TOP Analysis, Prognoses and News about Greek - Albanian Relations and the Region.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
"Colpo Grosso" of the Golden Dawn Party in Greece Lieutenant General Eleftherios Synadinos former Director od the Special Forces of the Greek Army, is Member of the European Parliament Candidate, with the Golden Dawn
Another
prominent figure in the public life of oGreece, for Euro Parliamentary Elections, inside the
staffs of the Golden Dawn Party. The reason for the higher military figures of the Country, including in politics for the Greek National Issues, the Lieutenant General,
Eleftherios Synadinos, is the former Director of the Special Forces of Greece,.
For the first time, the Greek national struggle of
the People's Association are present of the list for candidates, shoking again the turbo polirics not only in Greece but also in Europe, by the Golden Dawn Party.
.
Lieutenant General Eleftherios Synadinos, served with a successful on
almost 4 decades for the Greek Armed Forces wearing the uniform of the
honored Greek officers.
Photo ofthe day
DeputyU.S. Ambassador in Albania,HenryV.Jardine,during a Bike-tour inSouthern Albania,isstopped,inPortoPalermo,KiparoinHimaraRegion.Many residentshave complainedto the Albanian state,whichare beingrobbedproperties, favoringoligarchyandthe Albanianmafia.
Greece pressures Germany on WWII reparations
Struggling through a continued economic downturn, Greece has reopened the debate on German reparations.
Germany holds that reparations issues were settled in September 1990 [AP]
Athens, Greece - On June 10,
1944, three Wehrmacht units converged on the village of Distomo in
Nazi-occupied central Greece. They had received reports of black market
activity in the area - a hanging offence under the Nazis, who stockpiled
food to supply their armies overseas, leaving the local population
strictly rationed. Instead of smugglers they found a dozen resistance
fighters and rounded them up. "A representative ran off and warned the resistance that was
encamped three or four kilometres from the village," says Thanos Bouras,
who was then 20 years old. "The resistance attacked, and they mortally
wounded the German commander. A woman brought him some water. He thanked
her, and said: 'The entire village [is] kaput, but don't harm this
woman.'" What followed was one of the worst Nazi atrocities in Greece
during their three-and-a-half-year occupation. Angelos Kastritis, who
was eight, remembers the Germans going house to house, bashing down
doors and spraying interiors with machine-gun fire. Kastritis' mother had told him and his father to make
themselves scarce while she stayed home with her in-laws, believing that
women and the elderly would not be harmed. "When I returned I first saw my grandfather. The back of his
head was gone and his brains had been splattered against a staircase. My
grandmother was seated next to him [dead]. Inside the house I saw my
mother… They had killed her execution-style, from behind." Sture Linner, the Swedish head of the Red Cross in Greece,
arrived in Distomo three days later. He described what he saw in his
autobiography, My Odyssey,"For
hundreds of yards along the road, human bodies were hanging from every
tree, pierced with bayonets - some were still alive. In the village…
hundreds of dead bodies of people of all ages, from elderly to newborns,
were strewn around on the dirt. Several women were slaughtered with
bayonets, their wombs torn apart and their breasts severed …" Seven percent of the Greek population at the time of the war -
over half a million people - was wiped out. Four-fifths of those were
civilians and were killed in mass executions and punitive massacres like
that at Distomo. But the single biggest killer was starvation, stemming
from Germany's disastrous management of the Greek economy. Greece lost
97 percent of its exports. Agricultural production fell; infrastructure
was systematically destroyed. A year into the occupation, Germany was so
worried about a collapse of civil society that it let Britain and the
Red Cross distribute food and aid......
more see: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/04/greece-pressures-germany-wwii-reparations-201442683740820822.html
Albania to set up joint customs terminal with Kosovo
Apr 26,2014
TIRANA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Prime Minister Edi
Rama on Friday informed about the establishment of a joint customs
terminal with Kosovo to facilitate transport of goods, according to the
Albanian Telegraphic Agency.
He said that integration of the two markets remain a major
challenge, while noting that although many years have passed and the
entrepreneurial experience is more than enough, the markets of Kosovo
and Albania remain isolated and inaccessible to the producers and
trades.
He said that procedures are terrible, long, tedious and very discouraging.
"There is a great barrier between Albania and Kosovo, which
hampers interaction and cooperation, and which has artificially removed
instead of approaching the two Albanian areas," said the premier.
Rama posed several issues that should be solved immediately. He
stressed the fact that it is impossible to move ahead without having a
joint customs terminal between Albania and Kosovo.
"The establishment of a common terminal and customs offices is a
must to facilitate trade," said Rama. He said that Kosovo's goods to
Serbia reach their destination within four hours, while to Albania it
takes two days, because of repeated bureaucratic procedures.
Unknown gunmen land from helicopters, attack checkpoint in Donetsk region - militia
Published time: April 26, 2014 17:59
Edited time: April 26, 2014 20:25
Unknown assailants landed in helicopters and attacked
a checkpoint in Soledar city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a
militia source told RIA Novosti adding that there is a fight going on.
There is no information on the number of casualties.
Soledar is located about 30 kilometers south east of Slavyansk.
The people’s governor of Donbass region Denis Pushilin confirmed
to RT that there is fighting in Soledar.
As the unknown men attacked the checkpoint, the militia was
forced to retreat, the source told RIA.
The second checkpoint is preparing for attack he said, adding
that there are about 50 activists, many without weapons.
“We cannot send reinforcements from Slavyansk as all [forces]
are defending the city," the source stressed.
The militia has blocked the entrances to warehouses storing arms
to prevent the National guard forces from confiscationg the
weapons, a militia source told RIA.
He added that the warehouses were left over from Soviet times and
have in storage only outdated weaponry, such as Mauser, Colts,
Degtyarev machine guns, submachine PCA guns but in great amounts.
“Armed men attacked our warehouses storing weapons, we are
repelling the attack, there is fighting,” Interfax cites a
militia in the people’s self-defense HQ as saying.
Kiev authorities are carrying out a military operation against
anti-government militia supporting the federalization of Ukraine
in the eastern part of the country.
Kiev said on Friday that “the second stage” of the military
operation in Slavyansk has been launched.
Slavyansk is in the control of people’s self-defense forces that
are defending the city, repelling the attack of the Kiev
military.
Kiev authorities are carrying out a military operation against
anti-government militia supporting the federalization of Ukraine
in the eastern part of the country.
Kiev said on Friday that “the second stage” of the military
operation in Slavyansk has been launched. Slavyansk is under
thecontrol of people’s self-defense forces that are defending
against the Ukrainian armed forces that have set up a military
base some 20 kilometers from Slavyansk, RT's stringer,
Ukraine-based British journalist Graham Phillips reported on
Friday.
“The aim is to completely isolate Slavyansk to localize the
problem,” the coup-appointed acting head of presidential
administration Sergey Pashinsky told media on Friday as cited by
RIA.
On Thursday, five self-defense members were reportedly killed and
one injured in a gunfight in Slavyansk in a night attack on a
militia checkpoint on the outskirts of the city. The incident
happened as Kiev authorities sent tanks and armored vehicles
against the local population.
In response to the escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine,
Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed Kiev on Thursday saying
that the use military force against the civilian population is a
serious crime which makes Kiev authorities a “junta”.
Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin pointed out in an interview to
Rossiya 1 channel on Friday that if the violence in the southeast
of Ukraine doesn't stop, Russia will call a special session of
the UN Security Council.
Ukraine blames Moscow for 'human shield' detentions in east
(Reuters) - Pro-Russian
separatists in eastern Ukraine offered on Saturday to release eight
captive international observers in a prisoner exchange, as Western
governments prepared new sanctions against Moscow. The pro-Western government in Kiev blamed Russia
for what it called the kidnapping on Friday of the monitors from the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The separatists said they suspected the observers of spying; Ukraine said they were being used as human shields.
Since Ukrainians toppled their pro-Russian president in February, Russia
has annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and massed tens of thousands of
troops on the country's eastern border. NATO has responded by sending
reinforcements to eastern Europe, in the gravest East-West crisis since
the Cold War.
Earlier on
Saturday the Group of Seven major economies announced they had agreed to
impose more sanctions on Russia, which they believe is bent on
destabilising its former Soviet neighbour and possibly grabbing more
territory. Diplomats said the United States and the European Union were
expected to unveil new punitive action against Russian individuals from
Monday.
Russia denies
orchestrating a campaign by pro-Moscow militants who have seized control
of public buildings across eastern Ukraine. It accuses the Kiev
government of whipping up tensions by sending troops to root out the
separatists.
The OSCE sent
more monitors on Saturday to seek the release of those detained in
Slaviansk, a city under the separatists' control. Those being held are
from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic.
"COINS TO EXCHANGE"
Vyacheslav
Ponomaryov, de facto mayor of Slaviansk, told reporters: "They were
soldiers on our territory without our permission, of course they are
prisoners."
He said the
separatists were ready to exchange the captured monitors for fellow
rebels now in the custody of the Ukrainian authorities.
"Prisoners have always been coins to exchange during times of war. It's an international practice," he said.
Ukraine's
state security service said the OSCE observers - part of a German-led
military verification mission deployed since early March at Kiev's
request - were being held "in inhuman conditions" and that one needed
medical help.
A
spokeswoman for the Vienna-based organisation, of which Russia is a
member, said the OSCE had been in contact with "all sides" since late on
Friday but had had no direct contact with the observers.
The
Russian foreign ministry said it was working to resolve the crisis, but
blamed Kiev for failing to ensure the OSCE mission's safety in "areas
where the authorities do not control the situation and where a military
operation against residents of their own country has been unleashed".
Russia's
Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper released a video interview with a man it
identified as Ivan Strelkov, a militia leader in Slaviansk, accused by
Ukraine's security services of being an employee of Russian
intelligence.
He
suggested the monitors might have been using their diplomatic status "to
carry out reconnaissance of the resistance positions, for the benefit
of the Ukrainian army".
It is standard practice for serving military officers to be seconded to OSCE missions.
DIPLOMATIC MOVES
German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed the Ukraine
situation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov by telephone on
Saturday "with an accent on possible steps to de-escalate the
situation," the Russian ministry said.
Steinmeier said Lavrov had offered his backing, which he welcomed.
In
a separate call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the Russian
minister said Ukraine must halt military operations in the southeast of
the country in order to defuse the crisis.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Russian military aircraft entered Ukrainian airspace seven times overnight.
"The
only reason is to provoke Ukraine ... and to accuse Ukraine of waging
war against Russia," the prime minister told reporters before cutting
short a visit to Rome.
Washington
deployed 150 paratroopers to Lithuania on Saturday. A total of 600 U.S.
troops have now arrived in Poland and the former Soviet Baltic states
in a bid to reassure nervous NATO allies.
"As
threats emerged, we see who our real friends are," Lithuanian President
Dalia Grybauskaite said as she greeted the troops at the Siauliai air
base.
Without mentioning
Russia, she said the presence of U.S. troops would "repel those who
encroach on stability in Europe and peace in the region".
"The
numbers are not important. If just one of our guests is harmed, this
would mean an open confrontation, not with Lithuania but with the United
States of America."
"DOOR REMAINS OPEN"
U.S.
officials said new sanctions targeting "cronies" of President Vladimir
Putin could be unveiled as early as Monday unless Russia moved fast to
defuse the crisis.
In a
joint statement, G7 leaders said Russia had not taken any concrete steps
to implement an accord, signed earlier this month in Geneva, intended
to rein in illegal armed groups.
"Instead,
it has continued to escalate tensions by increasingly concerning
rhetoric and ongoing threatening military manoeuvres on Ukraine's
border," it said.
"We have now agreed that we will move swiftly to impose additional sanctions on Russia."
But it added: "We underscore that the door remains open to a diplomatic resolution of this crisis."
Senior
EU diplomats will meet on Monday to discuss the next steps and are
expected to add 15 more names to a list of Russians subject to asset
freezes and a travel ban.
Putin
acknowledged for the first time this week that sanctions were causing
difficulties for Russia, though he said the impact was not "critical".
Standard
& Poor's cut Russia's sovereign long-term debt rating on Friday,
making it more expensive for the government to borrow money. That forced
the central bank to raise its key interest rate to limit a fall in the
rouble.
Russian banks have been moving funds out of foreign accounts in anticipation of sanctions.
Russia
has threatened to cut off gas to Ukraine, which would have a knock-on
effect on customers further west because many pipelines transit the
country.
Slovakia said on
Saturday it had reached an agreement with Ukraine on opening up limited
reverse flow of natural gas from central Europe to Ukraine.
(Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova in Donetsk, Ukraine, Pavel Polityuk in Kiev, Nigel Stephenson and Jason Bush in Moscow, James Mackenzie in Rome, and Madeline Chambers and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Writing by Christian Lowe and Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
US soldiers arrive in Lithuania to ‘reassure’ NATO allies amid Ukrainian crisis
American troops have arrived in Lithuania for
military drills as tensions rise in the region over Ukraine. Russia has
voiced its concern over the troop buildup in Eastern Europe as well as
to the deployment of NATO ships in the Black Sea.
The Lithuanian government welcomed the arrival of 150 troops at
the Lithuanian Air Force Aviation Base in Siauliai on Saturday,
reported Reuters. Referring to the escalating tensions in
Ukraine, President Dalia Grybauskaite said “we know in this
situation who our real friends are coming to help." "If any of our guests are injured, it would mean an open
confrontation not with Lithuania but with the United
States," she added. The group of troops is part of a larger
contingent of 600 troops that have been deployed throughout
Eastern Europe to reassure NATO allies. Another company of
soldiers arrived in Poland on Wednesday and in Latvia on Friday.
Troops are also expected to arrive in Estonia on Monday.
"It's a message to anyone who will listen, and the message is
that the United States of America will honor its commitments to
Lithuania,” Richard Longo, Deputy Commanding General of US
Army Europe, told reporters in Siauliai.
According to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry the soldiers will
conduct a number of military exercises throughout this year.
The US Department of Defense announced the drills on Tuesday,
saying they sent a clear message to Moscow.
"If there's a message to Moscow, it is the same exact message
that we take our obligations very, very seriously on the
continent of Europe," Kirby told reporters. Washington has
accused Russia of meddling in the affairs of neighboring Ukraine,
which is currently embroiled in a crisis that shows no signs of
abating.
Russia denies it has any involvement in the Ukrainian conflict
and has alleged that the US is “running the show.” In
addition, Moscow has spoken out against the buildup of allied
force troops in Eastern Europe, saying their war games will not
help to normalize the situation in Ukraine.
“Our concern is caused by an increase of US air force and
military personnel in the Baltic, Poland, and also the Alliance's
ships in the Black Sea,” the Defense Ministry said in a
statement, quoting General Valery Gerasimov who spoke with his
American counterpart on Friday.
The US has also deployed frigate USS Taylor in the Black Sea,
which will shortly be joined by French NATO vessel Dupleix.
France will also send four fighter jets to participate in aerial
patrols over the Baltics.
Moscow has voiced its concern over the Ukrainian government
troops that have been deployed in the East of the country as part
of an “anti-terror” operation. Russian Defense Minister
Sergey Shoigu said 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers, 160 tanks, 230
armored carriers and at least 150 artillery pieces have been
deployed in the region. At least five people have been killed so
far during the Ukrainian operation.
In response to the buildup of troops close to its borders, Shoigu
said Russia was “forced” to begin military drills on
Thursday.
Moscow does not recognize Kiev’s coup-appointed government and
has decried the use of force against Ukrainian civilians in the
east of the country.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Greece: Naval Support Activity Souda Bay
Apr. 17, 2014 - 12:38PM
|
The Navy's joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead arrives in Souda
Bay for a scheduled port visit in February. (Paul Farley/Navy)
LOCATION: On the northwest coast of the rugged Greek island of Crete, smack in the warm, sunny Mediterranean Sea. MISSION: This strategically important deepwater
port not far from the entrance to the Suez Canal is the permanent home
of less than 500 U.S. military personnel. But each year, more than
100,000 troops pass through the harbor and nearby airfield, which have
become primary logistics outposts for operations in the Black Sea, the
Middle East and Africa. Carriers can dock pierside and EUCOM commanders
can put thousands of ship-based Marines on standby. The vast facility,
which stretches inland for several square miles, is also used by the
Greek navy, a Greek air force fighter wing and, since 2007, a joint NATO
training school. LIFESTYLE: Crete is a wildly popular tourist
destination. The resort town of Chania, just a short cab ride from the
Navy base, is full of history and culture dating back over 4,000 years.
Healthy cuisine, sunny weather, awesome beaches.
Albanian 'killer' found in Glasgow loses extradition fight
Kapri faces a retrial in Albania before three judges
A convicted killer from
Albania who was arrested while working in a chip shop in Glasgow has
lost a lengthy legal bid to avoid extradition to his homeland.
Fatjon Kapri, 34, went on the run after being sentenced in
his absence to 22 years for murdering fellow Albanian, Ylli Pepa, in
London in 2001.
Albanian law allows for nationals to be prosecuted for crimes committed abroad.
Appeal judges in Scotland ruled Kapri could be extradited after dismissing claims any retrial would be unfair.
Kapri was alleged to have stabbed Mr Pepa after both men became involved in a fight. New identity
Kapri went on the run after his conviction and was featured on an Interpol wanted listed before being traced to Glasgow in 2010.
The court heard no evidence
whatsoever that an ordinary murder trial, or indeed an ordinary criminal
trial of any serious offence, would be affected by judicial corruption”
Lord CarlowayAppeal court judge
He was found to be living under a false Macedonian identity, working in a chip chop in the city centre.
Kapri began a fight against extradition after the Albanian authorities requested he be returned.
His lawyers argued that corruption was a long-standing and
persistent problem in the country's legal system and that a potential
violation of his rights to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European
Convention on Human Rights should prevent him being sent back.
But judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh
rejected his legal challenge and opened up the way for his return to
Albania, where he faces a re-trial before three judges.
A hearing on evidence about the legal system in Albania went
ahead before the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway, sitting with Lady
Dorrian and Lord Bracadale.
Lord Carloway said: "The court heard no evidence whatsoever
that an ordinary murder trial, or indeed an ordinary criminal trial of
any serious offence, would be affected by judicial corruption.
"If corruption exists to a substantial degree in the criminal
justice system, it is relative to the prosecutions of influential
political figures, organised criminals or their respective friends or
families," he said.
Lord Carloway said there would be careful scrutiny by the justice inspectorate and the media.
The judge said: "There would be effectively no prospect of
the appellant's trial being compromised when the spotlight of the
inspectorate and the media was upon it."
Ukraine helicopter hit by grenade taking off
A Ukraine helicopter has been crippled in a grenade attack as OSCE monitors
are feared missing in volatile east
An Ukrainian military helicopter flies near the village of Malinivka, east of SlavyanskPhoto: Baz Ratner/Reuters
Following the incident there were fears that the situation had taken a
sinister new turn when Germany said it feared a group of military observers
operating in eastern Ukraine had gone missing. Officials said they could not
contact the delegates from the Organisation for Security Cooperation in
Europe.
The Ukrainian military helicopter exploded at a base near the eastern town of
Kramatorsk on Friday after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade,
officials in Kiev said. The helicopter was hit in the fuel tank and
exploded.
"An army Mi-8 helicopter has exploded at the Kramatorsk aerodrome,"
the defence ministry in Kiev said in a statement.
The chopper was on the ground when it was targeted and that the pilot managed
to escape but sustained injuries.
Russia wants to start third world war, says Ukraine
Prime
minister Arseny Yatseniuk accuses Moscow of acting like a gangster by
aiming to occupy Ukraine 'militarily and politically'
Reuters in Kiev
A pro-Russian armed man guards the mayor's office in Slavyansk on Friday. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
The Ukrainian prime minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, has accused Russia of wanting to start a third world war by occupying Ukraine "militarily and politically".
"The
world has not yet forgotten world war two, but Russia already wants to
start world war three," he told his interim cabinet in remarks broadcast
live. "Attempts at military conflict in Ukraine will lead to a military
conflict in Europe."
In
some of the strongest language he has used so far during the crisis,
Yatseniuk accused Moscow of acting like a gangster supporting
terrorists.
"It is clear that Russia's goal is to wreck the
election in Ukraine, remove the pro-western and pro-Ukrainian government
and occupy Ukraine politically as well as military," he added.
Both sides have deployed troops close to their frontier.
Yatseniuk took office in February after pro-European protests prompted the Kremlin-backed president to flee to Russia.
Ukraine
plans to hold an election on 25 May to replace Viktor Yanukovich, but
the Russian-speaking east of the country has been disrupted by
pro-Moscow militants who have taken over the city of Slavyansk and
public buildings elsewhere, demanding to follow Crimea and be annexed by
Russia.
Russia denies involvement in the protests but has
denounced the Ukrainian government, which it says is illegitimate and
backed by Ukrainian nationalists it describes as fascists, and has
threatened to step in to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers in
Ukraine.
Yatseniuk called on Moscow to fulfil its obligations to
persuade activists in eastern Ukraine to lay down arms under a four-way
agreement signed last week in Geneva by the two governments, as well as
Ukraine's US and EU allies.
"Russia's support for terrorists and
bandits who torture peaceful citizens is an international crime. It is a
crime against humanity," added the prime minister.
Ukraine's
state security service has accused Russian intelligence officers
operating in Ukraine, and the separatist leader in Slavyansk, of
involvement in the torture and murder of a local councillor from
Yatseniuk's Batkivshchyna (fatherland) party.
He said Kiev was
still waiting for a response to an official request for details of
Russian military exercises on the border. It made the request through
Europe's OSCE security body and set a deadline of Saturday.
Yatseniuk
said: "If the United States, the European Union and the entire
international community continues to be united and act together to
compel Russia to fulfil its obligations, then we will maintain the
peace, stability and international security system that Russia wants to
destroy."
Helicopter explodes at Kramatorsk airfield in eastern Ukraine (VIDEOS)
Published time: April 25, 2014 09:21
Edited time: April 25, 2014 13:04
“Our people approached the airfield, shot a rocket-propelled
grenade (RPG) in the direction of the helicopter. There was an
explosion. [Kiev] militants started shooting and we [protesters]
retreated,” a representative from the Kramatorsk
self-defence troops told RIA Novosti.
А video posted online shows a loud explosion at the site where a
plume of smoke is seen. The smoke was swiftly followed by another
explosion. Witnesses say fire was also seen in the area of the
blast.
The blowing up of the helicopter has also been confirmed by
Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU.
Earlier, reports from Kramatorsk.info, said several explosions
took place at about 11am local time (09:00 GMT). The explosions
were followed by a fire and smoke, the news portal added.
“An Mi-8 helicopter has exploded at Kramatorsk airfield, with
no victims reported. The pilot managed to jump [from the
plane],” Dmitry Tyimchyuk, the head of the Center for
War-Political Investigations told Kramatorsk.info news. “The
preliminary theory is that the helicopter caught fire during a
warm-up before a flight.”
Earlier, the representatives of the Kramatorsk Interior Ministry
said anti-government protesters were behind the explosions. The
ministry didn’t report any victims.
However, local residents say that at least three people died in
the explosions. They say the blast took place when the Ukrainian
military was arming the helicopter.
According to SBU General Vasily Krutov, the helicopter was
targeted by a sniper, who shot the fuel tank. He added that the
pilot was injured in the incident.
KLA graffiti appear on gate of Serb Orthodox monastery
Source: Tanjug
GRAČANICA -- A graffiti reading "UCK" - Albanian for
"KLA", the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army - appeared on the gate of
the Visoki Dečani Monastery early on Friday.
A file photo of the Dečani monastery (sxc.hu)
This is according to a statement issued by the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC).
The 14th century Serbian monastery is located in western Kosovo and is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
"This is the latest in a series of similar provocations by Albanian
extremists who previously wrote messages containing hate speech on the
church wall in Đakovica, after which similar writings appeared on the
facades of Serb houses in Orahovac," the Eparchy said.
This
time, extremists wrote on the very gate of the Visoki Dečani Monastery,
only a dozen metres from the KFOR's Italian checkpoint, according to the
statement.
The Eparchy of Raška and Prizren noted that this
act constitutes an open threat to the Visoki Dečani Monastery and its
brotherhood.
The Eparchy recalled that armed Albanian
extremists attacked the monastery on four occasions "in the course of
the so-called 15 years of international peace in Kosovo and Metohija,"
and the monastery brotherhood received threats several times.
The Eparchy noted that the latest threat and provocation is "a
consequence of the nationalist rhetoric which has been spreading through
the local Albanian-language media against the monastery where monks
provided assistance to Albanian refugees and refugees of other
ethnicities during the war."
The latest incident is also an
indicator that the safety of holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija is still
in jeopardy, even when guarded by KFOR, the Eparchy said.
Abbot
Archimandrite Sava of Visoki Dečani wrote to international
representatives about the latest incident and called on them to
reinforce protection measures at the monastery which has been on UNESCO
list since 2005.
"Although such provocations pose jeopardy for
the safety of monks and Orthodox believers, as well as numerous tourists
from around the world, they are most detrimental to Kosovo which
remains the only area in Europe where Christian monuments and holy sites
are still in jeopardy," the Eparchy noted.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Tony Blair urges British intervention against Islamic extremists around the world
The former PM believes Western 'engagement' needs to go beyond the political
In a significant and controversial intervention, the former Prime
Minister will suggest that, as a result of failures in Iraq and
Afghanistan, governments in Europe and America have become “curiously
reluctant to acknowledge” Islamic extremism.
This unwillingness to
confront Islamism risks the 21st century being characterised by
“conflict between people of different cultures”, he will warn.
Mr
Blair will also call for Europe and America to put aside their
differences with Russia and China and “co-operate” to fight what he
describes as the “radicalised and politicised view of Islam” that is
threatening their collective interests. Mr Blair is due to make his
remarks in a speech in London. But despite carrying significance because
of his role as Middle East peace envoy they are unlikely to be well
received in Downing Street or Washington.
Just last week the
Foreign Secretary William Hague said that Britain should “learn the
lessons from history” and “cultivate influence” rather than always
relying on hard power “that jars”.
But Mr Blair, whose political
legacy has been tainted by his role in the US-led invasion of Iraq, is
understood to be increasingly concerned by the failure of Britain and
other Western countries effectively to tackle what he believes to be the
growing threat of radical Islam – that combines politics with religion
and opposes pluralistic societies.
While he does not specifically
mention military intervention he makes clear that he believes Western
“engagement” needs to go beyond the political.
“When we look at
the Middle East and beyond it to Pakistan or Iran and elsewhere, it
isn’t just a vast unfathomable mess with no end in sight and no one
worthy of our support,” he will say.
“It is in fact a struggle in
which our own strategic interests are intimately involved; where there
are indeed people we should support if only that majority were
mobilised, organised and helped.
“Engagement and commitment are
words easy to use. But they only count when they come at a cost. There
is no engagement that doesn’t involve putting yourself out there. There
is no commitment that doesn’t mean taking a risk.”
He goes on to
add that the West should also be prepared to back “revolution” in
countries, such as Iran, which are run by radical Islamic regimes.
“Where there has been revolution, we should be on the side of those who
support those principles and opposed to those who would thwart them,” he
will say.
“Where there has not been revolution, we should support the steady evolution towards them [those principles].”
In
a swipe at those who opposed greater military intervention in Syria Mr
Blair will say the West has to “take sides” to protect its own
interests. “We have to stop treating each country on the basis of
whatever seems to make for the easiest life for us at any one time,” he
will say.
“We have to have an approach to the region that is coherent. And above all, we have to commit. We have to engage.”
Mr
Blair also implicitly criticises regimes such as those in Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan – which are nominally pro-Western but often tolerate the
preaching and teachings of radical Islam.
“We spend billions of
dollars on security arrangements and on defence to protect ourselves
against the consequences of an ideology that is being advocated in the
formal and informal school systems of the very countries with whom we
have security and defence relationships,” he will say.
Mr Blair will warn that unless these problems are tackled worse will come.
“The
threat of this radical Islam is not abating,” he will say. “This
struggle between what we may call the open-minded and the closed-minded
is at the heart of whether the 21st century turns in the direction of
peaceful co-existence or conflict between people of different cultures.”
A Downing Street spokesman declined to comment on Mr Blair’s speech.
US Airborne Lands in Eastern Europe as Ukraine Tensions Rise
First
company-sized contingent of about 150 U.S. paratroopers from the U.S.
Army's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Italy march as they
arrive to participate in training exercises with the Polish army in
Swidwin, Poland, April 23, 2014.
VOA News
April 23, 2014 4:50 AM
U.S. Army paratroopers landed Wednesday in Poland, at the start of
military maneuvers aimed at easing anxieties in allied eastern European
countries alarmed at Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
The Pentagon said the exercises, slated to last about a month, initially
involve about 600 troops, including 150 members of an airborne combat
team based in Italy. Additional units are set for deployment in Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania.
The troop landing comes one day after Ukraine scrapped a truce and
resumed its push against armed pro-Russian separatists occupying
buildings in several Ukrainian cities near the Russian border. Moscow
responded to the move with a warning that it will retaliate, if the
interests of Russian-speaking citizens in the region come under attack.
Ukraine's decision to resume what it calls "anti-terrorist" operations
came after the discovery of two bodies near the rebel-controlled city of
Slovyansk.
One of the victims was identified Tuesday as a local member of acting
Ukraine President Oleksandr Turchynov’s political party whose body was
said to show signs of torture.
Truce ended
Ukraine has formally called off an Easter truce with pro-Russian
separatists in the country's east and announced "anti-terrorist
operations" are on again.
First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaliy Yarema told reporters during a
Cabinet meeting Wednesday that "appropriate steps" will be taken and
that results will be seen shortly.
Yarema said Ukraine has received assurances from the United States that
it would not be left alone to face Russian aggression. He expressed hope
that the U.S. support will be more substantive.
Ukraine's interim president, Oleksandr Turchynov, has already ordered
security forces to resume "anti-terrorist" operations in eastern
Ukraine. His order came just hours after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden
ended a two-day trip to Kiyv Tuesday.
Russia has begun extensive military exercises near the Ukrainian border following the escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine. “The order to use force against civilians has already been
given, and if this military machine is not stopped, the amount of
casualties will only grow,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey
Shoigu said during an official meeting in Moscow.
“War games by NATO in Poland and the Baltic states are also
not helping the normalization of the situation. We are forced to
react to the situation.”
Shoigu said that the drills involve march and deployment
maneuvers by forces in the southern and western military
districts, and separate Air Force exercises.
Shoigu said that 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers, 160 tanks, 230
armored carriers and at least 150 artillery pieces are involved
in the operation against anti-Kiev activists.
“National guard units and Right Sector extremists are
fighting against the peaceful population, as well as a volunteer
Donbass ‘anti-terrorist’ unit. Also security and internal forces
transferred to Lugansk and Donetsk from other areas of the
country are suppressing dissent,” he said.
Shoigu added that Ukrainian sabotage units had been deployed near
the Russian border.
In contrast, he said that the pro-Russian self-defense units
number about 2,000 and have about 100 guns between them, which
have mostly been taken from local police stations.
"It's not an evenly matched confrontation," Shoigu said.
The coup-imposed Ukrainian acting president, Aleksandr Turchinov,
has demanded that Russia pull back its troops back from the
Ukrainian border, calling the ongoing Russian military
exercises“blackmail.”
In a brief address, Turchinov claimed that “terrorists have
crossed the border… taking hostages and killing the patriots of
Ukraine.” He also called for the Russian government “to
stop interfering into the internal affairs of our country.”
The heaviest fighting on Thursday took place in Slavyansk,
with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry reporting the deaths of at
least five "terrorists."
NATO has estimated that Russia has massed at least 40,000 troops
near its border with Ukraine. Moscow has not denied that it has
moved troops to the region, but said that its internal troop
movements are its own prerogative.
NATO began military exercises in Poland on Wednesday, with more
scheduled to take place in the Baltic states next week. So far,
150 US paratroopers have arrived in the country from their
stationary base in Italy, with 450 more set to join them.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, has also asked NATO
to deploy 10,000 troops in his country.
On Wednesday, the frigate USS Taylor became the latest US ship to
enter the Black Sea on a rotating deployment. NATO has dispatched
a separate rapid reaction force to the Baltic.
Does
Vladimir Putin want war with Ukraine? Given Moscow’s failure to help
implement the April 17 Geneva statement and its bellicose tone, it is
increasingly difficult to escape that conclusion. The United States and
Europe need to apply sterner sanctions immediately if they hope to have
any chance of dissuading Mr. Putin from more aggressive action. Russia illegally occupied Crimea by force in March. The Kremlin,
however, wants more than that peninsula. It seeks a weak and compliant
Ukrainian neighbor, a state that will defer to Moscow and not develop a
significant relationship with the European Union. Since annexing Crimea, Moscow has done nothing to defuse tensions. It
has instead sought to destabilize the interim government in Kyiv,
piling on economic pressure and keeping tens of thousands of troops on
Ukraine’s border. The Kremlin has supported—by all appearances, with
Russian special forces personnel—armed seizures of government buildings
in eastern Ukraine. In these operations, local politicians and reporters
have disappeared, and at least one was murdered. The April 17 meeting of the U.S., Russian, Ukrainian and European
Union foreign ministers offered a chance for a diplomatic solution.
Little appears to have come of it. One week later, Russia has done
nothing to get illegal armed groups in cities such as Donetsk or
Slavyansk to disarm or evacuate the buildings that they occupy. Indeed,
the Kremlin’s agreement to the statement seems to have been to delay
further sanctions from the West while continuing to run an insurgency in
Ukraine’s east. Mr. Putin last week denied Russian soldiers are present in the
buildings. His denial must be dismissed. It came in the same telethon in
which he admitted that Russian troops had seized Crimea—in contrast to
his March 4 press conference, in which he attributed that seizure to
“local militia” and denied the involvement of Russian soldiers. If Moscow wanted to deescalate the crisis in Ukraine’s east, it
clearly could have done so. Instead, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
threatens military action if the Ukrainian government moves to secure
its own cities. It almost appears that Russia wants a pretext to use
force. A Russian military invasion of eastern Ukraine would differ greatly
from the Crimea operation. The Ukrainian military may be under-resourced
and out-gunned, but it would fight. Some civilians would take up arms.
Recent polls show that an overwhelming number of people in eastern
Ukraine do not want the Russian army. It could be ugly and bloody. In that case, the West almost certainly would slap harsher sanctions
on Russia. But they would come too late to help Ukraine or prevent a
total crash in West-Russia relations. Some U.S. and EU sanctions, focused on individual Russians and mostly
applied in the aftermath of the March annexation of Crimea, are in
effect. They have had some impact. According to the Russian finance
minister, Russia’s economy this year may experience zero growth while
capital flight in the first quarter reached $50 billion. The Russian
Central Bank has burned through billions of dollars defending the ruble. But the sanctions thus far have failed in their primary purpose. Mr.
Putin’s aggression against Ukraine continues. He apparently calculates
that, by creating facts on the ground “covertly,” he can ensure a weaker
Western response that he can weather. If Washington and Brussels wish to change that calculation, they must now apply additional and more meaningful sanctions. First, the United States and European Union should greatly expand the
list of individual Russians—inside and outside of government—targeted
for visa and financial sanctions. Sanctions should apply to family
members as well. Second, the West should sanction key parts of the Russian economy,
beginning with its financial sector. It should target at least several
Russian financial institutions. The European Union, particularly
Britain, must join in, with the aim of halting international credit to
Russian entities. That would further stress the slowing Russian economy. Third, the United States and European Union should block their energy
companies from new investments to develop oil and gas fields in Russia.
With Moscow dependent on oil and gas sales for seventy percent of its
export earnings, such a measure would send shudders through the Russian
energy sector. Since coming to power in 2000, Mr. Putin has offered Russian citizens
a trade-off: diminished individual political space in return for
economic growth and rising living standards. The West should undermine
his ability to deliver on the economic side. Mr. Putin may retaliate,
but the combined economies of the United States and European Union dwarf
Russia’s by a factor of well over ten to one. This is a menu of serious actions. Mr. Putin’s continuing aggression
against Ukraine calls for a serious response. A failure to act now will
allow him to believe that he has a free hand regarding Ukraine. That is
not in Ukraine’s interest, or the West’s. Steven Pifer was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 1998 to 2000 and
is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. John Herbst was U.S.
ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006 and directs the Center for
Complex Operations at the National Defense University. William Taylor
was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009 and is vice president
for the Middle East and Africa at the United States Institute of peace.
Ukraine crisis: Obama warns Russia that more sanctions are 'teed up'
Warning comes as US accuses Moscow of failing to abide by Geneva pact to defuse tensions
Link to video: Russia says US is 'running the show' in UkraineBarack Obama has said Russia is failing to respect the Geneva agreement to defuse tensions in Ukraine and the US has fresh sanctions "teed up" to impose on Moscow.
Under
last week's accord struck by Ukraine, Russia, the US and the EU,
militias in Ukraine were to disarm and give up control of seized state
property. But law and order has deteriorated rapidly in parts of eastern
Ukraine as Kiev and Moscow have accused each other of failing to follow
through on the Geneva accord.
"So far at least we have seen them
not abide by the spirit or the letter of the agreement in Geneva," Obama
said in Tokyo at the start of a tour of Asia. "Instead we continue to
see malicious, armed men taking over buildings, harassing folks who are
disagreeing with them, destabilising the region and we haven't seen
Russia step out and discouraging it."
If Russia did not play its part, he said, there would be "consequences and we will ramp up further sanctions".
His
comments came as the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, sounded a
more conciliatory note and said Moscow expected the Geneva accords to
"be implemented in practical actions in the near future".
On
Wednesday, Lavrov accused the US of "running the show" in Ukraine after a
visit to Kiev by Joe Biden, the US vice-president, and said Russia
would respond if attacked.
Obama said new sanctions would come into force in a matter of days, not
weeks, if the agreement was not implemented but acknowledged that the
US needed to secure the support of allies to ensure additional economic
pressure was evenly applied.
He conceded that new sanctions may
not change the calculations of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
"There are some things the United States can do alone but ultimately
it's going to have to be a joint effort, a collective effort," Obama
said during a press conference with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo
Abe.
The pending penalties on Russia are expected to target
wealthy individuals in Putin's inner circle, as well as the entities
they oversee. Although the US has also threatened to levy potentially
crippling sanctions on key Russian industries including its energy
sector, officials say they plan to employ those tougher penalties only
if Russia moves military forces into Ukraine.
The US and Europe
have already issued asset freezes and visa bans targeting Russian and
Ukrainian officials in response to the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea.
Obama's comments underline the difficulties he faces in devising a
united western response to Russia, with Europe dependent on Russian gas
supplies.
more see: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/geneva-deal-ukraine-russia-sergei-lavrov
Exclusive: Meet the Pro-Russian Separatists of Eastern Ukraine
Alexander Mozhaev, a pro-Russian
separatist whose photograph has appeared in numerous publications in
recent days and who says he is not employed by the Russian state, stands
with fellow separatists in the town of Slavyansk on April 20Maxim Dondyuk
Ukraine
has alleged that Russian forces are operating in the east. But one man
tells TIME that they do not work for the Russian government
Spend a few days riding around the separatist badlands of eastern
Ukraine, and you’d have a good chance of running into Alexander
Mozhaev, the fighter suspected of being a Russian government operative.
He’s hard to miss, and not just because photographs of him — or claiming
to be of him — have been made available by the Ukrainian government in
recent days. His beard, which juts out of his face like a spade, has
made him something of a mascot for the local separatists.
Perhaps aptly, Mozhaev’s nickname among them is Babay, the Russian
word for bogeyman, which is exactly what the Ukrainian government has
tried to make him. Over the past week, authorities in Kiev have released
photographs that purport to prove that Mozhaev is an agent of the
Russian military intelligence service known as GRU, and they have shared
that information with senior Western diplomats and some reporters. This
claim has been at the center of their narrative that Russian special
forces, controlled by the Kremlin, have taken over towns in the Donbass,
the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine.
But Mozhaev, a mild-mannered fighter with a chest like a barrel, says
he only wishes that were true, and so do many of the people in the
separatist-controlled towns that dot this region. If Russian forces had
indeed taken over eastern Ukraine, as they did in Crimea last month, the
streets of the separatist stronghold of Slavyansk would probably not be
nearly as lawless as they have become in recent days. On the ground,
the conflict in this town of 120,000 feels far more erratic and
dangerous than the Russian occupation of Crimea, where a sense of order
largely prevailed, in part because of the presence of disciplined and
professional Russian troops. The ranks of the so-called “green men” who
are running Slavyansk, in contrast to those troops, appear to be made up
mostly of war veterans, itinerant pro-Russian nationalists and ethnic
Cossacks from across the former Soviet Union. Fitting neatly into all
these categories is Mozhaev, a Russian citizen, whose fellow fighters
are now armed not only with assault rifles and rocket-propelled
grenades, but also tanks and armored vehicles that they have seized from
the Ukrainian army.
Mozhaev and his comrades took control of Slavyansk about a week ago.
But over the past few days there has been no evident sign that they are
receiving material support from Russia. Their foot soldiers have been so
short on fuel that they have asked journalists to bring them gasoline
in exchange for granting interviews, saying they don’t have enough fuel
to go on patrols.
Their leader, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, a soap manufacturer who took the
title of “people’s mayor” after seizing power, has pleaded for
assistance from Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has apparently
been ignored. “We need guns, you understand? We’re running out of
everything but spirit,” he tells TIME. His militia force, he admits, is
made up partly of volunteers who have come from Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan and other parts of the former Soviet Union. But Kiev’s cries
of a separatist insurgency fueled with money, weapons and troops from
the Russian government look out of sync with the reality in Slavyansk.
No one embodies that disconnect quite like Mozhaev. In trying to link
him to Russia’s GRU special forces, the government in Kiev has offered
two blurry photos as evidence. One of them, allegedly taken during the
Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, shows a bearded man wearing the GRU
insignia — a black bat with its wings spanning the globe — on the
shoulder of his uniform. The second photo, taken this year in eastern
Ukraine, shows Mozhaev dressed in camouflage among his fellow
separatists. Kiev says the two photos are of the same man. Mozhaev finds
that slightly flattering but altogether false.
Mozhaev talks with TIME correspondent Simon Shuster in the town of Kramatorsk on April 21Maxim Dondyuk
When TIME tracked him down on Monday night, Mozhaev and his men had
just finished taking over the local headquarters of the Security Service
of Ukraine, or SBU, in the town of Kramatorsk, a short drive from their
base of operations in Slavyansk. Having met no resistance at the SBU
that evening, he and his men were riding around Kramatorsk in a dark
green van, which looked like a windowless, Soviet version of an old VW
Camper. The vehicle, whose fender had been stenciled with the words People’s Militia of the Donbass, disgorged at least 10 heavily armed passengers in mismatching camouflage uniforms.
more see .........................http://time.com/74405/exclusive-pro-russian-separatists-eastern-ukraine/
