N. Kosovo Serbs set up new barricades

Source: Tanjug

ZUBIN POTOK -- North Kosovo Serbs set up barricades last night at the Kosovska Mitrovica-Ribariće road near the village of Zupče.

Barricades in the village of Zupče (Tanjug, file)

The reason why the Serbs once again set up barricades in the village was EULEX attempt to arrest one of their compatriots.

The barricade consists of logs and heavy machines. The blocked road leads to the Brnjak administrative checkpoint in the far north of the province.

Media in Priština report that EULEX tried to arrest a man suspected of killing a member of Kosovo police special unit (ROSU) on July 25.

The Serbs could not say last night when the barricades would be removed.

Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović will today speak to mayors of Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, Tanjug has learned.

The minister and mayors will discuss the current situation in the north.

Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi has said that the Kosovo institutions will implement the law and order in the entire territory of Kosovo and that they have international community’s support to do so.

Albania Sees Surge in Demand for Biometric Passports

Millions of Albanians have applied for the latest “biometric” passport just months after the country was granted visa free travel across the European Union.

Besar Likmeta

Tirana

Hollywood actress with Albanian decent, Eliza Dushku, poses with her Albanian passport | Photo courtesy of www.km.gov.al

To date, two million applications have been received for the new style of passport which is considered harder to falsify than a traditional passport.

Biometric passports record more personal data from an individual – such as their fingerprint- and store this on a microchip imprinted on the passport.

Traditional passports only contain a photograph and basic information about the holder.

There has also been a surge in the issuance of new identity cards. Ferdinand Poni, deputy minister of the interior in Albania, said 2.8 million new identity cards had been distributed since the application process began.

These new identity cards are being seen as increasingly important by Albanians as more and more government agencies require them for basic legal procedures –such as filing a law suit.

The issuing of biometric documents was one of the conditions set by European authorities in order for Albania and Bosnia to join the White Schengen list.

Visa-free travel to the EU took effect for Albania on 15 December 2010 allowing it citizens to travel to a total of 28 nations that are inside Europe’s borderless Schengen zone or aspire to join it.

The Head of the Greek Police in Albania

The Head of the Greek Police in Albania

The leader of the Greek Police, Lefteris Economou, will hold two-day visit to Albania at the invitation of Albanian counterpart. During this visit Mr. Economou will meet with Interior Minister Bujar Nisan.

According to the news agency during AMNA stay in Albania, the leader of the Greek Police to discuss το the common interest of the police under the bilateral police cooperation.

Albania: Goods sent to Kosovo, Serb boycott increases export

Source: Alsat

The value and quantity of all goods that Albania sends to the Kosovo market have had a decrease compared to one year ago.

The value and quantity of all goods that Albania sends to the Kosovo market have had a decrease compared to one year ago.

The comparative statistical data that Albanian Screen took from the Statistics Institution show that during this year, we have exporter more goods.

The export of food, drinks and tobacco has doubled compared to the previous year. Lek 363 million were sent from January to July of the last year. Meanwhile, this year, the value of export reaches to Lek 616.

There has been a high request even for chemical and plastic products, and for shoes and clothes.

According to comparative data, during June and July there was an evident increase of the request in the Kosovo markets. Construction materials with a value of nearly Lek 3.8 billion were sent to Kosovo during this year, which shows that this market has a high request; during the previous year, exports reached to nearly Lek 2.9 billion.

The value of goods exported from Albania to Kosovo from January to July reaches to nearly Lek 7.1 billion; one year ago, this figure was only 5.2. Imports have signed a modest increase, where there are mainly minerals and construction materials.

In 2010, the value of imports from Kosovo reached to nearly 2 billion; meanwhile, this year, this value reaches to 2.6 billion.

In a business forum, which was held few days ago in Tirana, leaders of the Economic Chamber and Kosovo businessmen said that after the decision to boycott Serb goods, the Kosovo markets will be supplied by Albania.

“Kosovo special police exercises represent provocation”

Source: Tanjug

KRALJEVO -- Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac has stated that Kosovo special police unit (ROSU) exercises in north Kosovo are inappropriate activities.

Dragan Šutanovac (novosti.rs, file)

He added that it was obvious that Priština still wanted to keep a high level of risk and anxiety.

“We have to remain patient and wise and not allow to be tricked by such provocations, since this was obviously a provocation intended to trigger a negative reaction and, if possible, again incite a conflict between Serbia and the international community. This time, it did not work,” the minister stated on Thursday.

He called on all citizens of Kosovo not to react to such provocations since, as he put it, this had already happened in the past and unavoidably led in the wrong direction.

"Gaddafi could seek asylum in Serbia or Croatia"

Source: Tanjug, Večernji list

ZAGREB, TRIPOLI -- Libyan Transitional National Council member Fatima Mahmoud has said that Muammar Gaddafi could seek asylum in Chad, Algeria, Venezuela, Croatia or Serbia.

A file photo of Boris Tadić and Muammar Gaddafi

She told Zagreb-based daily Večernji list that Gaddafi was still in Libya but that he had left Tripoli.

“We have information that he could seek asylum in five countries he has good relations with today, unless he gets caught or killed,” Mahmoud stressed, adding that those countries were Chad, Algeria, Venezuela, Croatia and Serbia.

“It is well known that those countries, their official governments or powerful politicians communicate with him and give him advice even today. It is known that he has very good relations with Serbia and former Croatian President Stjepan Mesić, who offered him help in the name of their great friendship,” she was quoted as saying.

Mahmoud claims that there had been “many mercenaries and military experts from African countries, but also from the former Yugoslavia, especially from Croatia and Serbia” among Gaddafi’s forces.

The rebels said on Wednesday night that they had captured five Serbians suspected of being Gaddafi’s snipers.

Socialist Party sends letter to spokesman of Parliament, Topalli: "Law on Census, manipulated"

Political parties in Albania, under nationalist race for Census


Socialist parliamentary group said today that the vote the draft law on census of population andhousing is mounted, fictitious and manipulated.

Through a letter to Assembly Speaker Jozefina Topalli, MP SP Sajmir Tahiri on behalf of the group states that the voting process of 7 July 2011 is not in accordance with the will of the members participated in plenary session.

It is not known yet what developments could take the Law on Census, as almost all Albanian political parties, are competing over who should meet the nationalist policies against ethnic groups in Albania, particularly to the ethnic Greek community.

NATO angry to Tirana, "send weapons for Gadhafi"

The capture of a ship full of weapons and ammunition, mainly shells, ranging in Tripoli for dictator Muammar Gadhafi

SManalysis

NATO "stay" inexcusable blunders to Albania for the tabulation of operational secrets. Coercive measures against our country have been increasing progressively since the moment when the Alliance with its specialized agencies caught in the net flow of information from the network and sell their services to the Serbian, Russian and Islamics.

After investigation found that the secrets were carried out by Albanian authorities. Generals appointed and certified for access denied involvement and were excluded from the investigation. Remained the responsibility of some members of the majority and the government, who were caught in close ties with foreign services. Sources close to the Defense Ministry said the agency, that although not a formal suspension of Albania by NATO without causing scandal to the world the first of its kind in the history of our country representatives are excluded from important discussions made by Council member countries.

Again and again the representative of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Army is not accepted in the internal discussions of the scandal of selling secrets. Over the months, Albania was ruled by ordinary meetings of the Alliance, after Jove is not caught on. While initially the country is deprived of the right to access the network and to view information of NATO or its operational movements.Already been excluded from important meetings, while learning that Albania is not part of the discussions or operations in Libya. Because it made the capture of a ship full of weapons and ammunition, mainly shells, ranging in Tripoli for dictator Muammar Gadhafi.

The Defense Ministry denied the news some months ago, officially, but the investigation proved the opposite of the Alliance, two people close to the prime minister and government of this traffic were intermediaries in cooperation with Bosnian Serb smugglers. After that came the next attack of NATO, the exclusion of Albania and its representatives at the headquarters to participate in the meeting.Just a month ago Albania excluded from the right to access the network and the first secret information about nuclear energy and other counterterrorism operations or those in Libya.

For several weeks learned that Albania is an honorary member of NATO, without the weight and value and not just to draw ink into the eye of world government, ALLIANCE leaders are not officially confirm the suspension, allowing us to set the country not reliable.

New Statue of Alexander the Great at the Airport of Skopje

A statue of Alexander the Great, 1.5 meter high, was placed at the new airport building in Skopje, that since late 2006 has been renamed “Alexander the Great” airport. The new airport building in Skopje will be inaugurated on September 8, the independence day of FYROM.

The head of the Turkish company TAV in FYROM Murat Ornekol said that the placement of the statue of Alexander has been agreed upon by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of FYROM. ”The Ministry of Transport has chosen and agreed on the placement of the new statue, which is the gift of our company to the new airport,” said Ornekol.

As of last year, TAV company the airport of Skopje. One more statue of Alexander the Great of huge dimensions, has been placed since last June in the central square of Skopje.

The statue in the square, which is officially called “the statue of mounted warriors” by the FYROM authorities, will be accompanied by ancient Macedonian soldiers in order of phalanx and lions.

The whole construction will be completed in the coming days, while according to the media in Skopje, the unveiling of the statue in the square of the capital of Macedonia, will be made by the Prime Minister of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski on September 8, in honor of the 20 years since the independence of Macedonia.

The government is planning many festivities.

Officials say Germany, Serbia do not agree on Kosovo

Source: B92

BELGRADE -- Serbian officials and experts are still analyzing statements made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Belgrade.

Angela Merkel and Boris Tadić (FoNet)

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić is satisfied with the fact that Merkel has supported Serbia’s European integration.

On the other hand, the foreign minister points out that Belgrade and Berlin unfortunately do not agree on Kosovo.

He stressed that Serbia and Germany had not managed to reach common ground regarding Kosovo, aside from the fact that they agreed that peace and stability in the province needed to be preserved and that unilateral moves did not help solve the problem.

Merkel said that it was necessary to renew negotiations with Priština, allow EULEX to operate in the entire territory of Kosovo and abolish parallel structure in the north.

“Belgrade is not surprised by the German chancellor’s requests. This could be anticipated from the previous messages we were getting, maybe just the sharpness of the request to abolish the institutions in northern Kosovo is something that was not expected,” Serbian Ambassador to Germany Ivo Visković said.

“The request is something that Serbian authorities absolutely cannot accept at the moment. They have some calculations and I am afraid that one of them that we are giving in to everything because of the candidacy and our wish to join the Union. We have warned them, but unfortunately the German side’s firm positions remain,” he explained.

The ambassador said that he had several times reminded Berlin officials that it had taken 20 years for West Germany to establish some sort of relations with East Germany without recognizing each other, while Serbia was being asked to do that in just two years.

Former Serbian Ambassador to Germany Ognjen Pribićević is not surprised by Merkel's requests either.

“I am afraid that a tough period is ahead of Serbia. A period with such messages from Brussels, London, Washington… I think we will need a lot of diplomatic skills and intelligence to find a solution for these issues, especially when it comes to northern Kosovo,” he pointed out.

“The messages came from a position high enough that they can be considered EU’s unofficial stance on Kosovo and setting the EU or Kosovo condition for Serbia,” said Political Science Faculty professor Predrag Simić.

“Merkel’s statements are a clear sign that Europe expects Ahtisaari’s plan to be implemented in Kosovo and that Serbia is now facing a dilemma – to continue the policy of not recognizing Kosovo or change the policy if we want to join the European Union,” the professor stressed.

Albania and FYR Macedonia agree to build a better legal and road infrastructure

Balkan Business News Correspondent - 24.08.2011

Albania's Prime Minister Sali Berisha received Mr. Fatmir Besimi, Minister of Defense of (FYR) Macedonia who is on an official visit. Welcoming the guest, Albania's PM Berisha took the opportunity and asked the minister to convey friendly greetings to Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and chairman of the Democratic Union for Integration Ali Ahmeti.

And he wished to the new coalition government of (FYR) Macedonia successes in its mission. On his part, Mr. Besimi thanked the prime minister for the hospitality and also gave the friendliest greetings of PM Gruevski and DUI chairman Ali Ahmeti. During the meeting the interlocutors positively assessed the very good political relations between the two countries and reiterated the determination and the commitment of the two governments to build a better legal and road infrastructure so that to increase and promote cooperation in all the fields.

In this context, Minister Besimi informed Albania's PM Berisha that the (FYR) Macedonian government has been working on the railway project to connect by railway the two countries and the government agenda carries certain road projects to be implemented within the current mandate which will establish a connection with Arbri road, actually under construction in Albania, and thus cut the travel time between the two capitals.

During the meeting, the interlocutors also highlighted the vital importance of Corridor 8 about cooperation between the two countries, but even in regional scale. Speaking about cooperation in the field of defense, Mr. Besimi said he was happy and proud of holding his first official visit to Albania, a NATO member country and a fine example for all the countries of the region aspiring to get membership in the North Atlantic Alliance. Albania's PM Berisha reconfirmed Albania full support for (FYR) Macedonia membership into the NATO and pointed to the fact that (FYR) Macedonia has fulfilled the military criteria for becoming an Alliance member country, and further expressed the wish that the two neighbors and friendly countries, i.e. (FYR) Macedonia and Greece, find a solution to the ongoing dispute over the name the resolve of which would pave the way for (FYR) Macedonia full membership into the NATO.

Albania's PM Berisha and Minister Besimi also discussed on the recent developments in the region and focused on events in Kosova. Albania's PM Berisha re-expressed the government of Albania gratitude for the stand that the (FYR) Macedonian government took on the recent developments in the Northern area of Kosova and emphasized that the rigorous respect of the current borders in the region and the consolidation of the rule of law in all the territory of the Republic of Kosova create a necessary condition for the stability and security in the region as well as for the successful fight against crime and illegal trafficking. Likewise, the interlocutors reconfirmed that the European and Euro-Atlantic future of the region remains the major project of these peoples in the framework of their efforts for peace, security and cooperation in the region. Source: Government

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Albanian President Praises Libya Rebels’ Advance

Albanian President Bamir Topi has paid tribute to the Libyan rebels’ advance into Tripoli, describing it as a tipping point which could spell the end of the four decade dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi

Besar Likmeta

Tirana

Libyans celebrate rebels advance into Tripoli | Photo by Fonet/AP

“This is a historic moment in the deposal of one of the dictatorial regimes of our era, which committed monstrous crimes against his own people,” Topi said in a statement issued to the press today.

“In the name of the Albanian people I would like to wish the Libyan people a swift and peaceful transition [to democracy],” Topi added.

The rebels swept into Tripoli during the weekend, but after a swift advance, they encountered stiff resistance in a number of areas from pro-Gaddafi loyalists.

In July, Albania recognized Libya’s main opposition group, the National Transitional Council, as the country’s legitimate government. It also backed the UN-mandated no-fly zone designed to protect Libyan civilians.

The Interim Transitional National Council is a political group formed to represent rebel groups seeking to overthrow the four decade-old regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Serbian state officials meet with German chancellor

Source: Beta, 92,

BELGRADE -- Serbian state officials, including the president, are today in Belgrade meeting with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

(Tanjug)

Merkel stated Tuesday following the talks with Serbian President Boris Tadić that Germany wants Serbia to become an EU member state.

We believe that Serbia's place is in Europe. We acknowledge and commend the courage demonstrated on that road, Merkel said at a joint press conference with Tadic.

We see Serbia's future in the EU, and we will do everything in our power to help Serbia overcome possible obstacles in that pathway in line with the European principles.

She underlined that, as regards the Kosovo issue, progress should be made in relations between Belgrade and Priština.

"We pointed out that Serbia recognized Kosovo, while Serbia did not. That's a situation where progress is needed - results in direct dialogue, work of EULEX and canceling of parallel structures," Merkel was quoted as saying.

When asked to comment Priština's announcement that it could take certain moves in north Kosovo before the continuation of the dialogue with Belgrade, she said that unilateral moves should be prevented.

For that reason, Germany wants to see the dialogue continued so the results of the talks could reduce the danger of unilateral moves, Merkel said at a joint press conference with Tadić. ........

www.b92.net

The opposition leader Edi Rama continues vacation in Himara

Besides Prime Minister Sali Berisha, in Himara holiday was the opposition leader Edi Rama. According to sources, he was guest in the villa of the Chairman of the Municipal Council of Himara Stephan Kokedhima , the man closest to the newspaper publishers 'Shekulli', Koco Kokedhima.

Edi Rama, has had confidential meetings with the mayor of Himara, George Goro, especially in the village Jale, on one of the new tourism center, with controversial recent months, to build under the powerful of left political of Albania.

K. Albanian armed group threatens "for action"

Source: Tanjug

PRIŠTINA -- The so-called Albanian National Army (ANA) has threatened "armed action" in northern, Serb parts of Kosovo, according to reports on Sunday.

ANA members pose for reporters in 2007 (file)

Albanian language media in Priština quoted media in Albania and said the group announced the threats would materialize "unless Kosovo had an army by the end of September".

The group reportedly sent this message to the Kosovo Albanian prime minister and president, demanding that the "Armed Forces of Kosovo" be formed by September 30.

The ANA statement was signed by the group's "political spokesman" Sazan Toplica.

Should these demands be ignored, said the statement, the terrorists "will be forced to resume their military actions in the northern part of the republic of Kosovo".

The statement further noted that the group "temporarily suspended its activities after the proclamation of independence of Kosovo, in order to give Kosovo's institutions a chance to consolidate the armed forces of Kosovo".

"However, that did not happen," Toplica was quoted in the media.

The ethnic Albanian group was declared a terrorist organization by the UN mission in the province, UNMIK, after ANA members in 2003 planted some 60 kilograms of explosives on the railway line in the predominantly Serb, northern part of the province.

North Kosovo Serbs unblock KFOR unit

Source: Tanjug

LEPOSAVIĆ -- Leposavić municipality residents have unblocked a KFOR unit and allowed the troops to take a seized dredge from Srbija Šume plan near the village of Lešak.

The Jarinje administrative checkpoint

Leposavić Mayor Boško Ninić has said that the citizens unblocked the plant after their requests had been met.

He told Tanjug that the situation had calmed down after KFOR and EULEX showed a seizure warrant to the citizens and released a Srbija Šume plant’s security guard.

The Leposavić mayor said that the citizens removed the barricade after they had been shown a confiscation document and after the security guard had been released.

He added that KFOR and EULEX troops were allowed to leave with the seized dredge and that the situation was calm.

The seizure of a dredge used in setting fire at the Jarinje administrative crossing was ordered by the prosecution in charge of the investigation into the incident at the Jarinje administrative crossing, said KFOR Spokesman Hans Dieter Wichter on Sunday.

According to the KFOR spokesman, the dredge was used for demolishing of buildings and an attack on the KFOR members at the Jarinje checkpoint.

“This vehicle disappeared on the night of July 27-28 and has now been found in Lešak,” he explained.

Earlier on Sunday Leposavić residents blocked the KFOR unit which attempted to enter the Srbija Šume plant and seize the dredge.