Free Republic

SARAJEVO, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Serbia is invoking the spectre of a breakup of neighbouring Bosnia before elections there, as it battles to block the independence of its southern province of Kosovo. Bosnia's Serbs are talking of secession in the campaign for the Oct. 1 election because Serbia is using them as a lever, analysts and diplomats say. "Belgrade has been using Bosnian Serbs in its bargaining, telling them to speak up and say they'll claim independence if Kosovo goes," said a Sarajevo-based diplomat. GENIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE Politically, however, there is at least a theoretical risk that a...

MUMBAI (ICNS) -- Muslim leaders in India have criticized a recent speech by Pope Benedict XII in which he made references to Islam. Some of them have demanded an unconditional apology from the Pope, saying his “blasphemous statement against Prophet Mohammad” has offended Islam. Shia Muslim leaders in the northern Indian city of Lucknow on Friday held a press conference condemning the Pope, and demanding an unconditional apology from him for issuing “a blasphemous statement against Prophet Mohammad.” Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawaad said that the Pope must tender an apology for running down the Prophet and thereby hurting the...

By M. Bozinovich "It's not true there were mujahideen in Kosovo. That is a figment of your imagination." Sabit Kadriu, Albanian ‘human rights’ activist in Kosovo while testifying against Milosevic at the Hague At the April's international police conference held in Sofia, Bulgaria reiterated that Islamic terrorism is creeping up in the Balkans. Speaking at a regional police anti-crime conference, Bulgarian General Boiko Borisov urged for "joint efforts to fight the global terrorism network" calling on the participants from the likes of Germany, Albania and Turkey to join efforts in limiting militants' access to financing and to enhance security of...

As the West and the United Nations looked on with disapproval, the fanatic foreign 'mujahideen', or holy warriors, wreaked havoc across southern Europe, taking particular aim at UN peacekeepers and even openly fighting with Bosnian Muslims at times. Middle Eastern religious and charitable organizations, largely based in and funded from the Arabian Gulf, were responsible for bankrolling this effort, and providing travel documentation for would-be mujahideen recruits." Kohlmann adds that "many of the cell members – responsible for some of the most notorious terrorist attacks of the past decade – spent their formative years waging jihad in the unlikely Muslim...

Not once since Hizbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, killed a young Israeli citizen have my liberal friends mentioned once in office conversation. Today I felt totally shut up when one of my co-workers made a comment about "my governor, Mitt Romney" and new benefit rules for MassHealth. I started to respond and was shut down by another co-worker who said O.k. let's not talk politics. I said "You democrates never want to talk politics." It's so frustrating. Day after day after I spend my evenings here on FR, my liberal co-workers talk about the next pair of curtains they are...

But Kerry may have some competition. On Memorial Day, another former Democratic presidential candidate, retired General Wesley Clark, tried to rewrite the history of the war in Kosovo in order to make himself into a great military hero. "Last week," he said, "I returned to Kosovo for the first time since I retired from military service. For me, this trip was very personal. In 1999, I commanded the NATO forces that stopped the genocide against ethnic Albanians by Slobodan Milosevic and his Serbian forces." That sounds pretty impressive-commanding the forces that stopped genocide. Too bad it's not true. Genocide is...

Nikolic said the Serbian parliament would hold a session on Kosovo after the start of the talks. He asserted that no politician in Serbia would accept Kosovo independence. "If someone declares an independent Kosovo ... we will declare that an occupation and use all means to revoke that state of occupation," Nikolic said. There was no immediate comment from Kostunica. He and Serbia's President Boris Tadic also have rejected independence for Kosovo. Serbian leaders were angered by recent comments by a visiting senior British diplomat quoted as saying that Kosovo eventually would win independence from Serbia.

The Association of Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans, in cooperation with the Djakovica municipal assembly, has built a monument to "war heroes" on church property in immediate proximity to the Serbian Orthodox church of the Holy Trinity in Djakovica, which was destroyed after the war in 1999. This most recent attack on the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in direct cooperation with official municipal institutions, confirms that in addition to individual criminal acts in Kosovo illegal activities are being carried out also under the official auspices of institutions formed during the UN protectorate ... The Church is seriously concerned...

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, or her consultancy firm Albright Group LLC, has taken over the job of special adviser of the chairman of the board of managers of the Kosovo Internet Provider Ipko Net, which will compete for a new mobile provider in the province. As it was stated from Ipko Net, the company recently founded a joint firm, with mixed capital, with the American Western Wirless International from Seattle, with which, as it was said, it intended to compete for a 'second mobile operator' in Kosovo." 4 days ago, Kosovo UN authorities started torning off Belgrade...

It is only logical to presuppose that "shuttle diplomacy" will drag on but still the prospect for separation of Kosovo from Serbia is quite realistic. It is obvious as well that neither Belgrade nor Moscow, which is the last ally of the Serbian state (which will soon be abandoned by Montenegro as well), have sufficient means at their disposal to prevent this. What would such a solution of Kosovo issue imply? Undisputedly, it will have significant impact over the subsequent definition of the approaches to be undertaken by the international community as to the solution of the "smoldering" conflicts in...

RADE (AP)--Serbian President Boris Tadic said in an interview published Friday that he will never accept independence for Kosovo. "As far as I am concerned, I will never sign any decision granting independence to Kosovo," Tadic told Glas daily. Kosovo is formally part of Serbia, although the province has been an international protectorate since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign halted Belgrade's crackdown against ethnic Albanian rebels. Talks to determine Kosovo's future status are expected to start later this year under mediation by the United Nations. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians are seeking independence, but Belgrade officials want to keep the region...

"Scholl then explained to the class that after Milocovich came to power, he was very interested in creating a Christian state and began to blame all the problems on the fact that there were too many Muslims and that was why God was not blessing the country."

Four days earlier, armed assailants had launched a Saturday Night Special attack against a civilian bus connecting the southwestern towns of Dragas and Prizren. In an offensive that would seem right out of Iraq, the unknown attackers fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the bus. According to Serbia's B-92, they "luckily did not explode, but passed right through the vehicle." Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi immediately condemned the assault, while UNMIK Chief Sřren Jessen-Petersen spoke of a need to "enhance" security measures in Kosovo.

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia Portions of southern Yugoslavia have reached such a state of ethnic friction that Yugoslavs have begun to talk of the horrifying possibility of ''civil war'' in a land that lost one-tenth of its population, or 1.7 million people, in World War II. The current hostilities pit separatist-minded ethnic Albanians against the various Slavic populations of Yugoslavia and occur at all levels of society, from the highest officials to the humblest peasants. A young Army conscript of ethnic Albanian origin shot up his barracks, killing four sleeping Slavic bunkmates and wounding six others. The army says it has uncovered...

It really irks me to hear, after the Democrats voted to send our troupes into war, that now they are talking about pulling them out. MORE SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS ARE GOING TO DIE now because the Terrorist see that our Democrats and some Republicans are waffling big time. That is all the Terrorist need to hear to help prolong their war. I am sure that they heard what I heard on the News yesterday. That if this war gets "much worse," we will have to bring our troups home. That is an invitation to the murderers to "make it worse."

WASHINGTON (AP) -- One top Democrat in Congress is calling for an exit strategy in Iraq as another vows lasting opposition to Social Security benefit cuts -- elements of a pre-emptive strike against President Bush before his midweek State of the Union address. "The president needs to spell out a real and understandable plan for the unfinished work ahead" in Iraq, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Monday. "Most of all, we need an exit strategy so that we know what victory is and how we can get there; so that we know what we need to do...

100 Ideas to Fix the Democratic Party Calling all Democrats! We are a group of Democrats from across the country determined to do everything within our power to fix the Democratic Party. As a first step, we are collecting ideas from December 14th through January 14th. We will take the best 100 ideas and submit it to the new Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman and to every Democratic U.S. Senator, Member of Congress and Governor. After another disappointing performance by Democrats, it's time to act. It's time for us to stand up and fix this party. Stand up and give...

The chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, commenting on the party's stinging defeat in last week's U.S. Senate vote, called David Vitter's victory an "aberration" Monday, attributing it largely to the "long, long coattails" of President Bush and a fractured Democratic field. Speaking to the Press Club of Baton Rouge, party chairman Mike Skinner acknowledged that last Tuesday was a long day for Democrats: "We've gotten the bear for a long, long time; this time, the bear got us."

I can just see it coming, now that Ralph Nader is running. It's almost a sure thing that he will be for same-sex marriages, and will chide Democratic candidates for not being clearly and forcefully pro-gay marriage as well. YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSS! I read that even Sen Boxer of California is flinching away from supporting same-sex marriage, saying the California law is "fair". The people don't want gay marriage, the Dems don't want this now, and the hard core liberals, including many from colleges who don't care about reality as much anyway, will go with Nader. Anyway, there is a bright side...

[Juan Non-Volokh, 3:25 PM]The Memos and Ms. Jones: The New York Times editorial board has finally discovered the Senate Judiciary Committee “collusion memos” detailing Democratic and liberal interest group opposition to Bush’s judicial nominees. Though, as one might expect, the Times is more concerned about the manner in which the memos were disclosed – they were allegedly pilfered by a Republican staffer (an act that, if illegal, would justify prosecution) – than their content. As a result, the Times missed the big story here. No, not the confirmation that Democrats opposed Miguel Estrada because he is a Hispanic. (One memo...