20:47
NATO RECEIVES REQUEST BY MACEDONIA'S PRESIDENT TO LEAVE IN THE COUNTRY THE ALLIANCE'S TROOPS AFTER OPERATION ESSENTIAL HARVEST IS COMPLETED
NATO's Brussels headquarters received on Wednesday a letter from Macedonia's President Boris Trajkovski, asking that the alliance's military contingent be left in the country after Operation Essential Harvest is completed, said a NATO headquarters spokesman. More detail...

19:32
UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES CALLS TO STATION UN TROOPS IN MACEDONIA BEFORE NATO TROOPS WITHDRAWAL
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees calls to station the UN peace-keeping troops in Macedonia before withdrawal of the NATO servicemen involved in the Essential Harvest operation, Special Balkan Envoy of the UN Commissioner Eric Morris said in Skopje Wednesday. More detail...

19:19
MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT BEGAN TO CONSIDER CONSTITUTION AMENDMENTS' DRAFT
The Macedonian parliament began to consider the Constitution amendments' draft introduced by the Constitutional commission of the parliament. More detail...

17:19
RUSSIAN BUSINESS PEOPLE NEGOTIATING IN MONTENEGRO
A Russian business delegation is holding negotiations in Podgorica for the development of economic ties between Russia and Montenegro. According to a spokesman for Montenegro's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Russian delegation has displayed interest in a free economic zone in Bar, the repair of Russian ships at a Montenegrin shipyard, the privatization of a metallurgical plant in Niksic, and several power engineering projects. More detail...

17:01
MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT REQUESTS NATO TO EXTEND ITS PRESENCE IN MACEDONIA
The Macedonian government has officially requested NATO to extend its presence in the republic after the end of the "essential harvest" operation. RIA Novosti learned this by telephone from NATO's office in Skoplje on Wednesday. More detail...

16:18
MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT ASKS NATO TO EXTEND PRESENCE AFTER ESSENTIAL HARVEST ENDS
The government of Macedonia has officially asked the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to prolong its presence after the Essential Harvest operation has been completed, the NATO office said by telephone from Skopje. More detail...

12:30
MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE FOR DRAFT CHANGES TO COUNTRY'S CONSTITUTION ON WEDNESDAY
A Wednesday session of the Macedonian parliament in Skopje is due to vote for draft changes to the country's constitution. Though the changes have already been coordinated by the leaders of Macedonian and Albanian parties of the ruling coalition, a certain vagueness is preserved. Two Albanian parties and the Macedonian party Social-Democratic Union have spoken for adopting draft changes to the constitution in the coordinated form. More detail...

11:43
MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT DELAYS CONSIDERATION OF REFERENDUM ON CHANGES IN CONSTITUTION
The Macedonian Parliament has delayed until Thursday the consideration of the question of holding a referendum on changes in constitution. More detail...

15:39
UN SECURITY COUNCIL SUPPORTS YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME OF KOSOVO CRISIS SETTLEMENT
The UN Security Council and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have voiced support for the Yugoslav government-sponsored programme of the Kosovo crisis settlement. More detail...

13:35
ACCORDING TO MACEDONIAN INTELLIGENCE REPORTS, OSAMA BIN LADEN'S TERRORISTS FOUGHT IN MACEDONIA
According to information from the Macedonian intelligence service, Osama bin Laden's terrorists fought in Macedonia among the ranks of the so-called National Liberation Army (NLA), reported the Macedonian paper Dnevnik on Tuesday. More detail...

20:57
SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL HOLDS SESSION
The Socialist International committee for Central and Eastern Europe opened session in Belgrade,the Yugoslav capital, which has never before been its venue. More detail...

20:50
YUGOSLAVIA CANCELS WAR CRIME PROCEEDINGS AGAINST NATO LEADERS
The Belgrade district court cancelled proceedings against 14 NATO countries' leaders accused of war crimes against civilians in the aggression of March-June 1999. More detail...

19:39
MACEDONIA: ESSENTIAL HARVEST TAKES FIREARMS OFF
Two stages of operation Essential Harvest collected 2,500 units of firearms from ethnic Albanian rebels to be removed to Greece by helicopters from Krivolak airfield in Macedonia's heart, report Mark Latey and Barry Johnson, respective NATO political and military envoys to Macedonia. 170,000 items of munitions were destroyed in Krivolak. More detail...

17:14
ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN KOSOVO TO BEGIN OCTOBER 3
The parliamentary election campaign in Kosovo will officially begin on October 3 and last 45 days, the Kosovo office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has announced. The election date has been scheduled for November 17, 2001. More detail...

12:16
LINE-UP AND POWERS OF KOSOVO'S FUTURE AUTHORITIES DEFINED
The UN civil mission has defined the line-up and terms of reference of Kosovo's future bodies of power to be elected in mid-November. Hans Haekkerup, head of the UN Mission in Kosovo has signed a document reading that the Kosovo Skupstina (parliament) would be made up of 120 deputies. They will be elected for three-year terms. More detail...

16:41
SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER OPPOSES EARLY ELECTION
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic announced that by 2004 Serbia would become a candidate for joining the European Union. By 2010 the Republic may acquire the status of a full-fledged EU member, but, in the Serbian Prime Minister's opinion, "strong efforts" will have to be made to achieve this goal. More detail...

15:05
OSCE TO EXPAND OPERATIONS IN MACEDONIA
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe intends to "significantly expand" its operations in Macedonia, says a memorandum on the results of OSCE Deputy Chairman and Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana's visit to Skopje. More detail...

15:52
ALBANIAN TERRORISTS CONTINUE ARMED PROVOCATIONS IN MACEDONIA
Albanian terrorists do not cease to stage armed provocations against the security forces and peaceful population of Macedonia. According to reports which Sofia received from Skopje with reference to police sources, on Thursday night Albanian terrorists fired at the Macedonian security forces stationed in the villages of Rate and Zilce in the area of Tetovo, a town in Macedonia's North-West. More detail...

14:18
YUGOSLAVIA THANKS RUSSIA FOR LIFTING ARMS EMBARGO
Deputy Foreign Ministry of Yugoslavia Zugic expressed his gratitude to Russia "for consistent efforts on lifting arms embargo from Yugoslavia, which led to the adoption of Resolution 1367 of the UN Security Council." He made such a statement at the Russian-Yugoslav consultations on UN issues. More detail...

20:32
SECOND PHASE OF OPERATION ESSENTIAL HARVEST COMPLETED IN MACEDONIA
The second phase of the NATO operation Essential Harvest on collection of weapons from Albanian terrorists have been completed in Macedonia. According to the NATO spokesmen's data, there have been collected 925 pieces of armament, while the total of weapons collected in the course of the operation have reached some 2,135 pieces. More detail...

16:24
MACEDONIANS DEMAND REFERENDUM ON ISSUE OF AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
Several thousands of Skopje residents held a rally in the city's central square demanding to conduct a referendum on the issue of amendments to the Constitution. There is the question of making amendments to the country's fundamental law that extend the rights of ethnic Albanians and are part of the peace agreement concluded under the NATO auspices. More detail...

16:52
SECOND STAGE OF COLLECTION OF WEAPONS FROM ALBANIAN GUNMEN TO END ON WEDNESDAY
The second stage of the operation to collect weapons from Albanian gunmen in Macedonia is due to end on Wednesday, RIA Novosti learned by telephone from Neil Petham, spokesman for the NATO contingent's press-service. More detail...

16:17
TWO LOCAL POLICEMEN SHOT IN KOSOVO
Two local police officers died Tuesday in Kosovo. They were fired at from a car they tried to stop for an ordinary check in the inhabited locality of Tomance near the administrative border with Serbia. UN representatives said it happened the first time ever since June 1999 when the territory was passed under UN control. More detail...

14:43
MOSCOW IS SATISFIED WITH THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL'S DECISION TO TAKE OFF THE EMBARGO ON WEAPONS' SUPPLIES TO YUGOSLAVIA
Moscow is satisfied with the UN Security Council's decision to take off the embargo on weapons' supplies to Yugoslavia, Russian permanent representative in the UNO Sergei Lavrov said. More detail...

12:15
MACEDONIA: NATO IS NOT PLANNING TO GO. WHO WILL PROTECT THE COUNTRY FROM THE ALLIANCE?
The international community is bringing pressure on Macedonia trying to persuade it to agree to extending NATO force’s stay in the country after its mandate expires. European Union foreign ministers came to the conclusion that last weekend that after the withdrawal of the 4,000 NATO servicemen Macedonia would immediately face the power vacuum. More detail...

10:57
NEBOJSA MALIC: GRAVEYARD OF AMERICAN EMPIRE?
A year ago, Macedonia was known for being the only part of the former socialist Yugoslav federation to gain independence without a war; for having a bitter dispute with Greece over its name, and with Bulgaria over its ethnic identity; for sheltering hundreds of thousands of Albanians who left Kosovo during NATO's 1999 air assault; for serving as a logistical base for NATO's occupation of southern Balkans; and More detail...

18:33
UN SPOKESMEN PRAISING RUSSIAN SAPPERS' PERFORMANCE IN KOSOVO
Spokesmen for the United Nations anti-mine centre have given a high appraisal to Russian sappers in Kosovo. The centre has enquired into performance of the Russian sappers sent to that Yugoslav province by Russia's federal emergencies ministry. More detail...

16:43
ALBANIAN TERRORISTS TRANSFER ARMS FROM MACEDONIA TO KOSOVO
Macedonian border guards prevented Monday Albanian separatists' attempt to transfer part of their weapons to Kosovo. More detail...

15:34
MACEDONIA REPORTS MORE ARMED INCIDENTS INVOLVING ALBANIAN TERRORISTS
More armed incidents involving Albanian extremists were reported from Macedonia. Last night, shooting was registered in the area of Brodeci, a village where NATO servicemen collected weapons from terrorists on Sunday, and outside Tetovo. More detail...

14:38
VLADIMIR PUTIN DISCUSSES SITUATION IN MACEDONIA WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC IN TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Jacques Chirac on Monday. According to a Russian presidential spokesman, the presidents discussed developments in Macedonia. More detail...