Albanian officials arrested for corruption

LLAZAR SEMINI
May 05, 2008 5:08 AM


TIRANA, Albania, Albania's prosecutor general says four Defence Ministry officials have been arrested and accused of corruption in connection with a series of deadly explosions at an ammunition depot.

The four officials, including an army colonel, were accused of ``corruptive actions ... in managing military goods,' says a spokeswoman for the prosecutor general.

She refused to give more detail but said other people were also being investigated.

In the March 15 disaster, a series of explosions at an ammunition disposal factory near the capital, Tirana, killed 26 people.

More than 300 people were injured and some 5,500 houses were destroyed or damaged.

Last week, the prosecutor general's office asked parliament to lift the immunity of the former defence minister.

Fatmir Mediu is accused of abuse of power, as part of an inquiry into the explosions.

Mediu, the leader of the Republican party, which is part of the governing coalition, has denied wrongdoing.

Parliament is expected to discuss lifting Mediu's parliamentary immunity later this month.

The Socialist-led opposition has accused the government of corruption in the disposal of obsolete weapons, and urged Prime Minister Sali Berisha to resign.

About 90,000 tonnes of excess ammunition, mostly Russian and Chinese artillery shells made in the 1960s or earlier, are stored in former army depots across Albania.

The United States on Friday offered help from contractor ArmorGroup North America (AGNA) to begin the slow and dangerous process of removing live munitions from the Gerdec blast area, according to a statement by the U.S. embassy in Tirana.

The embassy urged displaced residents not to return to the blast area until it was judged safe.

NATO members, including the United States, Canada and Norway, have been helping Albania dispose of the arsenal.

The Evolving Balkan Theater

By Ioannis Michaletos Blog

May 3, 2008

The Balkans Peninsula has claimed the fame numerously in history as the “Tinderbox of Europe”, the “Soft underbelly of Europe” and its inhabitants were accused that they “Produce more history than they can consume”. The previous quotes are apt oral depictions of the significance of this Peninsula for the European affairs. The developments over the past period have proved once again that global players tend to filter their tactics in the Balkans and in the process gain or loose significantly.

The summer of 2007 witnessed the dynamic tour de force of President Bush in Albania and Bulgaria, claiming the forthcoming entrance of NATO well into the Western Balkans and the turn of the balance between USA and Russia. In parallel Moscow prepared itself and retaliated with a series of transnational energy agreements that saw the commission of a 4 billion nuclear power plant by Sofia, the drafting of plans for a new “South Stream” gas pipeline and the imminent sale of the main state energy corporation of Serbia to Gazprom.

Bucharest’s dawn

By far the most intriguing development in the power struggle between world powers and powerful interests was the recent NATO Bucharest summit. Albania and Croatia received the ticket for the eventual NATO entrance, whilst FYROM was left out due to the Greek Veto and Georgia and Ukraine were effectively left out because of the fierce denial from Paris and Berlin mostly.

Greek soldier protects Serbian Church clergy from being killed by Albanian Muslims in Kosovo.

The Russian-American rivalry bring European nations into a difficult spot, since they are very much dependent on the secure and stable energy flow from Eurasia which is under the influence of the Russian companies. Most importantly any sudden change of the balance of powers brings closer the prospect of another Balkan conflict and perhaps even that of a major peripheral war that would render EU’s ambitions as the most important stabilizing force in the contemporary world.
In short the Europeans and the Russians rejected American plans and gave a heavy blow to an ill-formed expansion that would have eventually laid the basis for a third world war because of a European economic crisis and an insecure but nuclear capable Russia.

A very enlightening aspect of the above was the Greek veto towards the application by Skopje for NATO membership. Athens since late August 2007 had drafted the policy of vetoing its neighbor due to the Macedonia name issue. The reaction by almost all NATO partners could be considered as hostile to Greece, since they deemed this issue as not so important as the entrance of yet another Balkan state to the Euro-Atlantic framework. At least that were the analyses presented by the international media and commentators, that failed to grasp the “Devil hidden in the detail”. Greece’s stance became a perfect opportunity for the European capitals to show their version of a red line in connection to the State Department’s ambitions.

The Balkans

Thus France and its President Nicola Sarkozy backed Athens claiming his Greek-Jewish roots from Thessaloniki while Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Luxemburg, and Iceland took a clear pro-Greek stance. UK, Canada, Germany, Bulgaria and Romania either stayed in the sidelines of tacitly backed Greek propositions in order to distant themselves from the American side. In essence for the first time in NATO’s almost 60 years history, Washington became isolated from its historical partners managing only to have the support of Turkey, Slovenia and the Baltic states. The “Old Europe” took its revenge just 5 years after Donald Rumsfeld arrogantly declared the emergence of a “New Europe”, which judged under a realistic prism, is more of an American follower, rather than a partner in the true sense of the word.
Greek connection & role

The developments now seem difficult to predict, but in relation to Greece the path followed remains towards the continuation of administered talks with FYROM that will culminate after the 1st of June and the election period in the country. On the Kosovo front Athens remains adamant in recognizing Pristina since that would violate its policy of strict adherence in the International Law and the situation in Cyprus that could deteriorate due to a precedent like the Kosovo one.

The Cypriot government from its turn, signed an important agreement with France signaling close intelligence cooperation, coupled with an overall defense agreement. The traditional Greek-French cooperation that dates back centuries has been enchased and the coming visit of Sarkozy in Athens in May 2008 will signal according to many industry pundits the agreement for the procurement of 4th generation “Rafale” fighters by Greece, worth more than 4 billion Euros.

Greek statutes

Athens moved fast over the previous month in securing a great deal with the German telecom giant Deutche Telecom that bought 20% of the Greek one for 2, 5 billion Euros and it presently negotiates for the management by acquiring an additional 5%. The Greek corporation owns a majority and minority shares in the Romanian, Serbia, Albanian, FYROM, and Bulgarian telecom sectors. Therefore the Greek-German alliance provides ample opportunities to the latter to expand its reach well-into the Balkans. The Greek electricity company has also signed a memorandum concerning Balkan investments with the German RWE and in overall those two agreements enchase Germany’s role in claiming a stake in the Balkan telecommunication and energy networks.

In reality the policy of Greece assists in the stabilization of the Balkans through the use of the largest European states who always had major interests in this region and are in need of setting up bases in order to formulate their ambitions. In parallel the support of Greece to the planned pipeline networks by Russia, plus the inauguration of the Greek-Turkish pipeline carrying Azeri gas, further attests to the ability of Athens to promote the interdependence of the Eurasian producers and the Western consumers that will mainly drive away any fears for a renewed cold war, at least in the foreseeable future.

Another interesting point to consider when judging Greece’s new role in the evolving Balkan scenery, is the existence of the world’s largest merchant fleet owned by Greeks. Approximately 20% of the worldwide shipping industry is directed by Greeks and if one calculates that 90% of the world trade is carried by Sea, then the importance of the 18 million Greeks in the world stage is illuminated further. The existence of some 400 billion USD in capital reserves by Greek shipowners and their excellent connections with the Chinese, Japanese and Arab and Jewish capital influenced markets makes them ideal partners for any power wishing to a acquire a greater role in the Balkans. In that respect Athens considers itself ready for more bold initiatives in the region within the coming period.

Lastly a major security issue that concerns Balkan stability nowadays is the existence of radical Islamic armed groups, with a focus in Kosovo, Western FYROM and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The role of Greece could be of importance judging by its warm relations with the intelligence apparatus of both Israelis and Arabs in the Middle East and its well-formed security infrastructure. It is of importance to consider the practicality of establishing security frameworks in the Balkans by outside forces when the already existing ones have the necessary means and mentality to cope with the perils and are perfectly acquainted with the existing landscape. Moreover Greece’s role complimented with Bulgaria and Serbia secures in a geopolitical sense the balance of powers in the region and diminishes any probabilities for dramatic upturns that could lead to a conflict of any kind.

American disorientation

The American diplomacy during the ‘90’s passed a historical milestone that witnessed the end of the Cold War, the proliferation of its agencies, departments and foreign accreditations along with the redirection of its strategy from the Soviet Union to countless other engagements such as international terrorism. Even though the Balkan region became a testing ground of Washington’s new role as envisaged by certain ideologically frantic American circles, the reality proved to be of different nature. The single-polar world never existed, apart from a brief period in the ‘90’s that quickly passed in the realm of history. The modern challenges require flexibility, cooperation with partners and most importantly adherence to the rules of the game as described by the International Law and Treaties.

Buchurest meeting

In that sense Kosovo’s independence could have been prevented hence enabling USA to become the factor of stability for the Balkans. Nowadays this role is quickly undertaken by the EU and Russia who is also making strong advances in order to gain lost ground.

It should be noted that the principle power that can assist in the speedy resolution of the long-standing issues in the Balkans and beyond is USA, therefore its responsibility for the consequences of its own actions is great. The American 2008 elections in November do not show any signs of improvement though, and it might be proper for the groups of the “international sages” to move forward and provide their advices to the disoriented politicians and the hesitant diplomats.

Future outcomes

The role of Greece remains of paramount importance for the Balkans, and its strategy has wider ramifications. The future projections can be summoned on two parameters. Firstly Greece will seek an even louder voice in the regional developments by using the connections it has cemented in the previous years. That means it will seek to keep the Aegean-Panonian axis secure from political instability that may be caused by Albanian radical elements. Already the Greek business confederation in Belgrade is optimist around a 100% increase on Greek investments in Serbia, totaling 4 billion by 2010. Moreover Greek security networks closely monitor the arms contraband trade in the triangle between Tetovo-Kukes-Pristina and in parallel keep a vigilant stance towards moves by the Turkish intelligence to establish support bases in the Southern Balkans.

The existence of destabilization plans concerning the Balkans and directed by transnational criminal groups that assess the loss of their influence in the region, will most certainly inflict Greece. During the catastrophic wildfires of summer 2007, the analysis based on the frequency of the fires, the geographic location and the commentary coming from credible sources; indicated a relation between the evolving Balkan scenery and the existence of non-state criminal actors that sought to manipulate events to their ends and viewed Greece as a threat because of its stabilization role.

Provocations, ranging from extremist plans to psychological warfare and fierce business in fight in Greece should not be excluded. Moreover the important elections in Serbia in the coming months will reveal more of the tactic Belgrade will follow and that is another point to assess for.

Once again the Balkans become accustomed to their political nature as it was quoted by Bismarck who claimed that a new war could come about from some “Silly thing in the Balkans”. Perhaps the evolving Balkan landscape might not be silly at all for power interests that have capitalized extensively in instability and decadence and are viewing the latest developments under a distressful eye fearing the loss of their bases and influence. Certainly the current age is suitable for serious consideration by world policy makers that must make clear of their intentions concerning the preferred balance of powers in the world. Not everyone could be content and those who profit through instability is better to be isolated swiftly and without hesitation.

Kosovo's man in the Bronx

Fri, 05/02/2008 - 4:43pm

AFP/Getty Images

I figured something was up when Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) kept calling Kosovo "Kosova" (the Albanian pronunciation) at the most recent House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the Balkans. Turns out Engel's swapped the last "o" in Kosovo for a central boulevard in the heart of Pec, a majority Albanian city in western Kosovo that was once the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch (back in the 15th century, that is).

Sewell Chan, NYT:

"It felt a bit surreal on Sunday, during a visit to Pec … to encounter a main boulevard named for Representative Eliot L. Engel, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester and Rockland Counties. "


Engel has been a strong advocate for Kosovo and introduced the House Resolution supporting its unilateral declaration of independence last February. According to Chan:

"The makeup of Mr. Engel's constituency may help explain his advocacy for the province… The Albanian population in the Bronx took root in the 1970s, Mr. Engel remembered. "A lot of them were superintendents when they came,” he said. Groups of relatives or friends would save up money and buy a building, which they would manage. The population surged again in the 1990s fueled in large part by the Kosovo crisis and prompting efforts to organize Albanian-Americans."


New York Albanians are quite the force to be reckoned with. According to Stacy Sullivan in her book Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America, one Kosovar Albanian roofer in Brooklyn helped raise $30 million to fund and outfit the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) -- and largely with American-made guns. At least loopholes in American gun laws have worked out well somewhere.

Jealous Albanian husband tortures wife for 8 hours

A jealous estranged husband who subjected his wife to an eight-hour torture ordeal in Northampton has been jailed for 42 months and faces deportation upon release.

Erjon Kashari, 27, will be sent back to his native Albania despite having a young daughter in this country due to the serious nature of his violent offences.

He admitted forcing his estranged wife across Victoria Park in Northampton, threatening to throw her into the river, knowing she could not swim, before subjecting her to hours of violence.

Matthew Lowe, prosecuting at Northampton Crown Court, said: "In December last year following their separation, this defendant met her in the early hours of the morning and frog-marched her across Northampton to their home address, while subjecting her to bullying and wholly inappropriate behaviour including violence and threats with a knife.

"It was a sustained and prolonged incident lasting up to eight hours."

The court heard how his estranged wife was repeatedly punched, kicked, bitten and had a knife held to her throat while being imprisoned by him for eight hours on December 16.

Mr Lowe said his victim was eventually able to escape the property in an extremely distressed and frightened state with extensive injuries to her arms, face, legs, back and head.

"The defendant was arrested at his Milton Keynes address the next day and admitted being there but denied attacking her. He had no sensible explanation for her injuries."

Kashari, now of Fishermead Boulevard, Milton Keynes, who admitted inflicting actual bodily harm and false imprisonment, was jailed for three-and-a-half years and recommended for deportation.

Recorder Christopher Tickle said the assaults had been committed in horrific circumstances

He said: "This was a disgraceful and appalling episode and I know you are thoroughly ashamed of it.

"You have now lost your wife and indeed you have now lost your child. That's the consequence of your offending that night."

Caroline Guiloff, mitigating, said: "It's his own fault he has now lost everything."

Source: http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Wife-tortured-by-jealous-husband.4043950.jp

Kosovo Albanian to be RETRIED for atrocities on Serbs

MIKE CORDER

May 02, 2008 8:01 AM



THE HAGUE, Netherlands- The chief prosecutor of the United Nations war crimes tribunal has
formally appealed the acquittal of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.

The chief prosecutor said widespread intimidation and fear prevented key witnesses from fully testifying in the trial.

The appeal at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal comes just days after two former top Kosovo government officials pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to dissuade a witness from appearing at Ramush Haradinaj's trial.

Haradinaj, a former commander of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1998-99 conflict with Serbia, was acquitted last month of responsibility for murder, rape and torture committed by his troops.

In their appeal, the prosecutors alleged that widespread intimidation of witnesses prevented them presenting all their evidence. They demanded a retrial on six of the 37 charges Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj faced.

A retrial would be unprecedented at the Yugoslav tribunal, court spokeswoman Nerma Jelacic said. The tribunal was created in 1993 to prosecute those most responsible for atrocities during the Balkan wars that started two years earlier.

Nearly every judgment or sentence has been appealed by one side or the other, or both.

Prosecutors called 81 witnesses during the 113-day trial, but several other key witnesses refused to testify or only took the stand after being indicted for contempt of court. The court guaranteed anonymity to 34 witnesses, but still had to subpoena 18 of them.

Lawyers for the three men did not call any witnesses to testify in their defense, saying the prosecution evidence was so weak their clients did not have a case to answer.

Haradinaj is already back in Kosovo and seeking to resume his political career.

A key ally of the West in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict, Haradinaj was prime minister for just 100 days before resigning in March 2005 after learning of his indictment.

The appeal says the three-judge trial panel "denied the prosecution a fair trial by not granting it the additional time necessary to exhaust all reasonable steps to obtain the testimony of witnesses."

If the prosecution had called all its witnesses, the defense may have countered with their own witnesses, the appeal document said. Therefore, it would be inadequate for an appellate court to merely overturn the acquittals, and a new trial should be held, it said.

The court is under pressure from the U.N. Security Council, which funds the it, to conclude all trials by 2010.

In their 277-page judgment issued April 3, trial judges said they "gained the strong impression that the trial was being held in an atmosphere where witnesses felt unsafe."

But it also said much of the prosecution's evidence was "vague, inconclusive or nonexistent."

Last Tuesday, a former minister in Haradinaj's government and his deputy appeared at the Hague-based court to face charges of contempt of court for the alleged attempted intimidation of a witness.

Astrit Haraqija, the former minister of culture, youth and sport, is accused by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal of sending his aide Bajrush Morina to dissuade a witness from giving evidence. Despite the pressure, the witness did testify, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also appealed Balaj's acquittal on three charges of murder, rape and torture.

Rice wants to avoid Kosovo partition

May 1, 2008

REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday she wanted to avoid any moves toward a partition of Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia this year.

"What we can't let happen is that there is a sort of any kind of slippery slope toward questioning the territorial integrity of Kosovo," Rice said as she flew to London for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran's nuclear program and the status of Kosovo.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia on February 17 in a move that had Western backing but was rejected by Serbia and its ally Russia.

The decision stoked tensions with the ethnic Serb minority in northern Kosovo that erupted into riots last month in which a Ukrainian police officer serving with the United Nations was killed and dozens of U.N. police and NATO troops were injured.

The United Nations mission that has run the former Serbian province since 1999 is due to hand over its remaining powers to Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders and its European Union-led overseers in June.

Questions remain over how the transition will proceed, after Russia blocked the adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing the EU takeover and a U.N. plan for independence.

Rice, along with top officials from Britain, France, Germany and Italy, will discuss how to help smooth the transition. "We are going to look at how to move forward more quickly on the deployment of the European forces," she said.

"We want to make certain that there are no efforts to partition Kosovo," Rice said in what appeared to be an allusion to northern Kosovo and its large ethnic Serb population.

About 120,000 Serbs live in Kosovo among 2 million ethnic Albanians.

Much Ado About Nothing, Serbia, EU Sign Pact – Sort Of

May 1, 2008

by Nebojsa Malic

The already high stakes in the battle for the future of Serbia were raised again on Tuesday, when Serbian officials signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union. With less than two weeks left before the general elections, the move was supposed to be a boost for the Europhile bloc, led by President Tadic's Democratic Party (DS). However, the treaty may actually be seen as a political liability instead, by a country still simmering with anger over the EU and U.S. support for the illegal declaration of independence by Albanian separatists in the NATO-occupied province of Kosovo.

Welcome to Europe… Not

EU officials praised the signing as a "great opportunity" for Serbia (Slovenian FM and current EU Chairman Dimitrij Rupel), and dubbed the occasion a "very important day" (EU foreign policy commissar Javier Solana). Yet it was nothing of the sort. The treaty was promptly put on ice by the EU itself, with the Dutch and the Belgians agreeing to ratify it only after Serbia had fully complied with all the demands of the Hague Inquisition (i.e. the day after never). Nor does its signing mean any new aid or loans to the country, any new customs or tariff benefits, or travel privileges. The whole thing was just for show – as the typically forthright Independent called it, "a bid to defeat nationalists" at the upcoming polls.

The political nature of the show was made crystal clear by the composition of the Serbian delegation in Luxembourg: President Boris Tadic and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic were present, but the document was initialed by Bozidar Djelic, Deputy Prime Minister of the outgoing caretaker government. All three are members – indeed, Tadic is the leader – of the pro-EU Democratic Party. The actual Prime Minister, Vojislav Kostunica, was not in Luxembourg. He actually condemnedthe signing as illegal, illegitimate and non-binding!

The 'April Surprise'

Calling the actions of Tadic, Djelic and Jeremic unconstitutional and "anti-state," Kostunica said that the treaty was certain to be rejected by the new parliament. He may be right; recent polls indicate that the Radicals have a substantial advantage over Tadic's Europhile coalition, especially if joined by Kostunica's populist bloc.

Will the SAA help shift the voters' allegiance? Clearly, the intent the EU is not even bothering to hide is that this will be the "April surprise" tipping the scales in May in favor of the Democrats. Of course, the treaty is meaningless and dead on arrival, but in this modern world it doesn't matter what is, but what is said to be.

Tadic and Jeremic are already waxing ecstatic about how Serbia has "irreversibly" committed to Europe, and promising to do "everything in [their] power" to meet any demands. The major media in Serbia, mostly foreign-owned and heavily favoring Tadic's party and Europhiles in general, will no doubt hype the agreement as something momentous and crucial, conveniently neglecting to mention its suspended status or a complete lack of practical consequences. Already there are reports of Europhiles celebrating on the streets of Belgrade and other cities.

Theatre of the Absurd

There is hardly anything normal or rational about the recent history of the Balkans, and Serbia in particular. Even though it was Slovenian, Croat, Muslim and Albanian nationalists that launched violent campaigns to secede from Yugoslavia, it was the Serbs who were labeled "nationalist" and "aggressors," subjected to a near-total blockade by the UN, and even outright aggression by NATO in the spring of 1999. In the beginning, Europeans and Americans twisted and bent international law to their own purposes; eventually, they threw it overboard entirely. This February's declaration of dependence by the Kosovo Albanian separatists, in open defiance of UNSCR 1244 guaranteeing Serbia's territorial integrity, was just icing on the humiliation cake.

It is one thing to impose conditions on a defeated and humiliated enemy. It is something different altogether to cheerfully pretend the war itself was for the enemy's own good, and expect his gratitude and everlasting friendship. Most EU countries are members of NATO, and took part in the 1999 war. Javier Solana, now the EU's foreign policy commissar, was the Alliance's senior civilian official at the time. Yet instead of at least feigning appropriate distaste, Serbia's Europhiles eagerly shake hands with Solana and sing praises to the EU – and even NATO!

While Brussels demands that Serbia's condition for being annexed is to appease the "court" in The Hague, that very "court" routinely releases those accused of atrocities against Serbs – if they are even indicted – while rounding up every Serb official and officer they can and charging them with a nonexistent conspiracy.

When Serbs in Bosnia or Croatia protest having to live under regimes that have committed mass atrocities against them in the past, they are told that borders of Yugoslav republics are sacred. But when Albanians claim (nonexistent) atrocities by Serbs as an excuse for their own secession, the world is told that Kosovo is a "special case." Law? Law is something that applies to other people. Not the Empire. Not the EU.

And so we come to the latest absurdity: a meaningless treaty, signed by officials without authority, signifying nothing and designed solely to influence an election. Fittingly, the Europhiles' empty promises – made repeatedly over the past seven years – are now supposed to be backed by an empty gesture. In such a context, that is substantial progress, indeed.

The Stabilization and Association Agreement (bureaucratese much?) was supposed to be the crowning achievement of the EU's attempts to manufacture Balkans reality through lies, threats and even brute force. If the Serbs are as stupid, gullible and easily intimidated as the EU and its enablers seem to believe, then it will indeed be the capstone to a textbook postmodern conquest. Otherwise, come May 12, the whole rotten edifice will come crumbling down.

Now that would be a truly memorable day.