 RFE/RL Balkan Report 7/28/2009 5:32:11 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the western Balkans. For more stories on the Balkans, please visit and bookmark our Balkans page . |
 Balkans Among Sweden's Top Foreign Policy Challenges The Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, briefed the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on his country's priorities as the current holder of the EU's rotating six-month presidency. Bildt offered a panoramic list of challenges that Sweden faces through the end of its tenure on December 31. More  Iran Says Bosnian Writer Insults Muslims One of Bosnia's most prominent writers is in a bitter dispute with Iranian diplomats who say his latest book is an attack on Islam. Bosnian intellectuals and writers' groups have rushed to Zeljko Ivankovic's defense, but Bosnian officials remain on the sidelines. More  Bosnians Got What They Voted For It is fair to argue that the Bosnian leadership has not earned EU visa liberalization. It is also fair to say that the Bosnian public deserves what it gets from this unstable democracy, insistent on keeping the status quo and voting into office the same nationalist culprits time and again. More  Tearing Bosnia Apart One Decision At A Time In effect, Bosnia has once again been divided along ethnic lines. This time, by the European Union. At a time when most analysts are warning that the fragile country is on the verge of collapse, the EU -- by lifting visa requirements for visitors from Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro -- is acting to intensify the ethnic fault lines there and to make Bosnia weaker. More  Bosnia's Grand Mufti Defends Religious Freedom Mustafa Ceric, the grand mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1999, has won international recognition for his efforts to promote communication and understanding among the world's many religions. RFE/RL Central Newsroom Director Jay Tolson spoke with Ceric on the eve of July 11, the European Commemorative Day for the victims of the Srebrenica massacre -- recognized officially by most of Europe but not by Bosnia, where the atrocity took place in 1995. More  Srebrenica Anniversary Marked With Mass Funeral Bosnian Muslims have prayed for the dead outside Srebrenica on the 14th anniversary of Europe's largest massacre since World War II, and buried hundreds of victims recently recovered from mass graves. More  President Says Serbia's Future With West Serbian President Boris Tadic has been praised for bringing Belgrade closer to the West and toning down nationalist fervor. But in an exclusive RFE/RL interview, he also talks about dilemmas over Kosovo independence and war crimes tribunals. More  In The Balkans, The Headlines Preceded The War The phones were ringing off the hook with angry Croats accusing Sarajevo state television of being "anti-Croatian television." It was late October 1991 and I was the station's program director. There was a war going on in Croatia and our evening news cast that day included a story about an Orthodox priest who had been beaten up by Croatian forces. More |
