Nikolić: Recognition of Kosovo is unacceptable

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Serbia wants to become a part of the EU as soon as possible and is willing to compromise on anything during the talks with the EU, says Tomislav Nikolić.

(Tanjug)

However, added the Serbian president during his meeting on Monday in Belgrade with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton - recognizing the self-declared independence of Kosovo is unacceptable.
New circumstances in Kosovo need to be discussed, like the creation of the Kosovo defense force, he was quoted as saying by Tanjug.

The southern Serbian province is not threatened by anyone, so there is no need to create any kind of army, Nikolić said, according to a release from his office.

But if some kind of an armed force should be formed, then the Serbs have to be entitled to a reciprocal share in it, like the way it was done with the police, he stressed.

Nikolić protested against the decision by the authorities in Priština to require personal documents issued by the Kosovo administration in order to be allowed to vote.

It is unacceptable to Serbia, because it would be an a priori recognition of Kosovo's independence, he postulated.

Ashton said that as far as Kosovo was concerned, she was impressed by the two sides' willingness to talk and reach a compromise.

She stated that she "knew it was not easy, but that the talks needed to continue, not only for the sake of the agreements, but also to raise different issues important for all the people in Kosovo."

Problems, if they exist, will be overcome in a way that avoids conflict, she added.

"A lot depends on the political will which is now very strongly opposed to conflicts. Future lies in cooperation, and better cooperation will bring about jobs and better social conditions in society," Ashton was quoted as saying.

Pointing out that the EU is Serbia’s most important partner and that elections were democratic and fair, Nikolić said that the Serbian government was about to embark on a realization of very ambitious plans, which would be difficult as previous governments had been making popular measures that had not been based on real revenues.

“We are now facing implementation of tough measures, which will make the life of Serbian citizens more difficult during a certain period, but are necessary to pull Serbia out of problems. The new government will have to put much more effort into attracting new investment, not only in the infrastructure area, but also in agriculture and energy,” Nikolić said.

“We have put the country in order, we fight corruption, we are working to ensure legal certainty and protection for the citizens. And now, to open new jobs, we need investment in production,” he said.

The president said that he was ready to share responsibility for all measures he agreed with the government, no matter how unpopular and painful they may be at first. “Only responsible moves can secure a better and safer future for Serbian citizens,” Nikolić said.

He said that Serbia would like to be accepted inside the common European household as soon as possible, adding that he was "not envisaging the EU as the Byzantine Empire, which has no nations.”

“It (the EU) is a community of nations that values free market, industrial development, mobility of people and capital. To us, it is a community that will bring us lasting peace,” Nikolić said.

Ashton said that the new prime minister and Serbian government had been given a strong mandate and reforms should start as soon as possible, taking care that vulnerable social groups received proper assistance. Investments will come and we will be there to help you overcome difficulties, Ashton said.

The start of negotiations with the European Union is a huge success for Serbia and all EU member states are supportive of your efforts towards full membership, the European foreign policy chief said.

People's Republic declared in Ukraine's Lugansk

Source: Tanjug

LUGANSK -- Pro-Russian activists in the town of Lugansk in eastern Ukraine on Monday proclaimed "a people's republic," there and sent the authorities in Kiev an ultimatum.

(Beta/AP, file)

They are seeking amnesty from the central Ukrainian government for all participants in the protest movement in the eastern parts of the country, the recognition of Russian as a state language, and the holding of a referendum on the issue of self-determination of regions, reports Voice of Russia.
If these demands are not met by April 29, the activists vowed to take "active steps".

In the town of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region a group of unidentified attackers on Monday seized the local police station, and the city administration building. This is according to a spokesperson for the regional administration, who told Reuters that he "thought the demands were the usual ones: a referendum and a federal system of government."

In Kharkov, several thousand football fans who support the authorities in Kiev attacked about 300 anti-government protesters who were holding a rally. 14 people were injured during the violence, including two police officers. The police made no arrests.

Meanwhile, diplomats of the European Union will on Monday hold an emergency meeting on the worsening situation in Ukraine and about introducing new sanctions against Russia, it has been announced in Brussels.

The meeting was scheduled "because of growing tensions in Ukraine after pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country kidnapped international observers from the OSCE," said a statement.

EU officials will today try to agree on additional measures of sanctions, which will likely include freezing of assets and a ban on entry to the EU for an additional number of Russian officials.

European countries are working on introducing new sanctions against Russia in tandem with the United States and other members of G7 of the most developed world economies, who agreed during the weekend meeting in South Korea to impose new sanctions on Russia because of that country's "intervention in Ukraine."

U.S. sanctions Russians over Ukraine

By Steve Holland and Maria Tsvetkova

WASHINGTON/KOSTYANTYNIVKA, Ukraine Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:50am EDT

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1 
  States froze assets and imposed visa bans on seven powerful Russians close to President Vladimir Putin on Monday and also sanctioned 17 companies in reprisal for Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

President Barack Obama said the moves, which add to measures taken when Russia annexed Crimea last month, were to stop Putin fomenting rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Obama added he was holding broader measures against Russia's economy "in reserve".
Among those sanctioned were Igor Sechin, head of state energy firm Rosneft, and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. A Russian deputy foreign minister was quoted as expressing "disgust" at the White House announcement.

 

 

 

The European Union, with more to lose than Washington from sanctions against Russia, a major energy supplier and trading partner for the EU, is also expected to announce new penalties after member governments reached a deal, diplomats said.
The United States will deny export licenses for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russian military capabilities and will revoke any existing export licenses that meet these conditions, the White House said.
It was the third round of sanctions that the United States has imposed over Crime and troop build-up on the border. All the sanctions have been aimed at individuals and businesses.
"Russia's involvement in the recent violence in eastern Ukraine is indisputable," a White House statement said.
Moscow insists that a rebellion among Russian-speakers in the east against the Kiev authorities which took power after the overthrow of a Kremlin-backed president in February is a home-grown response to a coup and denies having forces on the ground.
HOSTAGE FOREIGNERS
In eastern Ukraine on Monday, pro-Moscow rebels showed no sign of curbing their uprising, seizing public buildings in another town in the east, Kostyantynivka. The high-profile mayor of another eastern city Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest, was fighting for life after being shot while out bicycling.
Germany demanded Russia act to help secure the release of seven unarmed European military monitors, including four Germans, who have been held by the rebels since Friday.
U.S. officials had said the new list would include Putin's "cronies" in the hope of changing his behavior.
Obama said: "The goal is not to go after Mr. Putin personally. The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he's engaging in Ukraine could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul.
"To encourage him to actually walk the walk and not just talk the talk when it comes to diplomatically resolving the crisis in Ukraine."
Nevertheless, such measures have done nothing so far to deter Putin, who overturned decades of post-Cold War diplomacy last month to seize and annex Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and has since massed tens of thousands of troops on the frontier. He acted after Ukraine's pro-Russian president was ousted in February by protesters demanding closer links with Europe.
Moscow has in the past shrugged off targeted sanctions like those Obama announced on Monday as pointless.

Mayor of Kharkov, Ukraine shot in back, hospitalized - press service

Published time: April 28, 2014 09:32
Edited time: April 28, 2014 14:11

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Kharkov Mayor Gennady Kernes (RIA Novosti/Chekachkov Igor)

The mayor of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov, Gennady Kernes, has been shot in the back, the city council’s press service reports. He is currently in serious condition in one of the city’s hospitals.
Kernes was shot while cycling on a road in the north of the city, Yury Sidorenko, of the mayor’s press service, told RT.
“They shot him in the back from the forest,” Kernes’s friend Yury Sapronov said. “The injury is serious. His lung is pierced and his liver pierced all the way through.”
The mayor was taken to the local hospital at about 11:30 am (8:30 GMT) local time.
Following an operation that lasted two hours, Valery Boyko, the surgeon who was treating Kernes, called his condition serious as his diaphragm had been injured. He also said that his interior organs have been damaged and he will remain in serious condition for at least several days.
Boyko said that the doctors had stopped the bleeding, but that Kernes is currently unconscious.
“The operation was performed successfully. Now we rely on God and wish strength to Gennady Kernes,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sidorenko, of mayor’s press service, declined to comment about who was behind the shooting. He only told RT that Kernes “has been recently receiving a lot of threats from various people.”
A shell “allegedly from sniper rifle” was found at the site where the mayor was shot, Irina Kushchenko, from the public relations department of the city’s Executive Committee.
Party of Regions presidential candidate Mikhail Dobkin, a close friend of Kernes, said the gunman used live fire. According to Dobkin, there was a 7.62 mm shell from a Dragunov sniper rifle.

Photo from www.facebook.com/gennadykernes

A mayor of Kharkov since March 2010, Kernes had been a strong supporter of President Viktor Yanukovich right till his ouster in February. Since then he supported the new Ukrainian authorities and kept his position.
The shooting comes a day after ultranationalists clashed with anti-government protesters in the city, leaving 14 people injured.

New administrative division: The people of Himara, prepares for protests

Deadline, is leaving date May 19, in which the Commission at the Administrative Division, will host people opposite version

Himara is an administrative unit comprising, not related infrastructure and ethnic composition proposal

Planetarium Commission for the new administrative division of Albania, has started the process, which will operate for two months , and then will propose to parliament for a vote.

But the specific proposals , is that the Himara Municipality , is involved with an administrative unit, Kuc , which has nothing in common with the Himara Region. The separation specialists, are based on the inclusion of Himara, for nationalistic reasons and not for the particulars of the region, taking into account any historical reference, infrastructure, ethnic and religious .

The first reaction came from NGOs representing the Himara Region. All NGOs in the Diaspora , have expressed through the media , that will organize mass protests, to oppose the inclusion of the Himara Region, as a unit together with abutting the regions have nothing to do with history and ethnic composition of the area . 
Deadline, is leaving date May 19, will also mark a protest in Himara , in the following days , to show determination to stay unique , in the new administrative division, which is provided in the proposed project, but also on the basis of Constitution of Albania.

Ukraine crisis: G7 countries agree to intensify sanctions against Russia

Announcement of new sanctions follows capture of European military observers in Slavyansk by pro-Russian separatists

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• Julian Borger, Luke Harding in Donetsk and agencies
• 
  
• theguardian.com, Saturday 26 April 2014 10.19 BST

Link to video: Ukraine: OSCE observers ‘detained’ in Slavyansk by pro-Russian separatists The leaders of G7 major economies have agreed to intensify sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, with a US official warning some punitive measures could be imposed as early as Monday.
In a statement, the British prime minister, David Cameron, the US president, Barack Obama, the French prime minister, François Hollande, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and counterparts from Italy, Japan, and Canada expressed "deep concern at the continued efforts by separatists backed by Russia to destabilise eastern Ukraine".
They praised the "restraint" of the government in Kiev and the efforts it had made to implement the agreement struck in Geneva earlier this month.
In contrast, Moscow had taken "no concrete actions in support of the Geneva accord" and had not condemned pro-Russia militants or urged them to leave buildings they have been occupying".
The new sanctions will target individuals or companies with influence in specific sectors of the Russian economy such as energy and banking. Washington is expected to announce its sanctions list as early as Monday and the European Union will announce sanctions separately.
The announcement of new sanctions follows the capture of European military observers in Slavyansk on Friday night, by pro-Russian separatists.
The group was operating under the mandate of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and comprised four Germans, a Pole, a Dane, a Swede and a Czech officer. According to the Ukrainian interior ministry, they were being escorted by five members of the Ukrainian armed forces when their bus was seized by separatists.
The ministry said it believed they were being held in the state security service (SBU) building in Slavyansk, which is being occupied by separatists led by a militant leader, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, who has declared himself the city's mayor.
Ponomarev told journalists: "It was reported to me that among them was an employee of the Kiev secret military staff … People who come here as observers for the European community bringing with them a real spy – that is inappropriate."
The G7 sanctions decision came after a conference call between Obama, Cameron, Hollande, Merkel and the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi.
"The leaders also agreed that Russia had not reciprocated – including by not publicly supporting the Geneva accord, nor calling on armed militant groups to lay down their arms and leave the government buildings they've occupied – and had in fact continued to escalate the situation through its increasingly concerning rhetoric and threatening military exercises on Ukraine's border," a White House statement said.
"The president noted that the United States is prepared to impose targeted sanctions to respond to Russia's latest actions."
Downing Street said the leaders had condemned "the absence of any efforts on the part of Russia to support the implementation of the Geneva agreement, and the further efforts to destabilise Ukraine".
The detained European observers were working for a small German-led military monitoring mission invited into the country by the Kiev government under an OSCE mandate. They report back directly to their national capitals, rather than to OSCE headquarters in Vienna.
Russia's envoy to the OSCE said that Russia will do everything to free the monitors. Andre Kelin said: "We think that these people need to be freed as soon as possible. Russia as a member of the OSCE will undertake all possible steps in this matter.".....

more see: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/26/ukraine-crisis-g7-countries-intensify-sanctions-russia

Anti-govt protesters seize TV station in eastern Ukraine, call for own channel

Published time: April 27, 2014 15:52
Edited time: April 27, 2014 19:26

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Activists stand guard outside a regional television station after it was seized by pro-Russian separatists, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo / Alexander Khudoteply)

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Pro-Russian protesters have seized a local state TV station in the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, demanding that Russian TV channels be broadcast there. They also want to launch a “Donetsk People’s Republic” TV channel.
According to media reports, technical work is currently being done at the TV station to restart the transmission of Russian channels. Itar-Tass reports that some Russian TV channels have resumed work in Donetsk.
“Their experts are now setting up equipment on our frequency to broadcast Russian TV channels,” TV station CEO Oleg Dzholos told Ukraine’s Channel 5, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
One of the protesters has told the news agency that “Russia 24” channel is already broadcasting instead of local “Channel 27”.
Protesters have left the building, but still left their security there.
“Nobody freed the TV station – protesters left, but there is our security there as well as our technicians and the station’s crew,” an unnamed man told Interfax-Ukraine.

Masked activists march to seize a regional television station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, home of the local telecommunication antennas and studios of the regional TV station Channel 27, on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo / Anatoliy Stepanov)

It has also been reported that pro-Russian protesters held talks with the TV center's executives to begin broadcasting the “Donetsk People's Republic” television channel.
“There were many demands. First – switch off Ukrainian channels. I explained that we are Donetsk state TV and radio station and from our central control room, there is only our signal. There were experts and they understood me. The following demand was – not a demand, an ultimatum – to switch on, if I am not mistaken, Russia-24 TV channel,” Dzholos said.
So far, all Ukrainian TV channels continue their broadcast.
Protesters entered the TV station late Sunday afternoon, saying they were unsatisfied with the way the situation in the region was covered in local news and shows. Protesters demanded that Ukrainian channels be blocked.
They have taken down the Ukrainian flag from the TV station’s office and hoisted the flag of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. It was also taken down later.

Pro-Russian activists seize a regional television station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo / Anatoliy Stepanov)

Protesters brought satellite antennas and other equipment and placed guards at the entrance to the television center, Itar-Tass reported.
Prior to taking control of the TV station, over 3,000 people gathered at Donetsk's central Lenin Square. Protesters started the rally with one minute's silence to commemorate Berkut Special Forces officers killed in clashes with radicals in Kiev's Independence Square, and activists killed by Right Sector radicals at a checkpoint in Slavyansk on Easter Sunday.
Russian TV channels have been blocked across Ukraine since the beginning of March, after the Ukrainian media watchdog claimed that shutting down Russian TV stations ensured the country’s “national security and sovereignty.”

Pro-Russian activists hold Russian flags and shout slogans during a rally outside a regional television station which was seized by pro-Russian separatists, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo / Alexander Khudoteply)

At least five major Russian channels, including Vesti, Russia-24, Channel One’s international broadcasts, RTR ‘Planeta’ and NTV World were immediately excluded from the list of options by providers throughout Ukraine.
The move was strongly condemned by the OSCE, which called the move “repressive” and “a form of censorship.”

A Ukrainian police officer looks at activists standing guard outside a regional television station after it was seized by pro-Russian separatists, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo / Alexander Khudoteply)

Since then, the situation in Donetsk has deteriorated, with people demanding a referendum on the region’s autonomy from Kiev. Amid massive protests, when a number of government building were stormed and seized by anti-government activists, Kiev launched an “anti-terrorist” military operation targeting rallying civilians.

Masked activists stand guard a regional television station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo / Anatoliy Stepanov)

Greek  Parliament Head Evangelos Meimarakis in Albania

Athens will exert its influence, for that Albania receive candidate status in June this year. This has been the attitude of the Greek parliament leader Evangelos Meimarakis, who arrived in Tirana for an official visit. During the meeting with his counterpart Ilir Meta , the Greek official said Greece supports membership of the Balkan region in the European Union . At the meeting the President of the Greek Parliament with Democratic Party leader Basha, talks focused on bilateral relations and the process of European integration of Albania in the direction of the Presidency of the European Union from Greece . Opposition leader praised Greece's support for NATO membership and free movement of Albanian citizens in the "Schengen". Basha expressed gratitude for the support and wishes during the Greek presidency of the EU, Albania receive candidate status. Greece holds the rotating EU presidency , to her voice as for NATO membership, has a significant weight in decision expected for the status.

Photo of the Day
 
Nicholas Gage, for the Greek American newspaper interview, "The National Herald"  
Northern Epirus and our next steps of the Pan Epirotic Federation of  of USA

West prepares Russia sanctions as Ukraine tensions rise

• Published: 27 Apr 2014 at 10.49
• Online news: World

The US and Europe are set to slap new sanctions on Russia as early as Monday over the crisis in Ukraine where tensions spiked over the kidnapping of a team of international observers.

Volunteers of the Ukrainian battalion "Donbass" stand guard at their camp on the border between Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions on April 26, 2014

US President Barack Obama on Sunday said new international sanctions set to come into force against Russia would send a message that it must stop its "provocation" in eastern Ukraine.
"It is important for us to take further steps sending a message to Russia that these kinds of destabilising activities taking place in Ukraine has to stop," Obama said at a press conference in Malaysia.
Obama spoke a day after G7 nations said that they would impose new sanctions on Russia within days, accusing Moscow of doing nothing to honour an agreement forged in Geneva aimed at easing tensions in Ukraine.
"So long as Russia continues down a path of provocation rather than trying to resolve this issue peacefully and de-escalate it, there are going to be consequences and those consequences will continue to grow," he said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk claimed Russia had violated his country's airspace seven times overnight Friday with an aim "to provoke" Ukraine into starting a war.
US Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Washington was concerned about "provocative" troop movements along Russia's border with Ukraine and its support for the separatists, which he said "are undermining stability, security and unity in Ukraine".
Yatsenyuk cut short a visit to the Vatican as concern grew that the tens of thousands of Russian troops conducting military drills on the border could soon be ordered to invade.
But Moscow denied any transgression by its warplanes, with Lavrov calling for "urgent measures" to calm the crisis, which has plunged East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War.
A Western diplomat warned: "We no longer exclude a Russian military intervention in Ukraine in the coming days."
The diplomatic source noted that Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, "has been recalled urgently to Moscow" for consultations.
- 'Human shield' -
Meanwhile, international efforts were underway to secure the release of a 13-member mission from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe held hostage by pro-Russian militants in the flashpoint city of Slavyansk.
The chief of the insurgents' self-styled "Republic of Donetsk", Denis Pushilin, accused them of being "NATO spies" and said they would only be released in a prisoner swap for militants detained by Ukrainian forces.
As indignant Western powers demanded their release, Russia's envoy to the OSCE said Moscow would "take all possible steps in this case".
"We believe that these people should be released as soon as possible," said Andrei Kelin, Russia's envoy.
Russian's foreign ministry added that Moscow was "taking measures" to resolve the situation, but blamed the Ukrainian authorities for the hostage crisis.
"They were invited by the Ukrainian authorities" and their safety "rests fully with the receiving side", the foreign ministry in Moscow said.
The OSCE observers were sent to Ukraine to monitor an April 17 accord signed in Geneva between Russia, Ukraine, the US and EU that was meant to take the heat out of the crisis in the ex-Soviet republic.
An OSCE spokeswoman at the group's Vienna headquarters told AFP there were eight monitors from the mission: four Germans, a Dane, a Pole, a Swede and a Czech.
Poland and the Czech Republic both strongly condemned the kidnapping and urged "all parties involved in the conflict to undertake the necessary steps" for their release.
The monitors were accompanied by five Ukrainian army personnel, said Kiev's defence ministry.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Yatsenyuk said the detention was "unbelievable and unacceptable".
"This is another proof and evidence that these so-called peaceful protesters with Russian ideas are terrorists," he said.
Ukraine's own secret services said one of those detained "urgently" needed medical help.
The hostages were being held in "inhuman conditions" and were likely to be used as "a human shield effectively terrorising the whole international community", said the Kiev authorities.
- Fresh sanctions -
As the West and Russia traded barbs, the G7 group agreed on the need for further sanctions on the government of President Vladimir Putin.
In a joint statement, the G7 consisting of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US said it would "move swiftly to impose additional sanctions on Russia".
"These sanctions will be coordinated and complementary, but not necessarily identical. US sanctions could come as early as Monday," a senior US administration official said.
The US and EU have already targeted Putin's inner circle with visa and asset freezes and imposed sanctions on a key Russian bank.
US officials said the next round would target "individuals with influence on the Russian economy, such as energy and banking" and could be bolstered if the situation escalated.
EU sources in Brussels said senior diplomats from the 28-member European bloc would also hold talks Monday to consider new sanctions.
An EU diplomat said a list adding 15 people to the 55 Russians and Ukrainians already blacklisted by the EU had been approved in principle.
- 'Choose a peaceful resolution' -
The crisis heightened after Russia refused to accept the legitimacy of Kiev's new pro-EU government, which came to power after four months of street protests forced the ouster of the Kremlin-backed president, Viktor Yanukovych.
Last month, Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula after deploying troops, sparking international outrage.
While Obama has ruled out sending US or NATO forces into Ukraine, Washington has begun deploying 600 US troops to bolster NATO's defences in nearby eastern European states.
Ukraine has stepped up its offensive against insurgents it claims are supported by Moscow, who have seized towns in the east of the country.

"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.
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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 of the day

Deputy U.S. Ambassador in Albania, Henry V. Jardine, during a Bike-tour in Southern Albania, is stopped, in Porto Palermo, Kiparo in Himara Region. Many residents have complained to the Albanian state, which are being robbed properties, favoring oligarchy and the Albanian mafia.

Greece pressures Germany on WWII reparations

Struggling through a continued economic downturn, Greece has reopened the debate on German reparations. John Psaropoulos Last updated: 26 Apr 2014 10:21

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

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A Ukrainian military helicopter flies near the village of Malinivka, east of Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine April 25, 2014 (Reuters / Baz Ratner)

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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.

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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

By Thomas Grove

SLAVIANSK, Ukraine Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:10pm BST

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Mediators held in Ukraine as U.S. readies new Russia sanctions

Ukraine tensions mount, sanctions in focus

A war of words in Ukraine

Credit: Reuters/Gleb Garanich

(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

Published time: April 26, 2014 13:56

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American soldiers stand on the tarmac after arriving at the air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26, 2014. (AFP Photo/Petras Malukas)

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.

US soldiers walk at the airport after arriving at the air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26, 2014. (AFP Photo/Petras Malukas)

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.

Lithuanian soldiers and US soldiers stand in front of an aircraft of the US air force at the air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26, 2014. (AFP Photo/Petras Malukas)

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.

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)

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• Temporary

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.

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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 Carloway Appeal 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."