11.6.2007 by Lupo.

Bush visit to Albania hailed as milestone in ties

11/06/2007

The US president brought a strong message of support for Albania’s efforts to join NATO, and said the Kosovo status process must lead to independence.

By Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana – 11/06/07

(From left) Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, US President George W. Bush, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski leave the prime minister’s villa in Tirana after meeting on Sunday (June 10th). [Getty Images]

US President George W. Bush’s visit to Albania was an “historic day, the culminating event for relations between Albania and the United States”, according to Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

“I want to assure Mr. Bush that Albania will always be a proud ally of the United States, ready to give its support when it is needed. Our country now belongs to a pluralist system and is developing,” he said during a joint press conference with Bush on Sunday (June 10th).

“We are determined to take any decision, pass any law and undertake any reform to make Albania appropriate to receive the invitation to join the Western military alliance,” he said.

Bush’s one-day visit was the first by a sitting president of the United States. He brought a message of support for Albania’s aspirations to join NATO, and made it clear that Washington backs independence as the outcome of the Kosovo status process.

At his press conference with Berisha, Bush began by greeting his audience in Albanian. He congratulated the country for the reforms it has implemented so far, and called for further progress.

“The United States is dedicated to supporting Albania on its way towards integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures,” Bush said. “We would like to see more political and military reforms. All the politicians have to work together to fulfill the standards.”

On Kosovo, Bush said he wished to “clarify two points. Firstly, we need progress in the negotiations for the status and, secondly, the final result is independence of Kosovo.”

“Sooner rather than later you’ve got to say ‘Enough’s enough. Kosovo’s independent’,” he added.

He also called on the Albanian government to help maintain calm and peace in the province, which has been under UN administration since 1999.

During his visit, Bush also had lunch with the prime ministers of Albania, Macedonia and Croatia, the three members of the Adriatic Charter, and later walked with them through central Tirana.

Bush reiterated Washington’s support for efforts by the three countries to obtain NATO membership invitations at the Alliance’s 2008 summit in Bucharest. However, he also stressed the need to complete the required political and defence reforms.
“The United States is dedicated to supporting Albania on its way towards integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures,” Bush said. “We would like to see more political and military reforms. All the politicians have to work together to fulfill the standards.”

On Kosovo, Bush said he wished to “clarify two points. Firstly, we need progress in the negotiations for the status and, secondly, the final result is independence of Kosovo.”

“Sooner rather than later you’ve got to say ‘Enough’s enough. Kosovo’s independent’,” he added.

He also called on the Albanian government to help maintain calm and peace in the province, which has been under UN administration since 1999.

During his visit, Bush also had lunch with the prime ministers of Albania, Macedonia and Croatia, the three members of the Adriatic Charter, and later walked with them through central Tirana.

Bush reiterated Washington’s support for efforts by the three countries to obtain NATO membership invitations at the Alliance’s 2008 summit in Bucharest. However, he also stressed the need to complete the required political and defence reforms.

His visit was hailed in Albania as a landmark occasion. Crowds welcomed him and First Lady Laura Bush as they were escorted from Tirana’s international airport to the heart of the capital for talks with Berisha and President Alfred Moisiu.

The city’s streets were cleaned, US flags were draped over buildings and a commemorative set of stamps was issued for the occasion.

Huge banners and billboards proclaimed “Proud to be Partners” and “President Bush in Albania Making History”. Red-white-and-blue paper top hats were passed out to well-wishers. Authorities renamed a street in front of parliament in Bush’s honour, and Moisiu awarded his US counterpart with the Order of the Albanian Flag.

During the visit, Bush greeted Albanian troops who have served in Afghanistan. The country recently decided to triple its deployment there to 140 troops. It also has about 120 troops in Iraq — a presence that Moisiu says will not end as long as the United States is engaged there.

First Lady Laura Bush’s agenda included visits to Tirana’s main maternity ward and an orphanage supported by the US government. The president and first lady also made a stop at the town of Fushe Kruja, where hundreds of people awaited his arrival. Breaching the tight security measures, Bush began greeting the citizens and was warmly welcomed by them in turn.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2007/06/11/feature-02

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11.6.2007 by CrniLabudovi.

01.07.2002 Terror-Experten am Werk:

An Rekruten mangelt es nicht El Kaida bildet geheime Muslim-Armee am Balkan aus Düsseldorf (RP). Westliche Geheimdienste schlagen Alarm: Auf dem Balkan formiert sich eine muslimische Armee - gesponsert von mehreren islamischen Staaten. Mit dabei: Terror-Experten von El Kaida und Hisbollah. Während amerikanische und britische Spezialkommandos, unterstützt vom KSK der Bundeswehr, in den Bergen Afghanistans und an der Grenze zu Pakistan die versprengten Kader der El Kaida und Taliban jagen, formiert sich auf dem Balkan längst eine neue muslimische Armee. In Mazedonien, im Kosovo, in Bosnien und Albanien sollen, wie einst in Afghanistan, Truppen für den “Dschihad”, den Heiligen Krieg, gegen den Westen, besonders die USA, aufgestellt werden. Nach Informationen der “Rheinischen Post” stehen bereits mehr als 10 000 islamische Kämpfer bereit. Ein Block mehrerer islamischer Staaten sponsert das “Unternehmen”: Iran, Saudi-Arabien, Irak. Ergänzt wird diese Allianz durch Vertreter der Terrororganisationen El Kaida und der pro-iranischen Hisbollah Miliz. Geheimdienstexperten aus dem Iran, aus Saudiarabien sowie Mitglieder der Bin-Laden-Truppe El Kaida sind mit Ausbildung, Rekrutierung und Logistik junger Muslime betraut. Die Einheiten sind mit modernen Handfeuerwaffen ausgestattet. Manche sind geübt in der Handhabung von Raketenwerfern und Panzerfäusten. Die Besten werden handverlesen auf Flugkurse nach Tschechien und Bulgarien geschickt. Sie sollen eines Tages den Kern einer muslimischen Luftwaffe bilden. Lektion aus Afghanistan gelernt Planer und Kommandeure der kommenden islamischen Balkan-Armee haben ihre Lektion aus Afghanistan gelernt. Die “Dschihadisten” arbeiten professionell und absolut konspirativ. Trainingsbasen und Nachschubwege sind gut getarnt und weitgehend unbekannt. An Rekruten mangelt es nicht. Sie kommen aus den muslimischen Bevölkerungsgruppen der Kosovaren, Albaner, Makedonier und Bosnier. Ideale Verstecke für alle logistischen und operativen Planungen bilden hunderte neuer Moscheen in diesen Ländern, die wie Pilze aus dem Boden schießen - finanziert von reichen Saudis. Den meisten neuen Moscheen steht ein saudischer Imam vor. Dieser wiederum erhält seine Instruktionen vom saudischen Geheimdienst. Die Moscheen offerieren anfangs erst einmal kulturelle Angebote, um 15 bis 16 Jahre alte Jugendliche anzulocken. Endziel solcher Kampagnen ist die Eingliederung der jungen Männer in eine Religionsschule, so genannte “Medresses”. Dort soll das afghanische Modell greifen. Denn in den “Medresses” am Hindukusch wurde nicht nur der Koran gelehrt und gedeutet - die Curricula umfassten auch integriertes militärisches Training. Nach ihrer Invasion in Afghanistan musste die Antiterror-Allianz feststellen: die “Medresses” waren ein florierendes Rekrutierungsreservoir für angehende Terroristen. Zuletzt gegen US-Truppen gekämpft Auf dem Balkan stellen iranische und irakische Offiziere das Militärpersonal. Hinzu kommen aus Afghanistan geflohene El-Kaida-Operateure, die am Hindukusch gegen US-Truppen kämpften. Ihr Konzept beim Aufbau einer “islamischen Armee” in Südosteuropa ist langfristig. Die besten unter den ausgewählten Rekruten werden mit 17 Jahren in eine geheime halbmilitärische Organisation gesteckt und erhalten dreimal die Woche einen militärischen Schliff, der aus drei Kurselementen besteht: Guerrillatraining für den Häuserkampf, die Herstellung von Bomben und Minen, Ausbildung im Nachtkampf. Nach zweimonatiger Ausbildung erhalten die Kombattanten ein fixes Monatsgehalt zwischen 500 und 700 US-Dollar. Ein Vermögen in einer Gesellschaft, in der Arbeitsplätze knapp sind. Gegen Ende ihres Lehrgangs bekommen die Teilnehmer Uniformen und persönliche Waffen. Die Ausrüstung nehmen sie mit nach Hause, wo sie versteckt gelagert wird. Der Prozess einer schleichenden Unterwanderung mit islamistischen Einflüssen auf dem Balkan wird sorgfältig choreographiert vom islamischen Logistik-Zentrum, der iranischen Botschaft im Kosovo. Nach Afghanistan könnte der Balkan irgendwann der nächste islamistische Brennpunkt werden. Dass er Sprungbrett nach Zentraleuropa wird, daran arbeiten die militanten Islamisten bereits heute. Von ROLF TOPHOVEN http://www.rp-online.de/public/article/aktuelles/politik/267953

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11.6.2007 by CrniLabudovi.

Jun 10, 2007, 13:55 GMT

Tirana - Serbia’s breakaway province Kosovo would be independent and it should become independent soon, US President George W. Bush said Sunday in Albania.

During a quick visit to Tirana on the penultimate leg of his European tour which included the G8 summit in Germany, which also had Kosovo on the agenda, Bush said that ‘the time is now’ to resolve the issue.

‘I made it clear that … we need to get moving and that the end result is independence,’ he told a press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

Questioned by a reporter, he said he did not have a deadline in mind, but ‘whether or not there is going to be endless dialogue on a subject that we have made up our mind about - we believe Kosovo ought to be independent.’

Washington and the West support a plan for Kosovo hammered out by the Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, who recommended internationally-supervised independence for the province.

Serbia, backed by Russia, adamantly insists on retaining sovereignty over Kosovo, with its Albanian majority which expects independence with growing impatience.

Belgrade officials have been indicating that they would not trade Kosovo even at a cost of moving closer to European Union and NATO membership, but Bush again held the carrot out.

‘We want to make sure that Serbia hears that the United States supports their aspirations for closer integration with the West,’ he said, raising the prospect of bilateral cooperation and ‘potential membership of NATO.’

He also said that Washington supports Albania’s bid for NATO membership, but called on the country’s feuding leaders to work more closely to push necessary reforms through.

‘You’re just not accepted into membership … can’t just say we want to join - there are certain standards that are expected to be met,’ Bush said.

In Albania ‘there needs to be additional political and military reforms, progress against organized crime and corruption’ for further integration, he added.

Bush was warmly welcomed by his Albanian hosts, on the history- making first-ever visit to the tiny Balkan country by a sitting US president.

During the six-hour visit, before departing to Bulgaria for an overnight stay and meetings on Monday, Bush was decorated as a ‘great ally’ and had a Tirana street named after him.

The ‘Order of the Flag’ medal awarded Bush was an expression of ‘profound gratitude for a historic role in protection of freedom, democracy and rights of the Albanian nation,’ Albanian President Alfred Moisiu’s cabinet said.

Bush was welcomed by people lining the intersections and downtown streets on the journey from Tirana’s Nona Teresa (Mother Teresa) airport.

He was also scheduled to meet premiers of Croatia and Macedonia, Ivo Sanader and Nikola Gruevski. Albania, Croatia and Macedonia comprise the Adria-Group with the aim of boosting military cooperation - all three countries are prospective NATO members.

Albania had been deeply isolated under a harsh Communist regime until last decade. Still among the least developed and poorest in Europe, it sees the US as its by far the most important partner.

The US acted decisively during the 1998-1999 Kosovo crisis, leading a military intervention against Yugoslavia to oust Belgrade’s security forces from Serbia’s province that is mainly populated by ethnic Albanians.

Now Washington is the most powerful advocate of a drive aimed at securing independence for Kosovo, in the central Balkan neighbouring Serbia, Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro.

© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1315742.php/Result_for_Kosovo_is_independence_Bush_vows__Roundup_

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11.6.2007 by admin.

ur Darfurgruppe Berlin siehe Herrschaft. T:I:S, 25. Mai 2007

*

Kein Rassenkampf, sondern Rassifizierung des Kriegs

Norman Paech hat einen Beitrag von Mahmood Mamdani zu Darfur (.pdf-Datei, 9 Seiten) auf seine Internetseite gestellt:

The Politics of Naming: Genocide, Civil War, Insurgency. London Review of Books, Vol. 29 No. 5 dated 8 March 2007

Der Krieg in Darfur ist kein Krieg zwischen Arabern und anderen Afrikanern, siehe Seite 9:

Contrast this with the UN commission’s painstaking effort to make sense of the identities ‘Arab’ and ‘African’. The commission’s report concentrated on three related points.

First, the claim that the Darfur conflict pitted ‘Arab’ against ‘African’ was facile. ‘In fact, the commission found that many Arabs in Darfur are opposed to the Janjawiid, and some Arabs are fighting with the rebels, such as certain Arab commanders and their men from the Misseriya and Rizeigat tribes. At the same time, many non-Arabs are supporting the government and serving in its army.’

Second, it has never been easy to sort different tribes into the categories ‘Arab’ and ‘African’: ‘The various tribes that have been the object of attacks and killings (chiefly the Fur, Massalit and Zeghawa tribes) do not appear to make up ethnic groups distinct from the ethnic groups to which persons or militias that attack them belong. They speak the same language (Arabic) and embrace the same religion (Muslim). In addition, also due to the high measure of intermarriage, they can hardly be distinguished in their outward physical appearance from the members of tribes that allegedly attacked them. Apparently, the sedentary and nomadic character of the groups constitutes one of the main distinctions between them’ (emphasis mine).

Finally, the commission put forward the view that political developments are driving the rapidly growing distinction between ‘Arab’ and ‘African’. On the one hand, ‘Arab’ and ‘African’ seem to have become political identities: ‘Those tribes in Darfur who support rebels have increasingly come to be identified as “African” and those supporting the government as the “Arabs”. A good example to illustrate this is that of the Gimmer, a pro-government African tribe that is seen by the African tribes opposed to the government as having been “Arabised”.’ On the other hand, this development was being promoted from the outside:

‘The Arab-African divide has also been fanned by the growing insistence on such divide in some circles and in the media.’

Mamdani ist Autor der bei Nautilus in der Übersetzung von Sophia Deeg erschienenen Studie “Guter Moslem, böser Moslem. Amerika und die Wurzeln des Terrrors”. Er sprach am Mittwoch, dem 23. Mai um 19.30 Uhr im Hamburger Kölibri, Hein-Köllisch-Platz 12 (St. Pauli) - ergänzt am 25. Mai 2007, T:I:S

T:I:S, 8. Mai 2007

http://www.steinbergrecherche.com/sudan.htm#Kein

http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb5/frieden/regionen/Sudan/

http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb5/frieden/regionen/Sudan/kroepelin3.html 

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