linked to concessions that Berisha government has given to persons to stimulate the Albanian national strategy for assimilation of Himara population, implemented projects to encourage investment Albanian nationalist deeply Himara.

According to sources from Himara, the Greek government is following closely every event that is currently happening in Himara.

Serbia wants date for EU talks “as soon as possible”

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dačić has stated that Serbia wants to get a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks in December.

Ivica Dačić

He added, however, that it was not important when the date would be set.
“The most important thing is not which month we will get a date for the start of the talks but to know what we need to do and that the process we started will lead to the negotiations, so it is not essentially important whether it would be in December or in the first half of next year,” the PM said after a meeting with a head of the European Parliament delegation for southeast Europe.

According to him, Serbia is ready to start the EU accession talks and it expects it to be very soon and that the hard work thus far would end with a start of a new phase of the EU integration process.

Dačić explained that that Serbia was ready to fully cooperate with the EP and other European institutions, to harmonize its judiciary with the EU’s and to create an atmosphere that would guarantee that the process would end with the country’s EU accession.

The prime minister noted that he had informed MEPs about the political and economic situation and goals of the new government, including a key national priority – the EU membership. He added that the current government would continue to fulfill all the necessary criteria, including the Copenhagen criteria, internal reforms and the continuation of the dialogue with Priština.

“Format of dialogue still unknown”

When it comes to the continuation of the negotiations with Priština, Dačić said that a format of a political dialogue still had not been determined, adding that topics were unknown as well.

He told a press conference after talks with head of the European Parliament (EP) Delegation for Southeast Europe Eduard Kukan that one thing was certain – that Serbia would not in any way recognize Kosovo’s independence by participating in the negotiations.

“It is certain that if we want the real dialogue, we need to talk and open some issues. It is not so important here whether the president, prime minister or anyone else from the Serbian government will participate, the important thing is that the talks should not pressure Serbia into recognizing Kosovo and we do not want to be a part of it,” the prime minister explained.

According to him, not even the EU negotiators have a clear vision about the format of the dialogue.

Dačić said that he did not expect the talks to be between individuals but between delegations but that he would talk about it in detail with President Tomislav Nikolić after he has returned from New York.

“It is certain that every abuse of the talks will be avoided, meaning that nobody will be able to interpret it as the recognition of Kosovo’s independence. Anyway, I have already been at the same table with (Kosovo PM Hashim) Thaci at the UN Security Council and that was not a recognition of the independence,” he pointed out when asked whether he was ready to talk to Thaci.

The Serbian PM believes that the EU has not defined the topics of the future dialogue because “it is more important for Brussels at the moment to sit down and talk then what will be discussed” which in his opinion is not the best solution.

Italy, Albania, Greece to sign TAP pipeline accord Thursday

Reuters

10:57 a.m. CDT, September 26, 2012

ROME (Reuters) - The intergovernmental agreement for building the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) gas project that will link Italy, Greece and Albania will be signed in New York on Thursday, a spokesman for Italy's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday a government source had said the signing would be on Friday.

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TAP is one of a number of competing projects to carry gas from Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II field to Europe which is keen to reduce its dependence on existing suppliers including Russia.

TAP's shareholders are EGL of Switzerland (42.5 percent), Norway's Statoil (42.5 percent) and E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany (15 percent) .

Italian utility Enel has shown an interest in the project.

TAP has been criticized for its lack of Italian partners, with some analysts arguing that a pipeline into Italy would never secure political backing without involvement of an Italian company as investor in the project.

Producers in the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan, led by BP and Statoil, plan to ship around 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year through Turkey into Europe from 2017 or 2018.

(Reporting By Alberto Sisto, writing by Stephen Jewkes, editing by William Hardy)