I. EDMONTONJOURNAL - Report: West knew about organ trafficking by Kosovo politicians
Western governments knew all along that top politicians in Kosovo were involved in organ trafficking and organized crime, the council of Europe's special human rights alleged Saturday. "Western countries knew all the time what was happening in Kosovo but nobody did anything about it," Dick Marty said in an interview published in the Slovenian daily Delo. Last month, Marty published a 27-page report that outlined alleged abductions, disappearances, executions, organ trafficking and other serious crimes coordinated by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and other leading Kosovo politicians. In the report, Marty alleged that a group linked to Thaci -- a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA -- killed Serb prisoners held in special detention camps in Albania to extract organs and sell them on the international black market in the 1990s. Thaci's name had been appearing for years in intelligence and diplomatic reports from Kosovo sent by the FBI, MI6 and other western agencies, "but the western politicians persistently remained quiet," Marty said. Thaci has denied the allegations and threatened to sue Marty for libel. The EU has sent a special mission, called EULEX, to Kosovo to enforce the rule of law there and supervise Pristina's police, customs and judiciary.
Greek police have arrested a Palestinian suspected of belonging to an al-Qaida-inspired militant group in Lebanon. A police official in Athens confirmed that he was arrested “for national security reasons,” the AP reported. According to media, Galeb Taleb was a member of radical Lebanese Sunni group Fatah al-Islam. Taleb was allegedly a ringleader of a group of extremists whose members are located in Northern Europe, Germany, France and Bulgaria. Greek police say their counterterrorism services had been following Taleb and they decided to arrest him when the article about him appeared in some Italian newspapers, because they suspected he was going to flee the country.
III. ILOUBNAN - Cyprus President: We hope for Lebanon's recovery and the rise of a national unity government
The Lebanese expatriate community in Cyprus celebrated Saint Maroun's Day in a mass ceremony at the Maronite Parish Church in Nicosia, chaired by Parish Head, Bishop Youssef Soueif, which was attended by Cyprus Republic President, Dimitris Christofias. Also present was Lebanese Charge d'Affaires, Constantine Tabet, and members of the Lebanese Embassy and the diplomatic corp accredited in Cyprus. In his sermon marking the occasion, Bishop Soueif hailed the contributions of the Cypriot Republic to the Lebanon; praising the efforts of President Christofias in providing care and attention to the Lebanese expatriate community residing in Cyprus. He added that Lebanon is a country carrying the message of kindness, freedom and dialogue, and is a role model in the region; in addition to being a symbol of Marinate existence in the East. Soueif also described Lebanon as being a beautiful formula of co-existence and a meeting place for dialogue, intellect and social life. Hence, he implored all Lebanese officials to hold on to the mutual religious and heavenly values for the sake of ensuring Lebanon's persistence. Following the Church mass, the Cypriot President delivered a word, in which he described the relation between Lebanon and Cyprus as being at its best conditions; recalling herein the fruitful visit by the Lebanese President to Cyprus last year. He also expressed all appreciation and respect to the Maronite Sect for its contribution to the flourishing status of the Island of Cyprus and their participation in its rise. He hoped that Lebanon would also witness a near rise and recovery, and a new government of national unity. In response to a question regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, President Christofias noted that the Lebanese people know exactly what they want; hoping that Lebanon would have a fair government that would work on uniting all Lebanese together.
IV. EURACTIV - Tunisia boat people put EU to the test
The European Commission said yesterday (13 February) that it would help Rome to cope with the "exceptional pressure" created by thousands of illegal immigrants fleeing Tunisia for the Italian island of Lampedusa. Malta expressed fear that it would also become a landing point. Italy on Saturday declared a humanitarian emergency on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa after 4,000 people arrived there by boat over the past week from Tunisia, which is experiencing unrest after a popular revolt ousted its president. After Rome appealed to Brussels for help, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström was said to be "fully aware of the exceptional pressure on Italy," the DPA news agency reported... Asked how the Tunisian authorities would respond to the problem, government spokesman Tayeb Baccouche told Reuters: "I cannot say as this is a response for the security forces... We need to discuss this in the cabinet once we have been alerted by the Italian government, because we have not yet been informed directly by the Italian government," said Baccouche, who is also Tunisia's education minister. Baccouche said the problem of illegal migration was not new but may have accelerated because of a deterioration in law and order inside Tunisia in the past few weeks, which the government is struggling to restore... Italy's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said on Sunday that Europe was not doing anything to help stop the flow of migrants and that he would request permission from Tunisia for the Italian authorities to intervene, the BBC reported... He accused other EU countries of leaving Italy to deal with the situation alone, despite the impact it could have on other countries. Baccouche said the Tunisians would reject the idea of receiving foreign troops on their soil, but said the cabinet would debate the issue... In the meantime, Malta's justice minister, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, wrote to Malmström to express concern that his country could be soon affected by the immigration wave, the Times of Malta reported. He said Malta was backing calls by Italy for a forthcoming meeting of EU justice ministers to discuss the impact of developments in Northern Africa on immigration. According to the UN refugee agency that is monitoring the situation, Malta could be a landing point for Tunisian migrants who are fleeing in large numbers to Lampedusa.
V. VOICEOFRUSSIA - NATO warship seizes pirates' mother ship
A NATO warship has captured a vessel near the coast of Somalia, which served as pirates’ mother ship, an official with NATO’s counter-piracy mission said Sunday. Sixteen suspected pirates on board have been detained, he said. The officials also said that a weapons cache has been seized and two hostages from Yemen have been freed. Earlier this week, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners said Somali pirates were using at least 20 seized vessels as mother ships to launch attacks in the region.
VI. RIANOVOSTI - Saakashvili: Georgia ready for dialogue with Russia
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Friday Georgia is ready for a dialogue with Russia. "Despite that fact Russia treats us as an enemy and considers us enemies, we are ready for and we want dialogue with [Russia]," Saakashvili said. However, the president added that the country will not change its European-Atlantic course. "We will never give up the Georgian people's choice, the European-Atlantic course," Saakashvili said. "We will never accept the dismemberment of Georgia, the occupation of parts of Georgia. Today, there is no alternative to Georgia's freedom of, today historical logic is on our side, of course, Georgia will be whole," he continued. Relations between Russia and Georgia have been sour since a brief war in August 2008 over the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia, which was attacked by Georgian forces in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Russia recognized South Ossetia and another former Georgian republic, Abkhazia, as independent states two weeks after the conflict. Georgia considers the two regions part of its sovereign territory.
VII. REUTERS - Men break into Egypt church, two others targeted
Armed men broke into a church in the northern Sinai peninsula on Saturday and stole furniture, witnesses said. Attempts to break into two others in the town were thwarted by the Egyptian army and vigilantes. Vigilantes and the army have tried to fill a security vacuum left by the withdrawal of the police from the streets in the early days of a mass uprising against the rule of president Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down on Friday. An explosion hit a church in the nearby town of Rafah on Feb. 5. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. A church in Alexandria was targeted in a bombing on Jan. 1 that killed 23 people. Egyptian officials blamed the Gaza-based Army of Islam for the attack. The group denied the charge. Coptic Orthodox Christians form 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million population. Tensions with the Muslim majority have long been a source of concern. The protesters who helped oust Mubarak have called for solidarity between Muslims and Christians.