Saturday, August 8, 2015

Kosovo: Jailed Serb politician starts hunger strike


Civic Initiative (GI) SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic, who is detained in a Kosovska Mitrovica prison, on Friday started a hunger strike.
Source: Tanjug
An August, 2014, file photo of Ivanovic being brough to the court (Beta)
An August, 2014, file photo of Ivanovic being brough to the court (Beta)
The Serb politician from northern Kosovo, who is on trial accused of war crimes, is demanding to be released pending the outcome of the process.
He was arrested in late January 2014 and has been kept in jail since. The first time he decided to embark on a hunger strike was when he demanded to be transferred from Pristina to a prison in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Ivanovic decided to go on a hunger strike now after an EULEX panel of judges on Thursday extended his detention until October 6.

His wife, Milena Popovic-Ivanovic, told Tanjug that her husband made the decision after reflecting on it for a long time, and added that he "simply cannot understand the injustice that is happening to him."

"He decided to start a hunger strike because he thinks it's the only way to draw attention to himself. His health is now good, he expects the doctors that will examine him, and he will be under medical supervision," Popovic-Ivanovic said.

His party has also confirmed the news, saying that Ivanovic wants "to point out to the inhumane and unjust stance EULEX has toward him."

A statement issued by the GI SDP said that Ivanovic made the decision "because this politically rigged trial has, after hearing 47 witnesses, arrived to a point when legal arguments no longer exist, instead there are only political ones, that we have been pointing out to since the beginning."

The statement added that "aware of the risks for his health, but also of the scorn shown for his rights, his family, friends and political associates support his decision."

Ivanovic is accused of committing war crimes against civilians in April 1999 and February 2000 when he allegedly incited to murder of several ethnic Albanians in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Four other Serbs are accused in this case. All five have pleaded not guilty.

(PKK) has led to the death of a police officer and heavy injuries sustained by two others, local media reported Saturday.

Southeast Turkey Kurdish Militant Attack Kills Police Officer - Reports

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An armed attack attributed to the Kurdistan Workers Party

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The officer died in the hospital in the Midyat District, Mardin Province close to the northeast Syrian border, according to Today’s Zaman.
The region was previously rocked by a PKK attack last week, when a mine blast and a gunfire exchange killed a soldier and injured eight others. The soldiers had arrived in the district town of Gelinkaya to secure the area.
Turkey designates PKK a terrorist organization and is carrying out a military operation against it in northern Iraq, breaking a two-year truce with the group.
Ankara has also opened a simultaneous second front against the Islamic State extremist group in northern Syria following a series of attacks on Turkish soil.
According to the Turkish daily, a large-scale operation to find the gunmen is ongoing in the region.

Croatia sends protest note over Seselj and Nikolic


Croatia's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has asked Serbia to "sanction as soon as possible" those who on Thursday burned Croatian flags.
Source: B92
(Thinkstock)
(Thinkstock)
The incident happened in front of the Croatian embassy in Belgrade, when SRS leader Vojislav Seselj set the flags on fire.
The SRS protest took place on Wednesday as Croatia was celebrating, and Serbia observing a day of mourning on the 20th anniversary of Croatia's Operation Storm - a campaign that resulted in a mass expulsion of ethnic Serbs.

Croatian media are reporting that Zagreb delivered the protest note to Serbian embassy's charge d'affairs, Bosa Prodanovic.

Croatian Deputy FM Zeljko Kupresek reiterated it was "impermissible for accused war criminal Vojislav Seselj and a handful of his supporters to, unimpeded by the police, set Croatian flags on fire, and remind with his statements of the 1990's rhetoric."

"We condemn such statements and completely reject them. It is demonstrated once again that the statements of accused war criminals, beside damaging Serbia, also damage regional cooperation, relations between the countries in the region and the European path," he said.

The Croatian official added that the events that preceded the incident "did not contribute to the calming of the situation, to more rational and responsible actions," and that speeches given by top Serbian officials had "a counterproductive effect on the normalization of relations between the countries."

"In this context we consider the statement of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic that Croatia was, with Storm, celebrating victory and a day when the state inherited from (Ante) Pavelic - recognized only by Hitler - was renewed, as completely inaccurate, offensive, impermissible, and irresponsible," a statement said.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Crisis, what crisis? say tourists flocking to Greece - Reuters


First entry: 7 August 2015 - 06:20 Athens, 03:20 GMT
Last update: 06:20 Athens, 03:20 GMTSociety
Crisis, what crisis? say tourists flocking to Greece - Reuters
At London's Heathrow Airport, a traveler to Greece is offered a deal by Aegean Airlines: the flight is booked solid, take a different flight and get 400 euros and a free round-trip ticket to anywhere in Europe.
Some hours later in Athens, a long queue moves slowly forward to passport control, while smiling but harried officials shout out "Santorini", "Mytilene" and the names of other sun-drenched Greek destinations as they try to herd tourists quickly toward connecting flights.
Greece, despite all its economic and political strife, is heaving with foreign tourists.
"On TV they said we can come, there was no problem," said Thibault Larhant, a tourist from Normandy, in France, who was resting at an open air cafe in Athens' Syntagma Square, cooled by a fan spraying water vapor.
"We came to go to the islands, for the countryside," he said, adding that he and his companion had had no problems.
Nearby, another French tourist sat on the "Athens Happy Train", a road vehicle with carriages that swings visitors around the main sights in Greece's capital, such as the Acropolis.
"My friend loves history and culture," said Christelle Fourdinier, from Perpignon, indicating her companion.
Greece's ancient sites and holiday playground islands have been little changed -- from a tourist standpoint -- by an economic crisis that led to the closure of banks and the country coming within a hair's-breadth of leaving the euro zone.
It is just as well, given that tourism accounts for around a fifth of Greek economic output -- perhaps more now that the economy is shrinking again.
"Tourism is ... our heavy industry, it is the main economic source of income today and also the main source of jobs for many Greeks," Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura told parliament this week.
"Today it offers 750,000 direct jobs, numbers that rise to 1.5 million jobs including indirect tourism-related jobs."
 GIVING SUPPORT
Hard numbers for tourist arrivals are difficult to come by because it is only just high season, but there are signs.
Aegean Airlines, Greece's largest carrier, says passenger traffic was up 19 percent in July compared with the same month last year.
The economy ministry, meanwhile, estimates that arrivals this year will exceed last year's record of nearly 21 million. Some estimates put it at around 25 million.
"If the data we have so far is accurate and continues to show this positive trend, Greek tourism will have a positive season for 2015 in relation to previous years," Kountoura said.
From queues for ferries at Piraeus port to crowds milling at the changing of the pom-pommed, skirted guard at the Greek parliament in Athens, anecdotal evidence would also appear to suggest boom time.
This would be a much-needed boost for the economy, albeit one offset by an expected slump in domestic tourism as cash-strapped Greeks stay at home.
Some places less popular with visitors abroad are having a tough time of it. But there is little sign of hesitancy among foreigners, some of whom also benefit from a weaker euro.
The foreign visitors are not directly affected by Greece's debt crisis, the poverty provoked by austerity, a jobless rate of roughly 26 percent and the capital controls imposed on banks that limit Greeks to 60 euros of cash a day.
Some, though, are aware of the crisis and say they are happy their visiting is helping out.
Standing next to the 11th century Orthodox church of Kapnikarea, in Athens's Monastiraki district, Claire Murray from Lancashire, England, said she and her husband were coming to Greece twice on holiday this year, in part to give support.
"We like it. It is a lovely place," she said. "(We thought) why not spend our money here. We love the people."
Reuters

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Ekathimerini Greek newspaper on Albanian tourism


alban-thumb-large




This is not an original article of invest-in-albania.org.
You may read the original one by clicking here.

Greek newspaper Ekathimerini published the following article about the attractiveness of  Albanian Riviera.

“On the outskirts of the archaeological site of Butrint, a few kilometers from Saranda, a group of tourists from Western Europe followed their guides. The Dutch Bregi Bimans and János Peter, along with their one year old daughter were coming down the hill. Peter has organized a ten-day trip in the Albanian Riviera, as it is called in the guides of Saranda, the coast which is opposite to the area of Corfu, northwest of Vlora.

Peter works as an engineer in Amsterdam. The costs of the family package was 1400 €, but for him this is a reasonable price (accommodation, breakfast and tickets). Six years before, he had visited the island of Crete: “What attracted me were the articles of the Dutch newspapers that advertise Albania as one of the last paradises unknown in Europe”- said Peter. The neighboring country (Albania), expects more than 3 million tourists this year.

Several months ago, the New York Times included Albania among the 52 major destinations for 2014. ‘You can swim near the abandoned castles and enjoy the fresh fish. This is Europe, where it is cool and … cheap.” Can this new trend of visiting Albania cause risk to Greek tourism? Could the tourist resorts of the Albanian Riviera “capture” the visitors from Greece and the Ionian Islands in particular? We traveled to confirm this ….

126821
126821Photo credits: Ekathimerini

From Corfu Airport to Saranda …

Off the port of Saranda there are two boats departing for Corfu, from which will disembark about 400 tourists. The bus will depart for day trips to nearby beaches. The same day trips from Corfu start in early May, but this year, for the first time, many tourists, especially Scandinavians, are using the Greek island as a passage for long vacations in Albania. “Thousands of tourists arrive at our airport, and their destination is the Albanian Riviera” says general secretary of the Union of Hoteliers Corfu George Zoupas.

Albania recently commissioned a Dutch company, for 540,000 euro, for its tourism promotion for this year and expects about 3 million arrivals. In a telephone conversation, the director of the Albanian Tourism Organization, Juliana Dhame told us that revenue is expected to reach to $1.2 billion, a substantial sum for a country with a weak economy and high unemployment.

On the Beach of Saranda, tourists sunbath and buy souvenirs. Mainly prefer mugs with the flag of Albania and small effigies, used as ashtrays and sold for 3 euros. Apart from the Scandinavians, there are many Polish tourists (800,000 will visit this year throughout Albania), while about one million Kosovars expected in August.

alban-thumb-large
Photo credits: Ekathimerini

Prices are low in focus. In a good restaurant we paid 15 euro for chef’s salad, pasta, grilled chicken, two beers and two sodas. The waiters-salary is about 200 euro- they speak basic English and some Italian. Traditional Albanian cuisine is not offered (excluding local mussels). Until dawn, all you can hear is Greek hits. You can feel a sense of security there, although you may rarely encounter police officials. The cost of accommodation is not particularly low. The price of a double room in 4 star hotel is around 50 euros including breakfast.

We pass the indented coastline untouched by development. We see a few beach bars and rudimentary camping. We encounter a group of ten cyclists. They are British and are doing a tour in Albania. “I visit the country for the first time,” says Bob Street, 48, a mechanical engineer from Bristol. “I like the absolute quietness on the roads and the food offered in local restaurants. The locals do not speak English, but are willing to help you.” He has visited Greece and Italy previously. Apart from lower costs, he notes that there are deficiencies in the Albanian tourism infrastructure. He paid for himself 1,250 eur for a seven days trip, including air tickets and stay in good hotels.

The region of Himara, a city with many Greek residents receives each year about 40,000 tourists, mainly Albanians and Kosovars. The Mayor Jorgo Goro has undertaken many  initiatives jointly with the mayors of Corfu and Ioannina to attract Japanese, Israeli and Scandinavian tourists. On the beach we meet the Norwegian Ouvangk Andrea and Veronica Gkoulmprantsen with backpacks on the back. “We search for unknown destinations,” they say, because “you know? In a few years Albania can become like Spain! “.

The signs of a sharp growth was apparent throughout the course of our trek. Our conclusion? To become truly competitive, Albanian Riviera must first overcome the “childhood diseases” of non-tourist project “explosion” – such as urban sprawl along the coastline. It must be given its own particular color, its culinary culture – an identity that will make it stand out.”
- See more at: http://invest-in-albania.org/ekathimerini-greek-newspaper-albanian-tourism/#sthash.pparmzdi.dpuf
alban-thumb-large

Ekathimerini Greek newspaper on Albanian tourism


This is not an original article of invest-in-albania.org. 

You may read the original one by clicking here.  
Greek newspaper Ekathimerini published the following article about the attractiveness of  Albanian Riviera.
“On the outskirts of the archaeological site of Butrint, a few kilometers from Saranda, a group of tourists from Western Europe followed their guides. The Dutch Bregi Bimans and János Peter, along with their one year old daughter were coming down the hill. Peter has organized a ten-day trip in the Albanian Riviera, as it is called in the guides of Saranda, the coast which is opposite to the area of Corfu, northwest of Vlora.  
Peter works as an engineer in Amsterdam. The costs of the family package was 1400 €, but for him this is a reasonable price (accommodation, breakfast and tickets). Six years before, he had visited the island of Crete: “What attracted me were the articles of the Dutch newspapers that advertise Albania as one of the last paradises unknown in Europe”- said Peter. The neighboring country (Albania), expects more than 3 million tourists this year.
Several months ago, the New York Times included Albania among the 52 major destinations for 2014. ‘You can swim near the abandoned castles and enjoy the fresh fish. This is Europe, where it is cool and … cheap.” Can this new trend of visiting Albania cause risk to Greek tourism? Could the tourist resorts of the Albanian Riviera “capture” the visitors from Greece and the Ionian Islands in particular? We traveled to confirm this ….

126821Photo credits: Ekathimerini
From Corfu Airport to Saranda …
Off the port of Saranda there are two boats departing for Corfu, from which will disembark about 400 tourists. The bus will depart for day trips to nearby beaches. The same day trips from Corfu start in early May, but this year, for the first time, many tourists, especially Scandinavians, are using the Greek island as a passage for long vacations in Albania. “Thousands of tourists arrive at our airport, and their destination is the Albanian Riviera” says general secretary of the Union of Hoteliers Corfu George Zoupas.
Albania recently commissioned a Dutch company, for 540,000 euro, for its tourism promotion for this year and expects about 3 million arrivals. In a telephone conversation, the director of the Albanian Tourism Organization, Juliana Dhame told us that revenue is expected to reach to $1.2 billion, a substantial sum for a country with a weak economy and high unemployment.
On the Beach of Saranda, tourists sunbath and buy souvenirs. Mainly prefer mugs with the flag of Albania and small effigies, used as ashtrays and sold for 3 euros. Apart from the Scandinavians, there are many Polish tourists (800,000 will visit this year throughout Albania), while about one million Kosovars expected in August.
alban-thumb-large
Photo credits: Ekathimerini
Prices are low in focus. In a good restaurant we paid 15 euro for chef’s salad, pasta, grilled chicken, two beers and two sodas. The waiters-salary is about 200 euro- they speak basic English and some Italian. Traditional Albanian cuisine is not offered (excluding local mussels). Until dawn, all you can hear is Greek hits. You can feel a sense of security there, although you may rarely encounter police officials. The cost of accommodation is not particularly low. The price of a double room in 4 star hotel is around 50 euros including breakfast.
We pass the indented coastline untouched by development. We see a few beach bars and rudimentary camping. We encounter a group of ten cyclists. They are British and are doing a tour in Albania. “I visit the country for the first time,” says Bob Street, 48, a mechanical engineer from Bristol. “I like the absolute quietness on the roads and the food offered in local restaurants. The locals do not speak English, but are willing to help you.” He has visited Greece and Italy previously. Apart from lower costs, he notes that there are deficiencies in the Albanian tourism infrastructure. He paid for himself 1,250 eur for a seven days trip, including air tickets and stay in good hotels.
The region of Himara, a city with many Greek residents receives each year about 40,000 tourists, mainly Albanians and Kosovars. The Mayor Jorgo Goro has undertaken many  initiatives jointly with the mayors of Corfu and Ioannina to attract Japanese, Israeli and Scandinavian tourists. On the beach we meet the Norwegian Ouvangk Andrea and Veronica Gkoulmprantsen with backpacks on the back. “We search for unknown destinations,” they say, because “you know? In a few years Albania can become like Spain! “.
The signs of a sharp growth was apparent throughout the course of our trek. Our conclusion? To become truly competitive, Albanian Riviera must first overcome the “childhood diseases” of non-tourist project “explosion” – such as urban sprawl along the coastline. It must be given its own particular color, its culinary culture – an identity that will make it stand out.”
- See more at: http://invest-in-albania.org/ekathimerini-greek-newspaper-albanian-tourism/#sthash.pparmzdi.dpuf

US Holds Secret Talks With Russia on Middle East Behind EU’s Back

High-ranking Russian and US military officials are holding “secret negotiations” to reduce tensions between Russia and NATO, Spanish news website Mil21.es reported, citing anonymous European intelligence sources.

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High-ranking Russian and US military officials are holding “secret negotiations” to reduce tensions between Russia and NATO, Spanish news website Mil21.es reported, citing anonymous European intelligence sources.

The secret talks are reportedly taking place with the approval of both the Kremlin and the White House in Northern Europe, Mil21.es said.
The negotiations began after Washington allegedly decided to change its strategy towards Moscow, making concessions on Ukraine in exchange for the Kremlin's support of new US geopolitical plans in the Middle East, anonymous sources said.
The United States needs Vladimir Putin's support to stop ISIL's expansion in the Middle East and to "make some changes" within the governments of some Persian Gulf states which distanced themselves from the White House following Washington's successful nuclear deal with Iran, Mil21.es said.
According to European intelligence sources, the United States initially supported the ISIL militants in their attempt to overthrow the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad. At the same time, ISIL received significant financial support from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, especially Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as logistical support from the Turkish government on the Syrian-Turkish border. However, the situation soon backfired on Washington. The United States became seriously concerned with the events in the Middle East after ISIL announced the creation of the Islamic Caliphate on the territories it had conquered and began to recruit jihadists from all over the world, the Spanish news portal said.
US intelligence agencies actively cooperated with their Mossad counterparts in Israel, which allowed them to have a detailed picture of everything that was going on in the Middle East. However, the Iranian nuclear agreement made Israel unhappy, causing a reduction in the exchange of intelligence information between the two countries. Now Washington needs new allies and intelligence sources to keep the situation in the Middle East under control.
All of these factors have prompted Washington to reconsider its strategy towards Moscow. By finding a compromise with Putin and obtaining Russian support, the United States now wants to properly address the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, a region Washington considers a lot more important than Ukraine, the Spanish source said.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

"We offer reconciliation, other side celebrates suffering"


Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has said that his country was "praying the evil like the expulsion of Serbs during Operation Storm never repeats for anyone."
Source: Tanjug
(Tanjug)
(Tanjug)
He said that it took only 48 hours "to solve the Croatian problem called the Republic of Serb Krajina, a territory under UN protection" - and that this happened during a savage operation with elements of genocide, initiated "by a part of the world community."
At the same time, according to Nikolic, the rest remained "tragically silent and uninterested - because it was Serbs that were being murdered and driven out."

Tanjug reported that Nikolic, speaking during a memorial academy held in Belgrade to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Croatia's military campaign, added that Serbia was "praying that this kind of evil never repeats although it seems that only one, Serb side, cannot be constantly offering a hand of reconciliation and cooperation, while the other side is celebrating other people's misery and pain in full force."

He stressed that "Serbia was doing that even though a large majority of the expelled Serbs have not solved key issues related to property and residence rights, the unpaid pensions, the farming land that was taken away, the savings owed to them."

"Serbia has for its part showed a sincere dedication to peace and stability in the region and to overcoming of all open issues. The past is painful and burdensome, but the future must be built in cooperation and by overcoming our differences," Nikolic stressed.

Compromise and a sense of community rather than hatred and degrading was needed "in order to make the life of future generations possible" and in order for "minority communities to accept a state as their own."

"They should have a life worthy of humans, at least the right to their own language, alphabet, faith, history, culture," said the president.

While the Serbs in Croatia "do not even have the right to street signs in their own alphabet," minorities in Serbia have constitutionally guaranteed rights "greater than those of the Serb people," Nikolic said, adding that "Serbia does not expect implementation of absolute reciprocity" - but instead, "only a minimum of human dignity."

The president also said that "forgiving never means forgetting" but that Serbia has been prone throughout its history to "easily renounce and almost forget the Serb victims - in the name of some interests, that were everyone's but ours."

"It's never too late to correct historical errors and remember our own who suffered and are still suffering," Nikolic said, adding that the Serb people's victory is in surviving and living, building and persevering.

Parts of his speech were published earlier in the day, stating that Croatia's military parade held on Tuesday to celebrate Operation Storm sent a message to the expelled Serbs "not to return."

"They (Croatia) also organized a military parade. Of course, they did not mark victory over fascism and Nazism with a parade, Victory Day over concentration camps and genocide. They wouldn't go against themselves," Nikolic said.

The president also stated that "Croatians with the parade celebrated a day when they killed and expelled their own people with impunity."

"With the parade they are telling the living and the expelled Serbs: don't return, the same will be in store for you once again," Nikolic said.

Croatia celebrates Operation Storm with military parade


Croatia on Tuesday held a military parade to mark Victory Day - the 20th anniversary of Operation Storm when more than 2,000 Serbs were killed or went missing.
Source: B92
(Image made from HRT video)
(Image made from HRT video)
200,000 more ethnic Serbs from Croatia were expelled from the country during the operation.
Half an hour before the start of the parade, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who is the commander-in-chief, drove passed the parked armored vehicles and greeted the citizens, who responded with ovations. She then gave the order to start the parade.

Croatian Defense Minister Ante Kotromanic was in the vehicle with Grabar-Kitarovic.
(Beta/AP)
(Beta/AP)
Before this, the guests who gathered on the main stage in Vukovar Street in Zagreb were joined by former Hague war crimes indictee and former Croatian general Ante Gotovina, while another former general and indictee and one of the leaders of Croatia's army during the war, Mladen Markac, took photographs with soldiers participating in the parade.

3,000 members of Croatia's army with 300 vehicles and 30 aircraft took part in the first military parade held in 18 years.
(Beta/AP)
(Beta/AP)
Although Croatia invited all NATO members to take part in the parade, none did. Germany, the U.S., Slovenia, and Britain first announced their participation, but then canceled.

The parade was attended by 42 foreign delegations that included ambassadors, military envoy and high ranking military officials.

Due to disagreements among top Croatian officials on how to mark the day, Operation Storm is also celebrated in Knin this Wednesday.

Ontario: New FYROM Provocation with Map Including Greek Land

df1
By Philip Chrysopoulos -


df1The Parliament Vice President of Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia Antonio Milososki made a provocative appearance at a national celebration having in the background a map that includes several Greek territories reaching to Mount Olympus in central Greece.

The event was held in Ontario, Canada, in collaboration with the nationalist group ‘United Macedonians’ for the anniversary of FYROM’s Day of the Republic/St. Elijah’s feast day (August 2).

The map of “Grand Macedonia” which contains a lot of Greek land, along with the flag with the Vergina Sun, and pictures of Alexander the Great and his father Philip II generated a lot of negative comments in Greece. Especially at a time when the dispute over the name of the neighboring country has not been resolved yet. Milososki, who has previously been foreign affairs minister, represents the nationalistic wing of the Skopje government.

In the past few months, Milososki has made other similar provocations, such as  holding the red flag in his hands, thereby violating the Interim Agreement Athens and Skopje signed in 1995. According to that, the neighbors were bound to stop the use of the symbol of the Sun of Vergina. Last September Milososki and his friends climbed Mount Olympus and were photographed with the spurious flag.

So far there has been no official complaint by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister Nikos Kotzias.
- See more at: http://canada.greekreporter.com/2015/08/04/ontario-new-fyrom-provocation-with-map-including-greek-land/#sthash.yt8isNQ7.dpuf

Monday, August 3, 2015

Former CIA Officials Launch Smear Campaign Against Senate Torture Report

© REUTERS/ Larry Downing

In an attempt to unveil what was really behind the scenes of the Al Qaeda terrorist interrogations conducted by the CIA, eight former high-ranking CIA officials, including three former directors, are ready to publish a response to last year’s incendiary US Senate “torture report”, according to the Washington Examiner.

The beginning of September, 2015 will see the release of a report, “Rebuttal: The CIA Responds to the Senate Intelligence Committee's Study of Its Detention and Interrogation Program", which is expected to be published by the Naval Institute Press.
 According to the former Agency employees, the Democratic Senate’s intention was to undermine the CIA’s methods of dealing with terrorists, including waterboarding; the report was presented by the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Dianne Feinstein, and was roundly cited as the main report on the CIA's enhanced interrogation programs.


After its release last December, current CIA Director John O. Brennan stated that the interrogations had set the stage for the 2011 Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Embedded image permalink
In the upcoming rebuttal, the former CIA officials will not only counter the Democratic report, but will unanimously give evidence about the Al Qaeda operation’s details for the first time in the history of the Intelligence Agency. It will contain the Republicans’ responses to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, who published the well-known report, officially called "The Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture: Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program."

What’s surprising to note is that the Democrats consulted none of the agents while preparing the December report.
Three former CIA directors, George Tenet, Porter Goss and retired Gen. Michael V. Hayden, two former deputy directors, John McLaughlin and Michael Morell, former clandestine service boss Jose A. Rodriguez, former CIA and FBI counterterrorism official J. Philip Mudd and former CIA Acting General Counsel John Rizzo have written the key points of the document which will be released next month.
All revenue earned from the publication of the 352-page "Rebuttal" will go to the CIA Officers’ Memorial Foundation.

Golden Dawn chief, wife, released from house arrest



Golden Dawn chief, wife, released from house arrest
Golden Dawn chief Nikos Michaloliakos and his wife Eleni Zaroulia, also an MP with the ultranationalist party, were granted release from house arrest on Wednesday.
The pair, who are awaiting trial on charges of running a criminal organization, will be allowed to leave their home on the condition that they report to their local police station three times a month.
A former lawmaker and one of their many co-defendants, Dimitris Koukoutsis, was also released from house arrest this week, following the adjournment of the trial until September 8.
ekathimerini.com

Greece planned German corruption probes in 'Grexit' scenario -report


First entry: 3 August 2015 - 02:00 Athens, 23:00 GMT
Last update: 3 August 2015 02:00 Athens, 23:00 GMTPolitics
Greece planned German corruption probes in 'Grexit' scenario -report
The Greek government produced a contingency plan that would "raise the cost of rupture" for Greece's creditors - the European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monteryary Fund - if the country was forced out of the eurozone, according to a report published by Greek daily "Efimerida Ton Syntakton" on Saturday.
Citing Greek government officials under condition of anonymity, Efimerida Ton Syntakton reported that the plan included opening corruption probes into prominent German companies, including Siemens, Lidl, Allians, MAN and Hochtief.
"In basketball terms, the government would apply 'pressure defense,'" the Greek periodical said.
According to "Efimerida Ton Syntakton," the plan also included nationalizing Greece's gaming monopoly OPAP, which was privatized in 2013.
The report comes on the heels of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' statements to parliament on Friday, revealing that the young premier had instructed former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis to produce a "defense plan" in the event of a "Grexit" - a Greek exit from Europe's monetary union.
"I personally gave the order to prepare a team to prepare a defense plan in case of emergency," Tsipras said, adding that plans to leave the eurozone were "never prepared" by his administration.
"If our creditors were preparing a Grexit plan, should we not have prepared our defenses?" the prime minister asked, without going into further details of the plan.
Deutsche Welle

"Decision on KLA crimes court made under intl. pressure"


Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic says he is satisfied that amendments that will pave the way to establish a special court have been adopted.
Source: B92
(Beta, file)
(Beta, file)
"Of course we're satisfied, it was uncertain until the very end. Until the last moment we did not know whether we will have enough votes," he said.
Stojanovic told B92 late on Monday that he "hoped the law will also be adopted during the session this evening," and that "the decision (on the amendments) was significantly influenced by the international community."

"It is quite clear that this decision was made under pressure from the international community. Without implementing this obligation there could be no progress," said Stojanovic.

Stojanovic also commented on the threats received by Kosovo assembly members from the Serb (Srpska) List to say he was "not scared by the threats at all."

"Our obligation is to defend our people's interests, there is an investigation, I hope there will be results. I believe that a big and important thing has been done today. "

The assembly of Kosovo has adopted constitutional changes under strong pressure from the U.S. and the EU which pave the way for the formation of the special court that would deal with war crimes committed by the KLA.

After five hours of debate, 82 deputies voted in favor while five were against. 80 votes plus 14 from MPs from minority communities were needed to pass the proposal.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Summer School for Serbian, Albanian youths in Tirana


Young people from Serbia and Albania completed on Thursday their five-day long Summer School on inter-cultural dialogue in the digital era, Tanjug reported.
Source: Tanjug
They "discussed and shared experiences and ideas on challenges facing the youth in their countries," the agency said.
A team comprised of trainers and experts from the ministries of youth from both countries assisted some 34 young people in their discussions on the topics of youth inclusion in the public and political life, youth policies, promotion of democratic values and fostering the cross-cultural dialogue and the role of the media in inter-cultural dialogue, as well as the issue of ways to challenge prejudice and stereotypes, a release by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) states.

The Summer School is a result of the Memorandum of Understanding on Youth concluded by the Serbian and Albanian Prime Ministers with the idea to bring the youth of the two countries closer together.

This event was jointly organized by Serbia's Ministry of Sports and Youth and Albania's Social Welfare and Youth Ministry in co-operation with the National Youth Service of Serbia and supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE Presence in Albania.

Kosovo: Draft resolution on genocide submitted to assembly


The head of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo has submitted a resolution on "genocide during the war in Kosovo."
Source: B92
(Beta/AP, file)
(Beta/AP, file)
This has been reported on Friday by the Pristina-based Albanian language newspaper Koha Ditore.
The resolution, tabled by Donika Kada Bujupi, was proposed during a meeting of the Assembly Presidency and received the support of other parliamentary groups.

Kada Bujupi is demanding that this resolution be the first item on the agenda of the Kosovo Assembly.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is led by Ramush Haradinaj, is the third strongest party in Kosovo and has nine deputies in the assembly.

The Kosovo government on Friday adopted changes to constitutional amendments that will allow a special court and a special prosecution to be formed to deal with war crimes committed by the former KLA.

It has been stressed that fulfilling this obligation would "contribute to shedding light on the accusations, and will be of exceptional importance for Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic integrations, and further strengthening of the strategic partnership with the U.S. and the EU."

The opposition believes that the amendments related to the court "should not be included in parliamentary procedure in any case" and said they would vote against.

It is expected that some deputies from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, who on June 29 voted against the formation of this court, will now vote in favor of the amendments.