Developments in Kosovo

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Morphesau

Who is Rahm Emanuel?

He is Obamas new Chief of Staff.



Emanuel Welcomes Serbian Unity Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (IL-5) attended the third annual Serbian American Day Luncheon, held in Cannon Caucus Room. This annual event is organized by the Serbian Unity Congress to bring Serbian-Americans from around the country together for a day of advocacy on the hill.

“As a proud member of the Serbian Caucus, I welcome the Serbian Unity Congress and the Serbian-American community to this annual event,” said Emanuel. “It is our duty to always strive to further relations and build lasting relationships so that we can stabilize and protect people from all religions and ethnicities.”

Emanuel was the co-Chair of the Serbian Caucus from 2004 – 2007. The House passed Congressman Emanuel’s resolution honoring the contributions of the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who was assassinated in February 2003 after leading Serbia toward democratic and free market progress. In addition, he cosponsored H.Res 596, condemning ethnic violence in Kosovo and H.Res 726, congratulating the people of Serbia and the government for their fair and free elections in 2004.


http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press...bianunity.html

That's why Albanian shifted from pro-Obama to pro-McCain in the last hours of voting in "iftheworldcouldvote" website!

Argh, it's gonna be fun...

[Bardas]

Serbia detains 10 ex-rebels in war crimes probe

Ten former Kosovo Albanian rebels were arrested on Friday for allegedly raping, torturing and killing Serb civilians in the aftermath of Kosovo's war, Serbia's war crimes prosecutor said.

The 10 suspects are expected to be charged in connection with the kidnapping of 159 Serbs and the deaths of at least 51 of them in the eastern Kosovo municipality of Gnjilane in June-October 1999, the war crimes prosecutor's office said in a statement.

They are suspected of "murder, rape, detention, mutilation, torture and looting", the statement said.

Three suspected group leaders are still at large, and Serbia will seek help from the UN administration in Kosovo to detain them, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.

The 1998-99 war in Kosovo - then a province of Serbia - began with an ethnic Albanian separatist rebellion, and ended after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign forced Serbia's army and police to pull out of Kosovo.

Dacic said the Gnjilane atrocities occurred as the UN and NATO peacekeepers were deploying at the end of the war. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February.

The arrests on Friday were made during raids on 17 homes in the predominantly ethnic Albanian region of Presevo, bordering Kosovo. The area was the scene of a short ethnic Albanian rebellion in 2000-2001.

The prosecutor's office said the police operation had taken months to plan because of the "extremely high risk as almost all the suspects were armed".

Nine of the suspects were transferred to custody in Belgrade, while one remains in southern Serbia during an investigation, the interior minister said.

Kosovo government spokesman Memli Krasniqi said he would not comment on the arrests.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/serbi...1227-75po.html