U.N. Panel Unable to Win Kosovo Agreement

by Colum Lynch

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 7 -- Mediators from the United States, Russia and the European Union have failed to obtain an agreement on Kosovo's future, setting the stage for a drive by the Western powers to support a declaration of independence by the predominantly ethnic Albanian province early next year.

 Breaking Point By: Julian Borger | The Guardian It's a crisis that's been simmering since 1999, when Nato troops enforced an uneasy peace on Kosovo. But from Monday, the Albanian majority in this former Yugoslav province will no longer be bound by the UN-brokered truce. And the fallout could be disastrous.

 

No deal on Kosovo status as talks collapse

Mediators have failed to secure an agreement between Serbia and the break-away province, leaving it to the UN Security Council to rule on the deadlock over its independence

 

DOSSIER: The EU and the independence of Kosovo | 07/12/2007

Next Monday, mediators from the US, Russia and the EU will present their final report on the future of Kosovo to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. In it they officially declare the failure of the negotiations between the Serbs and Kosovo-Albanians. The Serb province now plans to declare independence. How can the EU contribute to stabilising the region?

Nato-Russia tension over Kosovo

Nato and Russia fail to narrow their differences over Kosovo ahead of a UN deadline for an agreement.

 

Who's afraid of the "Kosovo effect"?

by Joshua Keating

On Monday, the U.S.-EU-Russia "troika" is expected to report to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that they have failed to negotiate a settlement on the status of the (for now) Serbian province of Kosovo. With negotiations having officially failed, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders plan to declare independence within the next several weeks. Much has been made of a senior Serbian official's intimations that Serbia was considering going to war to keep Kosovo, but with 16,450 NATO troops active in the region, this seems unlikely. Indeed, the Serbian president ruled out the possibility of bloodshed today.

 

 

 

EU-Digest/Salon: IRAN - Bush's real lie about Iran - ( Should EU disassociate itself from US Middle East policy?)

 

..............

Note EU-Digest:There are some interesting developments going on in the Middle East. Europe and Iran have throughout the years always been natural allies and the ties could be renewed based on mutual respect and cooperation. Iran's most recent leaders, Mohammed Mosaddeq and the Ayatollah Khomeini both had close ties with Europe (France). In contrast, Iran's present close relationship with Russia is more one out of necessity than friendship. Russia was the last nation to occupy Iran, and the Persians have a long memory and an outstanding score to settle. The American's also have had a very turbulent relationship with Iran. On August 19, 1953 a coup d'état supported and funded by the British and U.S. governments, and orchestrated by the CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Mosaddeq, while Carter failed in a rescue attempt of US prisoners on Iran territory during the Ayatollah Khomeini's rule. The US also supported Saddam's Iraq during their 1980 - 1988 war with Iran. During that period Ted Koppel reported on ABC's Nightline, "It is becoming increasingly clear that George Bush Sr., operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into an aggressive power and the "Reagan/Bush administrations permitted — and frequently encouraged — the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq.”

In the meantime all eyes should also be on Israel. The new US view, that Iran is acquiring the nuclear technology that could produce weapons but has given up its specific weapons program, and in any event probably could not produce a weapon until 2015, is the opposite of the Israeli assessment. Jerusalem believes Iran will have enough nuclear fuel for a weapon by 2010 at the latest. Senior Israeli officials warned today they were still considering the option of a military strike against Iran. Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defence minister, told Israel's Army Radio today: "No option needs to be off the table." Putting all these facts together, which the Iranians are obviously doing, they can really only count on the EU as a true ally and allow them to become part of a European strategic regional alliance.

 

 

Progress Magazine:The Middle East needs an EU-led strategy to promote democratic governance

 

Seeking to Ban Scientology

by Joerg Wolf

Guardian Unlimited:

 

Germany's top security officials said Friday they consider the goals of the U.S.-based Church of Scientology to be in conflict with the principles of the nation's constitution and will seek to ban the group.

 

Should Europol and Eurojust merge?

by Centre for European Reform

by Hugo Brady

Governments increasingly use Europol, the EU’s police office, and Eurojust - its prosecution unit - to investigate criminals operating across borders and bring them to justice. At Europol, national police and crime analysts gather intelligence on crimes ranging from drug trafficking to counterfeiting and terrorism. Eurojust mostly helps prosecute cases across national borders within the EU. All 27 member-states send police and prosecutors to the offices of Europol and Eurojust, each located separately in The Hague.

 

Barroso's high

The Portuguese and current president of the European Commission could be re-elected after his mandate expires in June 2009

The new EU Treaty and the prospects for future integration

As European leaders prepare to sign the Treaty of Lisbon on 13 December, a new publication from the European Policy Centre (EPC) considers the outlook for the future of EU integration.

 

Reaction to Mosque Underscores Growing Divides Across Europe

by Molly Moore

CRETEIL, France -- On a recent Friday, 200 Muslim worshipers crowded into a former carpentry workshop here for noon prayers. The men knelt on red carpets in a first-floor hall, the women squeezed into the tiny administrative office upstairs.

Iran: Merkel, Sarkozy and "The Desperate Man"

by Joerg Wolf

No, the headline refers to a painting by French artist Gustave Courbet. The NY Times used a picture of Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy in front of this painting as an illustration of its article "Despite Report, France and Germany Keep Pressure on Iran."

 

"Climate Catastrophe" is the Word of the Year in Germany

by Joerg Wolf

"Klimakatastrophe" (climate catastrophe) is the Word of the Year 2007 chosen by the Society for the German Language, notes Deutschlandfunk. The word of the year is supposed to say quite a bit about public debates. In the last two years, the chose the words "Fanmeile" ("fan mile," referring to the public viewing and celebrating spaces during the Soccer World Cup in Germany in 2006) and "Bundeskanzlerin" (the female version of the word "chancellor"). 

This week in Network Europe

 

Britain's Tories: the angry voter conundrum

People like to be cheerful

 

Left in the Distance: Reflections on France’s Banlieue Riots

By Crispin Williams

Barbaric! Savage! These are just some of the terms that have been used to describe the latest round of riots in France’s troubled banlieues (suburbs). The violence at the end of November in Villiers-le-Bel comes just two years after the riots of 2005, showing that the tensions and problems in these neighbourhoods remain severe.

 

 

 

 

 

Barroso rules out quick decision on online music market

 

Kosovo on the eve , Juan Garrigues

Bill Klinton Avenue in the centre of Pristina remains littered with advertisements of smiling candidates from the parliamentary elections of 17 November 2007. Beyond the grey Tetris-shaped communist-era buildings stand modern government ministries which fly, side by side, two flags: the blue-and-white of the United Nations and the black-and-red with its double-headed eagle motif which Kosovo has adopted (from Albania) as its own de facto flag. In the ministry of public works, a large picture of Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo's deceased independence leader, adorns the façade.

Sarkozy: big white chief's bad memory, James McDougall

 

Pinocchio Sarkozy

French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s visit this week to Algeria received public attention in Turkey just as it did throughout the world.

Sarkozy’s vision is delusion

One truly hopes that those in responsible positions in EU offices know what they are doing. Yesterday, the daily Vatan reported, based on reliable sources, that a major scandal was taking place in Brussels on the eve of the EU Summit in mid-December.

 

Slovenia preparing to take over EU helm

On Jan. 1, 2008 Slovenia, a relatively small country with a population of some 2 million people, will become the first “new” member state to take up the presidency of the EU.

Plan D – limits to Europe

by Richard Laming

I write this from the closing session at the European Commission’s Plan D wrap-up conference, looking at the concluding remarks that were circulated. The Plan D project involved a series of consultation exercises across Europe during 2007, and various selection procedures have produced a set of statements about the future of the EU. We are told that these are the authentic views of the European citizen. Read them here and make up your own mind. (I will post a link shortly)

 

Nothing matters until it’s personal

by Richard Laming

At a meeting today, a fine story was told that illustrates the problem of Europe very well. The actor Timothy Spall was asked about his acting style, and answered that “nothing matters until it’s personal”. And if that’s true about acting, it is true of the EU, too.

In the single market, there are economies of scale and increased competition arising from replacing 27 sets of national laws with a single set of European laws, and they bring benefits to everyone in the EU but in a rather generalised and imprecise way. Hardly anyone can attribute a particular event or activity to those generalised benefits.

No Choice Except Independence for Kosova

by Ozi

Özcan TİKİT, Cafebabel

Aleksandar Simic, Serbian PM Advisor threated Kosova against independence. With all means Serbia will defend it’s independence, Simic said. Let’s think about what advisor, implied by saying “with all means”, certainly he wants that too. As a forecast it’s not difficult to see Kosova will declare its delayed independance maybe not today today, this month or this year but it should be known; Kosova will ultimately use this right and Serbia has no choice but accepting.