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Sat, Nov 21 2009
Ceku back in Kosovo
Agim Ceku.
Agim Ceku, the former Kosovo prime minister who arrested at the Macedonian-Bulgarian border on June 23 2009 on an Interpol red warrant issued at the request of Serbia for Ceku to face war crimes charges, returned to Kosovo on June 30 after his release by a Bulgarian court formally took effect.
On June 25, the district court in the south-western Bulgarian town of Kyustendil released Ceku from custody. Prosecutors had three working days to appeal against the finding in the appellate court in Sofia. After they did not do so, his release from custody was confirmed.
Ceku’s return to Kosovo was confirmed in an announcement by the Social Democratic Party of Kosovo.
His release by Bulgaria was the fourth time that a country has declined to extradite him to Serbia for prosecution. Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, does not deem Serbia to have jurisdiction over Kosovo citizens.
Within a day of Ceku’s arrest, Serbia’s justice ministry sent Sofia a request for his extradition.
Serbian news agency Beta said that the charges against Ceku dated from when he was commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and is alleged to be responsible for the murder of 669 Serbs and 18 members of other non-Albanian ethnic communities.
After the Kyustendil court released Ceku, Serbian justice minister Slobodan Holmen said, while awaiting confirmation of the release, that such a decision by the court meant that a political decision had overcome international law.
"As for us, the most important thing is that, for such a serious crime, that of genocide, there is no statute of limitations and we are convinced that, sooner of later, Ceku will be brought to justice in Serbia and will be tried for the war crimes committed," Homen said.
Ceku had been attempting to enter Bulgaria at the invitation of Solomon Passi, head of Parliament’s foreign policy committee. Passi said that the two were working together on issues linked to Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
Speaking to journalists in Pristina, Ceku said: "If there is anything positive in this case, it is that I was not released as a result of the good will of the Bulgarian Government but as a result of court proceedings." He said that from now on, anywhere he goes he will take a copy of the Bulgarian court’s decision and present it to the respective authorities.
On June 25, the district court in the south-western Bulgarian town of Kyustendil released Ceku from custody. Prosecutors had three working days to appeal against the finding in the appellate court in Sofia. After they did not do so, his release from custody was confirmed.
Ceku’s return to Kosovo was confirmed in an announcement by the Social Democratic Party of Kosovo.
His release by Bulgaria was the fourth time that a country has declined to extradite him to Serbia for prosecution. Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, does not deem Serbia to have jurisdiction over Kosovo citizens.
Within a day of Ceku’s arrest, Serbia’s justice ministry sent Sofia a request for his extradition.
Serbian news agency Beta said that the charges against Ceku dated from when he was commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and is alleged to be responsible for the murder of 669 Serbs and 18 members of other non-Albanian ethnic communities.
After the Kyustendil court released Ceku, Serbian justice minister Slobodan Holmen said, while awaiting confirmation of the release, that such a decision by the court meant that a political decision had overcome international law.
"As for us, the most important thing is that, for such a serious crime, that of genocide, there is no statute of limitations and we are convinced that, sooner of later, Ceku will be brought to justice in Serbia and will be tried for the war crimes committed," Homen said.
Ceku had been attempting to enter Bulgaria at the invitation of Solomon Passi, head of Parliament’s foreign policy committee. Passi said that the two were working together on issues linked to Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
Speaking to journalists in Pristina, Ceku said: "If there is anything positive in this case, it is that I was not released as a result of the good will of the Bulgarian Government but as a result of court proceedings." He said that from now on, anywhere he goes he will take a copy of the Bulgarian court’s decision and present it to the respective authorities.
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Serbian signals
Ahead of a visit by the Dutch foreign minister and the July EU ministerial, Belgrade insists it is co-operating with The Hague tribunal. The Dutch are not persuaded.
Bulgarian court releases Ceku from custody
Decision by the Kyustendil court is subject to appeal in Sofia. Earlier, Belgrade had summoned Bulgarian ambassador and invokes 1960 extradition agreement, while Serbian media report that the US, UK and France are pressing Bulgaria to release Agim Ceku.
Bulgaria arrests former Kosovo prime minister Ceku on Interpol warrant
Held on a warrant issued at the request of Belgrade for a war crimes conviction handed down by a Serbian court, Ceku has insisted such arrests – this is his fourth – are invalid.
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Regional fallout from Macedonia name dispute
Media reports say that the EU will pressure Athens and Skopje to come up with a solution to the Macedonia name dispute by December 7, or Brussels will take a cooler approach to Macedonia’s EU hopes; while a row breaks out in Belgrade after Serbia’s foreign minister takes sides in the dispute.
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Dave UK, this is happening in England already. Slowly but surely the Muslims are setting up their own parts of London just like in Paris. Remember the London protests when the Muslims threatened with another 9/11 and their benners saying that Europe will be Muslim? Remember then holding "God bless Hitler" signs and all the other threatening signs as well?
It's only a matter of time. Once they are in sufficient numbers it will get even worse.
So Dave, do take all this in account and remember that Islam is only meak when they are not in sufficnet numbers. English people must stop this before it becomes impossible to stop.
I know that I am accused of being a paid Serbian lobbyist etc. but that's the only thing Albanians have to try to discredit me with. I am not paid by anyone. They give themselves to say whatefer they want and spew any venom they want but dare anyone counter that with reason and facts they throw accusations of being paid, being uninformed and just get vulgar when all else fails.
shame on you Bulgaria you have showed weakness, the KLA are terrrorists.John Smith Kosovo is Serbian, i am not part of any group and i am English. DIvision of peoples along ethnic lines is dangerous what happens if this is tried in the UK?????
Nikola, Yes, it's time there was some justice in the world. We are getting closer to that with Russia, China and India alliance. All three countries are fast becoming economic super powers.
This John Smith must be Nostradamus. I wonder what makes him think I work for a Serbian group. I don't work for any group. I donate my efforts to Serbian causes freely.
Peggy, you are correct. International Law has once again been ignored and it seems the real criminals in this conflict never see justice. The time will come when both the US and Albanians are put in their place
Peggy is a full-time employee of the hiden Serbian group to do everything and anything to stop the progress in Kosovo. You will be fired soon, now that Serbian plan has failed...
I am not saying Bulgarian people but Bulgarian government.
All the governments in that area have sold their souls to US and that's a fact, including Tadic.
If the truth inflames that's just how it has to be then. We all have to face it.
Calm down my friend. Bulgarians are not week.
There was never any doubt in my mind that Ceku would be released. Not because he is not guilty, but because Bulgarians would be too weak to resist US pressure.
Interpol warrants don't get issued on a whim. There has to be some substance to them so any thinking person will wonder why is he being released.
It must be a bummer for him to keep getting kicked out of every country he goes to. Some holiday. He spends some time in jail and then gets kicked out like a criminal he is.
I guess, he will have to be happy to have Kosovo as his prison, for he is not welcome anywhere else. That much is evident. Even if they don't extradite him to Serbia, Serbia has still scored a big point in making his life uncomfortable and unpredictable. Also Serbia has manages to keep him and his crimes in international papers. Surely, he cannot be happy about this.