Friday, November 2, 2007

Violence possible after Kosovo talks, intelligence
Thursday, November 01, 2007 12:32 PM

AP. BELGRADE, Serbia-Serbia's intelligence agency warned Thursday of possible unrest in Kosovo when talks end in December about the separatist province's future status.

Rade Bulatovic, the head of Serbia's Security Information Agency, told a parliamentary committee that "protests, unrest and even Serb-Albanian conflicts are possible" in the U.N.-run region.

Bulatovic said the instability was "particularly expected" if Kosovo declares independence from Serbia following a Dec. 10 deadline set by international mediators in the negotiations.

Kosovo is formally part of Serbia, but its majority ethnic Albanian population are seeking independence. Belgrade strongly opposes the idea.

Internationally-brokered negotiations on the province's status have produced no agreement so far. The U.S., Russian and EU mediators have set the Dec. 10 deadline for any deal to be reached.

Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo have threatened to unilaterally declare independence if the negotiations fail to produce a result. Serbia has said it would never recognize Kosovo's independence.

There was no immediate comment from the U.N. authorities in Kosovo to Bulatovic's statement. U.N. and NATO officials have pledged to maintain peace and stability.

A 1998-99 war between ethnic Albanian rebels and Serbian security forces in Kosovo left thousands dead and ended when NATO air attacks forced Belgrade to pull out of the province.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Southeast Europe Project
invites you to a forum as part of the
Tsakopoulos - Kounalakis Lecture Series

Enlightenment from Athens to America :
Reason and Religion in Democratic Society

with

Dr. Jennifer Hockenbery, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department, Mount Mary College ( Wisconsin )

Thursday, November 8, 2007
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
5th Floor Conference Room


RSVP acceptances only sep@wilsoncenter.org
For directions visit www.wilsoncenter.org/directions
All events, unless otherwise noted, are held at the:

Woodrow Wilson Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004

Monday, October 29, 2007

Albania Lobbies Islamic Conference over Kosovo

29 10 2007 Tirana _ Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha has called on Egypt to persuade the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, OIC, member-states to recognize en bloc a possible declaration of independence by Kosovo.

While presenting Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit with an overview of the situation in UN-administered Kosovo, Berisha asked his host to use Egypt’s considerable influence with the other Arab states.

“After December 10, Kosovo must declare independence in coordination with the USA and the EU. It can’t be a part of Serbia because historically it has not been a part of Serbia,” Berisha said during the meeting in Cairo on Sunday, media reported.

Although administered by the UN since the war of 1999, Kosovo formally belongs to Serbia which does not want to concede the Kosovo Albanians’ demand for independence.

Gheit promised the Albanian prime minister that his country would make a substantial effort to make Kosovo a priority issue at the next OIC Islamic Summit Conference, due in Senegal in March 2008.

Kosovo Albanian leaders have slammed the latest round of talks in Vienna on their homeland’s status as unproductive.

The current phase of talks since August has been overseen by a “Troika” of international mediators.

Several Kosovar leaders have declared that if the ongoing negotiations fail to produce agreement, Kosovo should press ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence.

Albania announced it was joining the OIC in 1992, a few months after the collapse of its hardline communist regime.

It is the only country in Europe where the majority of the population have a Muslim cultural background.
Prime Minister Berisha met with Commissioner of Human Rights of EU Hammarberg:

Albania is under observation of High Commissioner of Human Rigths of EU, who arrived in Tirana last Sunday. During meeting between the Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the EU commissioner Hammarberg the epicenter of the debate was over alls the situation of greek minority, which claimed from prime minister as "good and normal Relations". Particlularly the Prime Minister Berisha declares in the end of meeting with EU Commissioner Hammarberg that: "The greek Minority and HRUP is part of my governament coalition"

But the paradoxes about "existence" of Greek Minority continue often to presente to the high european representatives on "tow standarts"; The first; as a greek minority represent inside HRUP (Human Rights Union Party) as coalition member of government "privileged as good relations between Athens and Tirana" and The second; The reality of another antagonism showed, the realy discrimination situation against the Greek Community.....the continuing of violation of human rights from vandalism to the greek orthodox churches, the land assimilisation proces, the greek schools prohibites, the total block of greek media, the counting general popullation, the decisions of albanian tribunals to conquiste proprieties, to the massive escape of the greek popullation obligated to leave their mother lands to go in greece, etcc..


Commissioner Hammarberg to assess human rights situation in Albania.

Strasbourg, 26.10.2007 – Starting Monday 29 October, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, will pay a five-day high-level official visit to Albania to assess the overall human rights situation in the country.

Mr Hammarberg’s agenda focuses on a broad range of issues including the functioning of the judiciary, conditions of detention, torture and ill-treatment, trafficking in human beings, gender equality, Roma and minority rights as well as social and economic rights. Accompanied by three members of his Office, Commissioner Hammarberg will also visit various institutions such as a police station, detention centre, shelter and psychiatric establishment in Tirana, Shkodra, Vlorë and Elbasan.

During the visit, the Commissioner will meet with top State authorities including the President, Mr Bamir Topi, the Prime Minister, Mr Sali Berisha, and the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Jozefina Topalli. Further talks will be held with ministers and parliamentarians, the Presidents of the Constitutional Court and High Council of Justice, the Prosecutor General, the Ombudsman and local authorities. Moreover, Mr Hammarberg’s agenda includes meetings with representatives of the civil society and international organisations.

The Commissioner will present his preliminary observations on Friday 2 November at 11h00 during a press conference organised in the Council of Europe’s Information Office in Tirana (Sheshi Skenderbej, Palatti i Kultures, Kati I pare).

The visit is part of the activities carried out in accordance with the Commissioner’s mandate to assess the implementation of human rights obligations by all Council of Europe’s member States. An assessment report with relevant recommendations will be presented and published within three months after the visit.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Vlora Region against Investment Pipeline Burgas Vlora. But the Central Election Commission does not aprove the referendum for Thermo Central Electric which will be instald in Vlora Region. The albanian oposition supports the rights of people of Vlora`s Region.

“Referendum or Protests”: This is the ultimatum made by Vloras`s Region represent in the end of decision of Central Election Commission of Albania.
The Berisha`s Government is raising the tenssion against people of Vlora. The Burgas Vlore is a Pipeline Transporter, which financed from Company associated by V/American President Dick Chaney, but is under volation of population of region of Vlora Bay.

AMBO pipeline is a planned oil pipeline from Bulgarian Black Sea port Burgas via Macedonia to Albanian Adriatic port Vlore. The aim of the 894 kilometer long trans-Balkan pipeline is to bypass Turkish straits in transportation of Russian and Caspian oil. The pipeline is expected to cost about 1.5 billion USD and it will transport 750,000 barrels of oil per day.[1] There will be four pump stations, two in Bulgaria and one each in Macedonia and Albania, constructed along the route.

The pipeline is planned to be built and operated by the US-registered Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil Corporation (AMBO). The project is backed by the US government, who financed a feasibility study of pipeline.[2]

Burgas Vlora is linked with V/American President Dick Chaney, which is not favorite alternative from peoples of the area of Vlora Region which have requested referendum for the future of the Region.

The only alternative energy of AMBO pipeline of Balkan Region is Burgas Alexandropoulos, which has begun the start project much of it financed from “Latsis Group” a multi millioner from Northern Epirus (Old Epirus Province separated from Greece).

Anyway, the albanian oposition (Left Coalition headed from Socialist Party) expresed it politicaly suport to people of Vlora`s Region for the democratic rights about the referendum.