FOUR INJURED IN KOSOVO
An Albanian, two Serbs and a United Nations police officer were injured in clashes in Kosovo’s northern town of Mitrovica in the early hours of August 5, Kosovo police said, as reported by website Balkan Insight. The incident occurred after several Serbs attacked and beat an Albanian. The Albanians responded by smashing a number of cars. According to Kosovo police, six cars and three shops suffered damages before peace was restored. A UN police officer’s nose was broken in the fight. Three Serbs aged 16-17 were arrested.

NAME ISSUE ONLY
United Nations-sponsored talks between Greece and Macedonia would focus solely on the name dispute between the two countries and no other issues, Greek daily Kathimerini quoted foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis as saying. UN mediator Matthew Nimetz invited representatives of the two sides to negotiate in New York on August 14 and 15. The invitation came after Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski raised the subject of a Macedonian minority in Greece. “The negotiations have only one subject: the name and the wider application of the name,” Kathimerini quoted Bakoyannis as saying.

TRUCK TAXES
Turkey would introduce a transit fee for Bulgarian trucks entering its territory, the head of the Turkish Directorate of Roads, Talyat Aydin, announced on August 5. The new taxes would be levied as of September 1. One month earlier, Turkish transport minister Binali Yaldaram had criticised Bulgaria for the introduction of transit fees for Turkish trucks passing through Bulgarian territory. Under a previous agreement, no taxes were levied on either side, but Bulgaria had unilaterally dissolved the agreement and introduced taxes of 83 euro a truck, Yaldaram said. Turkish authorities had been forced to introduce the new taxes as a counter-measure to the taxes introduced by the Bulgarians, Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted Aydin as saying.

NO BLACKMAIL
Serbian president Boris Tadic told a news conference on August 3 that the fact that European Union membership was the country’s top national interest “did not mean that Serbia will accept blackmail,” broadcaster B92 reported. “If someone thinks that this pro-European government will give up defending national interests for the sake of European perspectives, they are wrong,” he also said, as quoted by B92, adding that Serbia would keep fighting for the breakaway province of Kosovo by diplomatic means.