29.5.2007 by Lupo.

Russia denies report of deal with West on Kosovo

Reuters
Tuesday, May 29, 2007; 1:02 PM

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia’s U.N. ambassador denied on Tuesday that Moscow and Western powers had reached a compromise on the future of the U.N.-run Serbian province of Kosovo, dismissing a report in a Croatian newspaper.

“These reports are not true,” Vitaly Churkin told reporters, referring to a story in Monday’s edition of the daily Jutarnji List.

The paper quoted sources “close to the Russian leadership” as saying Russia would not veto a Western-backed U.N. resolution granting Kosovo effective independence, in return for a two-year moratorium on Kosovo U.N. membership.

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority is impatient for independence after eight years of United Nations stewardship, and has the backing of the United States and its European allies.

Serbia rejects a breakaway and has enlisted the aid of Russia, which has hinted it could veto the resolution being pushed by Western powers.

Referring to what he called “wild speculations,” Churkin said: “Things are exactly where they were yesterday or the day before yesterday … As far as those fundamental differences (between Russia and the West) are concerned, they have not changed at all.”

Because of the deadlock, the Western sponsors of the resolution have temporarily put it on ice and are not expected to return to it until after a Group of Eight summit in Germany next month.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn…052901009.html

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29.5.2007 by Lupo.

29. Mai 2007
18:25

Geheimliste über Kriegsverbrechen
Kroatische Minister genannt - Serbische Freischärler verhaftet
Zagreb - Zwei ehemalige Minister, vier pensionierte Generäle und der Chef des kroatischen Geheimdienstes haben laut der Geheimliste des Haager Tribunals zusammen mit den bereits angeklagten kroatischen Generälen Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak und Mladen Markac im Jahr 1995 eine “Verbrecherorganisation” geplant, um Serben aus Kroatien zu vertreiben. Das berichteten kroatische Medien heute, Dienstag.

Auf der Liste stehen der ehemalige Minister für Wiederaufbau, Jure Radic, Ex-Innenminister Ivan Jarnjak, Geheimdienst-Chef Markica Rebic und die Generäle Mate Lausic, Miljenko Crnjac, Rahim Ademi und Mirko Norac.

Cermak, Markac und Gotovina werden Verbrechen gegen serbische Zivilisten während und nach der Operation “Sturm” im August 1995 vorgeworfen. Das Haager Tribunal kann gegen die “neuen” sieben mutmaßlichen Mitglieder der Verbrecherorganisation keine Anklage erheben und auch Kroatien nicht anordnen, eine Anklage zu erheben. In Serbien sind indes am Montag sieben Personen festgenommen worden, denen Kriegsverbrechen in einem ostkroatischen Dorf 1991 angelastet werden. Laut dem Sender B-92 geht es um Angehörige von zwei ehemaligen Freischärler- und Milizengruppen, “Beli Orlovi” (Weiße Adler) und “Car Dusan Silni” (Kaiser Dusan Mächtige), die sich des Todes von 22 kroatischen Zivilisten und der Misshandlung einer größeren Personenzahl schuldig gemacht hätten.

Die Einwohner des Dorfes Lovas an der kroatischen Grenze zu Serbien wurden im Oktober 1991 von serbischen Milizen in ein Minenfeld getrieben, wo viele ums Leben kamen. (APA/DER STANDARD, Printausgabe, 30.05.2007)

29. Mai 2007

Geheimliste über Kriegsverbrechen [1]

http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2897847

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29.5.2007 by Lupo.

Romanian film wins Palme D’Or

29/05/2007

Cristian Mungiu’s triumph at Cannes is being hailed as a breakthrough for talented young directors in Eastern Europe.

By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest – 29/05/07
photo

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu.

In an unprecedented milestone for Romanian cinema, Cristian Mungiu has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His movie “Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days” beat out 21 other feature films, directed by such luminaries as the Coen brothers, Quentin Tarantino and Emir Kusturica.

“For me it’s like a story,” said Mungiu, who produced, wrote and directed the winning entry. “One year ago I wasn’t even thinking about this project, and six months ago I didn’t even have the money.”

“This trophy is good news for the low-budget movies without stars,” he added, after being handed the award Sunday (May 27th) night by American actress Jane Fonda. Mungiu’s movie, shot on a budget of 600,000 euros, is set during the rule of the late communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu — a time when abortion was outlawed. A student named Gabita, played by Laura Vasiliu, is seeking to end an unwanted pregnancy. With the help of her best friend, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca), she finds a doctor who is willing to perform the illegal operation, but he wants sex in exchange. The movie focuses on Otilia’s efforts to deal with the situation.

In addition to the Palme d’Or, Mungiu won the International Critics’ Award, granted by the jury of the International Federation of Film Press, and the National Education Award, awarded annually to a movie for its pedagogical contribution. His film will open the Transylvania International Film Festival in Sibiu on Friday.

On Monday, Romanian President Traian Basescu awarded the national order Romanian Star, in the rank of Commander, on Mungiu “for his contribution, by which he asserted himself, as an exponent of the young generation of Romanian directors, to promoting the national cinematography worldwide”.

Basescu also awarded a posthumous decoration to Christian Nemescu, a young director who died in a Bucharest car crash in August 2006. Nemescu’s last film, “California Dreamin’”, won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2007 Cannes festival.

International media reports are describing Mungiu’s triumph as marking the emergence of Romania as a new star of European cinema. London’s Times hailed what it called the “triumph of realism at Cannes”, while France’s Liberation said the Romanian film industry “is beginning to revive from the apocalypse, not only aesthetically, but also financially”.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com

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