Ukraine should recognize Crimea’s independence,
reform the country’s constitution, regulate the crisis in its eastern
regions and guarantee the rights of Russian speakers if it wants to get
financial help from Moscow, Russia’s finance minister has said. “If Ukraine fulfils these four conditions, then Russia will
be able to propose further steps on additional help both on
financial and gas issues,” Finance Minister Anton Siluanov
said after meeting with his German counterpart, Wolfgang
Schauble, in Washington.
Deescalating tensions in eastern Ukraine should be peaceful,
based on Ukraine’s legislation, “without discrimination
against Russian-speaking population, without victims and
bloodshed,” Siluanov said.
It is necessary for Ukraine to conduct constitutional reform,
hold legitimate presidential elections and “form a government
with which one may negotiate,” he said.
Ukraine’s gas debt is now estimated at over $2.2 billion. On
Thursday, President Vladimir Putin wrote letters to the leaders of 18 European
countries, including Germany and France, warning that Ukraine’s
debt crisis had reached a “critical” level and could
threaten transit to Europe. He also called for urgent
cooperation, urging Russia’s partners in the West to take action.
According to German Chancellor Angela Merkel"there are many reasons to seriously take
into account this message […] and for Europe to deliver a joint
European response.”
In total, Moscow has subsidized Ukraine’s economy to the tune of
$35.4 billion, coupled with a $3 billion loan tranche in
December. Due to Ukraine’s gas debts, Gazprom revoked all
discounts and is now charging $485 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas,
a price Ukraine says it will not be able to pay.
The deteriorating economic situation is coupled with escalating
tensions in Ukraine. The country’s Interior Ministry promised a
harsh response to the riots in the east, especially in the
“separatist regions” of Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov. The
coup-appointed authorities said they would arrest all violators,
"regardless of the declared slogans and party
affiliation."
Eastern and southern Ukraine have been showing discontent with
the new government in Kiev for weeks. Tensions escalated Monday
when protesters in several cities started seizing local
administration buildings. Major protests took place in the cities
of Donetsk, Kharkov and Lugansk, while smaller actions and some
clashes were reported in Odessa and Nikolayev.
After Donetsk activists proclaimed the region independent and
demanded a referendum on its future status, Ukraine’s
coup-imposed president Aleksandr Turchinov ordered the sending in
of armed personnel and armored vehicles to the east.
At least 70 activists have been arrested in the course of the
crackdown launched by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry in the eastern
city of Kharkov. Most of them remain in prison, with 62 people
detained for at least two months.
Sanctions are ‘co
Militants raise Russian flag in Ukraine city, risk of 'gas war' looms
(Reuters) - Armed pro-Russian militants raised the Russian flag in an
eastern Ukrainian city on Saturday, deepening a stand-off with Moscow
which, Kiev warned, was dragging Europe closer to a "gas war" that could
disrupt supplies across the continent. At least 20 men armed with
pistols and rifles took over the police and security services
headquarters in Slaviansk, about 150 km (90 miles) from the border with Russia.
Officials
said the men had seized hundreds of pistols from arsenals in the
buildings. The militants replaced the Ukrainian flag on one of the
buildings with the red, white and blue Russian flag.
Some local residents helped the militants build barricades out of tires
in anticipation that police would try to force them out, a Reuters
photographer at the scene said. But there was no sign that any police
action was imminent.
The occupation
is a potential flashpoint because if the militants are killed or hurt
by Ukrainian forces, that could prompt the Kremlin to intervene to
protect the local Russian-speaking population, a repeat of the scenario
in the Crimea region when Russian troops were sent in.
Russia
denies any plan to send in forces or split Ukraine, but the
Western-leaning authorities in Kiev believe Russia is trying to create a
pretext to interfere again. NATO says Russia's armed forces are massing
on Ukraine's eastern border, while Moscow says they are on normal
maneuvers.
Ukraine's acting foreign
minister Andrii Deshchytsia said he had spoken in a phone call with
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and demanded Moscow stop what he
called "provocative actions" by its agents in eastern Ukraine.
Russia
and Ukraine have been locked in confrontation since protests in Kiev
forced the Moscow-backed president from office, and the Kremlin sent
troops into Crimea.
Ukraine's PM Offers Concessions to Separatists in Donetsk
Pro-Russian
supporters and an Orthodox priest (front) stand next to a barricade in
front of the seized office of the SBU state security service in Luhansk,
in eastern Ukraine on April 11, 2014.
Ukraine's acting prime minister has offered concessions to regional
leaders and pro-Russian protesters, after Kyiv's deadline passed for
separatists to vacate state buildings they had seized.
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and other top Ukrainian government
officials traveled to the city of Donetsk, where they met Friday with
eastern Ukrainian governors and mayors, as well as other influential
eastern Ukrainian figures, including tycoon Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's
richest man.
The acting prime minister said he supported amending Ukraine’s constitution and changing laws to devolve power.
Ukraine's acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk speaks with local leaders in Donetsk on April 11, 2014.
Such a proposal would mean that regional governors and their
administrations would no longer appointed by the central government, and
regional referendums would be permitted.
Addressing another concern of Russian-speaking residents in eastern
Ukraine, Yatsenyuk also promised that no one would be allowed to “limit
the Russian language and the right to speak it in Ukraine.”
It is unclear if such concessions will satisfy the armed pro-Russian
militants who stormed government buildings in Donetsk, Luhansk and other
eastern Ukrainian cities this week, demanding Kyiv allow a referendum
on independence.
Latest images from Ukraine
A pro-Russian protester whose helmet reads "Donetsk Republic,"
pickets a building where Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was
meeting with regional leaders from eastern Ukraine, in Donetsk, April
11, 2014.
Separatists in Luhansk, who seized the state security building and call
themselves the Southeastern Army, showed little signs of backing down
from their demands.
"We demand that the central authorities pass a law within three days on a
local referendum and formalise the status of united forces of the
Southeastern army as a military unit,'' said Valery Bulatov, a leader,
who was quoted Friday by Reuters news agency.
Kyiv had threatened to use force if the buildings were not cleared by
Friday morning. But during his visit Friday, Yatsenyuk said he is
optimistic the standoff can be resolved.
"I would like to state clearly that the central government is not only
ready for dialogue with regions, but is ready to fulfill lawful
requirements and wishes of all the citizens of our country," he said.
"In the framework of the changed constitution, we will be able to
satisfy specific requests of every single region."
Also Friday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov had called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the
standoff in the east.
According to the ministry, Lavrov told Kerry that Washington should use
its influence with Ukraine’s government “to prevent the use of force”
and encourage Kyiv “to have a dialogue with representatives of the
(Ukrainian) regions to create conditions allowing for comprehensive
constitutional reform.”
Recent surveys suggest residents of eastern Ukraine overwhelmingly oppose any move to join Russia.
Gas
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Friday Russia would fulfill its
obligations to European gas clients and had no plans to halt deliveries
to Ukraine -- a day after warning that supplies to Europe could be
disrupted by Ukraine's failure to pay its gas bills.
Putin was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying, "We guarantee fulfillment of all our obligations to our European consumers."
His comments appeared to aimed at easing concerns in Europe, while also
keeping pressure on Ukraine to pay its $2.2 billion debt for Russian
gas.
The Obama administration has accused Putin of using gas as a "tool of coercion."
Ukraine's energy minister told parliament Friday that Kyiv hopes to buy gas from
Europe to shore up its energy security, fearful Russia will cut gas supplies over Kiev's refusal to pay Moscow's soaring prices.
According to Reuters news agency, Yuri Prodan told parliament the
European Union would stand in solidarity with Ukraine if Russia reduced
supplies, making sure Moscow could not increase flows through
alternative pipelines to bypass its former Soviet neighbor.
Russian troops
Amid the tensions, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said
that Russia must withdraw tens of thousands of troops from the Ukrainian
border and enter into sincere dialogue with the West.
On Friday, Rasmussen saiid the alliance was not discussing military
action over Ukraine, but added that it was taking steps to protect its
partners effectively.
NATO on Thursday released aerial photographs showing what it says are
40,000 Russian troops, along with tanks and aircraft massed near the
Ukrainian border.
An
image released by NATO on April 10, 2014 that shows tanks and infantry
fighting vehicle elements of the Russian Motor Rifle Regiment near
Kuzminka, Russia, near Ukraine. (DigitalGlobe/NATO ACO PAO)
The photographs, released to news outlets, follows repeated Russian
assurances the deployment is no cause for alarm. Russia has denied any
plans to invade eastern Ukraine.
Many observers believe Putin is hoping to keep the new government in
Kyiv unstable to scuttle efforts to establish closer ties to the West.
Ukraine's current government came to power following the so-called
"Euromaidan" protests that forced the country's pro-Russian leaders from
power in February.
In late March, Russia annexed Crimea following a referendum in the
Russian dominated Black Sea region, a move considered a violation of
international law by the EU, U.S. and NATO.
The United States and the European Union immediately slapped sanctions
on key Russian leaders -- and have threatened to add more punitive
measures if Putin escalates the crisis.
The U.S., EU, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to hold four-way talks on
the crisis, expected to take place next Thursday in Geneva.
Friday, April 11, 2014
SP: We have 84 votes for territorial division 11/04/2014
One day after the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group leader, Gramoz
Ruci, declared that they will wait for the opposition one other week and
then will approve the territorial reform on their own, other majority
leaders are saying that the reform is being done because it is
necessary.
“There is no more time for
waiting. The Special Commission must approve the new administrative
division. This is the opposition’s last chance to complete this
important reform”, declared Bashkim Fino, co-chairman of the Territorial
Reform Commission.
Fino’s appeal for the opposition’s last
chance was reinforced by the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, who
declared that Albania has six times more aqueduct workers than the
European Union, and six times less water than every country of the
union. This shows that the territorial division in local units is not
functional.
The government leader reminded that his agreement is with the Albanian citizens, and that it will be respected very rigorously.
“We
want to realize this with the opposition, that’s why we waited for so
long. But we haven’t waited without doing anything. We have worked
intensively with the communities, thanks to the extraordinary support of
our partners and donators. We were voted in June 23rd to lead, and the
Albanian people has removed us any possible alibi for the next four
years, because they gave us a qualified majority, with which we must and
we will realize the territorial reform. We will also make other reforms
that require qualified majority. But we cannot wait endlessly with
crucial reforms such as that of justice”, Rama declared.
The
declarations for the territorial reforms, which have been blocked in the
Parliament for three months, were made during the recent presentation
the first phase for winning projects of the local units. Considered as
the biggest initiative for the local government, the 100 million USD
fund will go for 50 different projects in all districts, projects that
are related with the rehabilitation of city centers, squares, sportive
areas, tourist and informal areas. For the second person in charge at
the Albanian government, who has led the project selection process, the
lack of projects in various regions of our country has caused
abandonment.
“100 new working sites will be created from today.
Hundreds of construction businesses and other services will have a new
market and new space to breathe. Thousands of new jobs will open through
these projects during 2014”, declared the Deputy Prime Minister, Niko
Peleshi.
The Prime Minister underlined that museum cities that
could be motors of tourism and development have not seen any investment
in decades. He used Berat and Gjirokaster as an example, which had their
last investments in the 70s and 80s. Edi Rama declared that in these
cities they will invest for what has not been invested in 20 years.
“We
will start rebuilding the old city. We will reconstruct 30 roads within
the city, which are practically disappearing. We will allow traditional
professions to survive after this long agony”, Rama declared.
Video of The Day Today in Drymades, Himara Region, again INUK...............
Greek welcome for Angela Merkel while protesters are held at bay
German chancellor flies into Greece to champion country's turnaround, but opposition leader calls visit election stunt
Hundreds of angry
Greeks gathered in an uneventful rally to protest Angela Merkel's visit
in central Athens. Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/REUTERS
Angela Merkel flew into Greece
on Friday to champion the country's apparent turnaround from eurozone
basket case to paragon of austerity, but Greeks remain bitterly divided
over the impact of the policies she has foisted on their country.
Officially
it was all smiles. Under azure blue skies Greece looked good. It has
just borrowed successfully from foreign investors for the first time in
four years. And the economics are certainly more encouraging than they
were 18 months ago when the German chancellor last dared venture this
far south.
This was the story she wanted to focus on as she met
Greek entrepreneurs and the man who did much to implement her vision of
economic rigour, which Greece had to adopt to stop the eurozone falling
apart: prime minister Antonis Samaras. "I firmly believe that after a
very, very tough phase, this country harbours boundless possibilities
still to be exploited," Merkel told the businessmen.
It was all a
far cry from October 2012, when riot police clashed with protesters who
compared her to Hitler. This time there were no "Get out Merkel" signs
or demonstrators dressed in Nazi garb, or thousands denouncing the
"mother of austerity" because Greece's fragile governing coalition, in
its determination to welcome the leader, banned public gatherings – at
least in Syntagma square – from taking place.
An attempt by trade
unionists, leftists and state sector workers to demonstrate against
policies that have ruined much of the country's middle class was kept in
check by a security cordon around the capital. During her seven-hour
stay – a visit that took place against the background of a bomb attack
outside the Bank of Greece – 5,000 heavily armed police officers kept
watch over the city centre.
That Athens is no longer hostile
territory for Merkel cannot be denied – even if polls show the vast
majority of Greeks still have a "negative view" of her.
Under the
stewardship of Samaras, the conservative-dominated government has
delivered on the fiscal front, reining in budgets, achieving a primary
surplus few would have foreseen and masterminding Thursday's successful
return to bond markets after four years of being forced to depend on
more than €240bn in bailout funds to keep the country afloat.
"Capitalism
is all about borrowing so psychologically and symbolically our return
to markets has been hugely important," said Theodore Pelagidis,
professor of economics at Pireaus University. "But after seven years of
recessionary austerity measures Greece has experienced the depression of
the century," he told the Guardian. "The government wants people to
look forward, to forget the harsh measures it has been forced to
implement, but in reality the recovery is going to take years because we
now have to rebuild the economy from scratch."
With the country
having seen more than a quarter of its output lost to the crisis,
unemployment at a record 26.7% and poverty levels rising inexorably,
political opponents accused Merkel of dancing on the ruins of Greece.
The radical left main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, whom Merkel did
not meet, denounced the visit as a stunt aimed purely at shoring up "her
ally Samaras" before crucial European parliament elections next month.
The German chancellor, he said, would never see the reality of
Greece's rescue when she refused to visit hospitals, schools and other
public bodies ravaged by relentless cost-cutting at the behest of
Berlin.
"Soon she will be faced with a government that will
negotiate properly," pledged the leftist, insisting that with Greece's
monumental debt, Athens' return to markets had been little more than a
public relations exercise to win public support before the May vote.
"It
is manifestly clear that not only are we not out of the crisis but we
remain enclosed in the trap of debt," he told supporters on the campaign
trail. Tsipras's vehemently anti-austerity Syriza party is enjoying a
steady though marginal lead, over both parties in the governing
coalition.
Before Merkel boarded her plane for Berlin, she
requested that she be taken to a traditional Greek taverna beneath the
Acropolis. A late afternoon bout of rain stopped as she got there. Like
everything about her flying visit the re-emerging sun was well timed in a
country where so much reality had been hidden from her eyes.
New Albania Army scandal
Imami: Albanian Military infrastructure, is used to transport drug
Former Minister of Defense of Albania , Arben Imami, accuses the Albanian Government that is conducting the drug trafficking infrastructure side
of the Army Imam : Albanian risks exit from NATO TIRANA
- The Ministry of Defence has responded through a letter sent to the
Prosecutor's Office yesterday following allegations made by former
Minister Arben Imami . In a letter to the Ministry required the disclosure of charges against Imam Assembly Armed Forces. Former
Defence Minister Arben Imami accused in Parliament yesterday that
according to his military infrastructure is under the service of drug
trafficking . This
statement came after Imam Kodheli proposal which the Minister said
yesterday that the situation is catastrophic Armed Forces and urged the
adoption of a new law to improve the situation but without touching any
constitutional authority of the President in his capacity as Commander Armed Forces General .
While
replicas for this law by former Minister Imami , who charged that the
procedures that the law, infringe the powers of the head of state, ended Defence Minister Kodheli.
Greek-Albanian border: Blocking explosives shortly before going to Greece
One day after released 900 Albanian prisoners An arsenal seized in Korca (15,000 cartridges, 60 grenades, etc.) during a police operation last night's mini arsenal discovered at the Greek border near the village Arrëz, just before they manage to spend on Greek territory. Korca police not has yet to disclose the names of two persons allegedly involved in the case, who taking advantage of the dark and the inaccessibility of the area lost in the woods, just realized the presence of the police.
Investigations are continuing to identify the two offenders
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Satellite images reveal Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border
Nato images show fighter planes, helicopters and troops which officials say could be ready to move in 12 hours
A satellite image shows Russian SU-33 fighter planes near Ukraine's border. DigitalGlobe
Nato has released satellite images of the Russian military buildup on
Ukraine’s eastern border: a powerful concentration of fighter planes,
helicopters, artillery, infantry and special forces which officials say
could be ready to move with just 12 hours notice.
The images
appear to undermine official suggestions from Moscow that there is
nothing unusual about the troop movements, nor any reason to be alarmed.
The
pictures show rows of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles
apparently waiting for orders in fields and other temporary locations
around 30 miles (50km) from the frontier. The images, taken in the past
two weeks, show some of what Nato said was around 100 staging areas that
were almost entirely unoccupied in February.
One of the
images showed the previously empty Buturlinovka airbase 90 miles from
the border now hosting dozens of fast jets, even though there are no
hangars or other infrastructure normally associated with such activity.
Another, of Belgorod, 25 miles from the border, showed about 21
helicopters on a greenfield site – again with no hangers or
infrastructure – which officials said could be part of a forward
operating base. Russian SU-27/30, SU-24 and MiG-31 fighter jets on the tarmac at Buturlinovka airbase. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
“This is a capable force, ready to go,” said Brigadier Gary Deakin,
who runs Nato’s crisis operations and management centre at the
alliance’s military headquarters near Mons, Belgium. “It has the
resources to move quickly into Ukraine if it was ordered to do so. It is
poised at the moment, and it could move very fast.”
Deakin
said between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops were “at a state of
advanced readiness”, and could deploy “within 12 hours from a decision
taken at the highest level”. With many of the troops and tanks currently
based within about 30 miles from the border, that could mean crossing
into Ukrainian territory within an hour of moving.
According to Nato the images reveal telltale signs of an invading force,
and not merely troops on “exercise” as Moscow has claimed. The images
apparently show that in Kuzminka, where tanks and infantry fighting
vehicles have gathered, there are no proper barracks, significant
buildings or even parking. “We just don’t see much infrastructure. There
is more here than it was built for,” said Deakin. Primorko-Akhtarsk airbase in southern Russia. Photograph: AP
Deakin warned that a potential strike force could go further than
Ukraine’s eastern regions where pro-Russian elements are currently
demanding secession. “Undoubtedly it could strike into eastern Ukraine,
but it could also do a land bridge to Crimea, and potentially even down
the Black Sea coast to Odessa. The capability is there, but we don’t
know the intent,” Deakin said. “That is grounds for concern.” With a
total armed personnel of just 130,000, Ukraine would be unlikely to
provide much resistance to the invading Russians, officials added.
The
images were released as separatist protests in mainly Russian-speaking
eastern Ukraine entered their fifth day, with pro-Moscow supporters
still out in a standoff in two cities. Kiev has said protesters who
seized public buildings in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv are copying
events in Crimea, annexed by Russia last month.
Moscow has
denied it is preparing an invading force. The Russian foreign ministry
insisted on Wednesday that troops near Ukraine’s border posed no threat
and the movements were nothing more than the “everyday activity of
Russian troops on its territory”. But the Nato secretary general, Anders
Fogh Rasmussen, dismissed these claims. “As I speak, some 40,000
Russian troops are massed along Ukraine’s borders,” Rasmussen said in
Prague on Thursday. “Not training, but ready for combat. We have seen
the satellite images, day after day.” A satellite image purporting to show Russian special forces at Yeysk, southern Russia. Photograph: AP
Russian officials have also accused Washington and Nato of fuelling
tension in the region, with the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, claiming in a Guardian article that it the US and EU that are destabilising Ukraine.
Senior
Nato officials have warned that the buildup is already having a
psychological, destabilising effect, helping stoke up the turmoil in
eastern Ukraine. “These masked guys would not be taking over government
buildings if there were not 40,000 soldiers just across the border,”
said one official.
The revelations come before next week’s
meeting of top diplomats from the EU, Russia, Ukraine and the United
States to discuss the crisis. The meeting’s venue has still to be
decided, but it will gather Lavrov, the US secretary of state, John
Kerry, the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and Ukraine’s
foreign minister, Andriy Deshchytsia.
At the same time, Nato
is drawing up measures to bolster its defences in central and eastern
Europe, and is likely to include a tripling of air patrols in the
Baltics. Nato’s top military commander, the US air force general Philip
Breedlove, will present proposals for air, land and sea reinforcements
to Nato ambassadors next week. Britain is among the Nato members
offering support, including four Typhoons, while Denmark has offered
four F-16s and France has put forward another four, either Rafales or
Mirages.
Russian MPs seek to sue Gorbachev over USSR collapse
Published time: April 10, 2014 09:16
Edited time: April 10, 2014 18:18
A group of MPs representing both majority and
opposition parties have asked Russia’s Prosecutor General to probe the
events leading to the breakup of the Soviet Union. They view possible
action against former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
In the letter, signed by two MPs from United Russia, two
Communists and one representative of populist nationalist party
LDPR, the parliamentarians claim that at the March 1991referendum
the majority of Soviet citizens voted that their country should
remain united, and therefore the actions of several top officials
that led to USSR breakup were unlawful.
They also noted that in November 1991 the Prosecutor General’s
Office of the USSR commenced a criminal case against President
Mikhail Gorbachev, but closed it the next day under pressure from
higher courts.
According to the authors of the letter (and the prosecutors in
1991), Gorbachev is personally to blame for the creation of the
State Council of the USSR – the new body that was not described
in the Soviet Constitution and yet took the responsibility to
decide on the secession of the three Baltic republics. The MPs
also noted that such crimes have no statute of limitation and
Gorbachev himself did not enjoy any sort of immunity at current
moment.
In comments with the popular mass circulation daily Izvestia, one
of the sponsors of the initiative, Evgeny Fyodorov, claimed that
the thorough investigation into the 1991 events would allow for a
“correct historical and political picture” and veritable
conclusions that, in the politicians’ view, would give an impetus
for the “national liberation movements” in former Soviet
republics.
MP Mikhail Degtyaryov said that it was extremely important to
hold an investigation and restore a full picture of the 1991
events as these are the roots of all events on the post-Soviet
space, including the current violent crisis in Ukraine.
“People in Kiev are dying and will keep on dying because of
the people in the Kremlin who made a decision to break up the
country a long time ago,” he told Izvestia.
Gorbachev has dismissed the accusations against him as attention
seeking and “complete foolishness.”
“These calls only reflect the urge for self-promotion
experienced by certain MPs. They like being named and talked
about, but their appeal has not been worked through and is
completely unfounded from the historical point of view,” the
ex-Soviet President told Interfax.
Gorbachev also noted that he must still have enemies in Russia
who try to blacken his name through various campaigns.
“I must be a hindrance for someone, the fact that over the
last 20 days there were several reports about my death supports
this allegation,” he said. “I do not react to such
statements, I keep tending to my business and my health,”
the veteran Russian politician added.
Albania sudden releases 900 prisoners Photo: A prisoner released from Prison of Vlora`s Police Departament 5 himariotes, politically convicted, do not benefit from this decision
It is surprising, historically, released for prisoners, were carried out on the occasion of national holidays in November, but many prisons are filled by capacity, authorities claim
But analysts believe that this contingent, can be used by Albanian nationalist extremists, just equipping benefit international passport
Tirana. About 900 Albanian prisoners from the 4800 total, mainly for criminal penalties, have benefited the "blessings of Albanian politics" signed by President Nishani.
The decision was taken suddenly, with the approval of the Albanian opposition, though, many believe, was not exactly the time to release them, because such decisions, taken on the occasion of the National Day, which is at the end of November of each year. According to sources, there has been, no interest for a remission of five citizens from Himara with Greek citizenship, who were sentenced full 15 years on charges of breach of Albanian national symbols, during administrative elections in 2007. Those living outside of Albania, and is expect from the Strasbourg Court to give a decision. Greece has considered this political trial process, while not made any concrete diplomatic action to address, to Tirana to release them.
Meanwhile, analysts believe that there is a shadow over this decision, in a time that Albanian citizens, serving in religious conflicts, as in Syria and Iraq, while the contingent, can serve the Albanian nationalist Extremism, also using international passport and payments of fat.
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press
A bomb exploded outside a Bank of Greece building in central Athens before dawn Thursday, causing some damage but no injuries.
The blast came hours before Greece was to return to the international
bond markets for the first time in four years, and a day before German
Chancellor Angela Merkel was to visit Athens.
The explosion was heard throughout the area, a largely commercial zone
which is one of the Greek capital's most central, a few blocks away from
the Greek parliament. It was preceded by two anonymous calls to a news
website and a newspaper warning that a bomb had been planted in a car
outside the central bank building.
As dawn broke, television footage showed the charred remnants of a car
in the middle of the street, with only two wheels still recognizable.
Debris was strewn around. Forensic experts in white coveralls began
combing through the blast site and inspecting the wreckage.
Police cordoned off all roads leading to the area. Gaggles of office
workers unable to access their offices gathered in nearby cafes.
A police officer at the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the bank
building and surrounding buildings had suffered some damage — mainly
broken windows.
The news website that received one of the anonymous calls at 5:11 a.m.
local time (0211 GMT) said the caller warned a bomb containing 75
kilograms (150 pounds) of explosives had been planted in a car and would
explode in 45 minutes' time. The explosion occurred at about 6 a.m.
The attack comes as financially stricken Greece returns to borrowing on
the international bond market. The country announced Wednesday it was
issuing a five-year bond — its first since it became locked out of
international markets in 2010.
The government has hailed the return to the bond market as proof that the country is emerging from its deep financial crisis.
"The evident target of the attackers is to change this image, and change
the agenda," government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said on an early
morning television news show. "We will not allow the attackers to
achieve their aim."
Since 2010, Greece has relied on funds from an international bailout, in
return for which it has imposed deeply resented spending cuts, tax
hikes and labor market reforms. Greece's economy has shrunk by a
quarter, while unemployment hovers at 28 percent.
Greece has a long history of domestic militant groups who plant usually
small bombs late at night that rarely cause injuries. Although the
country's deadliest terrorist group, November 17, was eradicated and its
members jailed in the early 2000s, several newer groups are still
active.
One of the November 17 members, however, vanished while on furlough from
prison in January. Another two suspected members of a different group,
Revolutionary Struggle, vanished during their trial in 2012. They had
been released after serving the maximum 18 months in pre-trial
detention. That group is best known for firing a rocket into the U.S.
Embassy in Athens and bombing the Athens Stock Exchange.
Albanian marijuana in Europe 08/04/2014
“Albanian marijuana has invaded Europe”. This is how Italian TV shows
and newspapers treat the problem of the drug which arrives from Albania
in huge quantities, with sophisticated transportation vehicles.
RAI’s “Porta a Porta” with
journalist Bruno Vespa and the “Corriere della Sera” start their trip
from Lazarat, with shocking numbers: at least 300 plantations which
produce more than 1000 tons of marijuana with a profit of 4.5 billion
EUR.
Only one plant of marijuana gives a profit of 300 EUR. The
Puglia region is the first station of the Albanian drug, due to the
geographic area. Seven tons of Marijuana have been blocked in the Puglia
coast between Brindisi and Lecce, while only for this year authorities
have seized four tons.
The vehicles used by traffickers for
transporting drugs are various, starting from powerful inflatable boats
to small boats and water scooters. The control of the Italian and
Albanian authorities is becoming even stronger, with modern equipment
from the air, land and sea.
Photo: V. Stramarko, the elderly woman, protesting to INUK in Drymades, November 2013.
INUK: Two victims from demolition of buildings in Vlora Prefecture
It was passed without any comment in the media, but the demolition was executed INUK, in Drymades, an elderly woman with Greek Nationality has died as a result of a heart attack, some time after the collapse of the building.
Tirana. INUK consequences of demolition, (The National Inspectorate Urbanistic of Albania), have brought the two victims, a man and an elderly woman.
The cause of death, in this case, according to doctors, have been attack cardiac diagnosis for which there is no doubt that the demolition of their property objects from INUK, have caused trauma to the heart.
V. Stramarko, an elderly woman from Drymades of Himara, has failed to face the heart attack, when some time ago, is battling INUK of police, who demolished a building to her son.
INUK during the process in Drymadhes, has collapsed with dozens of buildings, which belong to the indigenous inhabitants of the Greek Nationality of the Himara Region, equipped with building permit from Himara Municipality. But INUK interventions were criticized by the Albanian opposition and Omonia, the Greek Organisation of Albania, which asked the Constitutional Court to intervene for the removal of powers of INUK.
Meanwhile, the case of a person in Vlora, which was under construction collapsed a 7-story hotel, from INUK, with TNT explosion , has made news in all local and international media. after some time, the citizen from Vlora, the owner of this building, was found dead due to heart problems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1W1ZFxbs4Q
Greek official criticizes proposed Athens mosque referendum
Greek official said the referendum on building Athens mosque would damage Greece's reputation.
World Bulletin / News Desk
A proposal for holding a referendum on the building of a mosque in
Athens will damage Greece's international reputation, a senior Greek
official said Thursday.
In a written statement Yorgos Kalacis from the Ministry of Education
and Religious Affairs, criticized the proposal from Aris Spiliotopoilos,
the New Democracy Party's candidate for mayor of Athens at May's local
elections.
Greek parliament approved a plan in 2011 to build a mosque in Athens, after demands from thousands of Muslim residents.
Athens has been criticized by human rights groups such as Amnesty
International for being the only European Union capital without a
mosque.
Priština advised to establish war crimes court
Source: Beta
PRIŠTINA -- EU representative in Priština Samuel
Žbogar says the creation of a special court to deal with crimes
committed against Serbs in Kosovo was "inevitable."
He for this reason advised members of the Kosovo assembly to vote in favor of its establishment.
"I
strongly believe that deputies in the Kosovo assembly will press the
'Yes' button, and will realize that this question cannot be avoided by
pressing either 'Yes' or 'No'. But, by saying 'Yes', Kosovo will take
the process into its own hands, Kosovo will itself seek to shed light on
this issue," he said.
Žbogar told the Albanian language daily
Koha Ditore said that "otherwise this tribunal will be established by
the Security Council, and then the judicial process would be completely
under the control of the United Nations."
According to him, the
EU understands that it is difficult for Kosovo to examine the issue of
establishing a special court for possible charges stemming from a report
prepared by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty - which contains
allegations that the ethnic Albanian KLA kidnapped Serb and other
civilians, illegally imprisoned them, and had their body parts removed
and sold in the black market.
"But the establishment of such a
tribunal is now inevitable and the choice is between Kosovo doing it
with the approval of the European Union, or Kosovo refusing and the UN
Security Council doing it, as a Special Tribunal of the United Nations,"
Žbogar was quoted as saying.
According to him, the option in
which the tribunal is established with the approval of "Kosovars" would
be far better for Kosovo itself, as the court would be within the Kosovo
system, "with a part of it in an EU country," and with international
judges that would, in the next few years, "conclude that issue."
The second option, the formation of a UN tribunal, would involve a
process that could be "endlessly protracted," warned this official.
According to Žbogar, it is essential that the tribunal be established
to treat individual cases, and that it would "in no way be directed
either against Kosovo or against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)."
Kiev threatens force against eastern Ukraine protesters
Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister is threatening to
resolve “in 48 hours” the situation in eastern regions where
administrations of at least two cities are controlled by protesters
demanding a nationwide referendum on the state structure.
Arsen Avakov told journalists on Wednesday that the coup-imposed
government is ready to use force in the mutinous eastern regions.
"There are two solutions: a political one through
negotiations or through force,” the minister said on the
margins of a government meeting.
“For those who want dialogue, we propose talks and a
political solution. For the minority who want conflict they will
get a forceful answer from the Ukrainian authorities,” he
said as quoted by Reuters, adding that in his opinion a
“solution to the crisis could be found within 48 hours.”
The minister informed that a special police task force from
western regions of Ukraine has already arrived in Donetsk,
Lugansk and Kharkov, cities where protests against the new
government in Kiev have been continuing for weeks now.
On Monday, popular assemblies in Donetsk and Kharkov, where local
administration headquarters were captured by protesters, declared
independence from Ukraine and announced the creation of the
independent Donetsk People’s Republic and Kharkov People’s
Republic.
Last night, the police force that arrived from Kiev managed to
recapture the local administration in
Kharkov, arresting approximately 60 activists and bringing them
to a detention center in Kiev. Armed with automatic weapons and
masked law enforcement officers stormed the building on early
morning and cleared the central square of protesters.
In Kharkov about 30 percent of policemen refused to storm the
administration. Avakov has already announced that they will be
fired.
A journalist of Russia’s Lifenews TV channel reported from the
central square of Kharkov that according to evidence witnessed by
the local citizens, some police officers dressed in uniforms of
the Jaguar riot police task force seem unable to understand when
addressed in either Ukrainian or Russian. They reportedly
communicate with each other in English.
In Donetsk the buildings of power structures remained under
control of the protesters as some police officers refused to
counteract protesters.
The aggravation of the anti Greek propaganda in Albania
Albanian media completely focused about a prisoner, who dead in Greek prisons
Despite efforts to Athens to negotiate new maritime border, the Government Rama, seems to have abandoned the project, battling a situation, not at all friendly with Greece
Tirana . Views published by the Greek newspaper "To Vima" about the death of an Albanian prisoner, have grown quite a stressful situation against Greece, in Albania, reports from SManalysis sources.
The situation is always the tough, while Albanian nationalists, have warned against protests answer form, the Greek police authorities. Friendly climate is harsh threats changed in almost all media and social networks of Albanians in the whole world.
Meanwhile, the Albanian government has stated that it has approved the establishment of a bilateral commission, to cooperate with the Greek government, in all matters concerning all the water borders with Greece. But despite this effort, the review of the maritime border, a claim strongly requested from Athens, nor apparently in the talks agenda.
Greece prepares as much as $688 million of real estate for sale
By Sharon Smyth
Greece is preparing a property portfolio valued at as much as 500
million euros ($689 million) to offer to investors by the end of this
year, according to the head of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development
Fund.
The properties will be worth at least 350 million euros and
will include leased city buildings, homes and development land, Andreas
Taprantzis, executive director at the fund, said in an interview in
Athens. UBS AG, Deutsche Bank AG and BNP Paribas SA are advising the
fund on the portfolio, he said.
The fund, which completed almost 5
billion euros of deals including 1.8 billion euros of real estate over
the past 14 months, is tapping into renewed investor demand for Greek
assets. The nation is emerging from a six-year economic crisis that
almost forced it to leave the euro.
“There has been a huge shift
in sentiment and, after sniffing around for quite a while, investors are
now anxious to dig up Greek opportunities,” Taprantzis said. “Look how
stocks have performed.”
The Athens Stock Exchange General Index
has jumped 175 percent since reaching a 22-year low in June 2012 and the
economy is set to grow in 2014 for the first time in seven years. The
country’s bonds returned 23 percent in the first quarter, the best among
34 sovereign-debt markets tracked by Bloomberg World Bond Indexes.
Greece
is selling everything from land to ports and airports as part of a 240
billion-euro bailout from Europe and the IMF. The asset fund has a
mandate to raise 11 billion euros by 2016. The original target after the
first bailout in 2010 was for 50 billion euros by 2015.
“It is a
buyers’ market, with low price levels that will allow for strong
potential capital gains,” said Spyros Raptis, manager of valuations and
planning at Athens-based real estate adviser Redvis. “The expected
economic recovery and growing activity will definitely lift up real
estate returns.”
Last month, the fund agreed to sell Hellenikon, a
former airport site that’s almost twice the size of New York’s Central
Park, to a group of investors led by Lamda Development for 915 million
euros. In December, the fund and the National Bank of Greece SA accepted
a 400 million-euro bid from the Jermyn Street Real Estate Fund IV for
90 percent of Astir Palace, a luxury seaside hotel complex in an Athens
suburb.
Pangaea REIC, the real estate investment trust owned by
Invel Real Estate Partners and the National Bank of Greece SA, aims to
raise about 1 billion euros by the end of 2014 to invest in Greek and
Italian real estate assets.
“Apart from privatization plans, we
are identifying signs of a growing activity in the field of indirect
real estate investments,” Raptis said, “The plans of Pangaea as well as
other deals show that investors have started to consider their positions
in the Greek market.”
Second US Navy destroyer heads to Black Sea
Published time: April 09, 2014
Another US military ship is set to be deployed in
the Black Sea amid the Ukrainian crisis. The US Navy destroyer Donald
Cook will join the USS Truxtun, whose stay in waters bordering Russia
was extended to ‘conduct drills’ with Romania and Bulgaria. “We’ll also send another ship to the Black Sea within a
week,” Derek Chollet, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense
for International Security Affairs told the House Armed Services Committee, as he said
the Department of Defense sanctioned to prolong USS Truxtun’s
stay in the Black Sea “to conduct exercises with Romanian and
Bulgarian naval forces,” after it left the region on March
21.
Chollet highlighted the main pillars of the Department of Defense
response to the crisis in Ukraine and how they fit within the
overall policy of US response towards Russia, saying that
Moscow's move to accept Crimea's choice to join Russia
“challenges our vision of a Europe whole, free and at
peace.”
The Pentagon maintains senior-level defense dialogue with
Ukrainian officials since the outbreak of the crisis, Chollet
said.
“We have led efforts at NATO to offer Ukraine greater access
to NATO exercises, invited Ukraine to participate in the
development of military capabilities and provided
capacity-building programs to the Ukrainian military,” he
said.
On Monday the Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren also stated
that a second US ship will soon arrive to the Black Sea. No
details have been provided, but DoD official told AFP that USS
Donald Cook, a guided missile destroyer, has been deployed.
On Tuesday, headlines in Bulgaria circulated reports emerging
from the Bulgarian Defense ministry, that a missile cruiser USS
Donald Cook is soon to arrive to the Black Sea to join the war
games.
Donald Cook is capable of firing SM-3 missiles, which allows the
ship to function as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
System. It is deployed in Spain as part of the US missile shield
program in Europe. The vessel is expected to dock into a number
of ports along Romanian and Bulgarian coast, and bring some
additional 175 US marines to the Romanian coast.
Last week, the Pentagon announced that the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground
Task Force Crisis Response force in Spain will be reinforced with
175 marines.
“We’re increasing the number from 500 to 675,” Warren
said, claiming that the move had been planned last year.
While the additional marines will officially be part of the
Spain-based force, Warren said they are to be based in Romania
where they will join nearly 300 marines already in the country.
Warren insisted that the purpose of additional deployment of
another ship is done “primarily to reassure our allies and
partners in the region that we’re committed to the region,”
he said. “We’re still planning the details of our operations
in the Black Sea but we expect port calls and exercises with
other Black Sea nations.”
This is the fourth US warship to visit the Black Sea since
February, a trend Moscow heavily criticized in the past.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that
Washington as violated the Montreux Convention which regulates
the number ships that can enter the Black Sea.
“There exists the Montreux Convention, which gives extremely
clear criteria limiting the deployment of warships not belonging
to the Black Sea governments in regard to tonnage and length of
stay,” Lavrov said.
“We have noticed that US warships have extended their
deployment beyond the set terms a couple of times lately, and at
times they did not always comply with the regulations that are
set within the Montreux Convention.”
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