Macedonia pro-opposition rally staged against name deal

November 28, 2018

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Several thousand supporters of Macedonia's conservative opposition have marched through the capital Skopje to protest a proposed agreement with Greece to change the country's name to North Macedonia.

The conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which governed between 2006 and 2016, renewed a demand Wednesday for an early election, arguing that the 18-month-old Social Democrat government was unable to deal with crises facing the country.

The protesters gathered outside the conservative party headquarters and marched past government buildings, chanting "Macedonia, Macedonia" and waving nationalist banners. VMRO-DPMNe party leader Hristijan Mickoski addressed the rally, which ended peacefully.

Resolving the decades-old name dispute with Greece would clear obstacles for Macedonia to join NATO.

Kosovo president: Decision to form army 'irreversible'

December 16, 2018

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The decision to transform Kosovo's security force into an army is "irreversible," the country's president said Sunday while offering assurance that a new national military does not threaten ethnic Serbs living in the former Serbian province.

President Hashim Thaci gave a briefing on the army plan before he left for New York, where the United Nations Security Council is expected in coming days to discuss the small Balkan nation's decision.

Kosovo's parliament overwhelmingly approved the army's formation Friday. Neighboring Serbia has warned that an army in a place it considers Serbian territory could result in an armed intervention. "Whatever happens at the Security Council, despite the concerns of a certain individual or a country, the formation of the Kosovo army is an irreversible act," Thaci said.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence. Its government insists the army would violate a U.N. resolution that ended Serbia's crackdown on Kosovar separatists in 1998-1999. Serbia's government has warned it might use its own military to respond, with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic saying that's "one of the options on the table." An armed intervention by Serbia could bring a confrontation with the NATO-led peacekeepers stationed in Kosovo since 1999.

The U.N. Security Council held closed consultations late Friday on the format of a meeting on the dispute. Russia, Serbia's close ally, wants the council to meet publicly, and European nations have sought a closed session.

NATO's chief has called Kosovo's action "ill-timed." The United States has expressed support for "Kosovo's sovereign right" as an independent nation that unilaterally broke away from Serbia. Thaci said the army would be a professional and multiethnic one, with 5 percent of the troops coming from the ethnic Serb minority; He advised Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to take a cue from Serbs residents in Kosovo "who feel calm and who take part in the army."

Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.

Tensions soar in the Balkans over plans for Kosovo army

December 04, 2018

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia sought support from allies Russia and China on Tuesday in opposing the formation of a Kosovo army, warning that a military in its former province could lead to renewed clashes in the Balkans.

Kosovo's parliament is set to vote Dec. 14 on transforming the country's security forces into a regular army. Serbian officials claim the army would be used against the Serb minority in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.

Serbia has threatened unspecified retaliatory measures if the army is created. Serbia, Russia and China don't recognize Kosovo as a country, while the United States and most of the West do. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met separately with the Russian, Chinese and U.S. ambassadors in Belgrade on Tuesday, saying that "continuous provocations" from Kosovo could leave Serbia with no choice but to "protect" the Serb minority.

Vucic said Kosovo's plans to form an army jeopardize peace and stability in the region. "The irresponsible behavior of Pristina could lead into a catastrophe because Serbia cannot peacefully watch the destruction of the Serbian people," Vucic said in a statement.

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo soared after the Kosovo government last month introduced a 100-percent tax on Serb imports — an apparent retaliation for a failed Kosovo bid for membership in the international police organization, Interpol, after intense Serbian lobbying.

Vucic said it's "completely clear" that both the formation of the army and the tariffs are intended to "force Serbs out" of Kosovo. Kosovo split from Serbia after a 1998-99 war for independence that left more than 10,000 dead. Serbia's brutal crackdown in the province prompted NATO to launch airstrikes to stop the conflict.

An armed intervention by Serbia in Kosovo would trigger a direct clash with NATO-led peacekeepers stationed there. Serbia recently increased its saber-rattling, including raising the combat readiness of its troops over a series of small incidents.

Meanwhile, Kosovo police stopped a Serbian basketball team from entering the country. They were to attend a daily protest by Kosovo Serbs against the 100-percent tariffs on Serbian goods.

Llazar Semini contributed from Tirana, Albania.

Kosovo lawmakers occupy office over tax on Serbian imports

December 02, 2018

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Lawmakers representing Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority are refusing to leave the parliament building to protest a 100 percent tax on all goods imported from Serbia. Ten lawmakers from the Serb List party said on Sunday they would remain closed inside their Parliament office and express their concerns about the tax to the European Union's enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn. He is scheduled to visit Kosovo on Monday.

Kosovo's government imposed the tariff on Serbian imports last month and said it would stay in place until Serbia recognizes Kosovo's independence and stops preventing it from joining international organizations.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The EU has said that normalized ties between the two are a condition for the countries to become members.

Italy slides into recession, darkening outlook for Europe

January 31, 2019

MILAN (AP) — Italy has fallen back into recession, intensifying concerns about the 19-country eurozone economy and a possible flare-up in the debt market jitters that haunted the bloc in recent years.

The Italian economy, the third-largest in the eurozone, contracted by a quarterly rate of 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, the national statistics agency said. Following a 0.1 percent drop in the previous three-month period that means Italy is in a technical recession, defined as two straight quarters of economic contraction — just four years after its last one.

Italy's recession is one reason why the wider eurozone slowed in 2018, along with uncertainties related to Brexit, the China-U.S. trade spat and new vehicle emissions standards. Though the eurozone is performing better than in the dark days of the debt crisis, which threatened to break up the euro currency, it's still lagging the U.S. economy, which is projected to have grown about 3 percent in 2018. As a result, unemployment in the eurozone is about double the U.S.'s 4 percent at 7.9 percent.

The eurozone economy as a whole grew by a meager 0.2 percent in the final quarter, the same as in the previous quarter, according to provisional figures released Thursday by the Eurostat statistics agency.

It expanded by 1.8 percent in 2018 overall, its weakest rate in four years. That's lower than had been anticipated a year ago, when the bloc was expected to slow only slightly from 2017's strong 2.4 percent rate.

The Italian economy has become an acute source of concern over the past few months, partly as a result of the new populist government's spat with the European Union's executive Commission over its budget plans, which has undermined business confidence and seen Italian borrowing rates in bond markets spike higher.

The government, elected against the backdrop of economic disappointment after years — even decades — of stagnant growth, wants to ramp up spending to get the economy going. It wants to provide more social security payments and to roll back a pension reform.

The plan means Italy would not reduce its debt load, which at over 130 percent is the highest in Europe after Greece. The EU Commission is still haunted by the memory of the debt crisis, which required eurozone governments, along with some assistance from the International Monetary Fund, to bailout a number of countries. The Commission has insisted that the Italian government rein back on its spending plans lest it loses control of its budget and the faith of bond market investors.

Though most economists think the budget impasse with the Commission has undermined confidence in the Italian economy, the country's premier, Giuseppe Conte, sought to downplay the recession and placed the blame firmly on the trade spat between the United States and China, which he says has weighed on Italian exports.

"This is a transitory factor," he told reporters in Rome. The head of Italy's UNC consumer advocate organization, Massimiliano Dona, said the weak figures raise questions over the Italian government's prediction that the economy will grow by 1 percent in 2019. He said that could mean the government will have to adjust its spending plans.

Italy hasn't been the only reason why the eurozone slowed in 2019. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, suffered an unexpected contraction in the third quarter largely due to changes in emissions standards that hurt auto sales. And uncertainty over Britain's exit from the EU has weighed on sentiment, as has the fear of a global trade war stoked largely by growing tensions between the United States and China.

Separate economic indicators point to further weakness at the start of 2019 and most economists expect a difficult period ahead if the main causes of uncertainty are not addressed soon. "The continued decline in sentiment indicates that the underlying pace of growth has slowed even further," said Christoph Weil, an economist at Commerzbank. "Uncertainty about economic developments in China, the unresolved trade conflict between the U.S. and China and Brexit continue to weigh on the economic outlook for 2019."

Pylas reported from London.

Italy: 5 EU nations will take in migrants stranded at sea

January 29, 2019

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte says five European Union nations are stepping forward to help resolve the latest impasse involving migrants stuck at sea on a humanitarian ship, but he bemoaned the lack of a systematic EU way to deal with migrant rescues.

Conte said Tuesday that the crisis over the Sea-Watch 3, which has been stuck off Sicily with 47 rescued migrants since Friday, demonstrates the EU's "incapacity to manage this phenomenon with shared European mechanisms." He spoke Tuesday in Cyprus at the close of a southern European summit.

But Conte said individual countries had stepped forward late Tuesday to say they would take some of the migrants. The Italian news agency ANSA, citing Conte, said the five countries are Germany, France, Portugal, Romania and Malta.

There was no immediate word on when or where the migrants, who were rescued Jan. 19 off the coast of Libya, would disembark. Conte was to meet with the leaders of Italy's two governing coalition parties, including hard-line Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the League party, upon his return to Rome.

Italy's populist government has refused to allow humanitarian ships to dock in its ports in a bid to force its European partners to share the burden of arrivals. During the same press conference as Conte, French President Emmanuel Macron said France abided by three principals: respect for humanitarian rights in maritime matters, disembarkation at the nearest port and distributing the migrants. He said these standards should become a permanent mechanism.

Conte also said an EU trust fund aimed at propping up African economies to stem the flow of migrants isn't large enough. Echoing Conte, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said it's an "absolute necessity" for Europe to boost Africa's economic development.

The Dutch-flagged Sea Watch 3, which is operated by a German humanitarian group, was allowed into Italian waters late last week off the Sicilian port of Syracuse due to deteriorating weather conditions.

Human rights activists and some politicians have denounced Italy's refusal to allow the migrants to land as inhumane. "The psychological conditions of these people is worsening quickly. They need to get immediate medical attention on land," EU lawmaker Cecile Kyenge told Sky TG24.

Earlier Tuesday, Europe's human rights court denied a request by the head of the Sea Watch group, the Sea Watch 3's captain and one of the migrants to disembark the 47 migrants. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, however requested in its decision that Italy "take all necessary measures as soon as possible" to give the migrants adequate medical care, food, water and supplies. And it said the 15 unaccompanied minors on the boat should receive legal guardianship.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli claimed on Twitter that the human rights court had sided with Italy. "We must guarantee the migrants food, treatment and adequate assistance. And that is what we are doing. But we don't have an obligation to disembark," he said.

In another similar instance, Salvini faces possible charges for failing to allow 177 migrants to disembark at a port in Catania in August. Prosecutors have declined to press charges for kidnapping and abuse of office, saying Salvini was enacting government policy beyond the scope of the courts. But a judicial review body ruled otherwise, and has asked the Senate, where Salvini has a seat, to allow the case to procced.

The migrants in that case were allowed to disembark after five days.

Barry reported from Milan. Angela Charlton in Paris also contributed.

Italy sends socks, shoes, food to migrants stuck on boat

January 27, 2019

ROME (AP) — The Italian coast guard is bringing socks, shoes, bread and fruit to 47 migrants who have been stranded at sea for nine days aboard a German humanitarian group's rescue boat close to the Italian island of Sicily.

Italy's hard-line interior minister, Matteo Salvini, refuses to let humanitarian boats that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean from smugglers' unseaworthy vessels disembark because he contends the aid facilitates trafficking.

Sea-Watch 3 rescued the migrants on Jan. 19 in the waters off Libya. On Sunday, three Italian opposition lawmakers and the mayor of nearby Syracuse boarded Sea-Watch3, which is a mile offshore, to inspect conditions.

Italian news agency ANSA quoted Syracuse prosecutor Fabio Scavone as saying the captain had requested psychological assistance for those aboard but added there wasn't any medical emergency.

Protesters at Irish border highlight Brexit as peace threat

January 26, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of people assembled near the Irish border to highlight the risks Brexit poses to peace in Northern Ireland. The protesters gathered near Newry in Northern Ireland on Saturday to reject the possibility of a "hard" border with ID checks and customs controls going up between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.

Some created a mock border checkpoint where actors dressed as soldiers and customs officers showed what such a protected boundary might look like. There is concern on both sides that a guarded border could jeopardize a hard-won coexistence since a 1998 agreement largely ended decades of sectarian and nationalist violence.

The British and Irish governments don't want a hard border, but the European Union has said it's likely unavoidable if the U.K. leaves the EU without a deal.

Ireland passes BDS bill banning Israel settlement goods

January 25, 2019

Ireland has advanced a bill which will prevent the sale of goods from Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The lower house of the Irish parliament – the Dail – yesterday voted in favor of a bill which will ban the purchase of all goods and services from Israel’s West Bank settlements, which are considered illegal under international law. The bill was previously passed through the parliament’s upper house – the Seanad – before proceeding to the lower house and receiving a 78-45 majority in favor, Al Jazeera explained.

The bill – officially known as the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill – still needs to pass several more stages before being signed into Irish law, but it is expected to progress given its broad base of support from Irish opposition parties.

Once approved, the law would see fines of up to €250,000 ($284,000) or five years in jail be handed down for those found guilty of importing or selling any goods or services originating in the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem or West Bank settlements, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Though estimates put the value of settlement-made exports to Ireland at between only $580,000 and $1.1 million annually, the symbolic value of the bill and its potential to influence other European countries to follow suit has been hailed as a victory by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative party, said the bill is a “great victory for the BDS movement” and vowed that “we will seek to pass similar laws in a number of European countries in the near future”.

Irish politicians also welcomed the move, with Irish Senator Frances Black tweeting: “Ireland will always stand for international law + human rights, & we’re one step closer to making history. Onwards!” She added: “We have now united every opposition party behind this bill, because it is *not* a radical ask: we want to give effect to basic provisions of int [international] law & human rights.”

However Israel has reacted with anger at the bill, summoning the Irish Ambassador to Israel, Alison Kelly, to be reprimanded.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s office said that “Israel is outraged over the legislation against it in the Dail which is indicative of hypocrisy and anti-Semitism”. It added: “Instead of Ireland condemning Syria for slaughtering hundreds of thousands of civilians, Turkey for the occupation of northern Cyprus and the terrorist organizations for murdering thousands of Israelis, it attacks Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. What a disgrace.”

Meanwhile Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the vote “an expression of pure hostility on the part of its initiators,” adding: “This is a clear expression of obsessive discrimination that should be rejected with disgust.”

Ireland has been a long-time supporter of the BDS movement. In October, Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ announced that it will not sanction any staff members who refuse to travel to Israel for the Eurovision Song Contest, due to be held in Tel Aviv in May. RTÉ’s decision came after the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) called for a boycott of the competition “due to Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people”.

Other Irish organisations have also expressed support for BDS, with the Dublin City Council voting in April to back the movement. In March, students at one of the country’s most prestigious universities – Trinity College Dublin – voted to support BDS, meaning the Students Union will support the movement and “comply with the principles of BDS in all union shops, trade, business and other union operations”.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190125-ireland-passes-bds-bill-banning-israel-settlement-goods/.

Iceland's Northern Lights: Beautiful sight, risky drives

January 13, 2019

AKUREYRI, Iceland (AP) — Police in Iceland have a warning for visitors: Beware our roads in the winter. Spending a clear winter night under an Arctic sky lit up by spectacular streaks of color from the Northern Lights is an often-cited "bucket-list" experience among the reasons more people are visiting Iceland, especially its northern region.

The remote region on the edge of the Arctic Circle is one of the best places in the world to spot the colorful phenomenon. But police say many foreign visitors lack the experience and expertise to handle Iceland's wintry road conditions. They are increasingly worried about visitors scanning the sky for the Northern Lights and not looking at the road, which may be icy, twisty or narrow — or all three conditions at once.

"The weather in Iceland changes every five minutes, so to speak, and road conditions change accordingly," said superintendent Johannes Sigfusson of the Akureyri Police Department, the largest in the northern region. "In a matter of minutes, a dry road can turn icy and slippery.

"The risk is compounded in the middle of the night, when an inexperienced driver is deprived of sleep and with one eye on the sky." Of the 18 people who died in traffic crashes in Iceland in 2018, half of them were foreigners, continuing a trend that started the year before, when more foreigners than residents died for the first time on this volcanic island in the North Atlantic.

The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, occur when a magnetic solar wind slams into the Earth's magnetic field and causes atoms in the upper atmosphere to glow. The lights appear quite suddenly and the intensity varies — the most amazing are bright green with streaks of purple and yellow.

Northern Lights sightings depend on a mix of luck and effort. The Icelandic Met Office operates a 9-scale Northern Lights forecast every day, based on solar winds in the past three days, that pinpoints the best spots in the country each night to try to see the lights. But traveling away from city lights is most often necessary, and that has led some drivers to take hazardous mountain roads.

Police say they have encountered sleep-deprived drivers cruising into the night, as well as vehicles driving without lights on to prevent light pollution. Police say some accidents even happen on main roads, when tourists hit the brakes quickly because of a sudden Northern Lights sighting and then get hit from behind.

It doesn't help that, in Icelandic winters, the sun in Akureyri can rise as late as 11:39 a.m. and set as early as 2:43 p.m., meaning that tourists are spending most of their day driving in the dark. Authorities note that the capital, Reykjavik, Akureyri and other areas have tourism companies that offer nightly Northern Lights bus tours near-daily in the winter so tourists can leave the driving to professionals.

Iceland's road infrastructure also lags behind its boom in international tourism. The national Road No. 1, which runs for 1,337 kilometers (830 miles) as it connects coastal towns and villages on this volcanic island of 350,000 people, still has narrow lanes and many one-lane bridges.

Last month, an SUV carrying seven British tourists plunged off a one-lane bridge on Road No. 1 in southern Iceland, killing three people and critically injuring the others. In the winter, tourists from warm countries — who may never have driven in snow and ice — have been more likely to get into accidents, according to the Icelandic Transport Authority.

"Driving on Icelandic winter roads it is tough. Definitely," said Jeremy Tan, a financier from Singapore who was about driving his rental car half way around Iceland. "Dark roads and strong winds are something that I am not used to."

He was parked at Godafoss, a landmark waterfall in northern Iceland, hoping that the clouds might pull the curtains on a winter Northern Lights show. The Icelandic Met Office's Northern Lights forecast for that night listed their strength as "moderate" but Tan was prepared to wait, with warm cloths and snacks for the night.

But midnight passed without any signs of green, purple or yellow dancing lights above the horizon. The accuracy of aurora forecasting could soon improve, however. The Chinese Polar Research Institute is opening Iceland's first-ever aurora research station in a remote valley about a half-hour drive from the northern town of Akureyri. The futuristic three-store building, set to go into operation later this year, is part of China's broad ambitions in the Arctic.

Gunnlaugur Bjornsson, astrophysicist at the University of Iceland, is among the local scientists involved in project. Speaking to The Associated Press, he said much was still unknown about the Northern Lights and the vast electromagnetic system that unleashes them.

"Weather prediction is difficult. Aurora prediction is even more so," he said. "We just have to wait and see, like with the earthquakes."

Greece backs Macedonia's NATO accession, settles dispute

February 08, 2019

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's parliament on Friday approved a measure for Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute watched closely by Western allies wary of Russian influence in the region.

Lawmakers voted 153-140 to back the NATO protocol that must now also be approved by all other alliance members. The Greek vote means the former Yugoslav republic will now formally change its name to North Macedonia, settling the spat over the country's name which Greece saw as a potential threat to its own northern region of Macedonia.

"I would like to again welcome North Macedonia, a country that is friendly toward Greece, a country that must be a supporter — and not an opponent — of our efforts to establish safety, stability, and cooperation in the wider region," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told parliament shortly before the vote.

Western countries strongly backed the deal between Greece and Macedonia, after the country's bid to join NATO had been shelved for a decade and amid European concerns over Russia's vocal opposition to the alliance's expansion further into the Balkans.

"Clearly it is in Greece's interest to promote a European course for all its neighbors, not just for North Macedonia — and not (back) the influence of third forces in the neighborhood, with different aspirations and pursuits," Tsipras said.

Tsipras had faced large demonstrations against the deal, while opinion polls showed that more than two-thirds of Greeks oppose it. The agreement also nearly toppled his government last month after triggering the breakup of his coalition with the nationalist Independent Greeks party.

Greek opposition parties argued the agreement made too many concessions to Macedonia. "(We) will vote against the accession protocol because it is, simply, the final act or the final act of a damaging agreement," conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament to applause from members of his party before the vote.

Greek approval of Macedonia's NATO accession bid is the final step in the deal. Provided lawmakers vote for the motion, Greece's foreign ministry will promptly notify the Macedonian government of the result.

Macedonia will then write to the United Nations, its member states and international organizations, formally announcing the name change. Government spokesman Mile Boshnjakovski told The Associated Press this would happen "in coming days."

Konstantin Testorides contributed from Skopje, Macedonia.

Candidate for EU's top job slams Greece over Venezuela

February 07, 2019

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The conservative candidate for the European Union's top job has sharply criticized Greece's stance on Venezuela's political crisis, saying Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is "blocking initiatives on a European level" that would support those "fighting for a democratic Venezuela."

Manfred Weber, who heads the European Parliament's largest center-right group, said Thursday it was "a tragedy to see how the Greek government is now behaving on (a) European level." Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president last month, saying President Nicolas Maduro's re-election in May was fraudulent. The United States and a number of European Union countries have backed Guaido, but Greece's governing Syriza party has expressed its "full support and solidarity" for Maduro.

Weber is running in May 23-26 European elections to succeed his EPP Christian Democrat party colleague Jean-Claude Juncker to run the European Commission. He told reporters in Athens: "Everybody who has eyes in his head must see that in Venezuela we have a dictatorship, a socialist dictatorship."

He suggested the European Union should change its decision-making process in foreign affairs from requiring unanimous votes to allowing decisions to be taken through majority votes instead. That, he said, would ensure decisions "are not anymore in the hands of governments like here in Greece which have obviously more contact with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Maduro and not so much with the free world of democratic countries."

Weber was in Athens to attend a two-day EPP group meeting. Greece's left-wing government says it backs an EU initiative to try to find a political solution to the Venezuela crisis but has refused to endorse Guaido. Government officials had no immediate response to Weber's remarks.

Greek opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a close ally of Weber, said Greece's support for Maduro had hurt the country's standing. "I'm very sorry to say this but the position of the Greek prime minister on this issue is a disgrace for our country," Mitsotakis said. "It isolates Greece and it really reduces our political influence abroad."

France keeps up pressure on Italy in historic EU dispute

February 08, 2019

PARIS (AP) — France's pro-EU government and Italy's populist leaders sparred anew Friday, as business giants from both countries appealed for calm amid the neighbors' biggest diplomatic spat since World War II.

France said the stunning recall of its ambassador to Italy was a temporary move — but an important signal to its historical ally not to meddle in internal French affairs. In Italy, the deputy prime minister who's the focus of French anger stood his ground, renewing criticism of France's foreign policy.

France and Italy are founding members of the European Union, born from the ashes of World War II, and their unusual dispute is rippling around the continent at a time of growing tensions between nationalist and pro-EU forces.

French officials said Friday that this week's recall of French Ambassador Christian Masset was prompted by months of "unfounded attacks" from Italian government members Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, who have criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's economic and migration policies.

But the main trigger for the crisis appeared to be Di Maio's meeting in a Paris suburb this week with members of the yellow vests, a French anti-government movement seeking seats in the European Parliament.

French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said the visit violated "the most elementary diplomacy" because it was unannounced. Referring to Italy's populist leaders, he criticized a "nationalist leprosy" eating away at Europe's unity and said EU members should "behave better toward partners."

A participant in the meeting, French activist Marc Doyer, told The Associated Press that it was initiated by Di Maio's populist 5-Star movement and aimed at sharing advice on how to build a "citizens' movement."

Doyer said it provided useful technical and other guidance to potential yellow vest candidates and their supporters, and called the diplomat spat an overreaction. "It's a political game by certain people," he said. "Free movement exists in Europe, and the meeting didn't cost the French taxpayer anything."

Di Maio said he had done nothing wrong by meeting with the yellow vest protesters without informing the French government. A borderless Europe "shouldn't just be about allowing free circulation of merchandise and people, but also the free circulation of political forces that have a European outlook," he said in a Facebook video while visiting Abruzzo.

Di Maio again blamed France for policies in African countries that he said had impeded their growth and fueled the flight of economic migrants to Europe. He also implicitly blamed Paris for the chaos in Libya that has led to years of instability and growth of migrant smuggling networks following France's involvement in the NATO-led operation in 2011 that ousted former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi from power.

Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, meanwhile, offered France's yellow vest movement technical advice on launching a version of the 5-Star movement's online portal, which allows registered party members to vote on policy decisions and candidates.

"If useful, we can offer them a hand and do political activities in service of the French people," Toninelli said, according to the ANSA news agency. As the diplomatic spat simmered, a French yellow vest activist known for his extremist views held a gathering Friday in the Italian city of Sanremo.

The standoff was clearly sending jitters through Europe's business world, given that the two countries are top trading partners and powerhouses of the EU economy. A pressing concern in Italy is the future of struggling national carrier Alitalia, amid rumored interest by Air France in some form of partnership.

Italian opposition leaders seized on a report Friday in business daily Il Sole 24 Ore that the French carrier had cooled on a deal as a result of the standoff. Di Maio, who is also Italy's economic development minister, pushed back.

"I've been following the Alitalia dossier for months. Air France's enthusiasm hasn't cooled now," he said. The Italian business lobby Confindustria and its French counterpart Medef wrote to their respective leaders calling for "constructive dialogue" to resolve the dispute, which they warned could threaten Europe's global standing.

"It's necessary that the two historic protagonists of the process of integration don't split, but reconfirm their elements of unity," the presidents of the two groups wrote Macron and Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte. "Europe is an economic giant and we have to work to make it become a political giant as well."

The two business leaders — Vincenzo Boccia of Confindustria and Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux of Medef — confirmed plans for a joint meeting later this month in Paris. French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told the AP that the ambassador recall "is an unprecedented gesture toward a European state that is aimed at making clear that there are things that are not done between neighboring countries, friends and partners within the European Union."

Winfield reported from Rome.

Political ambitions reveal cracks in yellow vest movement

February 08, 2019

PARIS (AP) — Having brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets over the past three months in protest at French President Emmanuel Macron's politics, yellow vest activists now want to build on their street cred to achieve electoral success.

But the movement, named after the fluorescent garments French motorists must carry, is divided: it has no appointed leader, gathers people from across the political spectrum and has an array of demands.

With the next elections to the European Parliament set for the end of May, no fewer than four groups from the grassroots movement could submit lists of candidates for the ballot. Some media-savvy yellow vest figures also are tempted to run under the mantle of traditional political parties trying to take advantage of their popularity.

No wonder unity seems impossible to achieve within a movement featuring multiple political currents and fighting for a multitude of demands, ranging from the reintroduction of France's wealth tax on the country's richest people to the implementation of popular votes allowing citizens to propose new laws.

In any case, the prospect of yellow vest lists has triggered criticism from inside their own ranks, revealing cracks in the burgeoning movement. Despite recent opinion polls suggesting that a yellow vest list could garner as much as 13 percent of the votes at the May 26 election, and inflict serious damage to both far-right and far-left parties, many protesters have warned against the idea of entering the political fray.

"A yellow vest list is a serious mistake," Francois Boulo, a popular figure of the movement in western France, told The Associated Press this week. "The European Parliament has no power to improve people's life while yellow vests want to get immediate and concrete improvements. Besides, yellow vest lists will weaken opposition parties in the election and automatically reinforce the ruling party."

Among the groups of yellow vests planning to field candidates, the Citizens' Initiative Rally is expected to be led by a 31-year-old care worker, Ingrid Levavasseur. "To me it's obvious, we need to seize the electoral sphere," Levavasseur said. "It's just the first step. Next will be the local elections. It's time for us to build something. Some yellow vests are really angry, but many others have said they want to join the list."

According to Frederic Mestdjian, who works closely with Levavasseur, about 100 people have already expressed the desire to join their list. "We are open to dialogue and want to achieve unity," he told the AP. "People start to realize that traditional parties don't answer their expectations. Having a list has become an absolute necessity."

However, another figure of the movement has criticized Levavasseur's choice to run for candidate. Benjamin Cauchy is accusing her of lacking a clear political vision and is worried the characteristics of the cross-party movement could be lost if yellow vest lists are entered.

Cauchy, who has sympathies for the right wing, said he has been offered places on lists set up by traditional parties, including The Republicans and the far-right National Rally movement. Levavasseur said her list is apolitical, although some of her supporters have met with Italy's deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio this week. Seeking foreign allies ahead of the elections, the Five Star leader boasted on Twitter after the meeting that "the wind of change has crossed the Alps." Di Maio said last month his populist movement was ready to help yellow vest protesters. The French government has condemned what it sees as foreign interference in domestic politics, and on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Italy.

The others expected to front lists, if they manage to gather enough candidates, are singer Francis Lalanne; Patrick Cribouw, a former commercial director; and Thierry Paul Valette, who founded a movement called National Equality that focuses on combating corruption and holding lawmakers to account.

Like Levavasseur, Valette has found himself on the receiving end of sharp criticism since he announced his bid. Last week, he was beaten up by yellow vest protesters who tried to make him leave a demonstration.

"They kicked me in the back but it's not my style to cave in to intimidation," he said during a phone interview. "Being a yellow vest does not mean rejecting institutions. Some people disagree with my list. I want to speak with them and make them understand the movement should evolve. One can't fight for more democracy and reject politics at the same time. The adventure has only just begun, it's not finished."

France recalls ambassador to Italy after yellow vest meeting

February 07, 2019

PARIS (AP) — France recalled its ambassador to Italy on Thursday amid rising tensions after Italy's deputy prime minister met with French anti-government protesters and Italian leaders made critical public comments about French President Emmanuel Macron's government.

French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said the ambassador was being brought back for "consultations" and urged Italy in a statement to work to restore friendly relations worthy of "our common destiny."

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio met with supporters of France's yellow vest protest movement running as candidates for the European Parliament. Di Maio has said the populist 5-Star Movement he leads was ready to help the French protesters and has accused France of fueling Europe's immigration difficulties.

That came after Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini called Macron "a terrible president" in January. He said he hoped French voters would send Macron a message during the European elections by showing their support for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, with whom Salvini is allied in European politics.

Von der Muhll called the incidents an "unacceptable" interference in French democracy, and said they were unprecedented since the two neighbors joined together after World War II to help create the European Union.

"The campaign for the European elections cannot justify the lack of respect for each people or for their democracy," she said. "For several months, France has been the subject of repeated accusations, unfounded attacks and outrageous declarations," she added. "To have disagreements is one thing, to exploit the relationship for electoral purposes is another."

Italy's foreign minister, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, sought to tamp down the dispute, stressing the "profound friendship" between the two allies. But he acknowledged that differences were coming to the fore ahead of May's European Parliament elections.

"The defense of each one's interests and points of view, as well as the political debate ahead of the upcoming European Parliament elections, cannot influence on the solid relations that have united us for decades," Milanesi said in a statement.

In response to France's move, Salvini said he was open to meeting with Macron and the French government, but insisted that France must stop sending back migrants at the border and stop penalizing Italian workers in France.

"We don't want to fight with anyone. We are not interested in polemics. We are concrete people and we defend the interests of Italians," he said. Di Maio had already sparked annoyance in January when he accused France of leading colonial-style policies in Africa, prompting the French Foreign Ministry to summon the Italian ambassador. And the Italian government last fall accused France of dumping underage migrants over the border without authorization.

After meeting with members of the Citizens' Initiative Rally group of yellow vests on Tuesday, Di Maio boasted on Twitter that "the wind of change has crossed the Alps."

Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

EU chief calls for elections in Venezuela amid aid crisis

February 07, 2019

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — A top European Union official on Thursday called for a peaceful solution to Venezuela's crisis through free and transparent presidential elections as desperate residents gathered at the Colombian-Venezuela border demanding embattled President Nicolas Maduro allow in emergency food and medicine.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said an international coalition does not plan to impose a solution but is focused on finding answers to avoid violence or foreign intervention within Venezuela.

"We can have different points of view and readings about the causes of the crisis," Mogherini said. "But we share the same objective, wishing to contribute to a politically peaceful and democratic solution."

The "International Contact Group" met in Uruguay's capital to discuss Venezuela's crisis for the first time since opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of the South American nation.

Guaido, who has backing from some 40 countries including the United States, is seeking to oust Maduro following a 2018 election that many countries say was a sham. Maduro has support from several countries, including Russia and China.

Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez is leading the meeting attended by leaders of 14 countries, including Spain, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. But as the gathering got underway, tensions were playing out farther north in the Colombian border town of Cucuta. Humanitarian assistance from the U.S. is in Colombia and is en route to the town over objections from Maduro, who blames the White House for leading a coup against him.

The Venezuelan military has barricaded the bridge at the border crossing between the two countries in a bid to block the aid from passing. About a dozen human rights activists on Thursday stood at the metal gate at the entrance to the bridge on Colombia's side. They held flags while Colombian police trucks carrying armed officers and other authorities drove by throughout the day.

Venezuelan Luis Escobar said his wife had advanced breast cancer and urged Maduro to accept the aid. In tears, he described how his wife was unable to get treatment in Venezuela and that by the time they were able to see a doctor in Colombia, her illness had significantly progressed.

Escobar says that he doesn't want other Venezuelans to suffer his wife's dire fate. "I am here because, unfortunately, my wife is going to die," Escobar said. "But today I am here for Venezuelans who are suffering the same as my wife. The world has to know about this."

Associated Press writer Christine Armario contributed from Cucuta, Colombia.

UK, EU leaders don't budge on Brexit but agree to more talks

February 07, 2019

BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain and the European Union refused to budge an inch Thursday toward any compromise over Brexit, but at least they are on speaking terms again about their impending divorce. They agreed to further negotiations in the next few weeks, although that means any deal will come perilously close to the scheduled deadline of March 29. That risks a chaotic departure for Britain that could be costly to both sides — both to businesses and ordinary people.

"A no-deal is for us not an option. It is a disaster on both sides of the Channel," said Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's chief Brexit official. Looking at the ever-tighter deadline, British Prime Minister Theresa May said after talks at EU headquarters in Brussels, "it's not going to be easy."

But she vowed: "I am going to deliver Brexit. I am going to deliver it on time." May was able to clear the air after EU Council President Donald Tusk exacerbated the frosty climate Wednesday by wondering aloud what "special place in hell" might be reserved for those who backed Brexit with no idea of how to deliver it.

May said she had "raised with President Tusk the language that he used," saying his words "caused widespread dismay" in Britain. Tusk's comments were condemned by British Brexiteers but at least served to focus minds on how wide a gulf remains between the U.K. and the EU. It was little surprise that talks at EU Commission headquarters were described as "robust."

At the end, May and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed on a renewed effort to hold more negotiations on seeking a breakthrough. The two leaders agreed to assess progress "before the end of February to take stock of these discussions," a joint statement said. Two years ago, May set Brexit day as March 29 — and original plans were to have a deal in place six months ahead of time.

As the time shrinks between a deal and the cutoff date, the more difficult it becomes for businesses and authorities to adapt quickly to the fundamental changes that a withdrawal from the bloc would entail.

Both sides still disagree on whether the divorce agreement struck between May's government and the EU — and then summarily rejected by Britain's Parliament — can be changed to ease British objections.

"The EU27 will not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement, which represents a carefully balanced compromise between the European Union and the U.K., in which both sides have made significant concessions," the joint statement said.

U.K. officials said May's primary concern was not to be "trapped" in a system that could see Britain linked to the EU in a customs union for an indefinite time and not be able to set its own trade agenda.

Britain's Parliament voted down May's Brexit deal last month, largely because of concerns about a provision for the border between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. The mechanism, known as the backstop, is a safeguard that would keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU to remove the need for checks along the Irish border until a permanent new trading relationship is in place.

Thursday's statement said that May "raised various options for dealing with these concerns in the context of the withdrawal agreement." Many pro-Brexit lawmakers in Britain say they won't vote for the withdrawal agreement unless the backstop is removed from the 585-page, which the EU leaders oppose vehemently.

Juncker and the other leaders have agreed to look for a compromise in a political text accompanying the withdrawal agreement, but not in the document itself. "What we would look at as positive from today is that there are going to be talks," a senior Downing Street official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the UK-EU negotiations. "Obviously we've got work to do."

In London, there was significant momentum from the opposition, with the Labor Party making perhaps its biggest move in months. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn dangled a possible way out of the impasse, saying his left-wing party could support a Brexit deal if May committed to seeking a close relationship with the EU after Britain leaves. That would include a commitment to maintain roughly equivalent standards in areas such as the environment and workers' rights.

Corbyn's key demand, set out in a letter to May, is permanent British membership in a customs union with the EU. May has repeatedly ruled that out, but it would solve the problem of the backstop by making customs checks on the Irish border unnecessary.

It is the firmest sign yet that Labour lawmakers might be willing to vote for a Brexit deal in Parliament. But the party — like May's Conservatives — is divided. Corbyn's position disappointed some Labor Party legislators who had hoped he would back calls for a second referendum on whether to leave the EU.

Britain's Parliament is set to hold a debate and votes Feb. 14 on the next steps, giving lawmakers a chance to force May to change course toward a softer Brexit — if divided lawmakers can agree on a plan.

Corbyn said Thursday that Labor would "do everything we can in Parliament to prevent this cliff-edge exit." "Half of our trade is with Europe. A lot of our manufacturing industries are very frightened, very worried," he said.

Lawless reported from London.

South Africa leader in national speech looks toward election

February 07, 2019

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation address said Thursday the country had begun to recover from "a period of uncertainty and a loss of confidence and trust" under his scandal-ridden successor.

His speech to parliament comes three months before national elections that are seen by many as a referendum on his ruling African National Congress party. Ramaphosa, who came to power a year ago after former President Jacob Zuma was ousted by the ANC, has promised to revive South Africa's flagging economy and tackle deep-seated corruption.

He said that in 2019 his government would focus on five key tasks: speeding up inclusive growth, improving the education system, improving the lives of poor South Africans, stepping up the fight against corruption and strengthening the state.

This year, the 25th year since the end of white minority rule, South Africa should reflect on "whether we have built a society in which all South Africans, equally and without exception, enjoy their inalienable rights to life, liberty and dignity," he told lawmakers.

After he took office, South Africans experienced a rare wave of optimism, sometimes referred to as "Ramaphoria," following an era of bruising national politics but many have once again grown weary of the nation's rampant unemployment, crime and corruption.

The party has faced pressure over land reform as one way to right deep inequities that still exist a quarter-century after the end of apartheid. Ramaphosa in his speech said his government supported the constitutional review process now underway to "unambiguously set out provisions for expropriation of land without compensation" in order to quicken the pace of reform.

He said the state has already identified state-owned land that will be released to create housing in urban and semi-urban areas. The disillusionment among many South Africans with the ANC may be a crucial factor in the elections in May.

"We need to recognize that things are getting progressively worse for us, and we have to acknowledge that the reason they're getting worse is the ANC," Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party, said in his "alternate" State of the Nation address.

The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters, a small but influential opposition party that has disrupted the speech in past years, threatened to interrupt the address again unless Ramaphosa addressed a political donation he received from a company embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Japan's Abe vows to resolve territorial dispute with Russia

February 07, 2019

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Thursday to take a "step-by-step" approach in resolving a territorial dispute with Russia left over from World War II. Abe told a rally of former residents of four islands seized by Russia in the war's final days and their supporters Thursday that settling the conflict over what Japan calls its "northern territories" was difficult but necessary.

"It is not easy to resolve this task remaining over 73 years since the war. Yet, we need to tackle this," Abe said. "Keeping in mind your sentiments toward the Northern Territory, we are determined to take a step-by-step approach toward resolving the territorial issue," he said.

Regaining the islands north of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido has been a priority for Abe and his conservative base. For seven decades, the dispute has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty.

In November, Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to accelerate negotiations based on a 1956 Soviet proposal to return two of the islands to Japan. That suggestion angered Russian nationalists, and last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Japan it must recognize the islands as part of Russia as a starting point for talks.

Abe said the negotiations would continue based on the guidelines agreed to with Putin in order to sign a peace treaty "while people of Japan and Russia strengthen their mutual trust and friendship." While Abe is keen to make progress on the dispute with Russia and find opportunities to cooperate in developing oil and gas and other natural resources, China is the overriding concern, said James Brown, associated professor at Temple University's Japan Campus.

"There is also the concern that the United States, especially under the 'America First' policy of (President Donald) Trump, is somewhat of a less reliable ally than it was in the past," Brown said. To avoid facing isolation among "hostile" powers such as China, North Korea and Russia, "it seems that Abe has calculated that of those countries, it would make sense to try and normalize relations with Russia and thereby to draw it away from China," he said.

Thai princess' political bid sunk by her brother, the king

February 08, 2019

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's chaotic politics took two astonishing turns Friday when the sister of the king made a historic bid to become prime minister, only to have him shut down her effort as "inappropriate" because it violated tradition and the constitution, which keep the monarchy from getting involved in politics.

The royal order from King Maha Vajiralongkorn was read on national television late Friday night, effectively scuttling the move by his older sister, Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, to become a candidate for the prime minister's office after parliamentary elections scheduled for March 24.

It was the latest event to roil Thailand, which has been buffeted by coups, political comebacks and street violence for more than a decade. Ubolratana's registration as a candidate was a stunning move, not only because it would have broken a taboo on a senior royal running for public office, but also because it would have allied her with the Thai Raksa Chart Party, considered by many royalists to be unsympathetic to the monarchy.

It is one of several parties linked to the political machine of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications billionaire who roared to power in 2001 with populist policies that made him practically unbeatable. The army eventually ousted him from the prime minister's office in a 2006 coup.

The turnaround in Ubolratana's fortunes was also seen as startling because the siblings are thought to be close and it was considered unthinkable that Ubolratana would make her move without her brother's permission. What actually had happened behind the scenes is unlikely to become public, because the Thai royal family's private affairs are almost never leaked.

Vajiralongkorn tried to soften the blow by acknowledging that his 67-year-old sister has already relinquished her formal royal titles, and he praised her for conducting charity work and otherwise earning the love of her family and the Thai people.

But his order stressed that Thailand's constitution insists that the king and those around him stay above politics, and the principles of democratic government also put politics off-limits. "Even though she relinquished her title according to royal laws ... she still retains her status and position as a member of the Chakri dynasty," the king's order said.

"Bringing high-ranking royal family members to be involved in the political system, in any way, is an act that is against the ancient royal protocol and national custom and culture, and is seen as a highly inappropriate act," the statement added.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the preferred candidate of the military, is considered to be indelibly loyal to the monarchy. He led the 2014 military coup that ousted Thailand's last elected government, which had been backed by Thaksin.

Prayuth had been considered the front-runner for the March election because changes in the constitution and election rules implemented by his government make it difficult for political parties without military backing to capture the prime minister's post.

Thailand also has a draconian lese majeste law which punishes defamation of the immediate royal family with up to 15 years in prison. While it does not technically apply to Ubolratana, who lost her highest royal titles when she married an American more than four decades ago, its scope has been widened in recent years to almost anything that sullies the royal institution, making criticism of the princess highly problematical.

Before the king's statement, Ubolratana had issued a statement on Instagram saying she has "no special privileges above the Thai people under the constitution." "This act of mine, I have done out of sincerity and intention to sacrifice in this request to lead the country to prosperity," she said.

Parliament has had members who were distant relatives of the monarch. Ubolratana falls into a gray area, since she is commonly called a princess and treated as such, despite losing the royal designations after her marriage.

Hours after she was registered as a candidate, a political party supporting Prayuth filed an objection with the Election Commission, arguing that the action broke rules banning the use of the royal institution as part of a political campaign. Several other complaints followed, mostly from conservative royalists, exposing a possible vulnerability in her plans.

Ubolratana is the first-born of four children of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, with the current king the second-born. She was virtually disowned by her father in 1972 when she married American Peter Jensen, who was a fellow student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They settled in the United States where they had three children. They later divorced and she moved back permanently to Thailand in 2001.

Since then she has thrown herself into charity work, especially her "To Be No. 1" foundation to fight youth drug abuse. She also frequently promotes Thai tourism and movies at international forums. In general, like most of the royal family, she publicly kept herself aloof from Thailand's recent political turmoil.

For most of Bhumibol's reign from 1946 to his death in 2016, the revered and humble monarch was a stabilizing force in Thai politics. But the election of Thaksin in 2001 was transformative for Thailand.

His populist policies delivered unmatchable electoral majorities, but he was resented by the traditional ruling class, including royalists and the military. Violent street protests and two military coups have marked the years since. Thaksin went in exile in 2008 to avoid serving jail time on a corruption conviction he insists was politically motivated.

His well-funded political machine returned his allies to power twice, and his maneuvering was seen as the key element in arranging for Ubolratana's selection by a Thaksin-affiliated party. Most political observers agree that Thaksin aggressively pursued good relations with the current king and friendship with the princess herself. These links were formed as royalists and others loyal to Bhumibol accused Thaksin of showing disrespect for the throne, and even of harboring secret republican tendencies.

When Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne, conventional wisdom saw him as tightening his grip on power by allying himself closely with the military. The surprise move by his sister into politics — assumed to be with the king's approval — raised questions about whether the long-lasting partnership of the palace with the army is in jeopardy.

Associated Press writer Kaweewit Kaewjinda contributed.

Historic candidacy of princess upends tradition in Thailand

February 08, 2019

BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai political party on Friday named a princess as its nominee to be the next prime minister, upending tradition of the palace eschewing politics and upsetting all predictions about what might happen in next month's elections.

The selection of Princess Ubolratana Mahidol by the Thai Raksa Chart Party marks a shock realignment of Thai politics by tying the king's eldest sister to the political machine of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which hardcore royalists have long dismissed as opposed in spirit to the monarchy.

And it pits her against the preferred candidate of the military, which is considered one of Thailand's most royalist institutions. Current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 coup that ousted Thailand's last elected government, on Friday accepted his selection as candidate to lead the next government by Palang Pracharat Party, widely seen as a proxy for the military.

Prayuth had been considered the front-runner for the March 24 polls because changes in constitutional law and election rules were implemented by his government in a manner making it difficult for political parties without military backing to capture the premier's post.

But Ubolratana's de facto alliance with the forces of the exiled Thaksin — whose comeback the military has made every effort to block — puts Prayuth's supporters in an extremely awkward position. Because she will be seen as a representative of the monarchy — the nation's most revered and respected institution — it will be difficult to block her political rise.

"This is a game changer," said Allen Hicken, a political scientist at the University of Michigan specializing in Southeast Asian studies. "In the event Thaksin-aligned parties win the election, it makes it very difficult for the military and royalists to contest, protest, or seek to overturn the result."

Ubolratana was not present when her name was registered with the Election Commission by the Thai Raksa Chart Party. Its leader, Preechapol Pongpanit, said its executive committee "agrees that Princess Ubolratana, who is intelligent and capable, is the most appropriate name." She made no known public appearances Friday.

"From my point of view, I think she understands Thai politics. She understands democracy," he told reporters. Because Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, the king and his immediate circle are not supposed to involve themselves directly in politics. Parliament has had members who were distant relatives of the monarch. Ubolratana falls into a gray area, as she is commonly called and treated as a princess, but her highest royal titles were taken away when she married an American more than four decades ago. Just hours after she was registered, another political party supporting Prayuth filed an objection with the Election Commission, arguing that the action broke rules banning the use of the royal institution as part of a political campaign.

Ubolratana, 67, is the first-born of four children of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, with the current king the second-born. She was virtually disowned by her father in 1972 when she married an American who was a fellow student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They settled in the United States where she and her husband, Peter Jensen, had three children. Only after a divorce did she move back permanently to Thailand in 2001.

Since then she has thrown herself into charity work, especially her "To Be No. 1" foundation to fight youth drug abuse. She also frequently promotes Thai tourism and movies at international forums. In general, like most of the royal family, she publicly kept herself aloof from Thailand's recent political turmoil.

For most of Bhumibol's reign from 1946 to his death in 2016, the revered and humble monarch was a stabilizing force in Thai politics. But the election of the telecommunications tycoon Thaksin in 2001 was transformative for Thailand.

His populist policies delivered unmatchable electoral majorities, but he was resented by the traditional ruling class, including royalists and the military. Violent street protests and two military coups have marked the years since. Thaksin went in exile in 2008 to avoid serving jail time on a corruption conviction he insists was politically motivated.

His well-funded political machine returned his allies to power twice, and his maneuvering is seen as the key element in arranging for Ubolratana's selection by a Thaksin-affiliated party. Most observers of Thai politics agree that Thaksin aggressively pursued good relations with Ubolratana's brother, current King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and friendship with the princess herself. These links were formed as royalists and others loyal to Bhumibol accused Thaksin of showing disrespect for the throne, and even of harboring secret republican tendencies.

Thai Raksa Chart Party chief Preechapol brushed aside questions about Thaksin. "I don't think that Khun (Mr.) Thaksin will be involved about this," he said. "I don't think it's appropriate to talk about a third person."

When King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne, conventional wisdom saw him as tightening his grip on power by allying himself closely with the military. The surprise entry of his sister Ubolratana into politics — assumed to be with the king's approval — raises questions about whether the long-lasting partnership of the palace with the army is in jeopardy.

"Assuming that this is proceeding with the blessing of the King, this suggests that the Crown is trying to chart its own course through Thailand's turbulent political waters, placing some distance between itself and the military," Hicken said.

He acknowledged, however, that it is too soon to tell what end result the king has in mind.

Associated Press writer Kaweewit Kaewjinda contributed to this report.