UN receives Palestinians' requests to join treaties

United Nations, United States (AFP)
April 02, 2014

The UN's special envoy on Mideast peace, Robert Serry, has received requests from Palestinian officials to join 13 international conventions and treaties, the UN confirmed Wednesday.

The treaties include the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, the convention on the rights of the child, the convention against torture, and the one against corruption.

Once these applications have been officially received at the UN headquarters, "we will be reviewing them to consider the appropriate next steps," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the secretary general.

The requests come as peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis were close to collapse, with Israel making a new bid to expand settlements in annexed Arab east Jerusalem and the Palestinians taking fresh steps towards seeking recognition of their promised state

The Palestinians had pledged to freeze all moves to seek membership in UN organizations during the talks in return for Israel's release of the veteran Arab prisoners.

"We hope a way can be found to see the negotiations through," UN spokesman Haq said, noting that Serry had met with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli Justice Minister and chief negotiator Tzipi Livni.

Envoys from the "quartet" -- the US, EU, UN, and Russia -- also spoke by telephone he said.

But Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said the requests were "a formality" and that their membership in the treaties would come into effect "30 days after the Secretary General receives the letter of accession."

"What we did is legal," he insisted, saying "it is our right" to join UN treaties and agencies, since the Palestinians obtained the status of an observer state in November 2012.

The Palestinian Authority has also asked Switzerland if it can join the Fourth Geneva Convention from August 1949 and the first additional protocol. And it has asked the Netherlands if it can join the Hague Convention of 1907 on laws and customs governing war.

"Our inclusion in the Geneva convention will be effective immediately because we are under occupation," Mansour claimed, adding that these applications are just a first wave, with more coming depending on "the interest of the Palestinian people" as well as "the behavior of Israel."

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/UN_receives_Palestinians_requests_to_join_treaties_999.html.

Palestinians resume bid for further UN recognition

April 02, 2014

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — In a surprise move that could derail U.S. peace efforts, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday resumed a campaign for further international recognition of a state of Palestine, despite a previous promise to suspend such efforts during nine months of negotiations with Israel.

Shortly after Abbas' announcement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry canceled plans to return to the Middle East on Wednesday, but also said it's "completely premature" to write off the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks he restarted in late July.

"We are continuing, even now ... to be engaged with both parties," Kerry told a news conference in Brussels, where he was attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. "We urge both sides to show restraint while we work with them."

There was no immediate Israeli comment. However, Abbas' decision threw into doubt Israeli claims that a deal was emerging that would have extended Israel-Palestinian talks beyond an April 29 deadline and included the release of Jonathan Pollard, an American convicted of spying on the U.S. for Israel in the 1980s.

It remained unclear whether Abbas' dramatic announcement was a negotiating tactic or signaled a fundamental shift in strategy. In a hastily convened ceremony televised live from his West Bank headquarters, Abbas signed applications for Palestinians to join to 15 international treaties and conventions.

Abbas said he was compelled to act because Israel had failed to carry out a promised release of Palestinian prisoners by the end of March. At the same time, Abbas said he is not seeking a confrontation with the United States and remains determined to "reach a peaceful solution through negotiations" with Israel. A senior aide, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, later urged the international community to pressure Israel to release the prisoners, indicating that the Palestinians might reverse course if their demand is met.

Still, Abbas' surprise decision signaled a new crisis in Kerry's troubled peace efforts. Kerry had nudged Israelis and Palestinians back to the table in July, after a five-year break in negotiations, and got them to commit to nine months of negotiations, until April 29. The target was to reach a framework deal on the terms of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

As part of the resumption of talks, Abbas had promised to suspend efforts to seek further international recognition of a state of Palestine for nine months. A major nod from the U.N. came in November 2012, when the General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — lands Israel occupied in 1967 — as a non-member observer, overriding Israeli and U.S. objections.

Palestinian officials have said that vote paved the way for Palestine to join 63 international institutions, conventions and treaties. A Palestine Liberation Organization statement quoted Abbas as saying Tuesday that the 15 letters he signed were for conventions and treaties that can be joined immediately.

Israel, meanwhile, had pledged last year to release 104 of the longest-held Palestinian prisoners during the course of the negotiations. The Palestinians say the fourth and final group was to have been released by the end of March. Israel argues that the release was contingent on the Palestinians negotiating "in good faith."

In recent days, Kerry has been trying to negotiate a deal on extending the talks until the end of the year. An Israeli official close to the negotiations said earlier Tuesday that Kerry was pushing a formula that would include Pollard's release.

In exchange for Pollard, Israel would free the last group of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners, show "restraint" in settlement building and release about 400 additional Palestinian prisoners it would select, the official said.

The Israeli offer received a cool reception in Ramallah, according to Palestinian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with reporters. The officials said the release of the long-held prisoners was not up for new negotiations, and that any discussions about extending negotiations can only begin once those prisoners are freed.

The Palestinians demanded a full settlement freeze and the release of 1,000 additional prisoners, including political leaders, as a condition for extending negotiations. The officials said Israel's offer to show "restraint" in settlement expansion on occupied lands was largely meaningless since it would halt only the issuing of tenders for new construction.

The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said Tuesday that promise would not affect construction of thousands of settlement apartments that have already been approved. The inclusion of Pollard, a former U.S. naval intelligence analyst convicted of spying for Israel nearly three decades ago, had been the most surprising element of recent efforts to rescue the faltering peace talks. It reflected the importance Kerry put on continuing the talks.

Earlier Tuesday, an Israeli government official said that as part of that deal, Pollard was to be released before the Passover holiday, which begins April 14. For years, U.S. officials have vehemently opposed any talk of releasing Pollard early.

He is serving a life sentence at a federal prison in North Carolina but eligible for parole in November 2015. He was arrested in 1985 and convicted of espionage for giving reams of classified documents to his Israeli handlers.

Pollard's case has become a rallying cry in Israel, where leaders say his lengthy sentence amounts to excessive punishment when compared with other U.S. espionage cases. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who once visited Pollard in prison when he was out of politics, and other Israeli leaders have routinely pressed President Barack Obama and other U.S. presidents for his pardon or release.

Securing Pollard's release would help Netanyahu sell a package that would include more releases of Palestinian prisoners — something that would otherwise be unpopular with his hard-line Cabinet. A number of senior officials have already come out against further releases, and Netanyahu's coalition is dominated by lawmakers sympathetic to the West Bank settler movement.

Pollard's ex-wife, Anne, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she still hopes for her husband's release and fears for his health. "I really, truly have no idea how he has lasted this long," she said. "And I have no idea how much longer he could last."

Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Matthew Lee in Brussels contributed to this report.

Hamas, Jordan probe possibility of better ties

March 31, 2014

The March 10 killing of Jordanian judge Raed Zuaiter by an Israeli soldier at a West Bank border crossing strained Israeli-Jordanian relations, and now a third party has entered into the crisis between Amman and Tel Aviv: Hamas. Osama Hamdan, Hamas' head of international relations, condemned the killing and expressed his "deep appreciation for the popular movement in Jordan that is raising the issue of reopening Hamas offices in Amman in response to the incident."

The reconciliation file

Ahmed Youssef, the former political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, announced that the movement "is looking to transfer its political bureau to Jordan, as it is keen to have a presence in the country. Jordan is the best location for [this office], considering it is an open arena and close to Palestine. Given the special and reliable relations that link the Palestinian and Jordanian peoples, it is an option the movement is inclined to choose."

This statement came in response to a March 12 request by Jordanian parliament member Musa Abu Sweilem, who called on the government to reopen Hamas offices in Amman. Sweilem also expressed his readiness to mediate a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.

A rapprochement between the Hamas and Jordan was further encouraged by Hamas spokesman Hossam Badran, who currently resides in Qatar. Badran told Al-Monitor that he doesn't "mind Jordan taking on the role of mediator for a reconciliation in principle." At the same time, however, he said that "Hamas has [not] received an official invitation regarding this topic." He further noted, "Withdrawing this file from Egypt to Jordan requires a decision from Fatah and Hamas."

Meanwhile, a Jordanian official who previously worked on the mediation file between Amman and Hamas told Al-Monitor in a phone conversation, "The relations between [Amman and Hamas], in terms of the role and mutual needs, are not new, in light of political, geographic and demographic reasons. Jordan is concerned with the rights of the Palestinian people — first and foremost, the right of return. It is also interested in internal Palestinian stability in order to prevent a collapse of the situation, and the resulting spillover, and dissociating itself from the internal Palestinian conflict."

The official added that on the other hand, Hamas "is interested in the Arab and Islamic dimension, beginning with neighboring states, first and foremost Jordan. This is because the two sides have many common interests relating to security, stability and demographics, and to face the repercussions of Israel's recent demands aimed at making Jordan an alternative homeland for the Palestinians."

Jordanian chill in relations with Abbas

Talk of a rapprochement between Hamas and Jordan coincided with a chill in relations between the latter and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour has expressed his concern about the "presence of secret negotiating channels, of which Amman is not aware, between Tel Aviv and Ramallah. This is in agreement with [statements made by] former Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, who said that he feared the existence of secret arrangements for an 'Oslo II' between the PA and Israel that would come at the expense of Jordan."

The same Jordanian official, who preferred to remain anonymous, commented on this to Al-Monitor. He said, "Increasing talk about Amman's fears regarding the PA could open the door for a rapprochement in relations with Hamas. The 'alternate homeland' option proposed by Israel in order to get out of the bottleneck in negotiations with the Palestinians is rejected by Hamas and Jordan more than by the PA. This means an increasing intersection of interests between the two, and is pushing toward the establishment of a strategic relationship."

Thus, political circles in Amman heard private objections from the PA about a possible rapprochement with Hamas in the near future, despite assurances from the royal palace. The latter said that Jordan has no intention of making any substitutions in its map of allies and that the issue does not go beyond responding to the developments of the current stage and for purely tactical purposes.

Of interest, talk about Hamas' possible return to Jordan coincided with the almost complete break in the movement's relations with Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan condemned Egypt’s decision to ban Hamas, calling it a "serious turnaround in Egypt's role in supporting the Palestinian cause and a frank expression of [Cairo's] alliance and identification with Israel. This was done to alleviate the predicament of the coup and internal problems and to work to appease [Israel] in order to gain more international support."

It would appear that relations between Hamas and Jordan are strengthened by Amman not banning the Brotherhood like Saudi Arabia and Egypt have done. Jordan's internal equation does not allow for this dangerous scenario, which would harm its position with the Brotherhood and make this sensitive stage even more difficult.

Meshaal's visit

Hamas is well aware that Jordan's goal in improving relations with the movement isn't necessarily to provide Amman new horizons in the region. Rather, the goal is more internal, aimed at helping to absorb the Muslim Brotherhood, which is influential and seeks real reform and the trial of figures involved in corruption in the Hashemite kingdom. Coming to an understanding with Hamas is considered a gesture of good faith toward the Brotherhood, whose influence in the street is a source of concern among decision-making circles.

A senior official in Hamas residing outside Palestine and speaking on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor that the movement informed Jordan that it does not intend to use the kingdom as its primary arena for organizational work and came to an understanding regarding the limits on its relationship with the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. The movement is aware that any new relationship with Jordan will be restricted to a minimum and will depend on its relations with the PA. Moreover, these ties would not affect Jordan's commitment to its peace treaty with Israel nor its excellent ties with the United States, according to the official.

Despite the above steps and declarations, Al-Monitor has learned in a phone interview with a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan that Amman has yet to approve a visit to the kingdom by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. His trip has been postponed several times in recent months for various reasons amid silence on both sides.

Source: al-Monitor.
Link: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/03/jordan-hamas-palestine-relations-amman.html.

Ukrainian unrest spreads; dozens dead in Odessa

May 03, 2014

SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine launched an offensive against separatist forces for control of a besieged eastern city Friday, while clashes between pro- and anti-government activists in the previously calm southern port of Odessa led to a fire that police said killed 31 people.

The first serious offensive by the government in Kiev and the dozens of deaths in Odessa sharply escalated the crisis that has led to the worst tensions between Russia and the West since the Cold war. The Kremlin said the battle for the separatist-held city of Slovyansk effectively destroyed the Geneva pact aimed at cooling the unrest in the deeply divided country.

Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine's acting president, said many insurgents were killed or wounded in the eastern offensive that also underlined the military's vulnerability. The military action came two days after Kiev said it had lost control of eastern Ukraine.

Both sides said two Ukrainian helicopters were shot down by the insurgents near Slovyansk, killing two crew members, while authorities said another seven people also died: three separatist gunmen, two soldiers and two civilians.

By nightfall, Ukrainian troops and armored personnel carriers blocked all major roads into Slovyansk, and the central part of the city remained in the hands of pro-Russia gunmen, according to Associated Press journalists inside. Most shops were closed, and the few that were open were crowded with customers stocking up on supplies.

Sporadic gunfire was heard in Slovyansk's downtown late Friday, while Russian news reports said there were armed clashes in the nearby town of Kramatorsk. There was no immediate independent confirmation of fighting.

The Ukrainian Security Service said one helicopter was downed with a surface-to-air missile, adding that the sophisticated weapon undercut Russia's claims the city of 125,000 people was simply under the control of armed locals.

"Ukrainian security forces so far are not ready for large-scale military actions; moreover, such actions could provoke Russia's invasion," said Kiev-based political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko. Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops in areas near Ukraine's border. Kiev claims Moscow is preparing to invade and that it is fomenting the unrest in the east, where insurgents have seized government buildings in about a dozen cities and towns. The Kremlin denies the allegations, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned Russia would respond to attacks on its citizens or interests in the east.

Unlike eastern Ukraine, Odessa had been largely tranquil since the February toppling of President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia. But clashes erupted Friday between pro-Russians and government supporters in the key port on the Black Sea coast, located 550 kilometers (330 miles) from the turmoil in the east.

Police said the deadly fire broke out in a trade union building, but did not give details on how it started. Earlier, police said at least three people had died in a clash between the two sides in the city of 1 million.

According to Ukrainian news reports, the pro-Kiev demonstrators broke up an encampment of Moscow supporters outside the trade union building. The latter took refuge in the building, which then caught fire.

Odessa police spokesman Volodymyr Shasbliyenko told AP the fire apparently was caused by Molotov cocktails. He had no further details or identities of the victims. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the fatal fire was "yet another manifestation of the criminal irresponsibility of the Kiev authorities who indulge insolent radical nationalists ... which are engaging in a campaign of physical terror" against those in Ukraine who want more autonomy for the pro-Moscow regions.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian offensive "effectively destroyed the last hope for the implementation of the Geneva agreement" of two weeks ago that aimed to defuse the crisis. But Dmitry Peskov also said Russia "continues to undertake consistent efforts on de-escalation."

In Washington, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Barack Obama warned that Russia could be hit by new sanctions from the U.S. and the European Union if it continues disruptive actions in Ukraine. Previous sanctions are showing signs of significant effect on the Russian economy.

The fighting in Slovyansk, a city about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the Russian border, broke out around dawn. Stella Khorosheva, a spokeswoman for the insurgents, said three fighters and two civilians were killed in the clashes.

The Russian state television channel Rossiya-24 showed one man who they said was a wounded helicopter pilot surrounded by pro-Russia forces. Several foreign news crews, meanwhile, were detained for several hours Friday by nervous pro-Russia militia before being released. CBS reported that one journalist was beaten.

Slovyansk is strategically key because Ukraine has a huge stockpile of automatic rifles and other light weapons near the city, according to a commentary Friday for Britain's Royal United Services Institute defense think-tank.

"Today, Kiev has upped the ante in the standoff and will test Russian resolve to prevent the Ukrainian government from regaining control of the city and its light weapons stockpile," the think-tank authors wrote.

Turchynov said some government troops and police in eastern Ukraine were "either helping or cooperating with terrorist organizations." He said Ukrainian forces were working to prevent the unrest from spreading other areas.

At Russia's request, the U.N. Security Council met in an emergency session Friday on Ukraine. Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin demanded a "swift halt of all violence," but Western powers scoffed at his country's indignation.

"Russia ... has released bands of thugs on Ukraine ... and is suddenly discovering this mixture might escape its control," French ambassador Gerard Araud said. Ukraine, a nation of 46 million, is torn between those in the west who favor closer ties with Europe and many Russian-speakers in the east who look toward Moscow. Separatists who have seized government buildings in at least 10 eastern cities amid fears that Moscow is seeking a pretext to invade or annex more territory like it did with Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March.

The peace deal in Geneva last month aimed to get those who had seized government buildings in Ukraine to leave and calm down the tensions that have prompted the United States and the European Union to slap Russia with rounds of sanctions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine's government of using "terrorists" from ultranationalist organizations for Friday's military operation. It also claimed that Kiev deployed tanks and helicopters that were "conducting missile strikes on protesters," something that neither side in Ukraine reported.

An AP crew also saw no evidence of missile strikes in Slovyansk. Russia also cited insurgents in Ukraine as saying that some of the government attackers spoke English — an insinuation that the Ukrainian military was getting help from the West.

TV crews from Sky News and CBS were detained Friday on the outskirts of Slovyansk. Sky News said in a statement its crew was detained for several hours but is now "safe and well." CBS correspondent Clarissa Ward told "CBS This Morning" that she and her crew were stopped by pro-Russia insurgents at a checkpoint just outside Slovyansk, then taken to a nearby town where they were blindfolded tightly with masking tape. They were released several hours later, unharmed except for one man who was beaten.

Kiev's interim government came to power after Yanukovych fled, drummed out by months of anti-government protests. Ukraine plans to hold a presidential election on May 25.

Heintz reported from Moscow. Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow and Maria Danilova in Kiev contributed to this report.

Despite Russia crisis, Ukraine hopeful for future

May 01, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians live in fear of a Russian invasion. Their Crimean Peninsula has been taken over by Moscow. And the nation's economy has careened to the brink of collapse. Ukrainians might be forgiven for losing hope in the dreams of the protest movement that drove their corrupt president from power in February.

But polls and conversations with ordinary Ukrainians show something that may surprise: People are more confident about their future today than they were during the rule of deposed leader Viktor Yanukovych.

There are many reasons for the resolve in the face of adversity. Crisis seems to have crystallized a Ukrainian sense of identity. The new leadership, despite frequent missteps, is seen as taking on heroic challenges. And Moscow's aggression has tilted the sentiment of many Ukrainians dramatically toward the West.

Since Yanukovych was toppled, the percentage of Ukrainians who feel their country is moving in the right direction rose from 18 to 34, while those who are pessimistic about the country's course fell from 64 to 48 percent, according to polling conducted in February and April.

Under Yanukovych's rule, polls had shown Ukraine's voters to be closely divided on whether they would rather join the European Union or the Moscow-led Customs Union. The new poll found 53 percent saying they prefer the EU and just 24 percent choosing the Customs Union. From March to April, support for the cabinet of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk rose from 46 to 52 percent, while disapproval fell from 44 to 40 percent.

The nationwide polling was conducted by the International Republican Institute and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Each poll had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.

Andriy Poklonov, a technology worker from southern Ukraine visiting Kiev with his family, believes Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Ukrainians a new sense of purpose. "The enemy has done a better job uniting us than all the language issues," said Poklonov, referring to historical divisions in Ukraine between Ukrainian and Russian speakers. "Our idea is Ukraine. We stand for freedom, for liberty, for unity."

After Yanukovych fled to Russia following the killing of more than 100 activists in clashes with police, the Kremlin swallowed up Crimea and placed tens of thousands of troops near the Ukrainian border — while pro-Russian insurgents seized more than a dozen government buildings in the east to seek greater autonomy from Kiev or outright annexation by Russia.

Ukraine's new government has been less than forceful. It has launched some essential economic and anti-corruption reforms, but has struggled to find an adequate response to Russia's incursion and the unrest in the east. It put up little resistance in Crimea, issued conflicting statements and carried out indecisive, often botched security operations.

But Yatsenyuk and his government still enjoy a high level of support. "I don't envy them, because what they are doing is crisis management that you cannot even imagine," writer Larysa Denysenko said. Denysenko likened the crisis to painful but necessary medical treatment that will leave Ukraine stronger in the end: "We are like a cancer patient who has agreed to surgery and must now undergo chemotherapy."

Some Ukrainians believe they are fighting a delayed struggle for their country's independence. After centuries of dominance by Russia, Ukraine became an independent nation with relative ease in 1991, as the Soviet Union was crumbling and Russia itself was too weak to object. Twenty-three years later, a stronger Kremlin is now fighting to maintain dominance over its smaller neighbor.

Still, some disillusionment is emerging among Maidan supporters. Distrustful of the new leadership, hundreds of activists continue to occupy the tent camp and some nearby buildings in downtown Kiev, saying the government has yet to deliver on promises of reform, such as a pledge to prevent corrupt officials from holding office and to punish those guilty of killing protesters.

"People have died, but in reality nothing has been done about it," said Oleh, a member of the ultranationalist group the Right Sector, who occupies Kiev's central postal office with two dozen fellow activists. "Nobody has been punished, nothing has been done." He declined to give his last name for fear of reprisals.

Opponents of Maidan are also expressing discontent. Ksenia Zubakova, 34, who teaches museum management in Kiev, says she didn't support the movement, objecting to the violence against police and the nationalist rhetoric of some protesters. Since the new government moved in, her displeasure has grown: Without Maidan, she says, Crimea would still be part of Ukraine and the east would not have revolted.

"I was born in a country where Crimea was ours. I've been going there since I was 5. For me it's insane that Crimea is Russia," Zubakova said. "The loss of human life and of territory is the worst that can happen to a country."

Volodymyr Paniotto, head of the Kiev International Sociology Institute, said that such views represent a minority in central and western regions, where residents have historically tilted more toward Europe and support for the protests was strong.

"My feeling is that most still trust the government and are ready to give it time," he said. And hope remains strong among Maidan's true believers. Several months ago, Natalia Snihur and her husband Yegor Kornev, both 35, were contemplating emigrating from Ukraine to secure a better life for their three children. After taking an active part in the Maidan protests, they are now planning their future here.

Recently, they attached the Ukrainian yellow-and-blue flag to their one-story house. "Ukraine is being born; it is in labor now," Snihur said. "It is giving birth to a nation that will have a conscious national identity."

Serbia's new government to overhaul economy

April 27, 2014

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's new prime minister on Sunday promised a total overhaul of the economy in the Balkan country that went through a decade of war and international isolation in the 1990s, but is now seeking EU membership.

Aleksandar Vucic told the lawmakers that "you will sleep and eat here" in order to pass by July 15 the first set of reform laws that are necessary to introduce market reform. "This is something that has been put off for too long," Vucic said. "Changes and modernization are the key words."

Serbia's new government was voted into office on Sunday with 198 for and 23 against. Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party has won a majority, taking 158 seats in the 250-member assembly in March 16 elections. The new Cabinet also included ministers from smaller allied parties.

Liberal opposition leader Dragan Djilas criticized the prime minister, saying he had offered no new solutions. Djilas said that "one man will be making all the decisions, which is not good for Serbia."

Vucic, who is a former hard-line nationalist turned pro-EU reformer, has gained popularity by promising an uncompromising struggle against rampant corruption amid widespread poverty. Vucic said the economic changes will include cuts in the public sector, budget revision and privatization of state-run companies, coupled with boosting the private sector. He predicted possible protests, but pledged to stick to reform.

The EU opened accession talks with Serbia this year, after Belgrade agreed to normalize ties with Kosovo.

Macedonian conservative party claims victory

April 28, 2014

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia's incumbent prime minister claimed a landslide victory late Sunday in parliamentary and presidential elections, but the center-left opposition denounced what it called distorting interference in the democratic process by the ruling party and said it won't recognize the results.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski claimed a "powerful" victory for his VMRO-DPMNE party, which has ruled since 2006, and expressed his hope for an outright majority in the 123-member parliament. "Macedonia had peaceful, fair and free elections. Macedonia is the biggest winner. We can be proud," Gruevski told a crowd of cheering supporters at party headquarters.

With 91.7 percent of the votes in the parliamentary election counted, the conservatives led with 43.2 percent, while the Social Democrat-led leftist alliance had 24.9 percent, according to the State Election Commission web site.

The ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integrations, or DUI, the conservatives' partner in the outgoing government, was credited with 13.8 percent, while their main rival, the Democratic Party of Albanians, had 5.9 percent.

Turnout was 62.9 percent. In the election for the largely ceremonial office of the president, the conservative-backed incumbent, Gjorge Ivanov, led with 55.7 percent, while his Social Democrat rival Stevo Pendarovski had 40.5 percent, with almost 92 percent of the cast ballots counted. The turnout for the presidential runoff was 54 percent.

There were indications the ethnic Albanian minority had, as in the first round, largely boycotted the presidential vote. Ethnic Albanians make up a quarter of Macedonia's 2.1 million people. Gruevski said he hoped his party would get 62 seats in parliament, the exact number required for an outright majority. He added that the Social Democrats would get 34-35 seats.

Official results on seats will be announced Monday. Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev claimed shortly after polls closed that Gruevski's conservative government had unfairly used state resources to influence the campaign for his own re-election and that of his political ally, Ivanov.

Zaev said civil servants were pressured to vote for the ruling conservatives or face losing their jobs. "The government has once again usurped the democratic rights of citizens," Zaev said, calling for an "immediate establishment of (a) technical government that will conduct parliamentary and presidential elections."

Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE immediately rejected the opposition claims, saying "Macedonia has had the most peaceful and democratic elections ever." Senior party official Antonio Milososki accused the opposition of "manipulation" and "provoking incidents."

Nearly 1.8 million voters were eligible to cast ballots at more than 3,500 polling stations.

Munich center to document city links to Hitler

April 30, 2014

MUNICH (AP) — Soon after Nazi Germany's defeat in 1945, there was talk in Munich about building an education center that would document the city's critical role in Adolf Hitler's climb to power. Berlin and some other cities built similar facilities over the years. But the idea languished in Munich, the city Hitler himself called the "Capital of the (Nazi) Movement."

Munich officials decided in 2001 to go ahead with it, and Bavaria's parliament signed on as well. Discussions were marred by disagreements over concepts for exhibits, financing, and even what to call it. But it's finally under construction and scheduled to open April 30, 2015, the 70th anniversary of American troops' liberation of this city from Nazi rule.

In English, it will be called the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism. The cube-shaped structure is being erected on a site laden with dark symbolism: an empty lot where the Brown House, the Nazis' headquarters, once stood. The area surrounding the Brown House was a Nazi showcase. Buildings in the area housed the party bureaucracy. The vast square located there — called the Koenigsplatz — was turned into a site for mass rallies. The area during Hitler's rule was crawling with Nazi bureaucrats, storm troopers and SS men.

The new building will stand in stark contrast to architectural designs favored by Hitler. It will be modernist in style — a white cube rising from the former site of Nazi power. By going from floor to floor, visitors will be able to examine each step along Munich's role in Hitler's rise to power. The permanent exhibit will also examine Germans' difficulties in dealing with the Nazi past since 1945.

Included in the plans are research stations, a library, lectures, panel discussions, conferences, and tours. City officials expect more than 140,000 visitors a year. Exhibits will be in German and English.

French fighter planes to help patrol over Baltics

April 28, 2014

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Four French fighter jets have arrived at an air base in northern Poland to enhance NATO's patrolling capabilities over the Baltic States at a time of increased tension in the region.

The spokesman for the air base in Malbork, Dariusz Mazurkiewicz, said Monday that some 100 ground personnel came with the Dassault Rafael jets for a four-month tour of duty, starting Wednesday. They will support Poland's four patrolling MiG-29 fighters within the NATO Baltic Air Policing program.

Warsaw is seeking NATO troop presence on its territory as tension mounts in the conflict between Poland's two neighbors: Ukraine and Russia. Poland's Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak has said that French jets would also take part in a joint exercise in Poland. The date for the exercise has not been announced.

Scores of Venezuelans march against government

April 27, 2014

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Scores of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro marched in Caracas on Saturday, vowing to remain on the streets in defiance of a high court ruling limiting protests.

Student organizers at the last minute decided against marching downtown to avoid a confrontation with security forces in the government-controlled district. Instead they concentrated in the wealthier, eastern neighborhoods that have been the hotbed of unrest since February.

Demonstrators carried signs on Saturday blasting a Supreme Court ruling this week that gives police the right to disperse protests that don't have a permit. Opponents say the ruling is the latest attempt by the socialist government to muzzle dissent amid widespread discontent with 57 percent inflation and record shortages.

Protests that the government blames for more than 40 deaths have lost some of their momentum in recent weeks in the face of a government crackdown and an attempt at dialogue by some members of the opposition.

While Maduro is unlikely to cede to opposition demands that it grant an amnesty for jailed activists, the negotiations could force him to loosen the state's tight grip on the economy, said Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas-based political consultant.

He points to the government's wink-wink approval of recent price increases for regulated goods and its willingness to divert government savings earmarked for social spending to fund private investments as a sign of encroaching pragmatism.

"Just sitting across the same table as the government is something the opposition hasn't achieved in 15 years" of socialist rule, said Pantoulas. While students are boycotting the talks, they're asserting considerable pressure on the negotiators by refusing to abandon the streets. For more than a month, dozens have been camping outside the offices of the United Nations, blocking several lanes of traffic on one of the capital's busiest thoroughfares.

Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia.

Cuba, EU approve road map on normalization talks

May 01, 2014

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba and the European Union have closed a first round of talks on normalizing relations troubled since the 1990s after agreeing to a road map for further discussions.

EU official Christian Leffler says they have established "the general structure" for future talks and "the principal elements to be included." Leffler says talks have not yet touched on the EU's so-called "Common Position" of 1996, which has driven policy toward the island and bars full cooperation between Europe and Havana.

EU officials say concerns about civil liberties and democratic participation will continue to influence policy. Cuba says it is open to talking about any issue. Leffler spoke Wednesday at the EU Embassy in Havana. He said talks will resume at an unspecified date.

Israel's race to succeed President Peres heats up

May 03, 2014

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Among those vying to become Israel's next president are a former defense minister, a former foreign minister, a former finance minister, a respected long-serving lawmaker and a Nobel Prize winner. Amazingly, the man they all seek to replace has held all of those titles and more during a legendary 65-year political career.

Shimon Peres, the indomitable 90-year-old elder statesman of Israeli politics, concludes his seven-year term as the country's ceremonial head of state this summer. While the group of potential successors is locked in a heated battle over the lofty post, whoever emerges victorious likely faces an even tougher task of breaking out of Peres' enormous shadow.

Officially, the president has only two primary powers: assigning a potential prime minister to build a coalition government after elections and issuing pardons to criminals. But Peres, a two-time former prime minister, has risen above the post.

He restored honor to the presidency after replacing the disgraced Moshe Katsav, forced to resign in a sex scandal and later convicted of rape in 2007. Peres quickly became the country's most popular political figure, finally basking in the public adoration that eluded him for most of his lengthy career.

He also became a de facto foreign minister who promoted Israel abroad thanks to his wide network of global contacts, presenting a respectable face for the country when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was often under fire for its West Bank settlement policies. He offered a bridge to the Arab world and was greeted like royalty in Europe and Washington, where President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

"Besides the fact that in my eyes he represents the story of the state of Israel, he rehabilitated the presidency and turned it into a lighthouse, both inwards and outwards," said Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, one of the contenders for Peres' job. Ben-Eliezer is a former defense minister and one-time head of the Labor Party — another position Peres once held.

"Peres today is the last of the founding fathers of the state of Israel. He is the last one who remains from that generation, the generation that built the nation," he added. "Peres is a very hard man to replace."

Whoever does will have to forge his or her own path. Ben-Eliezer, 78, a former general who came to Israel from Iraq as a child and maintains good relations with Arab leaders, promises he will be a unifying leader who will try to reach out to neighboring countries. He was particularly close to deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and says he also has a good relationship with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I am unhateable," he told The Associated Press at a Tel Aviv cafe. "My expertise is taking an enemy and turning him into a friend." His main rival is Reuven Rivlin, a former speaker of parliament and stalwart in the ruling Likud Party. Most public opinion polls show he is the preferred candidate of the public. But the vote itself is held in a secret ballot among parliament's 120 members, adding to the unpredictable nature of the race. The vote is set to take place in June.

Rivlin, 74, says his popularity and ability to connect to all elements of Israeli society make him most suitable for the role. Unlike the globe-trotting Peres, he says his focus will be domestic. "He has no intention of trying to fill Shimon Peres' shoes. He has his own shoes," said Harel Tubi, a top adviser.

The wild-card candidate is Silvan Shalom, a Likud politician whose long career has included stints as Israel's foreign and finance minister. Shalom's campaign took a big hit when a former aide alleged he committed a sex offense against her. Shalom calls the accusations part of a political conspiracy aimed at removing him from a race he has yet to formally enter.

Either way, the campaign has been characterized by mutual mudslinging between the candidates for an office typically filled by respected elder statesmen expected to serve as a moral compass for the country.

A pair of outside candidates looking to tap into the public's aversion to professional politicians has thrown their hats into the ring. However, both Dan Shechtman, a Technion professor who won the 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry, and Dalia Dorner, a retired Supreme Court justice, appear to have little chance of winning.

Two other longshot candidates are Meir Shitreet, a former finance minister, and Dalia Itzik, another former speaker of parliament. Peres himself is expected to continue promoting peace and development in the Middle East through his non-governmental Peres Peace Center. He has refrained from commenting on the race to replace him, saying only that the presidency "isn't about ruling, it is about serving your people."

The race remains wide open particularly because Netanyahu, who wields the most political power in the country, has yet to make his preference known, said Amit Segal, a political analyst for Israel's Channel 2 TV.

His own Likud Party is divided between Shalom and Rivlin, two men with whom Netanyahu has testy relations. The prime minister is reportedly looking for another candidate to support, with the former Soviet dissident, human rights activist and author Natan Sharansky considered his preferred candidate. Sharansky has not said whether he wants the job.

Whoever wins will likely return the position to its natural dimensions after Peres' larger-than-life term. Even though Peres helped Netanyahu internationally, he often overshadowed him. "Whoever is elected, Netanyahu will reclaim his position as Israel's No. 1 citizen," Segal said. "He'll once again become the face of the country and in the long run that is good for him."