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Albanian Lands: Macedonia - beauty overshadowed by trouble
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Skopje - Some 1.7 million people are eligible to
vote in Sunday's snap parliamentary poll in Macedonia, a postcard-pretty country which remains plagued by poverty and ethnic troubles. Of the 2.1 million people, nearly two-thirds are Slavic Macedonians, the vast majority of them of Christian Orthodox faith.
Albanians make up one-quarter of the population, but dominate the north-west, along borders with
Albania proper and Kosovo, Serbia's mostly Albanian province which recently declared independence.
The demography of Macedonia - which peacefully split from former Yugoslavia in 1993 - and aspirations of Albanians to unite in a single country has created a persistent potential for ethnic discontent and outright violence, as in 2001.
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Albanian Lands: Important meetings about Albania and Kosovo
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Javier SOLANA,
EU High Representative for the CFSP,
met Joachim RÜCKER,
UN Secretary General Special Representative in Kosovo
Javier SOLANA, European Union High
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Mr.Javier Solana
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Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy (CFSP) met Joakim Rucker, UN
Secretary General Special Representative in Kosovo, on Tuesday, 26 September 2006.
It is the first time that HR Solana met with Joachim Rucker in his new capacity as the SRSG in Kosovo. They discussed political and security developments in Kosovo as well as progress on standards implementation and the economy.
The HR expressed full support to the new SRSG for his efforts in Kosovo and stressed the commitment of the European Union to work together with UNMIK and the PISG to move Kosovo forward.
The HR also stressed that the Kosovo status process is entering an important phase and that all sides should remain constructively engaged.
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Posted by classiclady on Tuesday, September 26 @ 14:39:17 UTC (418 reads)
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Albanian Lands: CONTACT GROUP MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
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New York City -- September 20, 2006
Contact Group Ministers, together with the European Union High Representative, the European Union Presidency, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, the NATO Secretary General, UN
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officials including the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Kosovo, and UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari met on September 20 in New York to discuss the Kosovo future status process.
As this process enters a crucial stage, Ministers look forward to a durable solution to the last major issue related to the breakup of Yugoslavia. This would significantly enhance regional stability. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment that all possible efforts be made to achieve a negotiated settlement in the course of 2006.
Ministers recall that the Kosovo status process is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and that the Security Council and the Contact Group will continue to play key roles. Ministers express their deep appreciation to the UN Special Envoy for conducting eight months of intensive negotiations. They urge the parties to respect the UN process and work constructively under the guidance of the Special Envoy to bridge the gaps between the parties' positions. The Contact Group will monitor closely the extent of constructive engagement from both parties and will draw conclusions accordingly.
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Posted by classiclady on Thursday, September 21 @ 13:24:01 UTC (373 reads)
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Albanian Lands: Javier SOLANA, after the elections in Montenegro
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Statement by
Javier SOLANA,
EU High Representative for the CFSP,
after the elections in Montenegro
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Mr.Javier Solana
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Javier SOLANA, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy (CFSP), welcomed the fact that the general elections held in Montenegro yesterday were largely conducted in line with international commitments and standards. He congratulated the citizens and the authorities of Montenegro for the calm and orderly way in which the elections were conducted.
Javier SOLANA expects the Government to be formed to continue with its European reform agenda, including facilitating an agreement on a new Constitution fulfilling European standards. The High Representative and the EU stand ready to support Montenegro's efforts in getting closer to the EU.
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Posted by classiclady on Tuesday, September 12 @ 13:37:00 UTC (403 reads)
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Albanian Lands: An answer to ex US Ambasador in Belgrade, Mr. Montgomery
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Why should Kosovo have an Army?
Well trained and equipped, with well set principles, along with advanced partners, will serve as a guaranty for peace and progress in the Region!
By Bardh Lekë Bitri
I do agree with Mr. Ambassador Montgomery quoting the saying: 'you are where you sit',
and '.regardless one's professionalism, the political
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environment in which you find yourself has a major impact on your attitudes'.
I do agree as well that TMK/KPC was founded with a good excuse of International Community presence in for putting all ex KLA worriers in a better controlled pot. For Kosovo politicians stringed out of War this was the mil stone of an upcoming Army.
Not intending to lecture on International Law which would serve in defence of the idea for future Kosovo Army, but few excerpts of UN Charter, and the voyage of UN decisions related to this area, are self-explanatory.
Just to remind the Resolution 1244 precede by Resolution 777 approved in September 1992 (which reaffirmed Resolution 713) and 1160 of March 1998.
Related to the Ambassadors Montgomery writing, I am interested to enlighten on few chapters/articles of UN Charter, as: Declaration regarding non-self governing territories, Article 73
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Posted by classiclady on Monday, September 11 @ 15:40:00 UTC (398 reads)
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Albanian Lands: Sound of Albanian No Longer Offends
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By Ivan Blazevski in Skopje. He is a journalist with the daily newspaper Vreme and a regular BIRN contributor. Balkan Insight is BIRN's online publication.
Five years after the Ohrid agreement, the public use of the Albanian language ceases to stir controversy.
Before 2001, whenever a deputy of the Albanian community tried to speak in the Macedonian
parliament in his mother tongue, the microphone on the platform would immediately be switched off.
The action was typical of a country that steadfastly maintained Macedonia was a state of ethnic Macedonians alone.
Today, the picture is very different and Albanian is spoken at plenary sessions in parliament as well as in local municipal assemblies. Albanian is also used as a second official language on identity cards and passports.
Experts say the prejudices have broken largely because the official use of Albanian is now enshrined in the constitution and in law, unlike the period before 2001 when speaking Albanian was seen as a sign of disrespect to the state.
Indeed, the status of Albanian has undergone such a drastic change that Macedonians are now rushing to learn it in order to improve their job opportunities.
The watershed year for the language was 2001, when a brief armed insurgency by armed Albanian militants in the west and north of the country ended in the so-called Ohrid agreement.
The deal resulted in substantial amendments to the constitution, providing more rights for the Albanian community, which makes up about 25 per cent of the 2 million-strong population.
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Albanian Lands: VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition wins election in Macedonia
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SKOPJE, Macedonia -- With more than 99 per cent of votes counted Thursday (6 July), officials say the opposition VMRO-DPMNE and its
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allies won 44 seats in the 120-member legislature during Wednesday's general elections. Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski has conceded defeat.
His Social Democrat-led coalition will end up with 32 seats, followed by the ethnic Albanian coalition Democratic Union of Integration-Party for Democratic Progress with 18, and their main rival, the Democratic Party of Albanians, with 11. The rest of the seats went to a few smaller parties.
VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski, 35, confirmed his plans to head the new government. He said priorities would include the acceleration of Euro-Atlantic integration, economic development and fighting unemployment and poverty. Most observers say the elections generally were fair and democratic. (SEC, Dnevnik, Vecer, Reuters, AFP, AP, UPI, BBC - 06/07/06; Makfax, A1 TV, Telma TV - 05/07/06)
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Albanian Lands: Albanians in Macedonia want more say, better life
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TETOVO, Macedonia, July 4 (Reuters) - Enter Macedonia by night from Kosovo and the giant cross on the black hill above Skopje appears to hover over a capital draped in election fare.
Its lights blaze the message that this is a Christian country.
By Matt Robinson - Reuters
Clearly no one told Tetovo, a 20-minute drive to the west in the heart of Macedonia's 500,000-strong Albanian minority.
On the eve of a general election in Macedonia on Wednesday, this grey city is alive with the red and black of the Albanian national flag, slung from balconies and speeding cars.
Monday evening saw the Tetovo football stadium shudder to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana as opposition leader Arben Xhaferi strode onto the field like a boxer in a title fight.
In the city centre, Xhaferi's rival, Ali Ahmeti, hosted a more sober affair. A few spluttering fireworks faintly lit the hill which Macedonian forces pounded aimlessly five years ago in the hope of hitting Ahmeti's guerrilla positions.
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Posted by acl on Tuesday, July 04 @ 08:00:57 UTC (387 reads)
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There isn't a Biggest Story for Today, yet.
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| Wednesday, June 28 | | · | Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia co-ordinate Albanian-language (0) |
| Sunday, June 04 | | · | Declaration of Independence by the Montenegrin (0) |
| Saturday, June 03 | | · | Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia (0) |
| Tuesday, May 23 | | · | A Continent of Mini-States (0) |
| · | Profile: Montenegro PM Djukanovic (0) |
| Saturday, April 08 | | · | Montenegro Albanians vote is important (0) |
| Wednesday, March 29 | | · | Macedonia: Albanian Education Battle (0) |
| Saturday, March 25 | | · | Arvanitic whose linguistic heritage is a form of Albanian (0) |
| Sunday, November 07 | | · | Referendum move to sink Macedonia peace process fails (0) |
| Tuesday, September 21 | | · | Eqrem BASHA (0) |
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