Picture: AFP

Germany supports Macedonia, says German foreign minister

FOCUS News Agency


Skopje. “Germany fully supports Macedonia's EU integration which requires conditions to be met that apply equally to every candidate. There are no new tasks for Macedonia. Germany will keep its word, but urges all political stakeholders in the country to be sensible and to take the nation's interest into account after demonstrating readiness for compromise and flexibility in settling the current crisis.”
This was stated by Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle after a meeting on Friday in Skopje with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki.
"I'm not going to hide our concern regarding the ongoing political crisis in Skopje. Therefore, I strongly urge the rules of democratic games to be respected and the Parliament to restore its functions based on mutual respect between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians as stipulated by the Ohrid Framework agreement. I truly call on everyone to see the objective and to take the nation's interest into account acknowledging their accountability and thinking of the fate and future of the country and to demonstrate sufficient extend of preparedness for compromises and sufficient flexibility in order to re-establish the democratic collaboration," Westerwelle noted.

Enlargment Commissioner, Stefan Fuele

Macedonia Leaders Exchange Barbs in Reply to Fuele

Government and opposition leaders have blamed each other for Macedonia's political impasse in replies to the EU Enlargement Commissioner's appeal for an end to the crisis.
Sinisa Jakov Marusic BIRN Skopje

 Enlargment Commissioner, Stefan Fuele
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the head of opposition Social Democrats, Branko Crvenkovski, confirmed having received letters from Stefan Fuele - but blamed each other for the continuing logjam.

Gruevski had replied that the government was open to new ideas for a solution, government spokesperson Aleksandar Gjorgiev said.

“Despite our openness and readiness for dialogue, we face an unserious and irrational approach from the other side,” Gjorgiev said, citing Gruevski’s reply.

For their part, the Social Democrats said they had been constructive all along, and the responsibility for the crisis lay with the government and the Prime Minister.

“Now is the time for Gruevski to do what he is supposed to,” the party vice president Zoran Jovanovski said, referring to their call to postpone March local elections, or hold them in tandem with early general elections.

In two separate letters addressed to Gruevski and Crvenkovski, Commissioner Fuele expressed “deep concern” about “lack of progress” in ending the political stalemate in Macedonia, which erupted in December.

The Social Democrats launched a boycott of parliament on December 24, after the government parties passed a budget for 2013 in only minutes, and after opposition MPs and journalists were kicked out of the chamber.

Fuele’s spokesperson, Peter Stano, said on Thursday that Fuele had urged the two leaders “to rapidly reach a compromise that puts the country back on its Euro-Atlantic path, which is currently threatened”.

Stano said Fuele was ready to visit Skopje as soon as the leaders showed more willingness to make progress.

“We are ready to engage in finding a political solution together with the stakeholders… provided we find readiness among them to engage. This, unfortunately, is not the case right now,” Stano said.

Last week, the political crisis deepened when the opposition refused to submit a list of mayoral candidates for the March elections by a Saturday deadline.

Fuele has already cancelled a visit to Macedonia planned for this week, during which he was due to discuss the reform process.

The EU Council has said that any decision on opening accession talks for Macedonia will be based on the next report of the European Commission.

It will assess whether Macedonia has taken real steps towards reaching a deal with Greece over its name, to which Athens objects, whether it has improved relations with Bulgaria and has carried out reforms at home.

Opposition legislators have meanwhile conditionally deposited their resignations to the parliament, to be put in to effect on election day, March 24, should the government keep ignoring their demand for snap general elections.

However, the resignation of the 43 opposition MPs in the 123-seat parliament will not automatically trigger an early election as parliament can function without them.

Earlier in February, Macedonia's ruling VMRO-DPMNE party said that if opposition MPs resigned, elections would be held only for the 43 vacant seats, not the rest.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle arrives in the country on Friday, and will also try to help in the ongoing stalemate.

Russia Plans Black Sea Fleet Rearmament – Ukrainian Minister

Russia Plans Black Sea Fleet Rearmament – Ukrainian Minister

Black Sea Fleet Personnel Disarm “Enemy” Saboteurs

KIEV, February 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russia has announced plans to rearm its Black Sea Fleet and has asked Ukraine to settle the issues regarding the planned deliveries of new weapons to the naval force, Ukraine’s defense minister said on Saturday.

"Russia's desire is understandable - technology is moving ahead, and the desire to rearm its fleet is fair. That is why it is necessary to solve all the issues at the legislative level, taking the interests of Ukraine as a non-aligned country into account," Pavlo Lebedev was quoted by the ministry’s press service as saying.
However, Lebedev said customs formalities are not within his ministry’s jurisdiction and therefore the documents concerning the planned arms deliveries will be sent to the Tax and Income Ministry and the Finance Ministry.

The bulk of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is stationed at the port of Sevastopol in Crimea under a lease agreement with Ukraine. Moscow and Kiev signed the so-called Kharkiv Agreements on April 21, 2010, extending the fleet's lease on the base for another 25 years after the current lease expires in 2017.
The sides have yet to agree on the fleet rearmament, taxable supply and the usage of Sevastopol’s docks.

Turkey Answers Greece - Kastelorizo Belongs To Turkish Continental Shelf

Turkey Answers Greece - Kastelorizo Belongs To Turkish Continental Shelf

Ankara on Friday responded to yesterday's verbale note submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the United Nations in order to ensure that the unilateral action on the part of Ankara of licensing research by the Turkish state oil company TPAO even in areas of the Greek continental shelf, will not create a fait accompli case. The move, as reported by HellasFrappe on Thursday, is in the framework of ensuring that the limits of Greece's continental shelf, which coincide with those of its EEZ, will not be undermined by Turkey which in a couple of weeks is planning to conduct seismic surveys for hydrocarbon deposits within Greece's continental shelf. Turkey, which never expected this move, was certainly taken by surprise, but judging from the statement that was released on Friday from its Foreign Ministry it looks like Ankara plans on escalating the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.

"It has been learned that Greece has registered its views at the United Nations (UN) concerning the Greek continental shelf in the context of the permits granted by Turkey to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in our continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean. The said claims of Greece have no basis in international law.
As a matter of fact, Greece has expressed such claims through its demarches at bilateral level, and Turkey has given necessary responses to them. This time, Turkey will take the reciprocal steps also at the UN.
The permits granted by Turkey to TPAO since 2007 remain within the limits of the Turkish continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey possesses sovereign rights for exploration and extraction of the natural resources in these areas. Turkey will continue to use its rights emanating from international law.
While necessary steps will be taken for the protection of our sovereign rights, our policy of continuing to develop our relations with Greece and of utilizing the channels of dialogue established to solve the existing problems will be maintained.

So in a few short words, Turkey is basically saying that Kastelorizo and all the islands east of Karpathos are within the Turkish Continental Shelf! Ankara's aspirations are probably best depicted in the map that is published at the top of this article. If you look at the picture closely you will notice that it shows how Turkey has literally swallowed, or rather how it wants to swallow, all the areas east of Karpathos and Rhodes!
 

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/02/shock-turkey-answers-greece-kastelorizo.html

Article in Greek and photo - Defencenet

Germany tells Albania to stop fanning nationalist fires

By Benet Koleka
Germany joined the United States on Friday in telling Albania to stop fanning nationalist sentiment in the Balkans, and said borders between the region's ethnic Albanians would become irrelevant within the European Union.
Washington issued a blunt missive to NATO ally Tirana last week warning that nationalist rhetoric in the run-up to a June election risked destabilising a hard-won but still fragile peace in the region.
Over two million ethnic Albanians live among Albania's Balkan neighbours. Using the carrot of eventual EU accession, the West quelled ethnic Albanian insurgencies in southern Serbia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM] in the wake of a 1998-99 war in majority-Albanian Kosovo, then a province of Serbia.
But integration has been slow and dissatisfaction remains high among ethnic Albanians over poverty and unemployment. For most, EU accession remains at least a decade away.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, facing a close-run parliamentary election on June 23 and a challenge from emerging hardline nationalists, has veered increasingly to the nationalist right.
“Nationalist emotions and feelings should be treated very carefully, especially during election campaigns,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told a news conference during a visit to the Albanian capital.
“The changes of borders are not allowed even in the Balkans,” he said. “We think borders in Europe are neither removed nor avoided or changed, they just lose their importance,” he said through a translator.
Croatia is set to become the EU's 28th member on July 1. But its fellow former Yugoslav republics, and Albania, are still dogged by struggling economies, rampant crime and corruption and weak governance.
The West fears that deepening discontent in places like FYROM could reignite violence, just as the EU pursues a delicate rapprochement between Serbia and its former Kosovo province.
Analysts say the rise in nationalist sentiment followed Kosovo's 2008 secession from Serbia, which was backed by the West. According to some polls, Albania's nationalist Red and Black Alliance could take third place in the June election on a platform that calls for the unification of Albania and Kosovo.
Celebrating 100 years of Albanian independence in November, Berisha referred to towns in FYROM, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro as “Albanian lands,” and last month hailed Albanian ex-guerrillas in Serbia as “heroes of the Albanian nation.”
A US State Department memo, leaked to Albanian media last week, warned such comments could “erode peace and stability.” It told Tirana to “stay out of the affairs of Serbia.”
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker drove home the point on Thursday on Albanian television.
“Borders and boundaries are set, and the US is firmly against any changes of borders, so calls to unify Albanians or calls to unify groups based on ethnicity or nationality are counterproductive,” he told an interviewer.
“It concerns us, it concerns our European friends, and it should be of concern to everyone.”
At a joint press conference with Westerwelle, Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Panariti insisted Tirana was a force for stability. “It has not, does not and will not have any territorial claims towards its neighbours,” he said. [Reuters]

"Peace spirit in Balkan"

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker started an important tour in Tirana, meeting Albanian politicians and leaders.

Mr.Reeker’s visit comes in a time when the US State Department criticized the nationalist tones in Albania, considering them as damaging to regional stability. The Foreign Ministry said that the meeting between the US official and the Albanian Minister focused on dialogue and cooperation in service to peace, stability and European perspective of Western Balkan countries”.

The announcement says that the two diplomats confirmed the excellent strategic relations between the two countries and valued their collaboration as NATO members.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker also met with the Albanian Prime Minister, Sali Berisha. There is no official statement about this meeting yet, but one of the main topics could have been about the nationalist rhetoric and free elections for June 23rd.

Mr.Reeker is expected to discuss the same issues with the Albanian opposition leader, Edi Rama, in the meeting that will be held at the Socialist Party headquarters.

Wersterwelle: Albanian Elections are a condition to joint EU

The Head of the German diplomacy, Guido Westerwelle, confirmed that the elections are a condition for Albania’s EU integration path.



In the meeting with the Albanian homologue, Edmond Panariti, June 23rd was considered as the most important for Albania’s EU integration.

When asked by Top Channel if he sustained the position of the German ambassador, that our country cannot receive the EU status even if the three remaining laws would be voted, Westerwelle declared:

“Thank you for the question, because this is a good occasion to explain the German position on this case, which is in full accordance with our partners’ and what our Ambassador emphasized. First of all, it is not important only to pass laws, but also to implement them. It is important for the election process to be held according the EU standards. We will take the decision after receiving the report. We showed that this matter is taken very seriously by us in the meetings that we had last year. As regards Germany, there will be no artificial obstacles or even tolerance for this process that we consider as between friends”.

But this was not the only message given by the German Foreign Minister. The nationalistic rhetoric is another one, which has also been mentioned by the US.

“Nationalistic emotions should be treated cautiously, especially before electoral campaigns. Allow me to say as a German citizen that we have also experienced dark chapters in our history”, Westerwelle declared.

But the position of Tirana has not changed on this matter. Minister Panariti reiterated Berisha’s declaration that Albania’s nationalism has no territorial claims.

“Allow me to take advantage from this moment to underline once again the stance of the Albanian government and our firm desire to have e constructive relation with our neighbours. Albania will play the role it has always played in the region: a promoter of stability, peace and prosperity. Albania has never had and never will have territorial claims against our neighbours, and we are fully committed to respect our position in support of the recommendations of the Contact Group. This is our position”, Panariti declared.

Reeker on "Top Story"

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Philip Reeker, shortly after his arrival in our country, started his two-day visit through the premises of "Top-Media".

Accompanied by the US Ambassador to Tirana, Alexander Arvizu, Reeker’s first visit was with the leaders of Top Channel.

After this meeting Reeker gave an interview for Top Channel’s program “Top Story” with journalist Sokol Balla, where he brought strong messages from Washington DC.

Reekers' declarations focused on the hottest topics of the recent weeks, such as the increased nationalistic rhetoric, the elections of June 2013, the EU integration and dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo.

Macedonia Leaders Exchange Barbs in Reply to Fuele

Government and opposition leaders have blamed each other for Macedonia's political impasse in replies to the EU Enlargement Commissioner's appeal for an end to the crisis.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic

BIRN

Skopje

Enlargment Commissioner, Stefan Fuele

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the head of opposition Social Democrats, Branko Crvenkovski, confirmed having received letters from Stefan Fuele - but blamed each other for the continuing logjam.

Gruevski had replied that the government was open to new ideas for a solution, government spokesperson Aleksandar Gjorgiev said.

“Despite our openness and readiness for dialogue, we face an unserious and irrational approach from the other side,” Gjorgiev said, citing Gruevski’s reply.

For their part, the Social Democrats said they had been constructive all along, and the responsibility for the crisis lay with the government and the Prime Minister.

“Now is the time for Gruevski to do what he is supposed to,” the party vice president Zoran Jovanovski said, referring to their call to postpone March local elections, or hold them in tandem with early general elections.

In two separate letters addressed to Gruevski and Crvenkovski, Commissioner Fuele expressed “deep concern” about “lack of progress” in ending the political stalemate in Macedonia, which erupted in December.

The Social Democrats launched a boycott of parliament on December 24, after the government parties passed a budget for 2013 in only minutes, and after opposition MPs and journalists were kicked out of the chamber.

Fuele’s spokesperson, Peter Stano, said on Thursday that Fuele had urged the two leaders “to rapidly reach a compromise that puts the country back on its Euro-Atlantic path, which is currently threatened”.

Stano said Fuele was ready to visit Skopje as soon as the leaders showed more willingness to make progress.

“We are ready to engage in finding a political solution together with the stakeholders… provided we find readiness among them to engage. This, unfortunately, is not the case right now,” Stano said.

Last week, the political crisis deepened when the opposition refused to submit a list of mayoral candidates for the March elections by a Saturday deadline.

Fuele has already cancelled a visit to Macedonia planned for this week, during which he was due to discuss the reform process.

The EU Council has said that any decision on opening accession talks for Macedonia will be based on the next report of the European Commission.

It will assess whether Macedonia has taken real steps towards reaching a deal with Greece over its name, to which Athens objects, whether it has improved relations with Bulgaria and has carried out reforms at home.

Opposition legislators have meanwhile conditionally deposited their resignations to the parliament, to be put in to effect on election day, March 24, should the government keep ignoring their demand for snap general elections.

However, the resignation of the 43 opposition MPs in the 123-seat parliament will not automatically trigger an early election as parliament can function without them.

Earlier in February, Macedonia's ruling VMRO-DPMNE party said that if opposition MPs resigned, elections would be held only for the 43 vacant seats, not the rest.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle arrives in the country on Friday, and will also try to help in the ongoing stalemate.

Albanian PM criticized over "unification" statements

Source: Tanjug, pravda.sk

GDANSK -- Slovakian FM Miroslav Lajčak on Thursday criticized Albanian PM Sali Berisha for his recent statements about "a unification of Albanians in the Balkans".

"We know what that kind of statements in that area has led to," Lajčak warned during a gathering in Gdansk, Poland.
"We cannot just stand by and watch. This will surely show up very quickly in official European Union statements," he said, according to Slovakia's Pravda newspaper, which said on its website that Berisha "repeatedly spoke about a unification of Albanians in all five countries in the Balkans".

Berisha recently met with a group of ethnic Albanians from Macedonia, and from Kosovo, who had spent 18 days traveling on foot from their towns to Valona in Albania.

The purpose of this was to celebrate 100 years of Albania's independence. Berisha on the occasion commented that this had "a symbolic meaning of a marathon for Albanian unity".

He said that "unification of Albanians in Europe was a lasting process", and that "obstacles created during 100 years of divisions must be overcome.

Albanian news agency NOA reported that the prime minister assessed that a unification of Albanians would also be good for neighboring countries, as it would "alleviate their Albanophobia".

The news agency said that "in that context", Berisha said described as"absolutely unacceptable stances about the Preševo valley and Macedonia", and called on ethnic Albanians there "not to fall for provocations and to support a mature solution for the problems and easing of tensions in a cool-headed manner and without any hurry".

Avramopoulos Hits N.Y. for UN Talks

Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos will be in New York City on Feb. 21  for a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The topics to be discussed during Avramopoulos’s talks include the negotiations on the FYROM name issue, the Cyprus issue, and issues concerning the stability and security of the wider region of Southeast Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa.

Matthew Nimetz, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the talks between Greece and the former Yugoslavia, is expected to hold further meetings with representatives of both countries in March.
The Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Cyprus Alexander Downer, also hopes in March to resume negotiations that have gone on for 39 years, as Cyprus has a run-off election on Feb. 24 to elect a new President.

Avramopoulos is scheduled to attend a luncheon with representatives of the Hellenic Initiative to discuss the attraction of investments to Greece and the strengthening of Greece’s international image. His other plans include meeting His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America to talk about Diaspora efforts to help vulnerable sectors of Greeks who have almost no government programs to help them during a crushing economic crisis.

Trends in Contemporary Macedonian Politics and Society

February 21, 2013

Balkanalysis.com editor’s note: The current article, based on a wealth of recent interviews with insiders and many years of field research, provides a situation report on Macedonia’s current political affairs. It also analyzes how important international players have reacted to Macedonia’s so-called ‘democratic crisis,’ and what this may imply for future policy towards the country.
With the situation on the ground changing daily, there is potential for some modifications of expected results, but even in such a case, the deep background analysis provided in the second half of the article is useful for anyone wishing to understand the broader dynamics at work.

 
By Chris Deliso*

Since December, outside observers of Macedonia have been entranced by a faux crisis orchestrated by a political faction seeking foreign support for its cause. By involving themselves heavily but ambivalently in this drama, foreign diplomats have played into this factional strategy, whereas by either ignoring it or exerting maximum leverage at the beginning they could have resolved it by now. However, with local leaders acting in bad faith, the internationals are growing increasingly frustrated with the situation, one month before local elections are to be held on 24 March.
In this case, the faction seeking international attention and support is Macedonia’s largest opposition party, the left-wing SDSM, which seeks to regain power after seven years of aimless wandering in the political wilderness.
Most specifically, the individual seeking power through fomenting political crisis in Macedonia is SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski, who first served as prime minister in 1992. In so doing, he has put his personal interests ahead of party interests, and the national interest as well. Once known for his political craftiness, Crvenkovski has however become increasingly erratic, changing his demands of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE and firing his own personnel on an almost daily basis. As numerous media stories and interviews attest, Crvenkovski is coming dangerously close to destroying his own party.

continues: ......................................
 http://www.balkanalysis.com/macedonia/2013/02/21/trends-in-contemporary-macedonian-politics-and-society/

  Picture: Утрински весник

Utrinski Vesnik, Macedonia: Borisov’s final flirt

 

21 February 2013FOCUS News Agency

Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans

 

Skopje What has happened with the attempt to draw Macedonia and Bulgaria closer after Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s resignation, a few days after his visit to Skopje, writes the Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik daily.

The newspaper reads further that European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule welcomed the meeting between the Bulgarian prime minister and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski, describing it as positive.

The surprising visit to the Macedonian capital was not noticed in Greece, writes the daily.
According to Greek analysts the visit could be an announcement about warming up Bulgarian-Macedonian relations.
Utrinski Vesnik notes that Borisov’s resignation after nationwide protests questions the success of the initiative to break the ice in the ties between Skopje and Sofia, although, given the current ratings of the political parties in Bulgaria, it is not impossible for the outgoing prime minister to regain his post and take part in the first intergovernmental meeting with Macedonia.

Albanian Nationalist Magnifies Big Apple Award

Kreshnik Spahiu, leader of the Red and Black Alliance, has drawn ridicule for claiming that a "certificate" from Manhattan was an "honorary citizenship" of New York State.  

Besar Likmeta

BIRN

Tirana

Kreshnik Spahiu (left) and Esad Rizai, chairman of AAFD, posing with the honorary certificate

Albania's right-wing Red and Black Alliance claimed on Monday that Spahiu had received the title of "honorary citizen" of New York on the recommendation of Manhattan Borough President Scott M Stringer, in recognition of his role as “protector of Albanian interests inside and outside Albania’s borders”.
“Spahiu is the only foreign citizen to have received this title from the United States of America,” the party claimed ambitiously.
The statement was published by a number of Albanian media, which over the past year have given Spahiu ample coverage to vent his propaganda against Albania’s neighbours and against Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
However, follow-up checks have revealed that the actual title that Spahiu received is a simple "honor certificate," presented at an event organized by the Albanian-American Forum for Democracy, AAFD.    
The AAFD said in a press release that the certificate was bestowed to mark the fifth anniversary of Kosovo’s independence.
An official from the External Affairs Department of Manhattan Borough confirmed for Balkan Insight that Spahiu received the certificate, but could not comment further.
Writing in the daily newspaper Shqip, a political commentator, Mustafa Nano, wondered where Spahiu found the courage to distribute “such vulgar propaganda", and panned the local media for not checking up on his “hallucinatory claims.
“Is he shameless, crazy, an idiot, or all three of them?” Nano asked.

Water Wars – Nine Thirsty Regions where H20 Conflict is Threatening

Water Wars – Nine Thirsty Regions where H20 Conflict is Threatening

21.2.13  dr Athanasios E.Drougos  

“I’d kill for a drink of water,” could be a military call-to-arms soon, as the planet’s most essential commodity is swallowed, evaporated, polluted, and utilized at unsustainable levels.
Earth contains a finite, unchanging amount of H2O. Usage has escalated dangerously, due to human population explosion (1.65 billion – 9 billion from 1900-2025) and the myriad cubic-acres of water demanded in mining, industry, agriculture, and recreation. One ton of wheat requires one thousand tons of water; watering the world’s golf courses requires 2.5 billion gallons per day, and 650 gallons only gets you either a pound of rice or one cotton shirt.)

Global warming also dwindles our freshwater: glaciers are vanishing, lakes, rivers, and aquifers are shriveling. Lake Chad has 95% of volume in the last 50 years. Lake Meade (water source for Las Vegas) could be dry n a decade. The Yellow River in China often fails to reach the ocean.
The Population Institute warns that the demand for fresh water already exceeds the supply by 17%. By 2030, 47% of the world’s population will be living in areas of high water stress, claims the OECD.

Will armies battle each other, as the cry for “blue gold” gets furious? Will “water wars” be as prevalent as conflict for the “black gold” of oil? Two documentary films have wetted public interest – Blue Gold: World Water Wars, and Last Call at the Oasis, and a dystopia novel – The Water Wars – warns of its imminence.
In actuality, history’s pages are already splashed with dozens of conflicts. In 2,450 B.C. the Sumerian cities of Lagash and Umma warred over Tigris-Euphrates water. More recently, Senegal and Mauritaniabattled in 1989 over grazing rights in the Senegal River Valley – hundreds were killed, 250,000 fled their homes. The Pacific Institute provides an excellent map and timeline of 225 water skirmishes.

In the future, here’s nine danger zones:

North Yemen vs. South Yemen – Hydrologists predict that the capital – Sana’a – of this impoverished area could run out of water by 2025, as private wells and aquifers dry up. (Primary usage? 40% of wateris used by farmers of khat, an addictive stimulant plant that’s the drug-of-choice for Somalia pirates, plus it’s suspected that it’s marketing is partly controlled by al-Qaeda.) The unstable region contains many armed operatives, several linked to al-Qaeda, who could mobilize to gain control of the dwindling water supply.
Egypt vs. Ethiopia – The Nile River is the life-blood of Egypt, with the vast majority of its 83 million population residing near its banks. But who does the water belong to? The Nile originates 4,000+ miles away, and travels through nine nations before it becomes “Egyptian.” Sources suggest that two ex-presidents, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, both threatened to blow up dam projects in Ethiopia. Tensions were renewed in 2011 when Ethiopia declared its intention to build the `Great Millennium Dam` – one of the biggest in Africa. An Al Jazeera report speculates that today’s unpopular Egyptian military might seek to distract its disgruntled citizenry by engaging in a conflict with the upstream competitor.

India vs. China – China has already constructed 10 dams on the 2,900 kilometer long Brahmaputra River, and another 18 are in progress. Repercussions in lower riparian NorthEast India and Bangladesh could be catastrophic. China is probably intent on damming 8-10 great rivers that flow from the Tibetan plateau, the world’s largest water tank. China seeks to nourish its drought-stricken central and eastern provinces; it’s expecting 25% water shortage by 2030. “Over 6,000 lakes in China are now dry. The Yellow River basin in the north is 30 per cent dead,” Sandeep Waslekar, president of Mumbai-based Strategic Foresight Group,told India Today.

Burkina Faso vs. Ghana – The Volta River flows from Burkina Faso (formerly named Upper Volta) to Ghana, with the two nations squabbling over how to share it. Ghana depends on the river to generate its huge hydroelectric Akosombo Dam that accounts for 80% of the nation’s electricity; this power is crucial in expanding the nation’s industry. Burkina Faso is damming upriver, to acquire irrigation water to combat the Sahel’s desertification. The region’s inhabitants suffer abysmal poverty, with 31% living on less than $1 per day. Exacerbating the problem is an estimate that the Volta Basin population will increase 80% in the next 25 years, while rainfall declines due to climate change that is making the region hotter and drier.

Thailand vs. Laos vs. Vietnam vs. Cambodia vs. China – Downriver Southeast Asian nations are irritated by their huge northern neighbor, due to eight massive Chinese dams built, or under construction, on the Upper Mekong. The SE Asian nations are also suspicious of each other, for the same reason. Voice of America reports that “41 large dams could be put on the Mekong and its tributaries by 2015, and 71 by 2030, with Laos following a development model similar to China.” Hydrodams are viewed in the region as key energy sources to power economic growth. There’s also mounting concern in the region about potential environmental damage to agriculture and fisheries.

India vs. Pakistan – Water from Kashmir is a major dispute in the decades-long animosity between the two largest subcontinental. The Indus Water Treaty (1960) divided six rivers – the Indus, the Jhelum and Chenab were given to Pakistan, while the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi were declared Indian. Semi-arid, drought-stricken, water-stressed Pakistan presently claims that India is illegally diverting river water to itself, via an upstream dam. 92% of Pakistan is is dependent on the Indus River system, and more than half the population is employed in agriculture.

Turkey vs. Syria vs. Iraq vs. Iran – The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are still being argued over, 4,500 years after Sumer. Dams and irrigation in Turkey, Syria, and Iran aretroubling downstream Iraq, which is threatened by desertification. Iraq utilized the rivers to build its Fertile Crescent “cradle of civilization” but Syria and Turkey have emerged as dominating rivals for Iraq’s historical claim. Evaporation, sewage, and pesticide pollution have further water-stressed Iraq. Iraq and Syria nearly battled in 1975 when Syria filled Lake Assad behind its impressive Ath Thawrah Dam, reducing Euphrates flow, but today, Turkey is undoubtedly the most feared and vilified, because 98% of the Euphrates originates there. Turkey reportedly uncovered a Syrian plot to blow up the massive, mile-long Ataturk Dam, after it was completed in 1992.
Central Asia, i.e., Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Conflicts in this dry region over water use from the Syr Daria and Amu Daria rivers have escalated since their freedom following glasnost in 1991. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan want more water for their water-gluttonous crops of cotton, wheat and rice, while upstream, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan seek to extract hydropower. Rising populations in the region also demand more farmland. A report by the International Crises Group indicates that “the countries are now consuming 1.5 times what they should.” A sixth “stan” – Afghanistan, downstream on the Amu Daria – is is also demanding a fair water share.

Israel vs. Palestine – The Mountain Aquifer, which lies under both Israel and the West Bank, is the only water resource for the Palestinians, but is controlled by Israel, for “security reasons.” Observers note thatIsrael grants only 20% of the water to the West Bank, utilizing the remainder for their own purposes. Israeli monopolization of the aquifer would be jeopardized, of course, if Palestine was ever fully autonomous. Not unrelated, Ariel Sharon has said has said that the 1967 conflict with Syria, whereby the Golan Heights was obtained, wasn’t entirely about “security.” What was the real cause? 15% of Israel’s water now flows from the Golan.

Are parched throats, saber-rattling, and dead bodies inevitable in a water-desperate future? Diplomacy is obviously needed to avert the conflicts. Emerging technology can also be of great assistance – it can help quench humanity’s need for more H20 with innovations in filtration, irrigation, desalinization, and recycling.

U.S.-Turkey Relations: A New Partnership

The tension over territory and territorial waters in the Aegean is long-standing, but Washington should use its diplomatic and political capital to contain the dispute. Greece is wracked with unprecedented political and economic crises and represents no threat to Turkey. Turkey should avoid anything to suggest that Ankara seeks to take advantage of Athens’ current troubles. Moreover, the potential for accidents and unintended escalation is great. This would set Turkey-Greece relations back and would make it harder to come to a solution for competing territorial claims in the Aegean. Currently, the best Washington can do is build on previous confidence-building measures that established direct communications between the Turkish and Greek militaries by forming a trilateral military contact group of senior naval and air force officers from the United States, Turkey, and Greece to “deconflict” Turkish and Greek forces and help prevent territorial violations. Previously, Turkey has played an important role in forging cooperation between the Atlantic alliance and non-NATO members. The United States should encourage Turkey to continue its outreach in regions such as Central Asia and Africa, which would enable NATO to develop stronger links with critical countries in these regions.
The report concludes that

Turkey is clearly a country in transition. As with all countries undergoing fundamental change, there have been both dramatic steps forward and worrying developments. Overall, however, Turkey’s story over the past decade is a good one. The country is economically more successful and more representative politically and is playing a more influential role in its region and beyond. For the United States, Turkey has always been an important, if at times complicated, ally. Challenges in the bilateral relationship surely remain, but as this report indicates, there is a long list of policies and innovative ideas that will help both countries forge a genuinely new partnership.
As a result, it is incumbent upon policymakers to make every effort to develop U.S.-Turkey ties in order to make a strategic relationship a reality. To do otherwise would be to miss a historic opportunity to set ties between Washington and Ankara on a cooperative trajectory in Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa for a generation.

State turns its back on ethnic Greeks in southern Albania

  Ethnic Greek pupils are seen at a school in southern Albania. Cash-strapped Athens has scrapped pensions to the community’s older members.
By Stavros Tzimas

The Greek government’s decision to end the provision of scant pensions to older members of the ethnic Greek minority in southern Albania, previously viewed as a way of maintaining the region’s historical Greek identity, has caused sadness and concern in the ethnic Greek villages. Witnesses have spoken of elderly men and women flocking to the Greek Consulate in Gjirokaster (Argyrokastro in Greek), a town with a large Greek community, with tears in their eyes.

The reactions from minority officials are indicative of the bitter mood among the community. “After the children and young people left en masse for Greece, responsibility for keeping the ethnic Greek minority alive has rested with the older generation,” said Andreas Zarbalas, the first president of the Greek minority party, Omonia.

“Given the rising nationalism and pressure on the Greeks of ‘Northern Epirus,’ these measures will not only harm their dignity but also deal a fatal blow to their existence,” Omonia said in a statement, while the Ethnic Greek Minority for the Future party said, “They never expected that they would be treated as lifeless beings by the homeland.”

Anyone who has been following the decline of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania – mostly a result of extreme and thoughtless policies on the part of the Greek authorities following the collapse of the Balkan country’s communist regime in 1991 – knows that the ethnic Greek presence has been reduced to the elderly who did not want or were not able to leave their ancestral homes. In a bid to encourage these people to remain, the Greek state decided to grant them a small pension of around 300 euros (they also get 30-40 euros from the Albanian state) a month so they could meet their daily needs and hold on to their properties.

After the financial crisis broke out in Greece, those pensions were slashed before being scrapped altogether. As a result, hundreds of old people in Dropull i Siperm (Dropoli), Himare (Himara) and Sarande (Aghioi Saranta) are now left without income so they will either have to move to Greece or sell their properties. If they move to Greece, then the ancient presence of Greeks in the Albanian south will be gone forever. These pensions were given for reasons of national interest and they must not be cut. Their case is different from that of other ethnic Greeks on the pension roll, such as for example those who came here from countries of the former Soviet Union – and it’s not hard to see why. The Greek authorities ought to establish whether those who receive money from the farmers’ pension fund (OGA) include Albanians who were wrongly granted Greek citizenship.

Kosovo police increase presence in K. Mitrovica

Source: Tanjug

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- The Kosovo police (KPS) have increased their presence in northern Kosovska Mitrovica due to frequent incidents, says KPS Deputy Regional Director Ergin Medić.

A view of Kosovska Mitrovica (Beta, file)

He said that the KPS had stepped up security measures in the north due to latest incidents and crimes.
Medić explained that the measures included increased control of vehicles and people, especially at night.

“The police have increased their presence in multiethnic zones of the town such as the Bošnjačka mahala and Tri solitera neighborhoods,” he stressed.

Medić added that the increased security measures would be in effect until further notice.

More than 20 serious incidents have been recorded in northern Kosovo in the last two months. The police qualified them as “endangering of public safety”.

Attackers often used explosives, hand grenades and various types of firearms.

Several such crimes have taken place in the last week in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. The most serious incident happened on February 4 when a bomb was thrown at a house of the Vučetić family in the Bošnjačka mahala neighborhood. Two children were injured in the blast.

The KPS still have not found the perpetrators.

Russian warship to partake in NATO anti-piracy drill

Tags: naval exercises , Society, Russia, News, World, anti-piracy campaign, Russian-NATO relations

Feb 21, 2013 16:01 Moscow Time

Photo: EPA

The Russian Northern Fleet’s large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk will take part in NATO’s anti-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden, Northern Fleet spokesman Vadim Serga said on Thursday.

He added that the exercise will see the Severomorsk and NATO warships drill a joint military operation to release hostages seized by pirates neat the Horn of Africa. 

Voice of Russia, RIA

Is Greece Threatened By Turkey Now That France Supports Its EEZ?

Is Greece Threatened By Turkey Now That France Supports Its EEZ?

The Greek government is very concerned over a possible attack or Turkish provocation now that France has formally voiced its support to Greece in our country's struggle to proclaim its EEZ. As such, the Greek Pentagon has been instructed to closely monitor Ankara's movements. 

Military and diplomatic sources are also voicing concern, and note that Turkey will not remain idle following the statements of Antonis Samaras on Tuesday who said that "Greece has the right to proclaim its EEZ and it will do so under the right conditions when required." And certainly the announcement by French President Francois Hollande that followed noting France's participation in the exploitation of Greek mineral deposits is something that is not going to go unnoticed by Ankara either.

Turkey already displayed its displeasure when both state leaders were publically discussing Greece's EEZ and the exploitation and exploration of hydrocarbons. More exactly, as Hollande and Samaras addressed reporters over Greece's universal right to move ahead with this new energy venture, two alerts were broadcasted on the website of Turkey's General Staff claiming that two violations were being performed by Greek crafts in Turkish airspace and territorial waters.

According to a report on the military news site defencenet, the first post said:

"A Greek C-27J aircraft violated our airspace for 1 minute southwest of the Datca peninsula."

While the second post claimed:

"A Greek coastguard vessel has violated our territorial waters to the west of the Didim province."

Military sources in Athens characterize the posts as "warning shots" from Turkey, and note that while these alerts were being made, Ankara was conducting military and naval exercises in the southern Aegean!

"Increased tension in the Aegean is very probable," one senior officer told defencenet, and from what the website said this does not exclude a heated "incident".

Also, the fact that a Turkish helicopter entered Greek airspace later on in the evening (or specifically in the area around  Kalymnos) cannot be considered as coincidental. And neither can the fact that since the statements were made, Ankara has been barking up a storm.

In such an environment, Antonis Samaras has requested that he be updated continuously on Turkey's movements.

After all, he sent a clear message to Turkey clearly noting that Greece will excersize its universal right in accordance with the international accords that we have already signed! (And the reason we say this is because Turkey has not signed the law of the sea accord.) At the same time Samaras also said that Greek hydrocarbon deposits "are rich resources for Europe." In short, the Greek Premier flatly let Ankara know that Greece has the support and backing of Europe to declare its EEZ and finally proceed with the exploitation of its hydrocarbon reserves. (Editor - 40 years too late... but nonetheless, better late than never!)


In two weeks, Samaras is going to pay an official visit to Turkey and surely these issues will begin to be discussed on a diplomatic level. Nonetheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what is going to unfold in the days and weeks to come, since Turkey is planning to sail a new research vessel in the Aegean in March to conduct seismic surveys!

Stay tuned Frappers!

Background to this story according to Wikipedia:

Territorial waters give the littoral state full control over air navigation in the airspace above, and partial control over shipping, although foreign ships (both civil and military) are normally guaranteed innocent passage through them. The standard width of territorial waters that countries are customarily entitled to has steadily increased in the course of the 20th century: from initially 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) at the beginning of the century, to 6 nautical miles (11 km), and currently 12 nautical miles (22 km).

The current value has been enshrined in treaty law by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 (Art.3). In the Aegean the territorial waters claimed by both sides are still at 6 miles. The possibility of an extension to 12 miles has fuelled Turkish concerns over a possible disproportionate increase in Greek-controlled space. Turkey has refused to become a member of the convention and does not consider itself bound by it. Turkey considers the convention as res inter alios acta, i.e. a treaty that can only be binding to the signing parties but not to others.

Greece, which is a party to the convention, has stated that it reserves the right to apply this rule and extend its waters to 12 miles at some point in the future, although it has never actually attempted to do so. It holds that the 12 mile rule is not only treaty law but also customary law, as per the wide consensus established among the international community. Against this, Turkey argues that the special geographical properties of the Aegean Sea make a strict application of the 12 mile rule in this case illicit in the interest of equity.

Turkey has itself applied the customary 12 mile limit to its coasts outside the Aegean.

Tensions over the 12 mile question ran highest between the two countries in the early 1990s, when the Law of the Sea was going to come into force. On June 9, 1995, the Turkish parliament officially declared that unilateral action by Greece would constitute a casus belli, i.e. reason to go to war. This declaration has been condemned by Greece as a violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which forbids "the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state".


http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/2013/02/is-greece-threatened-by-turkey-now-that.html

Russians welcomed in Albania visa-free

Tags: Society, Russia, News, World, Albania, visa regime

Feb 20, 2013 16:41 Moscow Time

© Collage "The Voice of Russia"

Albania plans to introduce a unilateral visa-free travel for Russians for the 2013 summer seasons (from June to October).

This comes from the country’s Ambassador to Russia Sokol Gioka.

The diplomat said that Albania introduced a 90-day visa free stay for Russians four years ago and saw a great surge in the number of Russian tourists since then.

Voice of Russia, RIA

Fifth round of talks ends without agreement

Source: B92, Tanjug

BRUSSELS -- Serbian and Kosovo PMs Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci failed to reach an agreement in the fifth round of the dialogue held in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hashim Thaci, Catherine Ashton and Ivica Dačić (EU, file)

The next meeting between Dačić and Thaci, mediated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, will be held on March 4.
Even though it was expected that the fifth round of the talks would be crucial, it seems that the issue of the abolition of the Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo was too sensitive.

After the three-hour meeting on Tuesday, the two sides failed to reach an agreement after the meeting on Wednesday that lasted from 11:30 until 16:00.

“The Belgrade-Priština dialogue will last as long as it takes to find solutions,” said Ashton's Spokeswoman Maja Kocijančić.

She confirmed that the talks between Dačić and Thaci started around 11:30.

Kocijančić said earlier that the main topic of the talks was northern Kosovo and added that the dialogue was important for the life of people in both Serbia and Kosovo, as well as for the continuation of the EU integration process.

Tanjug has learnt that the main topic of yesterday’s talks was the Municipal Court in northern Kosovska Mitrovica which is adminstered by EULEX as a part of the Kosovo judicial system. The court has not worked for five years because the local population does not allow judges and prosecutors to enter the building.

“Certain progress has been made but nothing has been agreed yet,” Tanjug was told by a Brussels diplomat who was informed about the recent developments in this round.

According to the source, Dačić and Thaci were also supposed to talk about liaison officers today.

The fifth round of the talks started on Tuesday in Brussels.

GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN CONFIRMS TO A REQUEST TO PARIS

Greece asked frigates 2 + and 4surveillance aircraft


Hiring two frigates and four aircraft naval cooperation and surveillance (AFNS) asked France, the Greek government, to strengthen our defensive shield, revealed government spokesman S. Kedikoglou, speaking a day after visiting of french president Holland in Athens.

"It's something that came from us," explained Mr Kedikoglou, "because we must make sure our defense shield" and "to ensure that in the Aegean waters are calm."

Specifically, the government spokesman said that despite the economic difficulties the Greek government did not neglect the defensive armor and seek solutions.

The request was Greek and is currently being examined by the French side in order to determine whether it is feasible to implement.

Note that the standing requirements include Greek frigate capable of air defense region and AFNS aircraft belonging to the class of ATLANTIC available to the French Navy for maritime surveillance and antisubmarine operations co (ASW).

Asked if the rent is combined with the investigation of deposits in Greek EEZ, government spokesman responded negatively.

Could be combined, he said, "only in the sense that research will become more efficient, faster, when there is a calm atmosphere in the Aegean."

Hollande to visit Greece on Tuesday, eyeing support, sell-offs and frigate deal

French President Francois Hollande is expected in Athens on Tuesday, with sources saying his visit is intended as a show of support for the Greek government and its fiscal consolidation effort.
They added that Hollande is also interested in discussing the efforts of French businesses in Greece and convincing the Greek government to lease two FREMM multipurpose frigates two be used in the exploration of gas and oil reserves in the Aegean.
It is also expected that Hollande and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will discuss Greece’s privatization process. Athens is reportedly keen for French company EDF to express interest in the sale of natural gas companies DEPA and DESFA, with Russian firms currently leading the way in the tenders for the two firms, which is due to close in April.
Le Figaro newspaper suggested that Hollande will be aiming to send a message to foreign investors that the adjustment process in Greece along with structural reforms are starting to pay off.

Bulgarian govt. set to resign amid protests

Source: B92, Tanjug

SOFIA -- Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and cabinet ministers have announced they will resign at noon amid mass protests in the country.

(Beta/AP)

“We have dignity and honor. It is the people who put us in power and we give it back to them today," Borisov stressed.
He added that he would not take part in the caretaker government.

“I will not be a part of the government under which the police are beating up people,” the prime minister said,

According to Bulgarian BTA news agency, Borisov would offer the resignation after the government’s meeting at noon.

Borisov’s ruling party, that won the 2009 elections, is losing support due to poor economic situation, the worst in the last ten years.

Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov believes that Borisov has shows that he is a “true statesman”, novinite.com has reported.

Bulgarian MPs were supposed to discuss a reshuffle of the government proposed by Borisov and resignation of Deputy PM Simeon Djankov. However, Reuters has reported that there will be no reshuffle and that the current government will step down.

The resignation will follow after eight days of protests of several thousands of citizens across Bulgaria over the electricity price and January bills.

“We did our best yesterday to respond to the protesters’ demands. We cannot do anything else as of today to help the protesters,” Borisov told parliament.

Borisov has said the electricity distribution license of central Europe's largest listed company, Czech-based CEZ will be revoked, setting Bulgarian on a collision course with the Czech Republic, which owns 70 percent of the company.

Reuters reports that 25 people were injured during last night’s protests in Sofia.

The Interior Ministry has released that 11 people were arrested on Tuesday night in the capital.

Fifth round of Belgrade-Priština talks continues

Source: Beta

BRUSSELS -- Serbia and Kosovo’s Prime Ministers Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci continued the fifth round of talks in Brussels today.

Hashim Thaci, Catherine Ashton and Ivica Dačić (Beta, file)

The talks are mediated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.
The new round of talks, which is focusing on northern Kosovo and Serbian institutions in the province, started on Tuesday in Brussels.

According to well-informed sources from the EU, northern Kosovo and proposals of the two sides as to how to find a solution for withdrawal of Serbian police (MUP), judicial organs and for establishment of the institutional autonomy for a community of Serb municipalities was the main topic of yesterday’s meeting between Dačić, Ashton and Thaci.

Dačić, Ashton and Thaci did not give any statements after the meeting on Tuesday.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso told Thaci at a separate meeting that the results of the Belgrade-Priština dialogue and especially this round were of utmost importance for relations of Serbia and Kosovo with the EU.

Dačić and Thaci first met under Ashton’s auspices in October 2012 in Brussels.

Albanian Foreign Commission considers resolution to resolve, the Cham issue
 
The news made ​​known by the press office of the Ruling Justice Unity Party. Learned that the meeting will take place in the Presidency of the Assembly.

In their message to the media that "at 09:00 develop the next meeting of Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee which will begin discussion of the Resolution to resolve the issue Came".

Remember that on January 22, the Commission has introduced resolution for procedure the Cham issue. Relator Resolution are set Fatbardh Kadilli and Kemal Minxhozi. During December, the draft / Cham resolution was filed in Parliament by the Ruling Justice Unity Party.

In the draft consisted of 13 points, ranked application to Greek and Albanian institutions concerning the restoration of property of the Chams in Greece, as well as the repeal of martial law of 1940 promulgated by royal decree, in particular the law that holds seizure Albanian real conservative.

Also, the PJIU by this resolution requires the two governments to reactivate bilateral special commissions, derived from good-neighborly treaty to develop the solution of the Cham issue, as well as up in Paramithia Filat two monolith "that will remind women, elders, children, innocent victims of crimes committed by Greek paramilitary units. "

Its last point has to do with the Government's right to address international institutions if Greece rejects these claims.

Hollande Visits Greece to Show Support for Recovery Efforts

By NIKI KITSANTONIS

Published: February 19, 2013

NEW YORK TIMES

ATHENS — During a quick visit to the Greek capital on Tuesday, President François Hollande of France expressed support for Greece’s efforts to revive its economy and called on French companies to invest in the debt-racked country. He also indicated France’s interest in working with Greece to exploit oil and natural gas reserves in the Aegean Sea, a likely point of contention with neighboring Turkey.

Enlarge This Image

Bertrand Langlois/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Mr. Hollande signaled France’s interest in working with Greece to exploit oil and natural gas reserves in the Aegean Sea.

“Our message is one of friendship, support, trust and growth” for Greece, Mr. Hollande said after talks with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. “No European people have undergone such a test, so we must stand by Greece’s side.”

Mr. Hollande, a socialist who came to power last spring on a pledge to increase growth to counteract deepening austerity in Europe, emphasized the importance of foreign investment to bolster Greece, which is in its sixth year of recession. Greek unemployment has risen to 27 percent, climbing above 60 percent for young people.

Mr. Hollande said he would push French companies to “actively support investments” and to participate in bids for the privatization of Greece’s state water and rail companies as well as other projects.

“I will speak to them this evening,” he said, before further talks with Mr. Samaras and his partners in Greece’s coalition government that were to conclude his roughly six-hour visit.

Mr. Samaras, for his part, heralded “a new chapter” in bilateral ties, describing the French leader’s visit as “a vote of confidence that proved Greece is no longer the weak link of Europe.”

He said talks on possible cooperation focused on sectors including the military, construction and, chiefly, energy, noting that Greece aimed to become an “energy hub in the Aegean.”

A plan to cooperate on energy projects is to be broached during Mr. Samaras’ visit next month to Turkey, which objects to Greece’s prospecting for oil and gas in the Aegean until the two countries resolve a longstanding dispute regarding the delineation of the countries’ territorial waters and the continental shelf.

Mr. Hollande indicated that energy was a potential area of mutual business opportunity. “If France is able to commonly exploit hydrocarbon reserves with Greece, it will do so,” he said.

The French president added that he was “not here to sell arms,” an apparent response to speculation about the possible lease or sale of frigates to Greece. He added that he and Mr. Samaras had signed a deal to bolster tourism, which accounts for a fifth of Greece’s dwindling gross domestic product.

Recession is a Europe-wide problem, not particular to Greece, Mr. Hollande added, noting that France would fall short of its target of 0.8 percent growth for 2013.

Although security was tight on Tuesday, with police helicopters circling over central Athens, the French leader’s visit did not involve the draconian measures that accompanied the arrival last October of Chancellor Angela Merkel: Germany is widely seen by Greeks as having imposed a series of austerity measures including wage and pension cuts. Still, tension in Greece is high ahead of the anticipated return to Athens next week by inspectors from the so-called troika — the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

Thousands of Greek workers were poised to walk off the job Wednesday in the first general strike of the year, protesting salary cuts and plans for selling state-owned assets.

Mr. Samaras’s government has insisted on the need to attract foreign investments to raise revenue, which fell 7 percent short of the budget target last month. But unions and opposition parties oppose further foreign involvement. Greece has agreed to two bailouts worth a total of €240 billion in exchange for implementing austerity measures that have lopped 25 percent off its G.D.P. since the crisis erupted three years ago.

Russia opens probe into allegations of Kosovo organ traffickin

By The Associated Press February 19, 2013

MOSCOW – Russia says it has opened its own probe into allegations of illegal donor organ trafficking in Kosovo.

The European Union is also conducting a probe into the allegation that senior commanders of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army including Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci were involved in illegal organ trade during Kosovo’s war for independence from Serbia. Thaci denies the allegation. Russia has staunchly opposed Kosovo’s independence.

An EU prosecutor in Kosovo has indicted a Turkish and an Israeli national in June for involvement in an international ring that duped people including Russian citizens into donating kidneys that were transplanted into wealthy

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday that Russian authorities believe that “the crimes of illegal organ trafficking” in Kosovo need to “be thoroughly investigated.”

 

Hollywood Stars Line Up For Serbia Over Kosovo

Media in Serbia claim a star-studded line-up of A-list actors back its struggle over Kosovo.

Vecernje Novosti, Politika, Tanjug Belgrade

Serbia may feel it's short of friends in the world - not counting Russia - but, according to the Serbia media, there is no shortage of allies among Hollywood celebrities not otherwise known for their knowledge of the Balkans.

Actor and producer Tom Hanks is only the latest to weigh on Belgrade's behalf, telling a television interview recently that Kosovo has always been Serbian and that the Serbs will one day claim back their land.
In an interview with E!, an American cable and satellite television, in which he talked about a new film by Steven Spielberg about the history of the state of Israel, Hanks compared the suffering of the Jews to that of the Kosovo Serbs, the Belgrade daily Politika reported on Monday.

"Despite everything, they [Jews] have never lost faith in their roots and their hope that they will claim back their lands. We have the same thing happening with Kosovo today," Hanks was reported to have said.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Serbia bitterly opposes. So far, Kosovo has been recognised by 97 out of 198 UN member states, including the US and 22 of the 27 EU memeber states.
Serbian daily newspaper have linked Hanks' support for Serbia to his conversion to the Orthodox Christian faith. He joined the Greek Orthodox Church when he married his wife Rita Wilson in 1988.
According to another newspaper, Vecernje Novosti, James Bond star Sean Connery also opposes the independence of Kosovo, somewhat confusingly because Kosovo should not enjoy what Scotland still lacks.
“During its history, Scotland has had far more grounds to be granted independence [than Kosovo], but it was not allowed to secede,” the actor reportedly said.

In the past couple of years, other prominent supporters of the Serbian cause in Hollywood included Robert De Niro, George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Richard Gere.
As a student, De Niro travelled to Serbia and, according to his own words, spent memorable days among the Serbian farmers in a small village in the central region of Sumadija.
He named his daughter Drena, after the novel “Bridge on Drina River” by the Serbian writer and Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andric, Vecernje Novosti reported.

De Niro is also known as a big fan of Novak Djokovic, Serbian World No. 1 tennis player.
According to Vecernje Novosti, Clooney said that even though he avidly follows world events, he was given no opportunity to hear the Serbian side when it comes to the Kosovo issue.
“The Serbian lobby is very weak in United States and all one can hear or read comes from the Albanian lobby and lobbyists,” Clooney was reported to have said.

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