April, 2008

• 3 April

  U.N. court clears ex-Kosovo PM of war crimes

  THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The U.N. war crimes tribunal acquitted Kosovo’s former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Thursday of charges of torturing and murdering Serbs during the 1998-99 war.

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• 3 April

  NATO troop target for Afghanistan hard to pin down

  BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Just how many troops does NATO need in Afghanistan? Despite repeated calls for more forces to be sent to fight Taliban insurgents, alliance leaders — meeting on Thursday at a summit in Bucharest — have been reluctant or unable to give a consistent figure for how many …

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• 3 April

  Russia’s Putin to focus on positive in NATO talks

  BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to focus on areas of agreement rather than discord at talks with NATO leaders on Friday, in efforts to keep ties with the West on a relatively even keel before he steps down.

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• 3 April

  Russia criticizes NATO pledge to Ukraine, Georgia

  MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday the entry of Ukraine and Georgia into NATO would be a “huge strategic mistake” after alliance leaders pledged to offer them membership one day.

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• 3 April

  Belarus wants Russia to help counter NATO expansion

  MINSK (Reuters) – Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday it was only a matter of time before NATO took in Ukraine and Georgia, and called for joint efforts with Russia to counter the alliance’s expansion.

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• 3 April

  Jilted Macedonia to leave NATO summit early

  BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Macedonia announced it was leaving a NATO summit early on Thursday after Greece prevented alliance leaders from inviting it into the military pact because of a row over its name.

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• 3 April

  NATO allies turn down Bush request

  BUCHAREST, Romania – President Bush suffered a painful diplomatic setback Wednesday when NATO allies rebuffed his passionate pleas to put former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia on the path toward membership in the Western military alliance.

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• 3 April

  Moscow’s growing influence over NATO

   Russia isn’t a member of NATO. It never will be. But the country which once used to dominate and run the rival Warsaw Pact is nevertheless having a crucial influence on the deliberations in Bucharest of the 26-nation alliance. Whether western powers like it or not, Russia is becoming NATO-Plus-One.

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• 2 April

  Spokesman slams Bush’s anti-Iran claims at Bucharest Summit

  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Wednesday blasted US President George W. Bush’s “antagonistic” claims on Iran’s missile capabilities and said the statements in Bucharest summit of the military alliance are examples of the US government’s “desperate and opportunistic” attempt to destabilize the Middle East region.

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• 2 April

  Macedonia NATO delay would fuel radicals: Albania

  BUCHAREST (Reuters) – A delay in inviting Macedonia to join NATO could encourage radicals and fuel instability in the Balkans, Albania’s prime minister said, urging compromise to allow a last-minute deal at an alliance summit on Wednesday.

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