Με έναρξη πολεμικών επιχειρήσεων από τον UCC στο εσωτερικό της
Ελλάδας απειλεί ο πρόεδρος του κινήματος για τη "Μεγάλη Αλβανία",
Αλβανός Κότσο Ντανάϊ υποστηρίζοντας ότι "Η εμπόλεμη κατάσταση η οποία
δεν έχει αρθεί από την Ελλάδα για την Αλβανία, δεν δημιουργεί ζημιές
στην Αλβανία, αλλά, απειλεί να αποσταθεροποιήσει την ίδια την Ελλάδα.
Διατηρώντας αυτόν τον παράλογο νόμο με την Αλβανία, σε μια εποχή που η
Ελλάδα και η Αλβανία είναι μέλη του ΝΑΤΟ, η ελληνική πολιτική και
διπλωματία δίνει τη θέση της στην αποσταθεροποίηση. Ο καθένας
αντιλαμβάνεται ότι η εμπόλεμη κατάσταση που διατηρείται μεταξύ των δύο
χωρών, σημαίνει τη χρήση των μέσων του πολέμου".
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Βαλκάνια. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Βαλκάνια. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Πέμπτη 6 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012
Τετάρτη 1 Φεβρουαρίου 2012
Kosovo Seeks Full Independence in 2012
Kosovo's parliament has adopted a resolution calling for the international community to permit full independence by the end of this year.Four years after seceding from Serbia, Kosovo’s parliament has adopted a resolution calling for an end to "internationally supervised" independence at the end of 2012, pledging to meet all obligations needed to reach this goal.
In vote the vote, 83 MPs voted for and 13 against a resolution tabled by Hashim Thaci's ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, at an extraordinary session called on Tuesday.Prime Minister Thaci said adoption of the resolution marked the beginning of a new phase for Kosovo.
“Kosovo enters a new era,” he said, calling on the international community to set the benchmarks and priorities for the work needed to be done in implementing the remaining provisions of the Comprehensive Kosovo Status Settlement Proposal, known as the Ahtisaari Plan.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. Since then 86 states, including 22 EU member states and the US, have recognized it. But as part of the independence process, the country has remained under a form of international monitoring.
The group of 25 member states, known as the “Friends of Kosovo”, met last week Vienna, and announced that preparations for winding up these activities will start soon.
The International Steering Group, the body tasked with overseeing Kosovo's supervised independence, has endorsed a twin-track strategy for the beginning of the end of the process, asking for more guarantees from the Kosovo government in such fields as decentralization, community rights, cultural heritage and dealing with the past.
Pieter Feith, the International Civilian Representative in charge of implementation of the Ahtisaari plan, said adoption of the resolution by the Assembly set out the next steps needed to reach the objective. He welcomed signs of a political consensus on beginning constitutional amendments.
“If a national consensus is maintained throughout, this will send a powerful message about the sustainability of the reforms and their implementation, thus enhancing Kosovo’s international reputation and credibility as a modern European state,” he said.
The ISG has reiterated that the Ahtisaari Plan's core principles of strengthening transparent, legitimate local democracy, and respecting community rights and identities, provide the best model for the future of the troubled, Serb-run northern municipalities of Kosovo.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/
Δευτέρα 30 Ιανουαρίου 2012
Karadzic Wants Greek President Questioned
Accused asks for subpoena to get Karolos Papoulias to disclose "relevant and necessary" information.By Rachel Irwin - International Justice - ICTY
TRI Issue 726,
27 Jan 12
Former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic this week asked judges to subpoena the current president of Greece so he can be interviewed by the accused’s defence team.
In the written request filed on January 26, Karadzic asserts that he met Karolos Papoulias, Greece’s president since 2005 and its foreign minister during most of the Bosnian war, ten days after a mortar attack on Sarajevo’s Markale market on February 5, 1994. The attack killed more than 60 people and injured over 100.
During his trial, Karadzic has repeatedly claimed that this attack was staged by the Bosnian government itself, and that bodies found at the scene were “dummies and old corpses”. He is challenging previous tribunal findings that the mortar shell was fired from Bosnian Serb-controlled territory.
In the request, Karadzic argues that he met with Papoulias on February 15, 1994, he informed him that “the Bosnian Serbs had not been responsible for the shell that landed on Markale market”.
In the same meeting, Karadzic said that he told the then Greek foreign minister that “the Serbs were ready to place some of their heavy weapons under UN control”.
The accused goes on to outline several other discussions he had with Papoulias during the course of the war, among other things concerning UN personnel who were taken hostage in 1995, and Karadzic’s desire for a “peace process”.
“There is ample reason to believe that President Papoulias has information which is relevant and necessary to Dr. Karadzic’s defence against charges that he was responsible for the Markale-1 shelling, that he was part of joint criminal enterprise against Muslims in 1994 and 1995, and that he was responsible for ‘hostage taking’ of UN personnel in May 1995,” the request states.
“Markale-1” refers to the February 1994 attack; a second mortar bombardment hit the same location in August 2005.
In previous communications between the Karadzic defence team and the government of Greece, President Papoulias has indicated that “he has no intention to satisfy the request of Dr. Karadzic” for an interview. The accused argues that a subpoena is therefore necessary.
Karadzic was arrested in July 2008 after 13 years on the run. Witness testimony in his trial, which is still ongoing, began in April 2010. The accused is representing himself in the courtroom.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/karadzic-wants-greek-president-questioned
In the written request filed on January 26, Karadzic asserts that he met Karolos Papoulias, Greece’s president since 2005 and its foreign minister during most of the Bosnian war, ten days after a mortar attack on Sarajevo’s Markale market on February 5, 1994. The attack killed more than 60 people and injured over 100.
During his trial, Karadzic has repeatedly claimed that this attack was staged by the Bosnian government itself, and that bodies found at the scene were “dummies and old corpses”. He is challenging previous tribunal findings that the mortar shell was fired from Bosnian Serb-controlled territory.
In the request, Karadzic argues that he met with Papoulias on February 15, 1994, he informed him that “the Bosnian Serbs had not been responsible for the shell that landed on Markale market”.
In the same meeting, Karadzic said that he told the then Greek foreign minister that “the Serbs were ready to place some of their heavy weapons under UN control”.
The accused goes on to outline several other discussions he had with Papoulias during the course of the war, among other things concerning UN personnel who were taken hostage in 1995, and Karadzic’s desire for a “peace process”.
“There is ample reason to believe that President Papoulias has information which is relevant and necessary to Dr. Karadzic’s defence against charges that he was responsible for the Markale-1 shelling, that he was part of joint criminal enterprise against Muslims in 1994 and 1995, and that he was responsible for ‘hostage taking’ of UN personnel in May 1995,” the request states.
“Markale-1” refers to the February 1994 attack; a second mortar bombardment hit the same location in August 2005.
In previous communications between the Karadzic defence team and the government of Greece, President Papoulias has indicated that “he has no intention to satisfy the request of Dr. Karadzic” for an interview. The accused argues that a subpoena is therefore necessary.
Karadzic was arrested in July 2008 after 13 years on the run. Witness testimony in his trial, which is still ongoing, began in April 2010. The accused is representing himself in the courtroom.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/karadzic-wants-greek-president-questioned
Κυριακή 29 Ιανουαρίου 2012
Η Αυτοδιάθεση του Κοσόβου
Λίγα χρόνια μετά την έκδοση του ψηφίσματος 1244 του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας του ΟΗΕ, την επέμβαση του ΝΑΤΟ και ιδιαίτερα μετά τη μονομερή ανακήρυξη της ανεξαρτησίας του Κοσόβου, εμφανίστηκε ένα κίνημα που προήγαγε τη λεγόμενη «αυτοδιάθεση» με την έννοια της επιλογής για το πόσο ο λαός του Κοσόβου έχει το δικαίωμα να ζήσει στη δική του χώρα.Δεν θα μπορούσε να έχει καλύτερο όνομα από αυτό της έννοιας που εξυπηρετεί. Και δεν θα μπορούσε να έχει καλύτερο καθοδηγητή από έναν νεαρό φοιτητή, τον Αλμπίν Κούρτι, ο οποίος και ξεκίνησε με γκράφιτι στους τοίχους της Πρίστινας και των άλλων πόλεων γράφοντας «Vetëvendosje» (Αυτοδιάθεση στα αλβανικά).
Πέτυχε να αγγίξει το νέο κόσμο, άνεργοι οι περισσότεροι που αναζητούσαν κάποια ανατρεπτική ιδεολογία να τους αναπτερώσει το ηθικό και να συνεχίζουν να τρέφουν ελπίδες για ένα μελλοντικό «ανεξάρτητο και αυτόνομο» Κόσοβο. Οι διαδηλώσεις και όποια άλλη εκδήλωση του κινήματος αποτελούσε τροφή για τα τοπικά ΜΜΕ και ενίσχυε τη φήμη και δύναμη επιρροής του.
Ο Κούρτι διακήρυττε ότι δεν υποστηρίζει μόνο τους Κοσοβάρους, για την ακρίβεια ασκούσε και ασκεί ακόμα ισχυρή κριτική στους πολιτικούς της κυβέρνησης της Πρίστινας, τόση όση και στην στάση της Σερβίας. Προωθούσε την ιδέα ενός Κοσόβου που θα έχει την προοπτική να απεξαρτηθεί από κάθε τι παλιό όπως η Σερβική κηδεμονία και ότι νέο όπως ήταν η διεθνής κοινότητα.
Ιδεολογικά ορθό και σίγουρα για το μέσο κοσσοβάρο θα ακούγεται μάλλον φιλόδοξα αληθινό. Αυτό βέβαια όσον αφορά στην αποκόλληση από την οικονομική και τεχνοκρατική βοήθεια που παρέχει ο διεθνής παράγοντας με την πλειάδα των ξένων αποστολών στην περιοχή.
Για το θέμα με τη Σερβία, η απόφαση του Διεθνούς Δικαστηρίου ήταν από ότι φαίνεται, μια ήττα για τη σερβική διπλωματία. Η Σερβία παίζει ακόμα τα τελευταία της χαρτιά με το διάλογο μεταξύ Βελιγραδίου και Πρίστινας να περιορίζεται σε τεχνικά θέματα επιφάνειας και όλοι περιμένουμε να δούμε πως θα μπορούσε να ρυθμιστεί το ζήτημα του βορείου Κοσόβου με τη σερβική πλειονότητα. Εκεί άλλωστε παρατηρούνται όλες σχεδόν οι εστίες εντάσεως τα τελευταία χρόνια. Εκεί θα τελειώσει και το διπλωματικό παιχνίδι.
Το κίνημα του Κουρτι ποτέ δε δέχτηκε να θεωρηθεί αυτό το κομμάτι γης σέρβικο και παρά το γεγονός ότι πήρε θεσμική μορφή όταν μεταμορφώθηκε σε κόμμα, δε δίστασε να προκαλεί επεισόδια κλείνοντας διαβάσεις προκειμένου να εμποδιστούν σέρβικα φορτηγά να εισέλθουν στο Κόσοβο. Αντίποινα θα μπορούσε να πει κανείς σε ότι οι σέρβοι εκδηλώνουν κατά καιρούς προσπαθώντας να δείξουν ποιος έχει τον έλεγχο στην περιοχή και κατά πόσο αδιάφορους τους αφήνουν οι αρχές επιβολής του νόμου των κοσοβάρων γειτόνων τους.
Η εξέλιξη αυτή με την πολικότητα που αναπτύσσεται, ένα εθνικιστικό - κατά χαρακτηρισμό - κόμμα που δρα με τέτοιες τακτικές από τη μια και τους σκληροπυρηνικούς σέρβους του βορείου Κοσόβου να ρίχνουν λάδι στη φωτιά σε κάθε ευκαιρία, από την άλλη, είναι το λιγότερο ανησυχητικό.
Το θέμα είναι ότι η περιοχή δεν έχει ησυχάσει ακόμα. Η εθνικιστική στάση του Κούρτι, με το κόμμα του να συμμετέχει στη Βουλή της Πριστινας με εκφάνσεις αλβανικού εξτρεμισμού και αλυτρωτισμού σε πολιτικό πλέον επίπεδο, είναι αποτέλεσμα κοινωνικοπολιτικών ζυμώσεων πολλών ετών.
Η μετάβαση από τους «ήρωες» μαχητές του UCK, του απελευθερωτικού στρατού του Κοσόβου, σε ένα πολιτικό σύστημα που τους μετέτρεψε σε πρωθυπουργούς και αρχηγούς κομμάτων, είχε τις παρενέργειες της. Σε όλα αυτά βέβαια υφίσταται η μητρική - όπως κάποιοι εθνικιστικοί κύκλοι θέλουν να εξελιχθεί – σχέση με την Αλβανία. Μια σχέση που περισσότερο συντηρεί αποσχιστικές τάσεις και ακραίες επεκτατικές αντιλήψεις στην ευρύτερη περιοχή των Βαλκανίων και ελάχιστα προάγει την καλή γειτονία.
Ιωάννης Γιαννακόπουλος
Κυριακή 15 Ιανουαρίου 2012
Επεισόδια μεταξύ αστυνομίας και Αλβανών διαδηλωτών στη Σερβία
Συμπλοκές σημειώθηκαν σήμερα μεταξύ της σερβικής αστυνομίας και Αλβανών υποστηρικτών του κινήματος «αυτοδιάθεση», οι οποίοι απέκλεισαν τη διάβαση «Μέρνταρε» στα διοικητικά σύνορα Κοσόβου - Σερβίας.Σύμφωνα με εκτιμήσεις δημοσιογράφων που βρίσκονται στην περιοχή, στον αποκλεισμό των συνοριακών διαβάσεων συμμετέχουν 2000 - 3000 πολίτες του Κοσόβου. Οι διαδηλωτές δεν επιτρέπουν την είσοδο στο Κόσοβο φορτηγών οχημάτων που μεταφέρουν εμπορεύματα από τη Σερβία.
Ισχυρές αστυνομικές δυνάμεις έχουν αναπτυχθεί στην περιοχή, αποτρέποντας στους διαδηλωτές να προσεγγίσουν το μεθοριακό σταθμό. Πριν από λίγο, η αστυνομία έκανε χρήση δακρυγόνων για να αποτρέψει επίθεση με πέτρες από ομάδα διαδηλωτών. Κατά τη συμπλοκή τραυματίστηκε ελαφρά ένας αστυνομικός ενώ τραυματίες υπάρχουν και στις γραμμές των διαδηλωτών.
Σκοπός των κινητοποιήσεων είναι να αποτραπούν οι εμπορικές συναλλαγές μεταξύ του Κοσόβου και της Σερβίας.
Το κίνημα «αυτοδιάθεση», που εκπροσωπείται στη βουλή, επιδιώκει τη διακοπή των σχέσεων με τη Σερβία μέχρι να αναγνωρίσει το Βελιγράδι την ανεξαρτησία του Κοσόβου. Τάσσεται επίσης κατά της παρουσίας ξένων στρατιωτικών δυνάμεων στο Κόσοβ, ζητώντας παράλληλα να επιβληθεί με τη βία η κυριαρχία της Πρίστινας στο βόρειο Κόσοβο όπου ο σερβικός πληθυσμός αποτελεί πλειοψηφία
http://www.protothema.gr/world/article/?aid=171209
Πέμπτη 5 Ιανουαρίου 2012
Η Βοσνία των Βαλκανίων
Όλοι θυμόμαστε, όσο και να μην θέλουμε να έχουμε τέτοιες εικόνες στο μυαλό μας, την τραγική κατάσταση της Βοσνίας Ερζεγοβίνης κατά τη διάρκεια του πολέμου. 'Ίσως τώρα στο Σαράγιεβο να έχουν αφήσει άθικτους τους τοίχους με τις τρύπες από τα οπλοπολυβόλα και τους όλμους εκείνης της εποχής σαν να θέλουν να θυμούνται και οι ίδιοι τι πέρασε αυτή η πόλη και ή χώρα ολάκερη. Ίσως και με μια δόση ειρωνείας να είναι εκεί σαν τουριστική ατραξιόν που και μένα προσωπικά με συγκλόνισε την πρώτη φορά που επισκέφθηκα την πόλη και χάζευα αυτή τη ιδιόμορφη αρχιτεκτονική των τοίχων. Παραδόξως, ο κόσμος δεν έκρυβε το χαμόγελό του, ούτε μπορούσε να κρύψει όμως τη φτώχεια και την εξαθλίωση σε δημόσιους και μη χώρους δίπλα στα εστιατόρια και τις μπυραρίες που προορίζονταν κατά (οικονομική) αποκλειστικότητα για τους ξένους "έχοντες" που υπηρετούσαν εκεί σε οργανισμούς και διπλωματικές αποστολές. Κατά τ’ άλλα νοιώθεις τα Βαλκάνια μέσα σου και έναν λαό που αντιστέκεται στην κοινωνική και οικονομική ανέχεια. Θα τολμούσε να σκεφτεί κανείς ότι είναι λιγότερο καλομαθημένοι από τους νεοέλληνες και αντιμετωπίζουν τις δυσκολίες με άλλη αντίληψη.
Δυστυχώς μετά από 15 σχεδόν χρόνια όπου και τερμάτισε η ένοπλη σύρραξη στη Βοσνία και Ερζεγοβίνη τίποτα δεν πήγε και τόσο καλά. Και δεν είναι μόνο η οικονομική κατάσταση που ταλανίζεται από αβεβαιότητα, αλλά και η ίδια η πολιτικοκοινωνική συνοχή της χώρας.
Η Βοσνία βρίσκεται σε μια πολύ δύσκολη οικονομική κατάσταση και σε βαθιά κατάθλιψη, συμφώνησαν ομόφωνα τα μέλη που συμμετείχαν στο οικονομικό φόρουμ για την Οικονομική Πολιτική της Βοσνίας το 2012, που πραγματοποιήθηκε στα τέλη του Δεκ 11 στο Σαράγιεβο.
Τι είναι τελικά αυτό που κάνει τους πιο αισιόδοξους να πιστεύουν στη βιωσιμότητα της Β-Ε; Το πιθανότερο τίποτα περισσότερο από την παρουσία της Διεθνούς Κοινότητας με όποια μορφή είναι αυτή, είτε σαν Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση είτε σαν Ηνωμένα Έθνη και ένα σωρό άλλοι Οργανισμοί και Μη Κυβερνητικές Οργανώσεις που συνεχίζουν να δραστηριοποιούνται στην περιοχή.
Το περίπλοκο πολιτικό σύστημα όπως προέκυψε από την ειρηνευτική συμφωνία του Dayton, δεν κατάφερε να γεφυρώσει τα χάσματα μεταξύ των διαφορετικών οντοτήτων και συνεχίζει να αποτελεί εμπόδιο σε σειρά συνταγματικών και θεσμικών μεταρρυθμίσεων.
Σύμφωνα με τον Duljko Hasic, επιμελητή του Εξωτερικού Εμπορίου της Βοσνίας, το δυσμενές πολιτικό και οικονομικό κλίμα, η διαφθορά σε όλα τα κυβερνητικά επίπεδα, οι περιοριστικές πολιτικές δανεισμού των τραπεζών, η δύσκολη κατάσταση της κοινωνικής πρόνοιας και η παντελής απουσία εφαρμογής της ουτοπικής «ευρωπαϊκής πορείας», έχουν οδηγήσει στη δημιουργίας ανησυχητικής κατάστασης για τη χώρα.
Τι μένει περισσότερο να περιμένει μια χώρα στο κατώφλι μια Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης με τόσα προβλήματα, μια διεθνή οικονομική ύφεση που σίγουρα δε βοηθάει την κατάσταση και έναν λαό που δεν θα δυσκολευτεί ακόμα και σήμερα να επανέλθει σε μια εμφύλια σύγκρουση αν αποχωρήσει η Διεθνής Κοινότητα; Μάλλον όχι και πάρα πολλά...
Εμάς όμως τι μας νοιάζει; Δεν είμαστε Βοσνία. Αυτό που θα μπορούσε να μας διδάξει η περίπτωση της Β-Ε είναι, πέρα από τον προβληματισμό για το μέλλον της γειτονίας μας και κατά πόσο αυτό επηρεάζει τη δική μας αυλή, τη δύναμη που πρέπει να αντλήσουμε για να σταθούμε στο ύψος των περιστάσεων αυτές τις δύσκολες εποχές όπου πολιορκούμεθα όπως το Σαράγιεβο, βαλλόμενοι με πυρά που θα αφήσουν τα σημάδια τους μέσα από τους τοίχους για τα επόμενα χρόνια.
Ιωάννης Γιαννακόπουλος
2011 Review: the Balkans
04/01/2012
The handover of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic to the UN tribunal in The Hague was one of the most important events in the Balkans in 2011, a year which was also marked by violent clashes in Kosovo's volatile north.
By Svetla Dimitrova for Southeast European Times -- 04/01/12
In 2011, the remaining two war crimes suspects sought by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) were finally captured and handed over to The Hague-based court.
Another major development was the conclusion of Croatia's EU membership talks in the end of June and the signing of the country's Accession Treaty with the 27-nation bloc on December 9th.
On December 26th, a key freedom of movement agreement between Kosovo and Serbia entered into force. The deal reached during EU-brokered talks allows the residents of each of the two countries to enter into and travel freely inside each other's territory for the first time since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.
On the downside, simmering ethnic tensions continued to plague parts of the Balkans in 2011, with political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) failing to agree on the formation of a new state-level government for 14 months and an outburst of violence in Kosovo's north.
Mladic, Hadzic behind bars in The Hague
Serbia removed a major obstacle on its EU integration path in 2011, when it handed over former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic and wartime Croatian Serb political leader Goran Hadzic to the ICTY.
Mladic was arrested on May 26th and was transferred to The Hague five days later, after nearly 16 years on the run. The 69-year-old former commander of the Bosnian Serb forces faces two counts of genocide over the Srebrenica massacre of more than 7,500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys and the 43-month siege of Sarajevo. An amended indictment of December 16th 2011 charges Mladic also with five counts of crimes against humanity and four of violations of the laws and customs of war.
Owing to concerns about Mladic's health and "in the interest of fair and expeditious" trial, UN judges accepted the prosecutors' request in early December that the number of crimes in the indictment be reduced from 196 to 106.
The start of the trial against Mladic is tentatively scheduled for late March 2012.
Hadzic, 52, was extradited to The Hague on July 22nd, two days after his arrest. The former Croatian Serb political leader, who was captured after seven years on the run, faces a 14-count indictment charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1991-1995 conflict in Croatia.
The trial against Hadzic is scheduled to open on October 16th 2012.
Clashes in Kosovo
The situation in Kosovo's Serb-dominated north remained tense but generally calm following the flare-up of violence on July 25th when a Kosovo police officer was killed in a shootout with local Serbs. The incident occurred when the government sent special police to the region to take control of two border checkpoints, in a bid to enforce an embargo on Serbian imports following failed talks on a trade liberalisation deal with Belgrade.
There were several sporadic outbursts of violence since late October, when KFOR began dismantling roadblocks erected by ethnic Serbs to prevent the Kosovo authorities from asserting control in the region, where Serb-run parallel structures continue to operate. Two German peacekeepers were shot and wounded in an incident in late November, when Serb protestors opened fire at KFOR troops. Another 23 NATO soldiers were injured during the clash.
Concerned about the possible negative impact of such violence on his country's hopes for achieving formal EU candidate status at the Union's summit on December 9th, Serbian President Boris Tadic urged Kosovo Serbs to remove the barricades. They didn't.
Welcoming Tadic's statement of November 29th, NATO called for concrete follow-up actions.
"The use of violence against KFOR is unacceptable and we deplore it," the North Atlantic Council said in a statement on December 1st. "We urge all parties to exercise restraint and co-operate fully with all international actors on the ground to ensure freedom of movement without delay," it added, calling also on Belgrade and Pristina to continue their constructive participation in the EU-mediated talks between them.
During a visit to Pristina on December 19th, German Chancellor Angela Markel urged Belgrade to dissolve the parallel Serb structures in Kosovo's north.
Earlier in the month, Serbia and Kosovo adopted an Integrated Border Management agreement, aimed at resolving the border problems between the two countries. Other deals reached during the EU-brokered talks on technical issues between Belgrade and Pristina in the latter half of 2011 include the deal on free movement and another on mutual recognition of diplomas.
Organ trafficking investigation
In December 2010, Council of Europe (CoE) rapporteur Dick Marty submitted a report linking senior Kosovo officials, including Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and other former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), to organ trafficking in the late 1990s. EULEX launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations in late January and seven months later, it named former US ambassador-at-large for war crimes John Clint Williamson as head of the task force dealing with the case.
While the announcement was welcomed by some Serbian officials, Belgrade continued pushing for UN involvement in the investigation. Later in the year, a draft resolution prepared by Serbian and Russian diplomats was submitted to the Security Council, envisioning the appointment of a special representative of the UN secretary-general in charge of control of the EULEX task force.
Bilateral disputes
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on December 5th that Greece breached a 1995 interim bilateral agreement with Macedonia by blocking its northern neighbour's NATO accession in April 2008 over the long-running name dispute between the two countries.
"The ruling is a step towards NATO and EU," Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said after it was announced.
Later the same day, NATO issued a statement, saying the verdict "does not affect the decision taken by NATO Allies at the Bucharest summit in 2008".
"We agreed that an invitation will be extended to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached," the statement of December 5th added.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians reach agreement
The main political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reached an agreement December 28th on the formation of a new state-level government after 14 months of futile talks following the October 2010 general elections in the country.
"It is positive news that leaders have at long last, finally reached agreement on the Council of Ministers (CoM) and other important measures; I congratulate them," High Representative Valentin Inzko said in a statement on December 29th. "I encourage the political leaders to build on this positive development. Many important challenges will lie ahead of a new CoM in the months ahead -- challenges that must be overcome in order to move this country forward in a way that will benefit the citizens."
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
The handover of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic to the UN tribunal in The Hague was one of the most important events in the Balkans in 2011, a year which was also marked by violent clashes in Kosovo's volatile north.
By Svetla Dimitrova for Southeast European Times -- 04/01/12
In 2011, the remaining two war crimes suspects sought by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) were finally captured and handed over to The Hague-based court.
Another major development was the conclusion of Croatia's EU membership talks in the end of June and the signing of the country's Accession Treaty with the 27-nation bloc on December 9th.
On December 26th, a key freedom of movement agreement between Kosovo and Serbia entered into force. The deal reached during EU-brokered talks allows the residents of each of the two countries to enter into and travel freely inside each other's territory for the first time since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.
On the downside, simmering ethnic tensions continued to plague parts of the Balkans in 2011, with political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) failing to agree on the formation of a new state-level government for 14 months and an outburst of violence in Kosovo's north.
Mladic, Hadzic behind bars in The Hague
Serbia removed a major obstacle on its EU integration path in 2011, when it handed over former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic and wartime Croatian Serb political leader Goran Hadzic to the ICTY.
Mladic was arrested on May 26th and was transferred to The Hague five days later, after nearly 16 years on the run. The 69-year-old former commander of the Bosnian Serb forces faces two counts of genocide over the Srebrenica massacre of more than 7,500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys and the 43-month siege of Sarajevo. An amended indictment of December 16th 2011 charges Mladic also with five counts of crimes against humanity and four of violations of the laws and customs of war.
Owing to concerns about Mladic's health and "in the interest of fair and expeditious" trial, UN judges accepted the prosecutors' request in early December that the number of crimes in the indictment be reduced from 196 to 106.
The start of the trial against Mladic is tentatively scheduled for late March 2012.
Hadzic, 52, was extradited to The Hague on July 22nd, two days after his arrest. The former Croatian Serb political leader, who was captured after seven years on the run, faces a 14-count indictment charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1991-1995 conflict in Croatia.
The trial against Hadzic is scheduled to open on October 16th 2012.
Clashes in Kosovo
The situation in Kosovo's Serb-dominated north remained tense but generally calm following the flare-up of violence on July 25th when a Kosovo police officer was killed in a shootout with local Serbs. The incident occurred when the government sent special police to the region to take control of two border checkpoints, in a bid to enforce an embargo on Serbian imports following failed talks on a trade liberalisation deal with Belgrade.
There were several sporadic outbursts of violence since late October, when KFOR began dismantling roadblocks erected by ethnic Serbs to prevent the Kosovo authorities from asserting control in the region, where Serb-run parallel structures continue to operate. Two German peacekeepers were shot and wounded in an incident in late November, when Serb protestors opened fire at KFOR troops. Another 23 NATO soldiers were injured during the clash.
Concerned about the possible negative impact of such violence on his country's hopes for achieving formal EU candidate status at the Union's summit on December 9th, Serbian President Boris Tadic urged Kosovo Serbs to remove the barricades. They didn't.
Welcoming Tadic's statement of November 29th, NATO called for concrete follow-up actions.
"The use of violence against KFOR is unacceptable and we deplore it," the North Atlantic Council said in a statement on December 1st. "We urge all parties to exercise restraint and co-operate fully with all international actors on the ground to ensure freedom of movement without delay," it added, calling also on Belgrade and Pristina to continue their constructive participation in the EU-mediated talks between them.
During a visit to Pristina on December 19th, German Chancellor Angela Markel urged Belgrade to dissolve the parallel Serb structures in Kosovo's north.
Earlier in the month, Serbia and Kosovo adopted an Integrated Border Management agreement, aimed at resolving the border problems between the two countries. Other deals reached during the EU-brokered talks on technical issues between Belgrade and Pristina in the latter half of 2011 include the deal on free movement and another on mutual recognition of diplomas.
Organ trafficking investigation
In December 2010, Council of Europe (CoE) rapporteur Dick Marty submitted a report linking senior Kosovo officials, including Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and other former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), to organ trafficking in the late 1990s. EULEX launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations in late January and seven months later, it named former US ambassador-at-large for war crimes John Clint Williamson as head of the task force dealing with the case.
While the announcement was welcomed by some Serbian officials, Belgrade continued pushing for UN involvement in the investigation. Later in the year, a draft resolution prepared by Serbian and Russian diplomats was submitted to the Security Council, envisioning the appointment of a special representative of the UN secretary-general in charge of control of the EULEX task force.
Bilateral disputes
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on December 5th that Greece breached a 1995 interim bilateral agreement with Macedonia by blocking its northern neighbour's NATO accession in April 2008 over the long-running name dispute between the two countries.
"The ruling is a step towards NATO and EU," Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said after it was announced.
Later the same day, NATO issued a statement, saying the verdict "does not affect the decision taken by NATO Allies at the Bucharest summit in 2008".
"We agreed that an invitation will be extended to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached," the statement of December 5th added.
Related Articles
Cedomir Jovanovic: dialogue with Kosovo must continue
03/10/2011
US official: Balkans' future is in Euro-Atlantic institutions
23/06/2011
Macedonia, other Balkan EU hopefuls eye starting date for talks
13/06/2011
Western Balkan countries, Turkey urged to address lingering human rights problems
25/01/2011
Balkan neighbours weigh in on Mladic arrest
27/05/2011
Another Balkan case before the ICJ -- on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide filed by Croatia back in 1999 against what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -- is still pending. The hearings are not expected to start before early 2013.
Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians reach agreement
The main political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reached an agreement December 28th on the formation of a new state-level government after 14 months of futile talks following the October 2010 general elections in the country.
"It is positive news that leaders have at long last, finally reached agreement on the Council of Ministers (CoM) and other important measures; I congratulate them," High Representative Valentin Inzko said in a statement on December 29th. "I encourage the political leaders to build on this positive development. Many important challenges will lie ahead of a new CoM in the months ahead -- challenges that must be overcome in order to move this country forward in a way that will benefit the citizens."
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
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