George Papaconstantinou has hinted that his political foes are trying to incriminate him

Greece: former finance minister faces prosecution

December 31, 2012 RSS Feed Print

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's coalition government called on Monday for the indictment of former Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou for allegedly removing the names of three of his relatives from a list of Swiss bank account holders whose tax records were to be re-examined.
Seventy-one deputies from the three-party coalition signed the proposal to indict Papaconstantinou for allegedly tampering with a public document and breach of duty — offenses that would carry a maximum 10-year jail term, according to legal experts.
Papaconstantinou, 51, served as finance minister between 2009 and 2011 in the previous Socialist government. But his party, which is part of the new conservative-led administration, is backing the proposed indictment.
The former minister has angrily denied the allegations, insisting the names were removed without his knowledge.
Despite the ongoing recession and frequent reports of financial scandals, prosecution of public figures is rare in Greece, largely due to strict statutes of limitation originally designed to prevent chaotic political feuds.
Under the proposed indictment, Papaconstantinou allegedly removed the names of his first cousin, her husband, and another relative from a list of some 2,000 account holders at Swiss branches of the British lender HSBC.
The list was provided by French authorities in 2010 from data on 24,000 customers reportedly stolen from the bank. Greek prosecutors found the three missing names last week after requesting that the French government resend the information.
Authorities are using the list of 2,000 Greek account holders to investigate possible tax evasion, and the public has sharply criticized their governments for taking so long to complete such probes as the country struggles to survive its deep financial crisis.
Parliament would have to approve an inquiry into Papaconstantinou's handling of the case, then vote to strip him of political immunity before he could stand trial. The three-party governing coalition controls 166 of Parliament's 300 seats, but no votes on the issue have been scheduled.
The catalog of Greek names has been dubbed the "Lagarde List," after Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, who was France's finance minister in 2010.

Croat president: Meeting with Nikolić "not possible"

Source: Večernji list

ZAGREB -- Croatian President Ivo Josipović has responded to a statement made by his Serbian counterpart Tomislav Nikolić about "Croatia not wanting to meet with Serbia".

Ivo Josipović (FoNet, file)

According to Josipović, "all the more so after that statement, a meeting is not possible".
"It's hard to imagine that in the light of such statements a meeting of the two presidents would be successful. We'll meet when we are confident that we can send a positive message," he told Croatia's state broadcaster HRT, according to the Zagreb daily Jutarnji List.

The newspaper also noted that Nikolić in his recent interview for Tanjug said that Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina had leaders who did not want to cooperate with Serbia.

"They are looking for an excuse not to cooperate with Serbia, Croatia has a genocide lawsuit, it has an open way to the EU, and the last thing it needs is to begin to negotiate with Serbia about the property of Serbs (from Croatia), (their) unpaid pensions and stolen apartments. Or about (Operation) Storm, which Croatia celebrates rather than mourns, as Serbia mourns Srebrenica."

Josipović's response to this was that "his country, too, mourns Srebrenica," and in addition - that it "recognized it as genocide, which President Nikolić does not."

"Of course we celebrate our victory, Storm, which finished off the dream and ambition of a greater Serbia, and at the same time I regret any innocent victim, including all those Serb civilians who were either killed or were the victim of crimes which the Croatian judiciary must punished," he was quoted as saying.

  Picture: FOCUS News Agency

Busy traffic at checkpoints on Greek-Albanian border 

30 December 2012 | FOCUS News Agency

Tirana. The traffic at the checkpoints on the Greek-Albanians border is busy, as emigrants return to their home towns, the Macedonian Sitel television station reported.

Most emigrants use Kakavija border checkpoint. According to Ora News television 5,739 Albanians and 1,297 cars entered Albania there in the past 24 hours, while 3,297 Albanian citizens and 742 cars left the country.

In the past 24 hours 4,277 Albanian nationals and 1,122 vehicles entered Albania at Kapshtica border checkpoint, whereas 1,854 Albanians and 505 vehicles left it. 255 foreigners entered Albania at this border checkpoint and 193 foreigners left the Balkan country.

The Unknown Greek-American CIA Agent In "Charlie Wilson's War" That Would Have Changed Modern Greek History

The Unknown Greek-American CIA Agent In "Charlie Wilson's War" That Would Have Changed Modern Greek History

credit newsbomb

Most of you have probably read and/or watched the movie "Charlie Wilson's War". The controversial movie, which starred Tom Hanks recounts the true story of US Congressman Charlie Wilson who partnered with CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujaheddin during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. But did you know that there was a Greek link in this story?

Interestingly Gustav Lascaris "Gust" Avrakotos (January 14, 1938 – December 1, 2005) was a Greek-American case officer and Afghan Task Force Chief for the United States Central Intelligence Agency. He was actually unknown to the public until the 2003 novel "Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, by George Crile".

But there are other points of interest in this book that if materialised at the time would have altered modern Greek history as we know it. Avrakotos, who was the son of a Greek American soft drink manufacturer from the island of Limnos, was actually a "link" between the CIA and Greek Secret Service (KYP) and according to Wikipedia was also the man who was in direct contact with dictator Georgios Papadopoulos and other military men in the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. In fact he also played a role in approving the Greek Junta coup against Cyprus President Makarios and the subsequent Turkish invasion.

Most importantly, and in accordance with the book, this Greek-American CIA officer even unofficially advised his associates in the Junta to assassinate Andreas Papandreou, to not allow Papandreou to leave the country but rather "shoot the motherf**cker" because at some point Papandreou will make his comeback and destroy everything that you have built in Greece! (Oh how right he was.... )

Here are some excerpts from the book:

"On April 21, 1967, [Avrakotos] got one of those breaks that can make a career, when a military junta seized power in Athens and suspended democratic and constitutional government. Liberals in the United States and elsewhere were outraged, but overnight 'the Colonels' coup' turned Avrakotos into one of the CIA's indispensable, frontline players ... Avrakotos understood that the colonels had expected the United States to thank them, however discreetly, for preventing the anti-American candidate, Andreas Papandreou, from taking power [because] the polls had indicated that Papandreou would win the election..."
This is what Crile calls a "big career break" for Avrakotos: being CIA enforcer in Athens just when Phalangist colonels seized power to prevent a Leftist from winning a fair election. Avrakotos's friends the colonels arrested Papandreou, who had taught in America for years and had, inconveniently for the Junta, an American passport. The colonels asked Avrakotos what to do with Papandreou:
"...the [US] embassy sent Avrakotos to [tell] the Junta to permit [Papandreou] to leave the country. 'That's the official position. You should let him go,' [Avrakotos] told the colonels. 'But unofficially, as your friend, my advice is to shoot the motherfucker because he's going to come back to haunt you.' This was vintage Aliquippa [PA, the small town where Avrakotos grew up] wisdom [!] and just the right kind of statement made at just the right moment to cement a true conspirators' friendship."
So Avrakotos' "wisdom" was to advise the Junta to kill Andreas Papandreou, and what's more the author praises the wonderful timing of Avrakotos' suggestion calling it "just the right kind of statement made at just the right moment..."

In a bio on his life that was featured at the weekend on newsbomb, we read that one of the most difficult moments in Avrakotos' career was when CIA Chief Richard Wells was assassinated (December 23, 1975) by the notorious "November 17" terrorist organization. At the time, he had asked his superiors in America to give him the "green light" to find the killers and make them pay but according to newsbomb.. this request was rejected.

Interestingly, after Athens, Avrakotos was unable to find another mission. In fact the CIA considered him too raw and believed that the profile of a Greek immigrant did not fit with the Anglo-Saxon way of their sophisticated agency. Having survived a large clearing in the late '70s, Avrakotos eventually found a position with the CIA in Beirut, where he succeeded in all his missions and made a great name for himself.

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-unknown-greek-american-cia-agent-in.html
References

• newsbomb - http://www.newsbomb.gr/prionokordela/diethni/story/266082/gust-avrakotos-o-ellinoamerikanos-thrylikos-praktoras-tis-cia
• Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wilson%27s_War

Shkelzen Berisha reacts to accusations

Shkelzen Berisha, the son of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, reacted against the accusations launched by the Socialist Party through an e-mail sent to the media. He states that the opposition is lying about the transparency of his wealth and that of his sister.

Shkelzen Berisha denies being involved in any consult for any company regarding the privatization of any hydropower plant.

"Once again, Edi Rama, through Taulant Balla, brought the next lie in the media market by saying that I have served as a consultant for one of the companies that participated in the HPP tender. I want to make it known to the public that this is a low slander and that I have never given legal assistance for any company that has participated in public procurements", Shkelzen Berisha declared in his reaction.

The Prime Minister's son says that he will address to the Court for this defamation. Shkelzen Berisha adds that he has never violated the law with the wealth declaration.

"My legal obligation on behalf of transparency is to report each year my wealth at the High Institution of Audit and Declaration of Assets (HIDAA), which is verified by the institution for any conflict of interest. HIDAA, an independent institution, gave a public answer to the defamatory Balla and Rama by certifying my private activity. I have also opened a lawsuit to enable Rama and his defamatory paid people to prove their accusations in front of the justice institutions", the declaration continued.

Shkelzen Berisha's declaration concludes with a request addressed to the opposition leader, Edi Rama, in which he says that he asks Mr. Rama to convince Mr. Balla to not avoid the trial as a coward.

This is the second reaction of Shkelzen Berisha, after a previous one he made together with his sister, Argita, a few days ago.

DP accuses Rama

The DP accused the opposition leader, Edi Rama, of blocking the integration processes and for defamation against the Prime Minister and his family.

"The Socialist Party leader, Edi Rama, gave as a greeting card for the holidays to the Albanians the blockage of the EU candidate status. The new "blockmen" are trying to cover this unprecedented act in the history of any other country in their integration process through lies and defamations against the Prime Minister's family. However, on June 23rd, the Albanians will bring down the blockage wall with their vote, as they brought down the isolation wall built during the dictatorship by the fathers of these 'blockmen'", declared Laura Vorpsi from the Democratic Party press office.

President Nishani visits Italy

The first official visit of President Bujar Nishani in Italy was held in a warm ambience of friendship and mutual valuation.

The Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, welcomed his Albanian homologue at the Presidential Palace this Friday where he stressed the excellent relations between the two countries and by valuing the work of the diplomacy in both countries.

He declared that Italy is interested for Albania to have a positive influence in the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia situation.

The Albanian President thanked for the constant help received from Italy in Albania's EU integration process.

Nishani valued the cooperation between the two countries in economy, culture and law enforcing agencies. He invited the Italian entrepreneurs to invest in energy, tourism and agriculture in Albania.

Both presidents visited the exhibit "Albanian Cultural Heritage Treasures", opened on NOvember for the 100th anniversary of Albania's independence at the Vittoriano Complex.

Before leaving, President Nishani invited his homologue for a visit in Albania.

Macedonian opposition holds protest in Skopje

Source: Tanjug

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

(Tanjug, file)

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

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

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

Northern Kosovo to be discussed in January, Ashton says

Source: Tanjug

PRIŠTINA -- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton says that the Serbian and Kosovo PMs will discuss northern Kosovo on January 17.

Catherine Ashton (Beta/AP)

She told Priština-based Albanian language daily Koha Ditore that Serbian PM Ivica Dačić and Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci would at the next meeting in Brussels discuss progress in the implementation of agreements, especially the agreement on the integrated crossings management.
Ashton added that the partition of Kosovo was not an option and that the situation in the north of the province was “fragile”.

She did not want to comment on speculations that ex-Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Ramush Haradinaj could be the next prime minister and on possible effects that such move could have on the talks.

“All I expect from Belgrade and Priština is to remain strongly committed to the dialogue,” Ashton was quoted as saying.

Serbia, Weapons factory opens in central town

Source: Tanjug

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

Aleksandar Vučić is seen in Velika Plana

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lagarde List Heads For Parliament (VIDEO)

Lagarde List Heads For Parliament (VIDEO)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

References
AMNA
SKAI Television

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

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

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

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

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

Macedonian opposition holds protest in Skopje

Source: Tanjug

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

(Tanjug, file)

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

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

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

Greek HSBC Swiss Account Holders “Lagarde List”

October 29, 2012 in Greece

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

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

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

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Greatest security threats come from Kosovo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: B92, The Guardian

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

(Beta/AP)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Despite the arguments, the laws passed only with the majori

President on Kosovo resolution, NATO membership

Source: Beta, Tanjug

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

Tomislav Nikolić (Beta, file)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

,After a life threatening message to Archbishop Janullatos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo: hotel-relax-dhermi.com

10 Reasons 2013 Is The Time To Visit Albania

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

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

PROVOCATION - Incident At Imia - Turkish Coastguard Threatens Greek Boat

PROVOCATION - Incident At Imia - Turkish Coastguard Threatens Greek Boat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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

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

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

(Hmmmm....)

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

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

Watch video for the continuation

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

Army chief tours Ground Safety Zone

Source: Tanjug

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

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

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

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

Greek Berisha`s syndrome of Gruevski

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

27 December 2012 FOCUS News Agency

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

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