Kosovo police arrest opposition leader for Parliament unrest

November 28, 2015

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Police entered the headquarters of Kosovo's main opposition party Saturday and arrested dozens of people, including one of its leaders who was wanted for the violent actions he has used to disrupt the country's Parliament.

Police said Albin Kurti and 86 others were arrested at the Self-Determination Movement Party's headquarters after tens of thousands of opposition supporters held a peaceful protest against the government's deals with Serbia and Montenegro.

During the past three months, opposition lawmakers in Kosovo have disrupted Parliament work with tear gas, pepper spray, whistles and water bottles, demanding that the government renounce a deal with Serbia giving more powers to ethnic-Serb communities in Kosovo and another with Montenegro on border demarcation. Another opposition lawmaker had already been arrested for the disruptions and two others are still sought by police.

Organizers said Saturday's rally, on neighboring Albania's national Independence Day, also celebrated by Kosovo Albanian brethren, attracted some 35,000 participants at the Zahir Pajaziti Square in downtown Pristina.

"The government turned the festivities into a day of violence," the three opposition parties said in a joint statement. Despite a police arrest warrant for him, Kurti spoke at the rally and was later accompanied by supporters to the party headquarters which were immediately surrounded by police.

Some opposition supporters tried to push police away from the road, but they were forced back by police who used pepper spray against them. Then police forces were seen entering the building and bringing out several opposition supporters.

Police said that two policemen and two opposition supporters were injured during the scuffling when they entered the party headquarters and were confronted by people who were hitting them with hard objects, chairs and other items.

The opposition said around 100 people were under arrest and a "considerable number" were injured. The opposition has said it will continue to disrupt Parliament work until the deals are renounced, while the government has accused the opposition of trying to come to power by force.

The opposition called on citizens to join them, adding that "Our actions cannot be stopped by any police state." The next Parliament session is set for Monday.

This story has been corrected to show the accurate spelling of Kurti's first name is Albin, not Abin.

Gresa Kraja in Pristina, Kosovo and Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania contributed to this report.

Greek minister: EU provided inadequate help for refugees

December 04, 2015

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union has provided far less than is needed to help Greece deal with the massive influx of refugees and other migrants this year, the country's European affairs minister said Friday.

Nikos Xydakis gave the example of staff from the European border agency Frontex, saying that Greece needed 750 but initially received only 350, increasing by a further 100 or so in recent days. "Since May Greece has persistently been asking for technical, technological and staffing help, and what it has received from Europe is far less than what was asked for," Xydakis told The Associated Press in an interview.

Greece is the main point of entry into the EU for people fleeing war and poverty at home, with the vast majority of the 700,000 people who have entered the country this year reaching Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast. Few want to remain in the financially stricken nation, with nearly all heading on an overland route through the Balkans to the more prosperous European north.

The government says it has also received fewer fingerprinting machines than it needs to identify and register people, and not enough help to patrol the Aegean. "There is an inability of the member states and the European mechanisms to respond to the needs of this storm," Xydakis said.

He insisted Greece is meeting its obligations and adhering to all agreements made on the issue, saying small delays were "completely explainable" by the sheer volume of arrivals. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Athens on Friday for talks on issues including the migrant crisis, and said the U.S. was giving $24 million to the U.N. refugee agency.

Greece's response to the refugee crisis has come under criticism from some parts of the EU. Suggestions have surfaced in recent media reports that Greece could be suspended from the EU's borderless Schengen area unless it improves its border policing.

A suspension, which would mean travelers from Greece would pass through passport control on arrival in other Schengen countries, would have little practical effect on the migrant flow as Greece does not share any borders with other Schengen nations. But it would be a humiliating blow.

In Berlin, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert was asked about reports that some EU countries want Greece out of Schengen, but didn't answer when asked whether Germany was among them. "The chancellor and other members of the German government have repeatedly noted how important freedom of movement under Schengen is to us, and that the possibility of preserving this, which we want, depends very directly on how we as Europeans are able to protect and effectively control our exterior borders," Seibert said.

On Thursday, Greece appealed to the EU to activate a civil protection mechanism that will provide material help and an emergency border intervention team, and reached an agreement with Frontex for the agency to assist in registrations at the country's northern border with Macedonia.

EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Friday that "we hope to have concrete, tangible progress on the ground" in Greece before an EU summit on Dec. 17, where migration will be on the agenda.

The refugee crisis has been compounded in Greece by a decision by several Balkan nations to stop allowing people from countries not at war to enter their territories. Macedonia, which was the favored route from Greece northwards, has followed suit, building a fence on the border and preventing anyone not from Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq from crossing.

At least 3,000 people from other countries remain stuck on the Greek side. Earlier Friday, some of them threw stones at Greek riot police, who have been struggling to maintain order for the past two days.

Xydakis said the challenge that faces the EU is whether it can "adhere to its founding conventions, that you .... don't beat (people) at the borders as Hungary did two months ago, and that the era of the Iron Curtain has ended in Europe."

Lorne Cook in Brussels and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

German Cabinet OKs military mission against IS in Syria

December 01, 2015

BERLIN (AP) — The German Cabinet has approved plans to commit up to 1,200 soldiers to support the international coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The mandate, which requires parliamentary approval, was endorsed by ministers Tuesday, news agency dpa reported. It isn't yet clear when lawmakers will consider it, but Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition has a large majority and approval looks assured.

Following the Paris attacks, Merkel agreed to honor a request from France to provide support for its operations against IS in Syria. Germany plans to send reconnaissance aircraft, tanker planes and a warship to the region in support roles, but won't actively engage in combat.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the daily Bild that he doesn't expect Germany to have 1,200 soldiers participating at any one time.

French far right collapses in regional runoff elections

December 14, 2015

PARIS (AP) — Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front collapsed in French regional elections Sunday, failing to take a single region after dominating the first round of voting, pollsters projected. The conservatives surged against the governing Socialists, changing the political map of France.

The failure of the National Front to gain any of the six regions where it was leading didn't stop the anti-immigration party from looking to the 2017 presidential election — Le Pen's ultimate goal. Le Pen had been riding high after extremist attacks and an unprecedented wave of migration into Europe, and the party came out on top in the voting in France's 13 newly drawn regions in the first round a week ago. But projections by France's major polling firms suggested the party lost in all of the regions Sunday, including decisive losses for both Le Pen and her popular niece.

"Here we stopped the progression of the National Front," said conservative Xavier Bertrand, who was projected to beat Le Pen in the Nord-Pas de Calais region. Le Pen supporters in a hall in the gritty northern town of Henin-Beaumont booed his image on a big screen as he spoke. The atmosphere was grim, in stark contrast to a week earlier when Le Pen won more than 40 percent of the vote — and was more than 15 points ahead of Bertrand.

The tables turned on Sunday as Bertrand beat Le Pen by nearly 15 points. Le Pen struck an upbeat tone despite the rout, pledging to keep fighting to expand support for her party. She said she would in the coming weeks "rally all the French, of all origins, who want to join us."

"Nothing will stop us," she told cheering supporters. Le Pen won 42.8 percent compared with Bertrand's 57 percent, according to the Interior Ministry. Le Pen's niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, took 46 percent in the southern Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, compared with 53.7 percent for conservative Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi.

The conservatives were boosted to victory in the two Le Pen races with help from the Socialists who withdrew their candidates, asking voters to give their ballots to the mainstream rival. Turnout rose sharply from the first round, suggesting that many voters wanted to prevent the once-pariah National Front from gaining power.

In all, the conservative Republicans took seven regions, and the Socialists won five, Interior Ministry results showed. Among prizes falling to the conservatives was the Paris region, long a Socialist bastion.

A nationalist not affiliated with a major party won Corsica. Le Pen denounced the "campaign of calumny decided in the palaces of the (French) Republic," a reference to fear tactics by rivals, including Prime Minister Manuel Valls who said the National Front could lead the nation into "civil war."

Turnout was 7 percent higher than for the previous regional elections in 2010, with 50.4 percent of those eligible to vote casting ballots by 5 p.m. (1600 GMT), three hours before polls closed in big cities, according to the Interior Ministry. The figures weren't updated. The second-round turnout at the same time five years ago was 43. 4 percent.

In the past, the National Front has performed well in first-round votes but failed to carry through in the final round. That reflects a fear of allowing a party associated with extremism to take power.

Despite its loss, the National Front sent a message to the French. Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that the far right remains a "danger" despite the defeat, and urged his country to rally together against extremism.

"France in moments of truth has always taken refuge in its real values," Valls said. The National Front has racked up political victories in local elections in recent years, but winning control of any region would have been an unprecedented boost for the party ahead of presidential elections in 18 months.

Still, politicians on the left and right said mainstream parties must reassess their priorities. "We can no longer continue like this. We must act," Socialist Party leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis told leftist ranks.

Indeed, the day kicked off the unofficial election season as politicians from all parties cast Sunday's results in terms of their presidential ambitions.

Chris den Hond in Henin-Beaumont contributed to this report.

French far right faces test in regional election runoff

December 13, 2015

PARIS (AP) — Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration National Front was the frontrunner heading into the decisive second round of French regional elections Sunday, and now it's up to voters whether to hand the once-pariah party an unprecedented political victory.

Le Pen is riding high after extremist attacks and Europe's migrant crisis, and the party came out on top in six of France's 13 newly drawn regions in the first round a week ago. But polls suggest it may fail to translate that into wins in the second round.

The once-powerful Socialist Party, which currently controls all but one of France's regions, came in a poor third place in the first round and pulled out of key races in hopes of keeping the National Front from gaining power. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's party came in a strong second, and looks set to make substantial gains in Sunday's runoff.

Winning control of any region would be unprecedented and a big boost for the National Front — and especially for Le Pen's hopes for the presidency in 2017. Le Pen and her niece enjoyed a strong lead in races they are running in northern France and the region that includes Provence and the French Riviera.

But Le Pen faces a tough second-round race against conservative former Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand in the northern region of Nord-Pas de Calais-Picardie, and her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen faces a similar challenge in the southern region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur against conservative Nice Mayor Claude Estrosi.

The electoral campaign has been especially bitter. Le Pen called Bertrand "the minister of unemployment." He said she is "the candidate of permanent confrontation." The nearly 50 percent of people who failed to cast ballots in the Dec. 6 first round could hold the key to the outcome of the final round. All parties have been trying to lure them in.

The Socialist prime minister, Manuel Valls, has used scare tactics. He denounced the National Front, in an interview with France Inter radio, as a "scam" that "fools the French." The outcome in the Paris region, now controlled by the left, remains unclear. Valerie Pecresse, a minister under former conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy is in a tight race against Socialist speaker of the house Claude Bartolone.

Le Pen promises no witch hunts in regions her far-right wins

December 10, 2015

PARIS (AP) — The head of France's far-right National Front made a final push for votes on Thursday, three days ahead of crucial elections, promising pragmatism over ideology in any regions won by her anti-immigration party and assuring there would be no witch hunts.

At a final rally, Le Pen underscored the national character of the regional vote, telling cheering supporters that a new France is within their grasp — and inside the ballot box. The lead candidates in all 13 French regions contesting the presidency of leadership councils shared the stage with Le Pen.

The anti-immigration National Front led in six regions in the Dec. 6 first round, and Le Pen herself led by a wide margin in the north where she is running. But a poll by TNS-Sofres-One Point published Wednesday suggested that both Le Pen and her niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, who is running in the south, would lose in the final round. Such an outcome would be a major setback for the National Front — and for Marine Le Pen's planned bid for the presidency in 2017.

The two Le Pens scored so well in round one that the governing Socialists, straggling in third place, ordered their candidates to withdraw so their voters could cast ballots for the rival conservative mainstream to block the far right.

Le Pen softened her usually trenchant stance in a reach-out to left and right, saying her party represents a new way where "patriots" respect the interests of the regions and clans and "political fraud" have no place.

"There will be no political witch hunts in the regions. They key word won't be ideology but pragmatism," she said in a clear bid to lure voters fearful of an agenda by a party accused by the mainstream of dividing the French.

But she also said that National Front regions would "open each file" when deciding on subsidies for associations and other interests and "stop, reform or continue." She and her niece have said in the past that they would refuse funding to interests representing a single community, a reference to Muslim groups. Both regions have large Muslim populations.

Earlier Thursday, Le Pen vowed, if elected to head the north, to bring suit against the French state over the situation in Calais, where thousands of migrants are camped in hopes of reaching Britain. She claimed on BFM television that the port city had deteriorated to the point where the mayor was issuing passes to residents to get home — a claim the mayor quickly denied.

The poll of voter intentions suggested Marine Le Pen would get 47 percent and her conservative adversary Xavier Bertrand, a former labor minister, 53 percent. Marechal-Le Pen, running in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, would take 46 percent of the vote, according to the poll, while her conservative rival Christian Estrosi would get 54 percent. The online poll took place two days after last Sunday's first round.

French regional vote: National Front dominates first round

December 06, 2015

PARIS (AP) — France's far right National Front won more support than any other party in the first round of regional elections Sunday, according to polling agency projections, in a new boost for Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration strategy and a new blow to President Francois Hollande's Socialists.

The projections put National Front candidates on top so far in six of France's 13 newly drawn regions. But Sunday's voting was only a first round, and some mainstream voters may steer away from far right candidates in the decisive Dec. 13 runoff.

The elections took place in an unusually tense security climate just over three weeks after deadly attacks on Paris — a climate expected to favor conservative and far right candidates. It is the last election before France votes for president in 2017, and a gauge of the country's political direction.

Voters are choosing leadership councils for the regions, and had the choice of several parties in the first round. Polling agencies Ifop, OpinionWay and Ipsos projected that the National Front won between 27 and 30 percent support nationwide.

The polling projections estimated the percentage of votes for different parties, not the number of seats they are expected to win on France's regional councils. The number of seats will be determined in next Sunday's runoff, which pits the leading parties in each region against each other.

Sarkozy's conservative Republicans party and its allies were projected to come in second place in the national vote at around 27 percent. The Socialists, who currently run nearly all of the country's regions, were projected to come in a weak third place, with between 22 and 24 percent, followed by a smattering of mainly leftist groupings.

The big question for the runoff is whether supporters of Republican, Socialist, and smaller candidates will rally together to keep the National Front from winning control of any of the regions. The party, long considered a pariah, has never had such significant political power.

The National Front is hoping the regional elections will consolidate political gains Le Pen has made in recent years, and strengthen its legitimacy as she prepares to seek the presidency in 2017. The National Front "is the only (party) that defends an authentic French republic, a republic with only one vocation: the national interest, the development of French employment, the conservation of our way of life, the development of our tradition and the defense of all the French," Le Pen said Sunday night in Lille.

The Islamic State-inspired Paris attacks on Nov. 13 that killed 130 people and a Europe-wide migrant crisis this year have shaken up France's political landscape. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants in Europe and the exploits of IS have bolstered the discourse of the National Front, which denounces Europe's open borders, what it calls the "migratory submersion" and what it claims is the corrupting influence of Islam on French civilization.

Le Pen is campaigning to run the northern Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, which includes the port city of Calais, a flashpoint in Europe's migrant drama. Her young niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, is running to lead the southern Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region.

Projections showed the National Front lists with around 40 percent first-round support in both regions, a good 15 percent ahead of second-place Republicans. Socialist leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis called for his party to withdraw from the runoff in both races in hopes of keeping the National Front from winning.

Voters left and right joined together to keep Marine's father Jean-Marie Le Pen from winning a presidential runoff in 2002. However, Marine Le Pen has worked to undo its image as an anti-Semitic party and has lured in new followers from the left, the traditional right and among young people.

"The verdict of the French people tonight is clear," Sarkozy said Sunday night. "We must hear and understand the deep exasperation." Sarkozy said his party should refuse to ally with any National Front candidates or to pull out of any races in the second round. He said a victory for National Front ideas "would dramatically aggravate France's situation and create conditions of dangerous disorder."

Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the conservative-leaning national business lobby issued a public appeal this week to stop the National Front's march toward victory. Hollande's Socialist Party, which currently runs nearly all of France's regions, has seen its electoral support shrivel as the government has failed to shrink 10 percent joblessness or invigorate the economy.

Many political leaders urged apathetic voters to cast ballots as a riposte to fundamentalists targeting democracies from France to the U.S. First-time voter Eli Hodara, an 18-year-old Paris student, expressed hope that more young people would turn out.

"I think it is important to vote even if one leaves the ballot blank," Hodara said.

Den Hond reported from Lille and Henin-Beaumont. Milos Krivokapic in Paris contributed to this report.