NATO calls on Turkey to join EU sanctions against Russia as Putin visits Ankara



December 1 2014

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Turkey to join the economic sanctions campaign against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.

His comments come on the day Russia and Turkey were set to hold talks to increase trade volume from the current $33 billion to $100 billion by 2020

“Of course I’d like to see as many countries as possible be part of this, to support sanctions. It’s important that it has an effect,” Stoltenberg replied to questions at a press conference on Dec. 1 regarding Turkey’s efforts to boost trade with Russia at a moment when the Western bloc is united to impose sanctions on Russia.

Sanctions are not decided by NATO, but by the European Union and the U.S., Stoltenberg stressed, "because I believe there has to be consequences when a country is responsible for these kinds of aggressive actions that we have seen in Ukraine [committed] by Russia."

Russia annexing Crimea from Ukraine has prompted international uproar and led to the imposition of consecutive sanctions against Moscow by the EU. Turkey announced that it would not join the sanctions as a matter of principle, and intensified talks with Russia on how it could fill the gap created by the EU’s sanctions.

Stoltenberg’s statement came as the Turkish and Russian presidents were scheduled to have in-detail talks to multiply and diversify bilateral trade, as well as to seek new fields of cooperation.

NATO ready to assist Iraq

Another important message given by the secretary-general on the eve of NATO’s foreign ministerial meetings Dec. 2 and 3 is on the alliance’s readiness to support Iraq to boost its defense capacity in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The alliance’s headquarters will host a meeting of coalition members on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial meeting on Dec. 3, at which Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will also participate.

In reply to a question if the alliance will play a further role in the coalition beyond hosting the upcoming meeting, Stoltenberg said there has been no such request yet.

“This is a coalition led by the U.S., not a NATO coalition. There has been no request for a NATO role in the fight against ISIL in Syria,” he said.

“What we have said is that we are ready to provide help and assistance to the government of Iraq and help them enhance their defense capacity,” Stoltenberg said, while adding that there has been no such request yet.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/nato-calls-on-turkey-to-join-eu-sanctions-against-russia-as-putin-visits-ankara.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75048&NewsCatID=510

Israel slams Ankara: You are a NATO member who promote terrorism


Israel slams Ankara: This is no way for a NATO state to act

Israeli officials used diplomatic language on Thursday when responding to revelations that the Hamas cell uncovered in the West Bank received orders and training from operatives in Turkey, but this belied anger that Hamas has apparently moved the center of its overseas operations from Syria to Turkey.

Following Thursday’s revelations that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and IDF thwarted the Hamas cell that had its nerve center headquartered in Turkey, one official said in response, “Is this the sort of thing that one expects from a NATO state?” The official said this was the second time this year the Shin Bet uncovered a Hamas cell in the West Bank with ties to Turkey, the first instance being in the summer when a Hamas plot to overthrow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was uncovered.

The official said that the Turkish link will come up in diplomatic and counter-terrorism dialogues Israel is set to have with various different countries, including NATO members.

Another government official characterized as “most regrettable” that a NATO member state harbored people who prepared and trained for terrorist attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, praised the Shin Bet for uncovering the planned attack, but pointedly refrained from making any reference to the Turkish connection. Israel’s reticence to publicly point a finger at Turkey stems from not wanting to open up a new “front” with Turkey, with whom relations have nosedived since the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla raid.

Israel Hayom reported earlier this week that Israel was livid over Hamas’s headquarters in Turkey and had urged NATO to take action against Ankara over the matter. The paper said that Jerusalem had formally sent messages to NATO through several channels saying it was inconceivable that a NATO member country would maintain ties with a terrorist organization.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon raised the issue during a meeting with outgoing US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel when they met in Washington last month.
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-slams-Ankara-This-is-no-way-for-a-NATO-state-to-act-383083

TV Stars From Italy Flock to Low-Cost Albania Amid Recession

By Marco Bertacche and Daniele Lepido Dec 1, 2014 12:57 PM GMT+0100

Photographer: Gianni Fiorito/Janus Films via Bloomberg

Toni Servillo and Sabrina Ferilli in "The Great Beauty." The film is directed by Paolo... Read More

More than 20 years after Albanian refugees began arriving on rickety boats in southern Italy, fading Italian television stars are starting a counter-trend, flocking to Albania as the advertising market at home dries up.
Sabrina Ferilli, 50, known for her role in “The Great Beauty,” winner of this year’s Academy Award for best foreign film, is the latest veteran celebrity to sign on at Agon Channel Italia, which begins broadcasting today from Tirana following a glitzy premiere show last week that included an appearance by Nicole Kidman.
Agon, which will beam programming into Italy, is owned by entrepreneur Francesco Becchetti, who said he invested 40 million euros ($50 million) in studios in Tirana, Albania’s capital, where he employs about 500 people.
“If you want to do TV nowadays, the project needs to be viable,” Becchetti said at a press conference in Milan last week. “Even if you pay your Albanian labor force twice the average salary, that still allows you to attract important stars and secure an Italian TV audience.”
Italian broadcasters are cutting costs as the country’s ad market has failed to recover from a 15-year low and its recession enters a fourth year. Mediaset SpA (MS), Italy’s largest private broadcaster, is slashing 450 million euros in costs, while state broadcaster RAI SpA faces budget cuts as part of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s drive to rein in spending and tame Italy’s 2.13 trillion-euro debt.

Foreign Community

Agon is one of 400 Italian companies operating in Albania, where more than half of the 3 million population speak at least some Italian due to the countries’ proximity and the ease of picking up Italian TV signals, according to the Italian embassy. Cement maker Italcementi SpA (IT), one of the first foreign investors in Albania after the old regime fell, has a local unit that’s a top 10 company. Intesa Sanpaolo SpA’s Bank Albania, formed through acquisitions, is the country’s third-largest lender.
Almost 500,000 Albanians live in Italy, the second-biggest foreign community, including about 50,000 who fled chaos and a crumbling economy after the country’s communist regime collapsed in 1991. About 20,000 arrived by ship in the port city of Bari on Aug. 8, 1991 alone. The average Albanian salary today is one sixth of the Italian level, according to the country’s statistics institute.

Trend Reversed

Last year the trend reversed for the first time. About 16,000 Albanians arrived in Italy in 2013, according to statistics institute ISTAT. That’s less than the 19,000 Italians who moved to Albania, adding to 46,000 Albanians who repatriated, Minister for Social Well-being Erion Veliaj said in a Corriere della Sera interview Nov. 11.
Some are employed in the more than 50 call centers set up for energy companies Eni SpA (ENI) and Edison SpA and phone operators Fastweb SpA, 3 Italia, Tiscali SpA (TIS) and Vodafone Group PLC. (VOD) Fastweb is a unit of Swisscom AG, and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd (13) controls 3 Italia.
The World Bank forecasts that Albania’s economic growth will accelerate to 2.1 percent this year. That’s down from rates above 3 percent until 2011 when Italy, by far the country’s biggest trading partner, entered a recession. Still, Italy is only the fifth-largest contributor of foreign direct investment in the country as some big companies are hesitant to invest due to lack of infrastructure and clear property laws, the Italian embassy in Tirana said on its website.

Italian Celebrities

Becchetti, an Italian, said he’s undeterred by conditions in Albania. “We started a year and a half ago with an empty warehouse in Tirana that’s now become a Hollywood-level studio,” said the businessman, who also owns U.K. soccer club Leyton Orient and plans an on-air talent show to pick players for the team. “If the channel is successful, the studios will be doubled to create a TV production district for other channels as well,” he said.
The Albanian-language version of Agon Channel started in 2013 and has in the past employed Italian celebrities, who are well-known in Albania, as well as former CNN Rome correspondent Alessio Vinci.
Simona Ventura, known in both countries for her turn as a judge on the Italian version of talent program “X Factor,” on Nov. 26 hosted Agon’s inauguration show with Kidman guest starring. Becchetti’s target for free-to-air Agon Channel Italia is a 1 percent market share in Italy and 20 million euros in ad revenue the first year, he said.

Ambitious Goal

“That’s an ambitious goal but not impossible,” said Francesco Siliato, a professor of media and telecommunications at Milan’s Polytechnic University. Cielo TV, Sky Italia’s free-to-air channel, which also airs some programs from its pay network, has a 1.3 percent share and 29 million euros of revenue, he said. Italy’s total ad spending fell 3.2 percent in the first nine months of 2014, on course for a fourth straight annual decline, according to figures from researcher Nielsen.
The channel’s programming includes news bulletins directed by a former RAI correspondent, a talk show hosted by Ferilli, quiz programs, and talent shows, including one for bodyguards.
“This is globalization, a Europe that can give opportunities to us, the TV professionals,” Ventura, 49, said after the Milan press conference.
To contact the reporters on this story: Marco Bertacche in Milan at mbertacche@bloomberg.net; Daniele Lepido in Milan at dlepido1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jerrold Colten at jcolten@bloomberg.net Dan Liefgreen

Construction of long-awaited mosque in Albania to begin

Ethem Bey Mosque in Albania

New mosque in capital Tirana will be largest in Albania

World Bulletin / News Desk
Albanian Muslims have been waiting for a large mosque to be built in the capital Tirana since the 1990s, and their dream is now coming true.
The head of the Albanian Muslim Community, Skender Brucaj, told the Anadolu Agency that all the obstacles for the construction of Albania’s biggest mosque are now over.
Last week, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, handed Brucaj the permit for the building.
The cornerstone for the mosque, which is located near Albania’s parliament building, was put in place in the early 1990s, but building did not continue due to legal and financial obstacles.
The large mosque in the Muslim-majority country will finally be built, after the Roman Catholic and Orthodox communities constructed their churches in previous years.
Brucaj said that construction will begin within a short time, without giving an exact date.
“This is a joint project undertaken in cooperation with Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate,” Brucaj said, adding that the latter will supply the financial support necessary for the building.
In Albania, there is huge demand for this mosque. From 1967 to 1990, the ruling communist party either closed down or destroyed all the churches and mosques in the country, as it was declared an atheist state.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, while handing over the permit for the mosque, said that nearby the new mosque, an inter-religious museum will be built.
Albania is often regarded as a role model to the world for inter-religious coexistence, as Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians have lived in peace for centuries in the country.

Prosecution asks court to order Seselj to return

Source: Beta

THE HAGUE -- The Hague Prosecution has asked the Trial Chamber of the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) to order war crimes indictee Vojislav Seselj to return to the detention unit.

(Tanjug, file)

He was last month granted provisional release on medical grounds.
The prosecution said that Seselj's behavior while in Serbia had "undermined" the spirit of that decision, made at own initiative and for humanitarian reasons by the chamber presided over by Judge Jean Claude Antonetti.

The prosecution demands that the decision now be revoked and Seselj ordered to return.

The prosecution also wants a debate on his health condition to be held after that, and about the conditions under which he could possibly once again be granted provisional release.

Turkey cautions Greece, others to avoid tension in eastern Med

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (R) and his Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos speak to the media after talks in Ankara on Saturday. (Photo: AP)

November 30, 2014, Sunday/ 15:58:01/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ISTANBUL

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has called on Greece and the other countries that recently announced a new regional energy cooperation deal to avoid raising tension related to energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
Referring to Greece, Greek Cyprus, Israel and Egypt, Çavuşoğlu said over the weekend that they are independent countries and have the right to cooperate; however, he said Turkey has warned these countries to avoid taking steps that will escalate tension.
Addressing a joint press meeting with Çavuşoğlu, Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the alliance does not have a hostile approach to Turkey.
“It is not of a hostile nature against Turkey, and I had the opportunity to say this in my recent interview with a Turkish news outlet: The invitation for Turkey to participate is always open, based on respect for international law and, more specifically, for the international Law of the Sea,” Evangelos was quoted as saying by the Greek Foreign Ministry.
Çavuşoğlu reiterated Turkey's calls for a joint committee or a private company of Turks and Greek Cypriots that would protect the rights of both sides with regard to the use of the island's natural resources.
Turkey recently sent a seismic research vessel called the Barbaros to the region, which Greek Cyprus considers a violation of its territorial waters.
Turkey's foreign minister criticized Greek Cyprus for not focusing on the peace talks and violating the rights of Turkish Cypriots by conducting unilateral oil and gas searches.
Evangelos responded to Çavuşoğlu's remarks by saying the rights of “the Republic of Cyprus” should not be violated and expressed support for the reopening of peace talks in the long-divided island.
In early October, the Greek Cypriot government suspended talks on reunifying the ethnically divided island in response to Turkish plans to search for oil and gas in waters where the Cypriot government has already licensed companies to drill to search for oil and gas.
Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey will not allow Greek Cyprus to monopolize the natural resources in and around Cyprus and vowed not accept a fait accompli in the gas row. “No one can shut us out of the Mediterranean. We may conduct drilling if necessary,” Davutoğlu added.
During the bilateral meetings, Çavuşoğlu and Evangelos also touched on the minority issues in Turkey and Greece, fighting against terrorism and illegal migration.

From Albania to Panama, we reveal the travels of Craig Whyte

• Nov 30, 2014 09:45
• By Craig McDonald

FROM Croatia to Costa Rica - we reveal how Craig Whyte has moved from country to country since his involvement with Rangers made the headlines.

SNS/Sammy Turner

Craig Whyte leaves Glasgow Sheriff Court after being released on bail

FRAUD suspect Craig Whyte spent time in the Balkans this year as prosecutors built a case against him.
Whyte has moved from country to country since his involvement with Rangers ended in disaster.
We can reveal the list of countries where he spent time since then ranges from Europe to the Far East and central America.
Whyte was arrested after arriving in the UK on Friday from Mexico where he had been detained.
He had flown into the central American country from Japan en route to Costa Rica where he formerly lived and where one of his three children was born.
We can also reveal his Swedish girlfriend – with whom Whyte is reported to have had a relationship since splitting from wife Kim – has not seen or heard from him for almost two years.
A source told the Sunday Mail: “In the last couple of years Craig Whyte is believed to have been in Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, France and Japan.
“There may be others. He has connections with central America going back over a decade when he stayed there after getting married in Florida.
“He didn’t really like it in Costa Rica. There were connections with Panama and Mexico as well. But he just didn’t like that part of the world and had no fondness for the people.
“He’s not been in Monaco since his dealings with Rangers made the headlines. The authorities in Monte Carlo don’t care for negative publicity.
“This year alone he has been in Albania, Croatia and Montenegro, moving from country to country, and has also popped up in France.”
Whyte was detained by Mexican authorities on Thursday after flying in from Japan where a passport check flagged up the warrant out against him.
It’s believed Whyte travelled alone for much of the past two years after Swede Izabella Andersson confirmed that their relationship had ended.
Izabella, who has links with Monaco and London, told us last week: “I haven’t seen or heard from Craig Whyte since January 2013.”
Whyte bought Castle Grant, near Grantown-on-Spey, for £800,000 in 2006 with a 110 per cent mortgage but it was repossessed in April after he failed to pay the £7000-a-month fees.
He took control of Rangers in May 2011 but they went into administration the following February.
He was released on bail after a court appearance on Friday over his allegedly fraudulent takeover of the Ibrox club.
Whyte, 43, was granted bail by Glasgow Sheriff Andrew Normand after a 45-minute hearing held in private. He is due in court again next week.
He is accused of funding his Ibrox takeover by selling off season tickets and pretending to then owner Sir David Murray the cash was his own. He’s also accused of failing to pay VAT and National Insurance which led to Rangers going into administration.
Four other men have already appeared in court charged with fraudulent activity following the investigation into the sale of Rangers.
A second arrest warrant was issued for Whyte earlier this month after he failed to attend a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in a separate case.

"Kosovo army plan doomed to fail without Serb backing"

Source: Blic

PRIŠTINA -- Agim Ceku's announcement that Kosovo will soon have its army "is doomed to fail" - as it requires a law that will not be supported by Serb representatives.

The Belgrade-based daily Blic writes that Ceku spoke about "a speedy transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the Armed Forces of Kosovo, immediately after the new Kosovo parliament is formed."
But a law regulating it would have to be supported by two-thirds of assembly's members, and also at least two thirds of those representing minorities.

Considering that Serbs make up one half of that group, "it would mean that some of them would have to vote in favor," writes the daily, and quotes Serb representatives as "negating that possibility."

"This is nothing new. They tried to do the same last year also, and of course did not receive our support," said Slobodan Petrović from the Serb List, who is one of the deputies of Hashim Thaci, the outgoing prime minister of Kosovo.

He believes that the topic has been revived now in the context of the ongoing negotiations to form a new government in Priština, and adds that "as far as the Serb List is concerned this is not an issue."

"If somebody else was deciding on it, then we could be afraid. But since it is us, we have no reason for fear," Petrović said.

Nenad Rašić from the Progressive Democratic Party dismissed the announcement as being "more a case of propaganda, pushed ahead of the Albanian Flag Day holiday."

The daily writes that there is "not much information about the transformation of the KSF into an army - other than that the number of its members should grow from 3,000 to 5,000."

Ceku - a former member of the Yugoslav People's Army, the Croatian police formation ZNG, the Croatian Army, and the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, now the outgoing minister for the Kosovo Security Force - said recently that "the process has widespread support ad powerful international allies."

Asked for comment, a NATO spokeswoman said that this was "an internal affair, up to the local institutions."

Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić sees Ceku's statement as "an expected provocation":

"Serbia is committed to the road toward the EU and respects all signed international agreements, as well as Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council, which clearly states that no new armed forces can be formed in our southern province."

EU chief calls for decentralization and federalization of Ukraine



To solve the current crisis in Ukraine, the country should become decentralized and federalized, Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, announced in his political anniversary speech in Paris this week.

Quoting "1,000 deaths" in the country since the cease-fire agreement was reached in Minsk on September 5, Van Rompuy said he could no longer call the situation a cease-fire. And a new cessation of conflict, if controlled by the same players, would have the identical outcome, the politician said in his speech, marking his five years presidency of the European Council.

Urging a "global solution," the EU chief said a way for Ukraine to become a "decentralized (or federalized) country" must be found. He called for the country's closer ties with the EU. However, he also said, "Europe has become unpopular among Europeans" in the past five to six years.

Kiev should "establish a correct relationship with Russia, its neighbor, with which it shares history, culture and language," Van Rompuy said, adding that the interests of minorities in Ukraine should be respected.

Sharing his EU "experiences and perspectives" with students at the Sciences Po institute of political studies in Paris, he pointed out that the current crisis in Ukraine is "the most grave geopolitical crisis we've experienced in Europe since the end of the Cold war." What makes it even worse, according to the Rompuy, is the fact that the "war" is happening on European soil.

Van Rompuy is not the first European politician to suggest Ukraine's federalization. Earlier in August, Germany's Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, who is also the country's economy minister, spoke out for federalization to be introduced in Ukraine once the conflict in the east of the country is resolved.

The same measures to help settle the crisis in eastern Ukraine have been voiced by Moscow. However, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko keeps ruling out such political changes, saying the country's federalization is out of question.

Reuters: Mystery of Amphipolis tomb holds Greeks in thrall

First entry: 26 November 2014 - 11:56 Athens, 09:56 GMT

Last update: 02:30 Athens, 00:30 GMTPolitics

Reuters: Mystery of Amphipolis tomb holds Greeks in thrall

After six years of economic crisis, political tumult and a humiliating international bailout, Greeks are desperate for heroes and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's government is eager for some good news, says a despatch by Reuters refering to the archaeological excavations at Amphipolis.

"It revives Greeks' hopes that despite their big struggle to survive there is a 'holy grail' that will reconnect them to a period of glory and power," said to ReutersChristos Kechagias, a sociologist who teaches at the University of Athens. "In times of crisis, people have the chance to redefine their identity."

Greek broadcasters have been transfixed by discoveries from the tomb -- a pebble mosaic showing the abduction of Persephone; two sculpted "Caryatid" figures; skeletal remains in a limestone grave that are now being analysed for identification, says Reuters.

Samaras has frequently highlighted the tomb in his speeches. With his wife Georgia, he toured the site in August, walking along the marble wall that rings the tomb. He then stood before the tomb's entrance guarded by headless sphinxes to announce a "significant discovery" that makes "all Greeks proud".

Not everyone is happy

The opposition has criticised Samaras -- whose government handles all announcements related to the tomb -- for trying to make political capital from the discovery.

"Amphipolis is not the place for political games," said Panos Skourletis, spokesman for the opposition Syriza party.

Despina Koutsoumba, an archaeologist who belongs to the small, anti-capitalist Antarsya party, says Samaras is using Amphipolis to hide cutbacks at archaeological and other sites: "They highlight Amphipolis to cover up the nation's bankruptcy."

Reuters

SE Europe's police chiefs meet in Belgrade

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- This year's General Assembly of the of Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA) was held in Belgrade on Wednesday.

(Tanjug)

Addressing the gathering, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović said the country's Serbian Ministry of Interior (MUP) "will maximize is contribution to the fight against crime in the country, the region and Europe."
Opening the SEPCA annual meeting, Stefanović pointed out that the Interior Ministry would act to ensure respect for and enforcement of the law and to preserve the stability of public order and peace and security of the citizens on the territory of Serbia.

At the same time, it will be a reliable partner in the region and honestly cooperate with European police services, the minister said.

He said he was looking forward to the signing of a new memorandum of understanding concerning the work of SEPCA by the regional police chiefs during the meeting in Belgrade.

Pointing out that Serbia chaired SEPCA last year, Stefanović said that it had been then that an idea of creating a new and modern association that would offer an even faster and more efficient response to the key security challenges facing the region and Europe had been conceived.

“In this sense, I believe that our future activities will focus on strengthening the strategic capacity at the regional level, with the aim of improving our joint fight against organized and other forms of serious crime," said Stefanović.

Serbian Police Director Milorad Veljović pointed to the importance of the joint fight against all forms of organized crime and willingness to continue to cooperate in joint tasks in that fight.

“Crime is taking on new forms today and we must always be ready, if not even a step ahead of those on the other side of the law in order to protect the security in the region," said Veljović.

He stressed that the Serbian police had long been calling for stepping up international cooperation, not only with the countries in the region, but also with the EU member states and all other police forces in the world.

“Aware of the fact that organized crime and other forms of serious crime know no borders, we are committed to strengthening and improving this cooperation in the future,” said Veljovic.

He pointed out that the Serbian Interior Ministry was implementing reforms in Serbia's police sector and one of its key priorities was the fight against organized and other forms of serious crime.

Stressing that the reforms in the sector, backed by the government, were aimed at creating a modern, efficient and democratic police that would comply with relevant EU standards and models, Veljović said it was necessary that the police had a high degree of integrity and a successful strategic management model.

The SEPCA General Assembly meeting is being attended by representatives of numerous international bodies responsible for providing security and fighting against crime and by representatives of Europol.

"Strategic level cooperation"

Police officials of Serbia, Austria and Switzerland underlined on Wednesday the need to strengthen mutual cooperation in the fight against crime in the region of Southeast Europe and throughout the continent.

During a break in the General Assembly of the Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA), police officials of the three countries addressed reporters and expressed readiness to promote the cooperation "on a strategic level."

Serbian Chief of Police Milorad Veljović said that the fight against organized crime cannot be waged on one's own and partially. “The only way to persist in this fight is through cooperation, which must be genuine and well-intentioned in order to yield results,” Veljovic pointed out.

The Serbian police are fully committed to the fight against organized crime, where no one will be protected or spared, he stressed.

Director of the Austrian Federal Criminal Office Franz Lang said that the Southeast Europe is very important for the security system of the entire continent and underlined the significance of joining forces in crime fighting.

Noting that he is happy to see Austria take part in the promotion of law enforcement services in the region, Lang said that this cooperation will be made official by the signing of a memorandum of understanding at the SEPCA General Assembly session on Wednesday.

Rene Wohlhauser of the Swiss Federal Criminal Police voiced confidence that police forces in the region will be able to step up the fight against organized crime through mutual cooperation.

"I can confirm that the cooperation between the police of Serbia and other SEPCA members with the Swiss police is good and built on mutual trust," he said.

Assistant Director of EUROPOL Christian Jechoutek welcomed the coming changes in SEPCA, noting specifically that they will be introduced based on the agreement of its members. This will make SEPCA an even stronger partner in the fight against all aspects of organized crime, he stressed.

According to Jechoutek, the changes in SEPCA will facilitate closer operative cooperation between EUROPOL and police forces in countries of the Southeast Europe.

Serbian chief of police wished success to the interior minister of Albania, which is set to take over the SEPCA chairmanship today, stressing that the cooperation between police forces of the two countries is vital for the region's security.

Turkish president slams "impertinence of U.S."

Source: Tanjug

ANKARA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday slammed the "impertinence" of the United States over the pressure it is exerting on his country.

(Beta/AP, file)

Washington is pressuring Turkey to allow the use of the Incirlik airbase to U.S. war planes attacking extremists of the Islamic State.
"Why is somebody coming to this region from 12,000 kilometres away? I want you to know that we are against impertinence, recklessness and endless demands," he told a group of businesspeople in Ankara, in what the AFP agency said was "a clear reference to the U.S."

Relations between the United States and Turkey have deteriorated during the past months over the latter's reluctance to join a military coalition fighting against the Jihadis in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden and Erdogan met last weekend in a bid to reconcile their positions, but the meeting ended without any discernible success.

Ankara believes that the Kurds fighting in the town of Kobane should not be given military assistance, but has allowed some 150 Kurdish fighters from Iraq to reach the town.

According to Turkish officials, the danger from the Jihadis would be removed not by mounting air strikes against them - "but by overthrowing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad."

Transforming KSF into army "internal affair" - NATO

Source: Beta

BRUSSELS -- A NATO spokeswoman has said that transforming the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an army was "an internal affair, up to the local institutions."

(File)

Asked by the Beta agency to disclose the stand of NATO regarding Wednesday's comments by Agim Ceku Oana Lungescu "pointed out that NATO is currently supporting the development of the Kosovo Security Force within their initial mission and mandate, through the recently established NATO advisory liaison team."
If the mandate and mission change, I expect the NATO Council to reconsider the level of NATO engagement, the spokeswoman said.

This was her "additional explanation" when asked about Priština's plans, and when the reporter remarked that according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 that ended the 1999 war in Kosovo, the interim authorities could not form an army but only a security body tasked with civil defense duties.

According to Ceku, Priština's plan enjoys "strong support of international allies of Kosovo."

The Serbian authorities have stressed on several occasions that they fiercely oppose the transformation of the civil defense forces in Kosovo into a military force.

NATO advisors have been training the 2,500-strong Kosovo Security Force so far and, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels, the authorities in Priština intend to create an army of 5,000 soldiers.

Beta quoted "analysts from Kosovo" as stating in a U.S. German Marshall Fund report that FSK members were receiving military training, including handling of heavy artillery.

Before the latest announcements from Priština, NATO sources told Beta that the KSF was "envisaged and prepared for a number of security tasks, and trained in line with NATO standards."

The agency was told that NATO "expects the KSF to take responsibility for the functions it was trained for, and those are emergency situations, clearing of explosive devices, and civil defense."

It was recently said that the KSF had "complete operative capability."

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga said that creating a Kosovo army was "one of the first tasks" right after forming the assembly and the government, while Serbs in Kosovo have warned it would represent a danger to the region.

Albanian national arrested for nightclub shooting in Greece 

IANS  |  Athens 

November 27, 2014 

 

An Albanian national was arrested Wednesday for the shooting inside a nightclub in Greece Saturday, which resulted in 15 injuries.

 

Albert Bako, 31, was apprehended during a police raid in an apartment in a central Athens district.
Bako was caught on closed circuit security cameras exiting the nightclub after a verbal attack at another custo

mer and returning within minutes with an automatic Kalashnikov type rifle, according to police.
The suspect fired at staff and customers before escaping.

Bako has also been implicated in gang related similar attacks at two other nightclubs in Athens recently. In one of the cases Oct 30 a man died.
This time four people among the 15 were seriously injured.

Albania's National Day

Press Statement

John Kerry
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

November 26, 2014

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On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Albania as you celebrate your 102^nd Independence Day on November 28.
Albania is a strong and reliable NATO ally and a force for stability in the Western Balkans. I thank the Albanian people for their support of the ISAF and Resolute Support missions in Afghanistan, as well as their immediate and valued contributions to the global coalition to counter ISIL.
The United States continues to actively support Albania’s efforts to meet the requirements for joining the European Union. I commend your progress on the path toward full Euro-Atlantic integration.
On this special occasion, the United States stands with you as a steadfast partner and ally.

More Hungarian soldiers in Kosovo and Bosnia

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Hungarian army chief Tibor Benko says the number of Hungarian soldiers in Kosovo and Bosnia would increase as the forces withdraw from Afghanistan.

(Tanjug)

"We need to set up strong and firm cooperation in the Balkan region because it bears major importance for both sides, which is why the decision has been adopted that the number of troops in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina should increase simultaneously with the withdrawal of soldiers from Afghanistan," Benko said in Belgrade.
He was on Tuesday meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ljubiša Diković.

Benko noted that the two countries' armies had an exceptionally good cooperation in joint exercises and multinational peacekeeping operations since he assumed office as the head of the Hungarian army headquarters.

"During my last visit to Cyprus, I had a chance to see the actions of exceptionally well-trained and committed soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Serbia," Benko said.

He announced the possibility of cooperation in the area of military medicine. The seat of a NATO military medical centre is based in Hungary, Benko recalled and expressed the belief that good cooperation can be achieved in this area.

He recalled that Hungary has been a member of the EU since 2004 and added that the experience of the Hungarian soldiers can prove useful for the Serbian army as well and help facilitate its EU accession process.

Diković stated that the two countries share exceptionally good bilateral military cooperation.

For a number of years now, our soldiers have been conducting trainings together with the armed forces of Hungary in the preparations for participation in multinational operations, especially for the deployment of troops in Cyprus, Diković said.

He recalled that around 300 Hungarian soldiers are deployed within KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija, while their number in EULEX totals around 30.

As the crown of cooperation, Diković listed the joint exercises of the two countries' armed forces in Serbia and Hungary that include use of lethal weapons, which points to the highest possible degree of trust between any two armies.

Diković announced talks with his Hungarian colleague on regional security situation and the capacities of the ABHO Center for training in Kruševac or the Center for training for participation in multinational operations in South base.

"We will also discuss the possibilities for exchange of data on the state in airspace and other important issues relevant to further development of the bilateral military cooperation," Diković said.

One of the topics of the talks will cover the possibilities for joint participation in the European security structure, having in mind Serbia's strategic commitment to EU accession, Diković said.

"Kosovo will soon have its army"

Source: Tanjug

PRIŠTINA -- Agim Ceku, who heads the Ministry for the Kosovo Security Force in the outgoing government in Priština, has stated that "Kosovo will soon get its army ."

According to him, "at one of the first sessions upon its constitution" the Kosovo assembly will adopt a decision to transform the Security Force into "the army of Kosovo."
In an interview published by the Priština-based Albanian-language daily Epoka e Re on Wednesday, Ceku said that the transformation was running behind schedule "because of the delay in the constitution of the Kosovo parliament."

Ceku expressed trust in the successful realization of the project because, as he said, this is a "national project" and bears considerable importance "for the country and its citizens'.

Ceku claims that the project also has widespread support ad powerful international allies, and added that he does not expect any problems and complaints from the lines of the opposition because all political parties support the transformation.

According to report, authorities in Priština on Wednesday "celebrate the Day of the Kosovo Security Force."

 

Albania and Her Protectress

By William Miller

The "Unknown" agreement between Italy and Albania of November 27, 1926 which prepared the fascist invasion in Albania

 

 

THE signature of the "Pact of friendship and security between Italy and Albania," at Tirana on November 27, 1926, has caused widespread comment in the Balkans and considerable surprise in diplomatic circles. The excitement in Belgrade was such that the Italophile Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nintchitch, resigned, and the Jugoslavs talked of a new orientation of their foreign policy. In Greece, where the signature was announced and the text published on the eve of the entry of the new "(Ecumenical" Ministry into office, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Michalakopoulos, has cautiously watched the attitude of Great Britain and France, and the Greek press has displayed calmness and prudence. But obviously any change in the condition of Albania must directly affect her Greek and Jugoslav neighbors, and indirectly the other states of southeastern Europe.

First, let us examine the text. The preamble states the object of the Pact to be to "tighten the mutual relations of friendship and security resulting from the geographical situation" of Italy and Albania, to "contribute to the strengthening of peace," and to "maintain the political, juridical and territorial status quo of Albania." These phrases sound somewhat vague. "Peace" has not usually been "strengthened" by the intervention of a Great Power in the affairs of a Balkan state: Russia and Austria-Hungary brought "not peace but a sword" by their interference in the Serbia of the Obrenovitch dynasty; Russia's intrusion into Bulgarian politics led to the abdication of the first Prince of Bulgaria and the long social ostracism of the second; in Greece, the reign of Otho was embittered by the quarrels of the three "Protecting Powers;" German influence was largely responsible for the losses of Turkey in the late war. The principle of "the Balkan Peninsula for the Balkan peoples" is sound and nowadays generally accepted. Nor is it clear what is meant by "maintaining the political, juridical and territorial status quo." Probably, from the standpoint of Ahmed Zogu, the President of the Albanian Republic, the "maintenance" of "the political status quo" means the "maintenance" of himself in power by the strong arm of his ally, whose cannon would protect the huge mansion built for him on the hill overlooking the roadstead of Durazzo and connected (according to a local story) by a secret underground passage with the shore. Who, again, was threatening "the juridical and territorial status quo" of Albania? Neither Greece, who under the Republican system (especially under Pangalos, himself of Albanian origin) has been on particularly good terms with her smaller neighbor, nor Jugoslavia, who would scarcely have dared such an affront to the public law of Europe and was the supporter and host of Ahmed Zogu, a fugitive in Belgrade at a time when Italy was the friend of Fan Noli.
As published, the Pact consists, besides the preamble, of five articles. Article 1 repeats that "Italy and Albania recognize that every disturbance directed against the political, juridical and territorial status quo of Albania is contrary to their political interest" -- a statement admitting of wide and varied interpretation. Article 2 engages "the high contracting parties, for the safeguard of the above interest, to lend to one another their mutual support and their cordial collaboration. They also pledge themselves not to conclude with other Powers political or military agreements prejudicial to the interests of the other party, as defined in the present Pact." Yet we were informed that a similar Pact was offered to Jugoslavia by Albania! Article 3 engages both "parties to submit to a special procedure of conciliation or arbitration the questions which might divide them and which could not be settled by the ordinary diplomatic procedure." "A special convention, to be concluded with the least possible delay," was to regulate "the methods of this procedure." Article 4 fixes the duration of the Pact at five years, and permits of its denunciation or renewal "one year before its expiration." The last article provides for its ratification, and subsequent registration by the League of Nations.

Even supposing that there are no secret articles, the published text of the Pact suffices to cause alarm to the friends of Albanian independence, who did not create an independent Albania in order that it might become an Austrian, Italian or Serbian protectorate. From the time of Francesco Crispi, himself a Sicilian of Albanian origin, Italian statesmen have had their eyes directed to the opposite coast of the Adriatic, visible on a clear day from Otranto. From a much earlier period, that following the death of Skanderbeg and the Turkish conquest in the last third of the fifteenth century, Italian interests in Albania had been aroused and maintained by the considerable Albanian colonies of refugees, who had fled to Southern Italy and found there a second home. Crispi's program was not the annexation of Albania, then Turkish, but the prevention of an Austrian occupation. After the battle of Adua in 1896 and the consequent fall of Crispi, the policy of Imperialism underwent a long eclipse; but in the early years of the present century another Sicilian, the Marchese Di San Giuliano, travelled in Albania and published a little volume of "Letters from Albania," of which he made a holocaust when he became Minister of Foreign Affairs. Consequently, his book is rare, except in a German translation. Meanwhile, Italian consuls, like Millelire at Jannina and Di Gubernatis, worked for the extension of Italian influence. After the declaration of Albanian independence the six months' reign of Prince William of Wied at Durazzo was a continuous struggle between Austria and Italy, in which leading Albanians were used as pawns by the two great players. Meanwhile San Giuliano had done his best to make the Serbs evacuate Durazzo and the Montenegrins Scutari in 1913, and to throw the Greek frontier as far as possible to the south. Even a Prime Minister so little interested in foreign policy as Giolitti told Mr. Kaklamanos (the present Greek Minister in London), then Greek chargé d'affaires in Rome, that "if Greece wished to remain on friendly terms with Italy, she must not touch Valona." Consequently, Mr. Venizelos prevented the Greek troops from occupying Valona and, in 1914, obtained from the Greek parliament the cession to Albania of the islet of Saseno in the bay, which in the British days had been an appendage of the Ionian Islands, and had with them been ceded by Great Britain to Greece in 1864. At the end of 1914, the Italians occupied and fortified Saseno, perhaps on the strength of Lucan's application to it of the epithet, "Calabrian" in his Pharsalia. 

 There they still remain, although Saseno is waterless and could be commanded by cannon planted on the Akrokeraunian Mountains. Valona and other places in Albania they evacuated under the Tirana agreement in 1921, when Giolitti was again Premier, and the late Take Jonescu, the Rumanian statesman, told the writer that he had congratulated the Italian Prime Minister on having got rid of so thankless a burden. The malaria bred in the lagoons near Valona had wrought havoc among the Italian troops, and one Italian garrison had mutinied rather than go to Albania. At that time the Albanians showed quite plainly that they did not want them, and that l'Albania farà da se. But the modern blackshirts are in many cases too young to remember the unpleasant Albanian bivouacs of the war, while to the present director of Italian policy Durazzo may seem, as it was to the ancient Romans whom he professes to imitate, the first step on that Via Egnatia which led to Salonika. Even before the advent of Fascism, it was obvious that Italian Nationalism, its intellectual predecessor, was bent upon assuming the part formerly played--but with greater experience and local knowledge -- by Austria. 

But the Balkan peoples did not, by dint of gigantic sacrifices, rid the Balkan peninsula of Austria in order to put Italy in her place, although Austria had in Bosnia and the Herzegovina a set of officials who on a smaller scale reproduced the British civil service of India. Yet none the less Austria was unpopular, because she was a foreign Power, alien to the national sentiment. Most peoples prefer to be worse governed by their own compatriots than to be better governed by foreigners, as Great Britain found in the Ionian Islands.

more see: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68779/william-miller/albania-and-her-protectress 

Greece acts to rescue ship carrying hundreds of migrants

ATHENS Tue Nov 25, 2014

(Reuters) - Greece has sent a frigate to rescue a container ship believed to carrying hundreds of undocumented migrants and in distress off its southern island of Crete, the Greek coastguard said on Tuesday.

The Kiribati-flagged vessel, with about 700 people aboard, was sailing 30 nautical miles (55 km) southeast of Crete. The ship reported an engine problem in an area with strong winds.
Four container ships sailing nearby could be called on to help if needed, a coastguard spokesman said. "There is no immediate danger, our priority is to save them if needed," he said. "We're waiting for the weather to calm down."

Greece is a popular entry point into Europe for thousands of undocumented migrants from Asia and Africa. In September Athens warned that it was slipping into a "danger zone" without adequate funds or resources to handle a fast-growing wave of refugees from war-torn nations like Syria and Iraq.

Tirana can recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus



Ankara pressure to Albania to recognize Turkish Cyprus, in exchange for military aid

The decision could cause earthquake in Albanian Greek relations

Tirana. Albania can recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus? Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania indicate a diplomatic escalation of Ankara in terms of Tirana, to make last-ordinated efforts for recognition of the Cyprus Turkish Republic, the unknown by any UN state.
 
The news comes from News 24 TV, which for the first time, featured a special report from The Republic of Turkish Cyprus.

But diplomatic sources speak of pressure by Turkey to Tirana, even the fact that Albania is in a difficult economic situation but also expects from Turkey a military aid, in exchange for recognition of the Republic of Turkish Cyprus.

Turkey was the first country that recognized the independence of Kosovo, and covers a portion of the Albanian diplomacy in the world. This determination of Tirana, has caused clashes as Italy and Greece, both members of the EU, but in particular a decision on recognition of the Cyprus Turkish Republic from Tirana, can have a domino effect from Athens to Albania