NEW STRATEGY
The Greek government was busy drawing up a new strategy for its name dispute with Macedonia, Greek newspaper Eleftherotypia quoted government sources saying on condition of anonymity on April 7. The news came days after Greece vetoed Nato inviting Macedonia to join the alliance. Greek government sources said that the veto improved Greece’s standing in the row because the international community realised that the conflict was not over despite 120 countries recognising the former Yugoslav state as the Republic of Macedonia.

RATIFICATION DELAY
Serbia will ratify its oil and gas agreement with Russia after a new parliament is elected and a new cabinet takes office, Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported on April 4. Serbia called snap elections for May 11 after the fragile governmental coalition, led by prime minister Vojislav Kostunica, collapsed over disagreements on ways to handle the Kosovo crisis.
On January 25, most ministers from the presidents bloc – the Democratic Party and G17+ – rejected a proposal by Kostunica for a framework energy agreement with Russia. The agreement was nevertheless signed in Moscow on January 25.

PKK NOT TERRORIST
Luxembourg-based European Court of First Instance, the EU’s second-highest court, overruled a 2002 decision by the Council of the EU that put the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on the EU list of terrorist organisations whose assets should be frozen, international media reported on April 3. The EU court said that the decision, in the way it was justified, contravened EU legislation. “For the Council (of EU governments), the PKK continues to be on the list,” an EU official said, quoted by Reuters news agency.

HARADINAJ ACQUITTED
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia acquitted former military commander and prime minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj on all charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity on April 3, Agence France Presse reported. Haradinaj was accused of torturing and killing Serbs during the 1998/99 conflict in Kosovo. Prosecutors had requested 25-years imprisonment. The former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army is still regarded in Kosovo as a hero and dozens of Kosovo Albanians celebrated the acquittal on the streets of Kosovo capital Pristina, AFP reported.