Japan is Trying to Contain Potential Nuclear Crisis

Martyn Williams / Tokyo March 12, 2011

Japan moved quickly Saturday to contained a crisis at two nuclear power plants damaged when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the country's northeast coast. Government officials declared a state of emergency and launched a massive, military-led rescue operation.
Japanese officials say the 8.9 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami knocked out power and caused cooling systems to fail at two plants in Fukushima, about 240 kilometers north of Tokyo.
Officials at first believed there was a possibility that nuclear fuel rods at one of the plants may have begun melting. Later, officials said radioactive pressure was successfully relieved by opening valves and allowing the release of radioactive steam. But Japanese television broadcast images showing what appeared to be extensive damage to the outer structure of the building that houses the reactor. The paneling on the steel-framed building appeared to blow off in an explosion and smoke could be seen billowing from the structure. Japanese news media reported at least four people injured.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano commented on the incident at a Tokyo news conference.
Edano said the government was investigating what happened at the plant. He urged people to evacuate at least 10 kilometers away from the plant, a distance that was later doubled to 20 kilometers.
Radioactive material has been found outside one reactor, where officials say they are trying to determine if a meltdown has occurred. The situation at the nuclear plants comes as the government launched a large-scale military-led rescue operation to help victims of Friday's massive quake and tsunami.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he is sending 50,000 troops to aid rescue and recovery efforts. He said 190 military planes and 25 ships have also been sent to the devastated areas.More than 50 countries have offered Japan help and some has already begun arriving. A team from South Korea touched down in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon. The U.S. military, which maintains several bases in Japan, is also taking part in the rescue effort.
Japan sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.

More than 50 people killed in the Japan's Tsunami - Earth Quick of 8.9 Richter's

TOKYO – TOKYO (AP) — A powerful tsunami spawned by the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history slammed the eastern coast Friday, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people as widespread fires burned out of control. Tsunami warnings blanketed the entire Pacific, as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.

Authorities said at least 32 people were killed. The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake was followed by at least 19 aftershocks, most of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter.

A utility company in northeastern Japan reported a fire in a turbine building of nuclear power plant.

"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions. It unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland.

Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water.

Waves of muddy waters swept over farmland near the city of Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport, north of Tokyo, was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways. Fires spread through a section of the city, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.
"Our initial assessment indicates that there has already been enormous damage," Chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said. "We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment."

He said the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the quake-hit region. A utility aircraft and several helicopters were on the way.

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo and was burning out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.

In northeastern Japan's Miyagi prefecture, a fire broke out in a turbine building of a nuclear power plant. Smoke was observed coming out of the building, which is separate from the plant's reactor, and the cause is under investigation, said Tohoku Electric Power Co. the company said.

There have been no reports of radioactive leaks or injuries, the company said. Several nuclear plants elsewhere along the coast were also partially shut down, with no reports of leakage.

Also from Miyagi prefecture, NHK showed footage of a large ship being swept away and ramming directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s.

A tsunami warning was extended to a number of Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities said they expect a 3-foot (1-meter) high tsunami.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo. The tremor bent the upper tip of the iconic Tokyo Tower, a 333-meter (1,093-foot) steel structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

In central Tokyo, trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

Large numbers of people waited at Tokyo's Shinjuku station, the world's busiest train station, for service to resume so they could go home. TV announcers urged workers not to leave their offices to prevent injuries in case of more strong aftershocks.

Osamu Akiya, 46, was working in Tokyo at his office in a trading company when the quake hit.

It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.

"I've been through many earthquakes, but I've never felt anything like this," he said. "I don't know if we'll be able to get home tonight."

Footage on NHK from their Sendai office showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks. It also showed a glass shelter at a bus stop in Tokyo completely smashed by the quake and a weeping woman nearby being comforted by another woman.

Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.

Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in northern Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the carnage.

"We don't even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," he said.

Tokyo's main airport was closed. A large section of the ceiling at the 1-year-old airport at Ibaraki, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, fell to the floor with a powerful crash.

Dozens of fires were reported in northern prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Collapsed homes and landslides were also reported in Miyagi.
Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 6,400 people.

Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 nations. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people. 

Kosova Assembly adopts resolution for dialogue with Serbia – Dialogue with Serbia underway

Without the votes of opposition MPs, the Kosovo Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. The first meeting between two countries started on the 8^th of February in Brussels. The resolution was initiated from PDK and was supported only by MPs of the New Kosovo coalition and by parties of minority communities, which are part of the ruling coalition.

With 63 votes in favor, 48 against and one withheld, Kosovo Assembly has approved the resolution. Through the resolution, the Kosovo Assembly supports dialogue on practical issues that are in the interest of improving the lives of people and in the interest of advancing the European agenda for both countries and the whole region.

Kosovo Assembly also reconfirmed the principle that dialogue between two sides is facilitated by the EU and US. The resolution was rejected by the three opposition parties: LDK, AAK and Vetëvendosje. The first two did not agree about on the content of the resolution, while the third rejected the process of talks as a whole.

Kosovo delegation chief and deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri told RTK on Wednesday that Belgrade’s approach continues to have elements of the past, while expressing the unhappiness of Kosovar side with the content and the result of the talks. First talks started on air and road transport and freedom of movement of citizens in both states. Unofficial sources tell Sermb’s Blog that Serbia is very interested in stretching their air transport in Kosova as well.

Meanwhile, Belgrade representatives repeated on Thursday that Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, despite the start of dialogue on technical issues.

While, French President Nikolas Sarkozy, in a letter of congratulation to Kosovo President Behxhet Pacolli, assured him of France’s continuous support for Kosovo. Sarkozy wrote that Kosovo has made crucial reforms in consolidating institutions and in the rule of law area.

“Three years have passed since independence. Kosovo is getting stronger in the international arena and has received numerous recognitions. It has managed to make important efforts in a delicate and complex environment. I know I can count on You to double up the great zeal in this area,” Sarkozy wrote in his letter.

Local Government Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Petrovic stated on Thursday that he expects talks between Kosovo and Serbia to resolve vital problems between the two countries. Petrovic said that he as leader of the Serb Liberal Party, which represents the majority of the Kosovo Serb community that participated in elections, wants technical talks to be successful and that he will give his personal contribution if required. Petrovic made these remarks after a meeting with Prizren mayor Ramadan Muja.

Charlie Sheen fired from work or hired for future?

Two and a Half Men is an American television comedy series which premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show is about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake. The show has ranked among the Top 20 programs every season since it first aired. In 2010, CBS and Warner Bros Television reached a multi-year broadcast agreement for the series, renewing it through at least the 2011–12 seasons.

One side in the ongoing battle between Charlie Sheen and the companies that produce his hit sitcom finally blinked on Monday. "After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on "Two and a Half Men" effective immediately," the company announced in a statement.

A source familiar with the decision to terminate Sheen’s contract said that Sheen was informed of the news, “shortly before” the statement was released, at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET. At approximately 4 ET, Sheen tweeted, “#winning.”

"This is very good news," TMZ.com quoted the actor as saying. "They continue to be in breach, like so many whales. It is a big day of gladness at the Sober Valley Lodge because now I can take all of the bazillions, never have to look at whatshiscock again and I never have to put on those silly shirts for as long as this warlock exists in the terrestrial dimension."

Did Warner Bros have sufficient legal cause to fire its renegade star Charlie Sheen — and does Sheen have a substantial case if, as he and his attorney have threatened, he files suit against his Two and a Half Men studio?

"Right now, each side is throwing their case at each other — it's punch, counterpunch," says Barry Peek, an attorney at New York law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, which specializes in entertainment employment.

In an 11-page letter sent Monday to Sheen's attorney, Martin Singer, and obtained by TMZ, studio lawyers said Sheen was fired for several reasons. The studio believes his acknowledged drug use constitutes "a felony involving moral turpitude," even if he hasn't been charged, which Peek says requires a "heavy burden of proof.

But Warner Bros claims that Sheen is unable to "perform the essential duties of his position," defined by his "physical appearance, inability to deliver lines, inability to collaborate creatively with staff and crew" and "inflammatory comments poisoning key working relationships," might be easier to prove.

The studio says it has ample evidence in outtakes from filming that Sheen "had difficulty remembering his lines and hitting his marks," citing missed rehearsals and his own admission that he sometimes showed up to work after not having slept and needed furniture rearranged so he'd have something to lean on for balance.

Jack Lerner, a professor at USC's law school, says that based on his review of legal documents, "Warner has a very strong case for terminating (Sheen's) contract. He could have some argument that his addiction could be treated like a disability that needs an accommodation, but given his conduct, which goes so far beyond the mere inability to perform, I don't think he has much of a chance at winning, whether in arbitration or in court."

Peek says the actor could sue for "a damaged reputation beyond lost income" and argue "mental distress," but he's unlikely to prevail because "his actions speak for themselves. He's acting like he's in distress, but not by the actions of anyone but himself."

Sheen's attorney Singer did not respond to requests for comment, though in his Tuesday night webcast Sheen called the firing "illegal" and "unconscionable."

CBS has kept mum about its interest in Men minus Sheen. "We're not speculating about the potential for continuing without him," says spokesman Chris Ender. But Warner Bros., which has sold the show into syndication for a ninth season, is expected to pitch a recast series to CBS, which would decide by mid-May whether to continue.

Play your Kosovo game in the dialogue with Serbia

EU High Representative and Deputy President of European Commission, Catherine Ashton is convinced the dialogue between Kosova and Serbia cannot be damaging for Kosovo. Her hopes are that the talks will help to improve the lives of ordinary citizens on both sides and at the same time it will bring Kosovo and Serbia closer to the European Union.

However, she says that everything depends from the commitment and flexibility which both sides will bring to the table. Ashton is a guarantee for Kosovo that the dialogue will not damage constitutional order is Kosovo’s participation in the discussion table. “The dialogue didn’t start yet, it is very early to talk about the specifics of difficulties of issues at this stage.

While the US ambassador to Kosovo Christopher Dell wrote an editorial for Kosova Sot that Kosovo’s independence and sovereignty are established facts and that both Kosovo and Serbia are equal, independent countries. “Both of you will pursue eventual membership in European Union,” said Dell. He noted that today’s debate at the Assembly on the process of dialogue gives the opportunity to underline the unity of Kosovo ahead of talks and show country’s commitment to fully use the dialogue for strengthening of Kosovo’s position in the region. “Despite many people fearing entry into this process, United States of America believe Pristina-Belgrade dialogue will make Kosovo a stronger country, more capable to be economically and diplomatically engaged throughout the region,” said Dell. 

Killer of U.S. airmen is radical Muslim, German official says

Frankfurt, Germany (CNN) -- The man suspected of shooting and killing two U.S. Air Force servicemen in Germany was seeking revenge because of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, according to a warrant issued on Friday for the suspect.

The suspect, Arid Uka, is a recently radicalized Muslim who seems to have been influenced by local radical Islamist websites, according to German authorities. Prosecutors say Uka shot and killed two U.S. servicemen and wounded two others in the attack Wednesday on a U.S. military bus at Frankfurt Airport.

The arrest warrant for Uka lists two accusations of murder, three allegations of attempted murder and two accusations of causing severe bodily harm.

The 21-year-old man said he was motivated to carry out the attack after seeing a video on the internet the day before, which he claimed showed U.S. soldiers raping Muslim women, according to a German intelligence official who viewed a record of the suspect's interrogation.

The suspect confessed to the shooting, and said that he acted alone with no helpers, the German intelligence official said Thursday.

He was friends on Facebook with several pro-al Qaeda extremists from a group based in Bonn, Germany, that is known to German intelligence officials, according to the official. He also had links to an Islamist preacher named Pierre Vogel and someone named Nessery, who was arrested about two months ago in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the investigation.

The gunman was a postal worker at the airport, but worked outside the secure area. The U.S. official said Uka didn't appear to punch into work Wednesday -- having apparently canvassed the area beforehand, helping him get around the extensive uniformed and plain-clothes security that typically patrol the Frankfurt airport.

Another U.S. official on Thursday said that Uka was "not on the radar screen" of American authorities prior to the attack.

The suspect is from Mitrovica, a town in northern Kosovo, that country's interior minister, Bajram Rexhepi, told CNN. He cited the U.S. Embassy in Pristina as his source.

The U.S. official with knowledge of the probe said Uka was a 1-year-old toddler when he moved to Germany, and that authorities believe Uka's relatives had suffered in the 1990s during the Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians.

He has passports from both Germany and Yugoslavia, the latter of which was issued prior to Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, Rexhepi said.

Uka told interrogators that he lived with his family in high-rise public housing in a poor area of Frankfurt, the German intelligence official said. He said he did not have a friendly relationship with people in the neighborhood and did not interact with others there. He said his father was very strict and harsh with him, according to the official.

On Wednesday, he allegedly approached a bus, which was parked outside Terminal 2 and was clearly marked as a U.S. military vehicle, German police said after the shooting.

According to the warrant, Uka asked a recruit where he was being deployed. The airman replied that he and his comrades were headed to Afghanistan. Uka then shot him in the back of the head with a handgun. The suspect then entered the bus, screamed "Alahu Akbar," and opened fire, killing the driver, the warrant says.

Uka then shot two other passengers, wounding one in the head and the other in the chest, the warrant says. The suspect tried to shoot another serviceman but his gun jammed, it says.

The suspect fled then fled into the terminal, where he was taken into custody by German federal police, according to the warrant.

The suspect used a 9 mm handgun that was illegally purchased, Rhein said.

One of the dead airmen was a vehicle operator at Ramstein, and the second was part of a security forces team based in the U.K., an Air Force spokesman said. The bus was occupied by 15 members of a security forces team that was on its way to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany before deploying to Afghanistan, the spokesman said.

Zachary Cuddeback was one of those killed, his grandfather, Daniel Cuddeback, told CNN. It's not clear if he was the vehicle operator or the member of the security forces team. A statement from his family described Cuddeback as a hockey player and "Army brat" with especially strong roots in Missouri in Virginia who joined the Air Force in 2009 after a year at Old Dominion University.

The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday identified the other victim as Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of Williamston, South Carolina. He had been assigned to the 48th Security Forces Squadron based out of the Lakenheath air base in Great Britain. The two wounded airmen were in a Frankfurt hospital, one in critical condition and the other in serious condition, an Air Force spokesman said.

President Barack Obama told reporters Wednesday he was "saddened and outraged" by the attack. "We will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous attack took place," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said how upset she was by the incident, expressed her condolences to the troops' families and stressed that Germany will "do everything we can to try and find out quickly what happened."

FBI agents were on the scene shortly after the shooting occurred, said Tom Fuentes, a former FBI assistant director and CNN contributor.

The FBI's main office in Germany is in the capital Berlin, he said, but it has a sub-office in Frankfurt.

The offense is a federal crime both in the United States and in Germany, he said, and could be prosecuted in either location, although that will be determined later. However, the investigation will meet U.S. constitutional standards, he said.

Authorities will be investigating the suspect's background and associates, likely subpoenaing telephone and e-mail records, Fuentes said.

Frankfurt Airport shooting: Two US servicemen dead

BBC-02/03/2011

Two US Air Force servicemen have died after a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying American military personnel at Frankfurt Airport, police say. The BBC's Stephen Evans says the gunman had been involved in an altercation before he started shooting. Two servicemen were also wounded. One of the dead is said to have been the driver. All four were based at RAF Lakenheath in eastern England.

A 21-year-old man from Kosovo was arrested at Terminal 2 close to where the attack took place.

US President Barack Obama condemned it as an "outrageous act". He said the US would spare no effort in investigating the shootings to "ensure that all the perpetrators are brought to justice". "I think the American people are united in expressing our gratitude for the service of those who were lost," Mr Obama said.

Just arrived

The men had just flown in from Britain and were about to travel to the US military base at Ramstein, a hub for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Two airmen have been killed and two were wounded during a shooting incident today at Frankfurt International Airport," the US Air Forces in Europe said in a statement. "The names of the deceased are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin. German authorities have the shooter in custody. The incident is currently under investigation," the statement added. The bus driver and a passenger were killed, while one airman suffered minor injuries and the second was in a life-threatening condition, according to Frankfurt police spokesman Manfred Fuellhardt.

Mr Fuellhardt said the attacker and US military personnel apparently had an altercation in front of the bus just before the man started shooting. The attacker briefly entered the bus, he added.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says that after the shooting, which took place in the middle of the afternoon, the suspected gunman fled into the terminal building, where he was arrested by German police.

I would like to assure you that the German government will do our utmost to investigate what happened”, said Angela Merkel - German Chancellor.

Security has been high in German airports in recent months, following what the authorities said was information that a terror attack was planned, but the official threat level was lowered a month ago, our correspondent adds.

Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said in an interview that German police had identified the suspect as Arif Uka, a Kosovan citizen from the northern town of Mitrovica.

"This is a devastating and a tragic event. We are trying to find out was this something that was organized or what was the nature of the attack," Mr Rexhepi said, reports AP news agency.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the "terrible incident".

"I would like to assure you that the German government will do our utmost to investigate what happened," she told journalists in Berlin.

Four Islamic militants were convicted in March last year in Germany for plotting to bomb targets including Ramstein Air Base.

Last month the German parliament extended by one year the military mission in Afghanistan. Germany has 4,860 troops there, despite domestic polls suggesting the mission's unpopularity.

Space shuttle Discovery seen from airplane

Lucky passenger Neil Monday captured the experience of Discovery in the sky on his iPhone. Because of the delay of the airplane Neil got the life time opportunity to see the flight of the shuttle Discovery. He has no complains the airplane got delayed.

The video, which you can watch exclusively on http://seremb.blogspot.com, is of course, visually stunning, but it also contains a pretty good airplane joke; if you listen hard enough. While Neil records the shuttle's launch, the captain can be heard over the loudspeaker saying, "Those on the right side can see the space shuttle. Those on the left side can probably see the people on the right side looking at the space shuttle."

Skiing Center of Boge the best winter and summer place in western Kosova

Boge a small village in the beautiful western mountains of Rugova – Albanian Alps!  The village has a wonderful skiing and winter recreational center and is positioned between 1.400-1.800 meters above see level. It is 28km from Peja, the western city and the third largest in Kosova. Driving to Boge one will drive through the Rugova Neck and through the gorges Gores and Canyons of Rugova. Driving conditions are good, road is cleared every day. It is on of the Top Ten (10) most beautiful places in Kosova. Boge has a small skiing center – very small compared to Brezovica, but every weekend has more than two (2000) visitors.

The motels and cabins are always full, while visitors from Peja and Klina drive back every evening. All the facilities are around the ski-lift and the price per night is €10 per person. One cabin with three rooms costs €35-40 per night. For reservations one can call Hotel Burri 049653601, Rudi Group 044/049127637 or 044/049125 488; (www.rudigroup.net), Rugova Relax; 049129666; Facebook group: RugovaRelax.

Rugova Mountains as part of the Albanian Alps are bordered with Albania and Montenegro. Rugova has about 30 mountains and each is wild and more beautifule than the other. The Road to Boge is open and 85% is paved with asphalt. Only the whiled life are is in sand. The Peja municipality is trying to preserve the wild live of these gorges mountains.

The skiing slope is around 1.8km long. The area is wonderful for winter climbing and walking too. The ski pass is €10 for a day and €6 for half day. The skiing slope in Boge has three directions: one slope direction is for the beginners and those who ski for fund – easy and reliable; second: is mostly fast track and only for professionals – thick and manly in the shadows of trees; and third Boge slope is for the people who love adventures and like to do crazy. Things like hitting a straight line all the way – no turns.

In the evenings Boge offers the most beautiful wild life – especially for young people. Kosova’s population of 73% under age 35 years old! A very young population. It is the special place to “rock n roll”, “smoke funny things”, under the open clear sky and on top of it enjoy the night with your partner.

The skiing center starts from 10AM in the morning and is closed sometimes after 4PM in the evening. For all those who drive – there is enough places to park for free; offered by the motels and cabins. No charge for the parking. During the week days but especially during the weekend one things that every body has left their homes and came here to have fun?!

Kosova’s new government

PM Hashim Thaqi has decided to increase the governing cabinet with five more ministries and three deputy PM’s. The new five deputy PM’s are: Hajredin Kuçi will be Deputy Prime Minister for Law and Order, Edita Tahiri will be Deputy Prime Minister for Recognitions and Foreign Policy, Bujar Bukoshi for Economic Development and Slobodan Petrovic will be Deputy Prime Minister for Returns. There is also a possibility that after Muhamet Mustafa’s withdrawal from the position of Deputy PM, the post could be taken from another AKR senior official, Mimoza Kusari-Lila.
The current list of candidates for ministers which will be subject of voting on Tuesday in the assembly!

The list is as follows:

Hajredin Kuçi – Minister of Justice

Bajram Rexhepi – Minister of Internal Affairs

Vlora Çitaku – Minister of Integration 

Enver Hoxhaj – Minister of Foreign Affairs

Fehmi Mujota – Minister of Transport

Memli Krasniqi – Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports

Ramë Buja – Minister of Education science and Technology

Blerand Stavileci – Minister of Agriculture

Agim Çeku – Minister of Kosovo Security Force

Ferid Agani – Minister of Health

Mimoza Kusari-Lila Minister of Trade and Industry

Sasha Rasic – Minister of Returns and Communities

Nenad Rashiq – Minister of Labor and Social Welfare

Mahir Yagcilar – Minister of Public Administration

Dardan Gashi – Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning

The truth about Kosova/o

The attention of world diplomacy is focusing on Kosovo ever more. We have now in the hands of UN Security Council a proposal addressed by former Finish President Martti Ahtisari which is attached to the document that sets the framework for a possible future status of Kosovo, has summarized the guarantees for the position of minorities, and in particular the Serbian minority has described the modalities for the relatively emphasized international presence in Kosovo, with executive authority as well as authority to interpret its mandate, even after the decision for the new status, which limits Kosovo’s eventual sovereignty. Now it is on the members of the Security Council to reach a decision on Kosovo’s future.

We are aware that Serbia has undertaken a diplomatic offensive to influence the members of the Security Council of UN in order to unable the adoption of a new resolution, with the justification that Ahtisari’s proposal recommends “annexation of Serbia’s territory” and “removal of Serbia’s sovereignty over Kosovo” and that all of this, according to Belgrade officials, “is in contradiction with international law”. This is the reason why, in an effort to inform your readers and the members of the Security Council, I will highlight in broad lines a number of historic, political and legal arguments and facts that convincingly speak that Kosovo was occupied by Serbia in an unlawful manner, which is why Albanians, as a majority population in Kosovo, should enjoy the right to self-determination, whether that is as a majority population in an individualized territory or as their national right. By proving this truth, this article aims to, at the same time, prove that Serbia’s projects for the creation of two entities in Kosovo or its partition are unacceptable.
Firstly, given that Kosovo was annexed by Serbia in an unlawful manner Kosovo’s independence will in no way be in contradiction with international law. On the contrary, Kosovo independence even before being qualified as a “classic case of secession from a sovereign state”, as Serbs argue, should be considered as “annulment of an unlawful annexation. In fact it was Serbia that acted in contradiction with international law in 1912 when it annexed Kosovo through military occupation after its aggression against the Ottoman Empire, “even though Kosovo had its historic and ethnic identity, accompanied by its right to liberation, whether that was from the Ottoman occupation (1912) or Fascist occupation (1944), and in spite of its geographical demographic and cultural integrity”. Consequently, instead of admitting its unlawful act, which she committed while violating international law in a bold manner, Serbia is now using an argument which is scientifically and historically unsustainable, namely to “preserve its sovereignty over Kosovo”, which, as proved by facts, she held in an unlawful manner for a long period of time without ever asking the majority population of Kosovo or having their consent. Kosovo was occupied during Balkan wars (1912-1913)" in contradiction with the aspiration of the Albanians, expressed during their national liberation movement 1878-1912". In this manner Serbia, in spite of getting the “international legitimacy” for the occupation of Kosovo, in no way was able to justify the legitimacy of its act. In addition to this, Serbian possessive attitudes towards Kosovo which refer to history are unfounded. Firstly "they are unfounded in its methodological qualification of the national character of a territory because if history is to be taken as a criteria, in light of contemporary national-territorial realities, Hungary has the right to the Panonic part of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Hungary would argue about their rights over Belgrade, Greece would claim a right over Istanbul, Albania over Janina, Mexico over Florida and California, Sweden over Finland and Norway, Germany over Shlezi and Sudet regions, Denmark over Shlezivik, Iraq over Kuwait etc".
Secondly, Serbia’s possessive attitudes towards Kosovo are unfounded in the aspect of material truth, since Kosovo, in spite of allegations of such nature “in neither a cradle of Serbian nation, nor of Serbian state”. Finally, imperialistic ambitions with “historic rights” could not be defended by England, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, which, as it is known “with centuries held many nations under their occupation. Therefore “with the destruction of colonial empires over 120 new states were created”. Serbia was “under the occupation of Ottoman Empire for over five centuries (1389-1878)". Spain “had conquered all Latin America in the beginning of XVI century". Neither do “Russians ever mention their historic rights over Ukraine”. Historic arguments speak very clearly that “Serbs were placed in Kosovo with their expansion under the rule of Nemanjics’”. As a result of occupations during the Ottoman Empire, many ethnic minorities, such as Serbs, Turks and Roma, were placed in the ethnic Albanian territories. The Serbian minority was greatly expanded with "the violent colonization that occurred between two world wars; nevertheless their percentage never exceeded 10% of the overall population". On the basis of these facts the conclusion is very clear: it was in deed the Serbian aggression, occupation and annexation of Kosovo that violated the international law and not otherwise, namely that Kosovo independence "would violate international law". History "is a witness of denationalization policies; of gross crimes against Albanians during 1912-1918; for genocidal Serbian plans for the extermination of Albanians; for the deportation of Albanians in Turkey and for confiscation the lands of the population and its colonization with Serbs and Montenegrins". The time period between February 1998 and June 10, 1999 only exceeded "these special cases and took the gravity of a general genocide of the Serbian regime against Albanians".
Secondly, the decision for Kosovo’s future cannot ignore the constitutional position of Kosovo in former Yugoslavia although Kosovo did not enjoy the status of a republic. However, most importantly, Kosovo was a constitute part of former Yugoslavia with a defined territory and borders, which could not be changed without its consent. Kosovo was directly represented in the former Yugoslav federation same as the other republics, not through Serbia because we would create a paradox as in that case Serbia "would have three votes in the Federation, while the other units would have only one vote". With its political-territorial identities, its constitution, Kosovo was a federally constitute unit of the multinational federation of Yugoslavia.

That Kosovo was not part of Serbia can be proven by the following historical and political facts:" Kosovo was not part of the independent sovereign state of Serbia with its international personality recognized in the Berlin Congress (1878); Kosovo was not part of Serbia in the Second AVNOJ Congress (1943); Kosovo was not part of Serbia during its establishment as a federal unit in the Anti-Fascist Popular Liberation Council (1944); Kosovo was not part of Serbia in the structure of Constitutional Assembly of Yugoslavia when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was founded (1945). Kosovo was not included in the sovereign Serbia, except in federal Serbia within federal Yugoslavia, during the military occupation of Kosovo (1945)". Finally it is worth mentioning that the abolishment of Kosovo’s autonomy with the amendments in the Constitution of Serbia, an act, which occurred on March 28 1989, was done in an unlawful manner. Even if we didn’t have the essential deficiencies regarding the declaration in the Kosovo Assembly, deficiencies that are proven, “lack of free will”, as a result of extraordinary political pressures, "makes the declaration for constitutional amendments unconstitutional".

Thirdly, the future of Kosovo cannot be compared with secessions in some other parts of the world. The states that remain reserved towards Kosovo independence should be mindful of this fact. They should instead look and find the “common ground” between Kosovo and certain other countries of the world, which have agreed to the removal of sovereignty over other territories. In this regard, the relations between Kosovo and Serbia are comparable with the relations of Indonesia and East Timor. As it is well known, East Timor was occupied and annexed by Indonesia in 1975, "contrary to the will of Portugal as the external sovereign", a fact which makes the annexation of Indonesia unlawful. In 1988 Indonesian government recognized the right to self-determination to the East Timor people. Singapore is another example that should be taken under consideration. This country was partitioned from Malaysia in 1965. The example of Eritrea is also meaningful for Kosovo. It was the Ethiopian government that recognized the right to self-determination to Eritrea in 1991. The case of Kosovo is also similar to the case of Namibia. Partition of Namibia from South Africa and its independence occurred in 1991. Therefore Kosovo’s independence should not be compared with secession of territories that were "not annexed in a unilateral manner (against the will of the people of the original sovereigns), which joined existing states but that they are operating in territories that were part of these states at the time when they were established". In this way even the separatist movements in Transdnjestrovle (Moldavia), in Southern Osetia and Abkhazia (Georgia) that do not have the ethnic basis that Kosovo has and which didn’t have an autonomous or federal status at the time of dissolution of former Soviet Union as Kosovo had at the time of dissolution of former Yugoslavia. Finally, Kosovo Albanians are not comparable with Catalonians, Scots, Wellsians, Basks or Corsicans… because they did not face a massive deportation from the states, which controlled them.

Fourthly, the existence of Albania as an Albanian state cannot hinder the independence and sovereignty for Kosovo, because as we can recall from history neither did the status of Romania "hinder the independence of Moldavia nor did the existence of France hindered the establishment of the canton-state of Switzerland". Finally, "even if Kosovo was constituted as an Albanian state in the Balkans, this would be a handicap rather than an advantage of Albanian population in the Balkans". Consequently Kosovo fulfills all the criteria for being an independent and sovereign state. If it is about the size of the territory, 34 states with smaller territory are members of the UN. If it is about the population, 58 states with a smaller number of population are members of the UN. If it is for the acceptance or not of new states in the UN, it should be noted that between 1990 and 2002, UN has accepted 34 new member states. The proverb that “wherever we have facts, words become unnecessary” is not meaningless.
On the basis of these arguments and facts emphasized, in broad lines, the new political legal and international status of Kosovo should be the equivalent, without any doubt, with independence and sovereignty with internationally recognized personality in all of its territory, in the manner to ensure the consistent enforcement of law, including the northern part of Kosovo and the so-called municipalities with Serbian majority, which in the proposal of Ambassador Martti Ahtisari have gained significant competencies in the name of an asymmetric territorial and ethnic based decentralization, which in spite of its well intentions threatens the future of Kosovo. Serbian claims for the creation of two entities or for partitioning of Kosovo are unacceptable for Kosovo. These claims "ignore the fact of expressively different demographic and national quantum and proportions". In the end we would like to emphasize the fact that Kosovo "is not an ethnically diversifiable territory of an enclave character". Therefore "the violent surrounding of one part of Kosovo’s territory", in spite of painful compromises that Kosovo delegation agreed to with decentralization, protective zones around Serbian heritage sites and favorable legislative procedures for minorities would directly contradict the derivative political entity of that territory and would not be in accordance with it.

It is about time that Kosovo gets out from the “closed circle” in which it was for so many years. Kosovo is awaiting a new resolution from the Security Council of UN, which should be characterized from:
Firstly, political, legal and international clarity regarding the status of Kosovo, which would prevent ambiguity in regard to it. Secondly, full international personality which would enable Kosovo to seek membership in international mechanisms, including UN. Thirdly, territorial integrity, which would ensure the extension of Kosovo governing institutions and consistent enforcement of the law in its entire territory.

Fourthly, functional state of Kosovo, which would prevent its possible invalidation.