From info at balkan-info.net Tue Oct 24 16:46:46 2000 From: info at balkan-info.net (info at balkan-info.net) Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 16:46:46 Subject: [Prizren-l] News Summary - 24 October 2000 Message-ID: <713.653298.686762@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) From dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de Sat Oct 28 14:30:06 2000 From: dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de (Divi Beineke) Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 20:30:06 +0200 Subject: [Prizren-l] TË LIROHEN MENJËHERË TË BURGOSURIT - EMAIL CAMPAIGN - RELEASE PRISONERS NOW! Message-ID: <39FB1B2E.48FD2BB6@osnabrueck.netsurf.de> A-PAL AND FRIENDS NEED YOU!! JOIN THE EMAIL ACTION CAMPAIGN!! VISIT: http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/ RELEASE PRISONERS NOW! T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT! As there are 878 Kosova-albanian prisoners wrongly detained in serbian prisons, we start this EMAIL-ACTION. Right now there are still 877 Kosova-albanian prisoners in serbian jails. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! We would like to gather as many email-senders as there are prisoners left in serbian jails. At this moment there are 38 members taking part in this action, sending one email a day to foreign-ministers, prime-ministers and other politicians all over the world. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THIS ACTION, PLEASE CHOOSE THE LANGUAGE YOU PREFER: SHQIP (akoma jo, s? shpejti!) ENGLISH http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/ DEUTSCH (wird bald folgen!) From info at balkan-info.net Mon Oct 30 18:41:56 2000 From: info at balkan-info.net (info at balkan-info.net) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 18:41:56 Subject: [Prizren-l] News Summary-30 October Message-ID: <718.693696.727021@balkan-info.net> The following is a summary of international news and information related from Southeast Europe and carried on the Balkan Information Exchange Web site. For more information, click here: http://www.balkan-info.com. Kosovo Vote Goes Smoothly, LDK In Lead Pristina- More than 80 percent of Kosovo?s citizens voted in the 28 October municipal elections, in what international officials deemed a successful and largely calm day at the polls, wire services reported. The Kosovo Democratic League (LDK), led by Ibrahim Rugova, said they were ahead in 17 of 18 municipalities, citing unofficial results after 70 percent of the vote was counted. Kosovo Serbs boycotted the polls, claiming the elections were undemocratic because Serbs and other Kosovo minorities ?don't have conditions to live safely, let alone vote,? Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic said, AP reported. In a statement, Yugoslav President Kostunica agreed, calling the elections invalid. (DPA, AFP, AP ? 30/10/00) Yugoslav Authorities Will Pardon Political Prisoners Belgrade- Yugoslav authorities are planning to pardon and release all political prisoners in a move meant to symbolise the break from the rule of Slobodan Milosevic, Reuters reported, citing the state-run Tanjug news agency. ?Amnesty should mark a discontinuity with the previous repressive regime and the beginning of a period of confidence our society is entering,? Belgrade University law professor Stevan Lilic said, according to Tanjug. (Reuters, Tanjug ? 29/10/00) Balkan Leaders Call For More Change In Yugoslavia Sofia- Balkan leaders issued a statement demanding the new Yugoslav authorities continue efforts to move towards democracy, Reuters reported. ?We, the prime ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia and Romania?expect that a genuine change in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will remove the political system that former president (Slobodan) Milosevic has created,? joint statement said, according to Reuters. The leaders also urged for the restoration of rights of minorities in Yugoslavia. (Reuters ? 29/10/00) Kosovo Serbs Stone French Peacekeepers Pristina- Kosovo Serbs stoned French gendarmes taking part in an anti-crime sweep in the central Kosovo village of Priluzje, Reuters reported. ?The gendarmes began a search operation in the village with the intent to detain an individual for suspected criminal behaviour. Some Serbs gathered and threw stones, which injured two French soldiers,? KFOR spokesman Major Steven Shappell said, according to Reuters. (Reuters ? 29/10/00) Bulgarian Muslims Choose New Mufti Sofia- Bulgarian Muslims elected Selim Mumun Mehmed as the new mufti, or head cleric, according to AFP. Mehmed said his priorities would be religious education and employment for Muslims. ?The problem with the Bulgarian Muslims is that they do not know their religion,? Mehmed said, according to AFP. (AFP ? 28/10/00) Council Of Europe Praises Kosovo Elections Strasbourg- The Council of Europe applauded the large turnout in the municipal elections in Kosovo, AFP reported. ?The very high turn-out was a great sign for democracy in Kosovo, with queues throughout the day in polling stations,? the Council of Europe said in a statement, according to AFP. (AFP ? 29/10/00) Montenegro Will Not Stop Yugoslavia U.N. Entry Podgorica- Montenegro said it would not block efforts by the international community to have the Yugoslav federation rejoin the United Nations, AP reported. (AP ? 29/10/00) Montenegro To Create Independent Central Bank Bologna- In an effort to assume complete control over its monetary policy, Montenegro is setting up a central bank that will be independent from Serbia, Reuters reported. ?The government has already prepared a bill on the central bank. Over the next ten days, parliament will discuss the proposal and after that we expect the bill to be approved. We don?t expect any delays,? Montenegrin Finance Minister Miroslav Ivanisevic said, according to Reuters. (Reuters ? 28/10/00) SPO Threatens To End Participation in Government Belgrade- The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) suspended its participation in the interim Serbian government and said it would end its work in the cabinet unless the head of the secret service, the chief prosecutor and the chairman of the supreme court resigned, DPA reported (DPA ? 28/10/00) Bulgaria Makes Progress Towards EU Membership Sofia- Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov said his country should end EU membership negotiations by 2006, noting Bulgaria?s biggest challenges remain poverty and economic growth, Reuters reported. Kostov, speaking at an international forum on European enlargement, said Bulgaria has made great strides in bolstering the security of its borders. (Reuters ? 27/10/00)