30.9.2007 by CrniLabudovi.

Serbia may gain EU candidate status in 2008

30/09/2007

BELGRADE, Serbia — Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country will assume the EU’s rotating presidency on January 1st 2008, is proposing that Serbia should gain official candidate status during the first half of next year, provided it meets all the conditions. He reportedly made the suggestion in a letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. (Jutarnji list, RTRS, SRNA - 30/09/07)

Setimes

Slowenien übernimmt die EU Präsidentschaft Anfang Januar und auf diesen Wege, will der wohl mächtigste Befürworter im Balkan einer Serbischen EU Mitgliedschaft die traurigen Kapitel und Fehler der Vergangenheit bewältigen.

Das ist im übrigen seit langem der echte Experten Tip, die Probleme des Kosovo ebenso zu beenden und man hätte es vor 8 Jahren machen sollen.

Slowenien macht da wirklich einen Klasse Job, das Serbien alle Chancen hat.

Jetzt hat praktisch Serbien eine feste Zussage auf EU Mitgliedschaft, sobald die Kriterien erfüllt sind.

EU says Serbia will join bloc after meeting accession criteria

02/10/2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Serbia can enter the EU when it meets the accession criteria, says Johannes Laitenberger, the spokesman for European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Laitenberger was responding on Monday (October 1st) to a letter from Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who urged all EU members to grant Serbia EU candidate status during Slovenia’s EU presidency, during the second half of 2008.

Serbia’s prospects were discussed this week during a meeting between EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and UN war crimes chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte. Laitenberger added that although Serbia had progressed well in talks on its Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, the tribunal’s opinion about whether Serbia has started to co-operate effectively would be decisive. (Danas, EUobserver - 02/10/07; Tanjug - 01/10/07)

Setimes

Geschrieben in Balkan (Englisch), Balkan | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

30.9.2007 by admin.

30/09/2007

ATHENS, Greece — The Greek border police have arrested 69 illegal immigrants and seven others suspected of attempting to smuggle them into the country. According to a police statement released on Saturday (September 29th), the group attempted to cross the Evros river from Turkey. The immigrants were described as men from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq and Sri Lanka.

The Greek coast guard meanwhile detained 187 illegal aliens on the islands of Lesvos, Kos, Folegandros and Samos. They told the police that they had been taken by boat from Turkey and had each paid 2,000 euros for the trip. (AFP, Kathimerini - 28/09/07)

Geschrieben in Balkan (Englisch) | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

30.9.2007 by admin.

UN-Tribunal

Haftstrafen wegen Massakers in Vukovar

Neben Mrkši (l.) wurde auch dessen Gehilfe Sljivancanin verurteilt

27. September 2007 
Das Kriegsverbrechertribunal der Vereinten Nationen für das ehemalige Jugoslawien hat am Donnerstag den früheren serbischen Militärbefehlshaber Mile Mrkši zu 20 Jahren Haft wegen Mords und Folter im Fall des Massakers von Vukovar verurteilt. Der Offizier Veselin Sljivancanin wurde wegen desselben Massakers wegen Folter zu fünf Jahren Haft verurteilt. Der Offizier Miroslav Radi wurde freigesprochen.

Die Angeklagten waren Befehlshaber in der sogenannten Jugoslawischen Volksarmee (JNA), die zum Zeitpunkt der Belagerung der kroatischen Donaustadt Vukovar im Herbst 1991 de facto schon eine serbische Armee war. Mrkši stammt aus Kroatien, Sljivancanin aus Montenegro und der freigesprochene Radi aus Serbien. Der Angriff auf Vukovar war Teil des serbischen Vertreibungskrieges gegen die kroatische Bevölkerung.

Vukovar im Jahr 1991

Vor Ausbruch des Krieges waren mehr als 43 Prozent der Bevölkerung in der knapp 85.000 Einwohner zählenden Gemeinde Vukovar Kroaten. Serben stellten laut der letzten Vorkriegsvolkszählung knapp 38 Prozent, etwa sieben Prozent bezeichneten sich als Jugoslawen. Nach dem Fall Vukovars wurde die kroatische Bevölkerung aus der Stadt vertrieben.

Belagert, beschossen, eingenommen

….

FAZ

Geschrieben in Geschichte - History | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

30.9.2007 by CrniLabudovi.

Wahhabism tightening grip over Kosovo

Ahtisaari’s plan for independence may help terrorism flourish

É slam has flourished in the Balkans over the centuries with a peaceful and modern outlook but over the last decade, especially now with the talk of Kosovo independence, there are questions being raised about the external influence in once-tranquil religious relations.
Wahhabism, a fundamental form of Islam with origins in Saudi Arabia has been rearing its ugly head of intolerance in the Balkans starting from Bosnia a decade ago. With the recent manifestation of its hardcore modus operandi in Kosovo, which has more than a 90 percent Muslim population, the ongoing impact of Wahhabism demands serious attention. First, let’s look at origins of Wahhabism. …………………. the Saudi ruling family in 1980s decided to export this home-grown militancy to Afghanistan to fight Soviets and the rest is history.
Today, Wahhabism needs new breeding grounds along with training and survival fields. It will not be long after the “independence” of Kosovo that the Kosovoan version, of “Muttawa,” the religious police since 1926 of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia that enforces prayer five times a day, monitors mobile SMS and arrests women for failing to cover themselves completely, will be a reality on the streets of Kosovo. One look at the local media reports in Kosovo and neighbouring arena will suffice to convince any sceptic about the dangers of Wahhabism form of Islam. The UN and Kosovo police in the southern part of the divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica on September 19 arrested one of the leaders of the Wahhabite movement in southern Serbia and Kosovo, according to local media reports.
According to these reports the arrested man was Bajram Aslani, allegedly the main Kosovo connection with the recentlyarrested Wahhabi group in Novi Pazar, Southern Serbia. The local reports suggested that the Belgrade Special prosecution for Organised crime on September 14 pressed charges against a group of 15 Wahhabites from Novi Pazar for terrorism and unlawful possession of arms.
Some of the defendants were arrested near Novi Pazar on March 16 and large quantities of weapons, ammunition and explosives were found during the operation. Moreover, in late April reports stated that in the village of Donja Trnava near Novi Pazar, the police had a clash with two Wahabis, which resulted in the killing of one of them, Ismail Prentic, and the wounding of one police officer.
Two recent explicit cases involving Wahhabis in Kosovo can be put forward in addition to every day media reports of Wahhabis being arrested, exchanging fire with law-enforcing agencies or simply taking over mosques that have been there for hundreds of years in Turkish style and converting them to conform to Wahhabi way of architecture and worship. The first case is in the Gazimestan area which has historic values with a famous medieval battlefield dating back to 1389, stretching from Pristina to Mitrovica. In addition to the remains of Serbian Prince Lazar and Ottoman Sultan Murad, there in the vicinity are two shrines called “Turbe” existing for hundreds of years and have never got disturbed until recently when these were vandalised.
According to local reliable sources who wanted to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, it was allegedly the work of Wahhabis as they believe tombs should not be kept as shrines. The allegations are strengthened by the fact that even in Saudi Arabia there have been such cases like the Jannatul- Baqi, the famous cemetery in Medina, also known as the “Tree garden of Heaven,” which is alleged to have been destroyed in order to keep up with the Wahhabi ideal of not worshipping graves.
Another important case that did stir strong local resentment happened in Prizren, an old historic town that has a history of multiethnic population represented by an Orthodox Church, a Catholic Church and a Mosque, more than 350 years old from the days of Ottoman Empire. According to local sources, the mosque was getting refurbished with Saudi money and the new Imam allegedly preaches Wahhabism. The local Muslim population is disgruntled with the actions of the new Imam who without consultations first made living quarters for himself as an extension of the ancient Mosque and then replaced “irreplaceable” decorative wooden work on the inside ceiling and other parts with new aluminium frames thus the Mosque lost forever its historic heritage.
Another practice that is prevalent in Kosovo today is Wahhabis allegedly paying poor people to wear visible signs of Islam. According to local sources the alleged rate today varies from 100 Euro to 300 Euro per month depending on how much of face or body is covered in Islamic clothing.
Money talks and it sure does as is evident with its contribution to the replacement of moderate Islam in Kosovo with the financing of “Islamic studies” trips for youngsters. After a stint of such religious learning abroad in Saudi Arabia or Egypt, lasting around six to 12 months, the youngsters upon returning back in Kosovo sport Islamic beards and robes instead of their jeans.
Watching those alarming signs in Kosovo, socio-religious pundits and political observers warn that slow but steady moderate Islam with its Turkish roots is on its way out and with the talk of independence in Kosovo picking up, soon the days when girls sport western clothes will be history. The mix of Saudi Wahhabism with their oil money is proving dangerous to the world.
The question that comes to mind is: Was it a coincidence that 15 of the 19 hijackers of September 11 terrorist attacks on the US were Saudi citizens and so is the mastermind Osama bin Laden? In a Catch- 22 situation, the West is financing for spread of fundamental Islam in the form of Wahhabism which will boomerang to hurt them. By supporting the UN envoy for Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari’s plan for Kosovo’s independence, many Western governments are unwittingly working to carve out a safe haven for criminality and fundamentalist Islam in the heart of Europe.
It’s time to rethink Kosovo independence: another Taliban in the making and this time right in the heart of European Continent from where it will be easier not only to strike in Europe but also travel across the Atlantic

http://www.neurope.eu/articles/78326.php

Geschrieben in Kultur, Balkan (Englisch), Balkan | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »