[ABE-Forum] News Summary - 24 October 2000

[info at balkan-info.net]

The following are the highlights of the news from Southeast Europe and the Balkans.  For additional news and information on this region, please visit http://WWW.BALKAN-INFO.COM.

Germany To Donate DM One Million To Kosovo
Berlin- Germany pledged DM one million for Kosovo to foster an end to ethnic violence in the province, AFP reported, citing the German foreign ministry.  German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer made the  offering of aid to the head of the Serbian Orthodox church Bishop Artemije, following a meeting with him in Kosovo.  According to the foreign ministry, the money will be used for projects that promote reconciliation between Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.  (AFP – 23/10/00)


Independent Commission Calls For Kosovo Independence
United Nations- An independent commission called for independence for Kosovo, saying it was “not realistic to expect the Albanians in Kosovo to accept rule from Belgrade,” AFP reported.  The commission, chaired by South African judge Richard Goldstone, said the right of Kosovo to be independent would be based on the fulfilment of a number of conditions including the establishment of a democratic constitution, sufficient assurances for the safety of Kosovo’s minorities and the return of Serbs who fled Kosovo last year.  The commission presented a 372-page report on its findings to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. (AFP – 23/10/00)


Rocket hits Serb Apartments in Pristina
Pristina- A rocket propelled grenade struck a block of Serb apartments in Pristina. "There were no casualties, but this was a cowardly attack against Serbs in Pristina," Time Pearce of the British KFOR contingent said. The attack occurred five days before Kosovo's municipal elections.  (Reuters – 23/10/00)

Balkans Summit to Address EU Integration
Skopje- Heads of state and premiers from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia will meet in Skopje on 25 October to discuss peace and development issues in the region, AFP reported.  The informal group, known as the Initiative for Co-operation in Southeast Europe, will also address the integration of the region’s countries into the European Union.  (AFP – 23/10/00)


Bosnian Croat Politicians Protest OSCE Ruling
Sarajevo- Bosnian Croat political parties voiced  objection to a recent OSCE ruling that all members of parliament in the Moslem-Croat federation could vote for any delegate in the upper house, regardless of ethnicity, according to Reuters. The OSCE is co-ordinating the 11 November ballot.  In the past, Moslems and Croats were permitted to vote only for members of their own ethnic background.  The nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said the ruling was anti-constitutional.  (Reuters – 23/10/00)


U.N. Official Sees Belgrade, Sarajevo Ties Improving
Sarajevo- Wolfgang Petritsch, the U.N. high representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, hailed the recent meeting between Yugoslav and Bosnian officials, AFP reported.  “It is now basically a technical process that has actually started yesterday when Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic met with the president” of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica,” Petritsch said.  (AFP – 23/10/00)


Bulgarian President Calls For Broad Coalition	   
Sofia- Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov called on the ruling centre-right Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) to take measures to put together a broader coalition following next year’s parliamentary ballot, Reuters reported.  “We all agreed that a broader coalition would give Bulgaria better possibilities to meet the challenges of the EU talks,” Stoyanov said, Reuters reported.  (Reuters 23/10/00)


Roma Officials Call For Improved Security
Warsaw- The International Romani Union and Roma National Congress called on the international community to  protect Roma communities and individuals  from attacks by neo-Nazis. (AFP – 23/10/00)