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20-ton crane tumbled down at the construction site of a sewerage after a pouring rain that activated a landslide in Isperich. In no time the flood turned the streets in town into a muddy sea. PHOTO BTA
Cropland in the village of Burdokva near Razgrad was more than 2 metres submerged by torrential rains. The water has not yet drained. A water melon and melon field (photo) remains inundated. Pressphoto BTA Photo: Mehmed Aziz
NATO Detains 19 in Kosovo Amid Macedonia Warnings.
Reuters
By Ana Petruseva
SKOPJE, Macedonia (Reuters) - NATO said Friday it had arrested 19 people in ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo in a crackdown on extremists along the border with Macedonia, the ex-Yugoslav republic that came close to civil war last year.
Macedonian authorities had said a new ethnic Albanian extremist group had been formed in Kosovo, with the aim of disrupting elections in Macedonia scheduled for next month, but NATO did not say whether the arrests were related to the group.
Diplomats have played down the danger from the self-styled Army of the Republic of Ilirida. Political analysts have suggested the Macedonian government may be playing up the threat as part of its electoral campaign.
The group, which takes its name from a proposal by Albanian nationalists to create a state within the current Macedonia, was mentioned in a NATO report meant to reassure Skopje the security situation was generally stable.
"The overall assessment is that there is no realistic prospect of new organized violence," a NATO source told Reuters.
"It is a small group of young people, in their 20s, mainly from Kosovo and they don't pose a serious threat," the Macedonian ambassador to NATO, Nano Ruzin, told Reuters.
But Macedonian politicians have sounded the alarm. Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said last week the group was proof "Albanians have not yet given up their territorial ambitions."
Guerrillas staged a six-month insurgency in Macedonia last year, saying they were fighting for better rights for the country's ethnic Albanian minority.
Macedonians, however, regarded the campaign as an attempt to grab land.
The conflict ended with a Western-sponsored peace accord to grant greater rights to Albanians in exchange for the disarmament and disbanding of the rebel army.
KFOR QUIET ON LINK.
The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo, deployed in the southern Yugoslav province since the end of the 1998-99 war, would not say if the latest arrests, carried out Thursday, were linked to the new group.
"All of the detained individuals posed an immediate threat to a safe and secure environment," KFOR said in a statement.
Macedonian interior ministry officials have said the group has 200 members and is preparing attacks to disrupt the September 15 general election and undermine the peace accord.
"The final aim of the organization is to create Greater Albania," one interior ministry source said.
A NATO source said such reports were a "fabrication, a straightforward lie."
Georgievski and hawkish interior minister Ljube Boskovski have predicted imminent danger from Kosovo before, which analysts see as an attempt to boost their nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party.
"With elections barely a month away, it is no surprise that they would resort to the same rhetoric," said Edward Joseph, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank.
There have been numerous police reports of incidents related to splinter guerrilla groups since last year's conflict. But there has been no evidence of a major organization that might cause new cycle of violence.
Another Macedonian Tragicomedy: Illegal Logging in Tetovo.
By Reality Macedonia Team
 The shamed suspect is forced to dismount from his steed.
A flashback to an unreported incident in May, involving illegal logging in the Tetovo area.
It was Sunday, the 19th of May, a fair Spring day in the lush and mountainous area beyond Tetovo. The noontime sun wrapped the Macedonian wilderness in its loving embrace, and all was well in the world. The forest air was redolent of myriad wildflowers, blossoming in the sun of Sar Planina. Birds were singing, crickets were chirping, frogs were croaking, and- chainsaws were whirring.
It began as just another routine days patrol for the Forestry Police and their peers/minders in the OSCE. The two vehicles, one old truck with its stately and not very frightening forestry emblem, the other, official-looking with its benign acronym splashed across a white pick-up frame, were tooling along down the thickly-forested side road.
All of a sudden, around the corner he appeared- the little old man in the white fez. He was driving a tractor, and behind it, a trailer laden down with logs. His beady eyes glaring, hands caught in the cookie jar, the old Albanian pulled to a stop.
 The fearsome tractor dwarfs the however well-decorated truck of the OSCE.
The OSCE allowed the Macedonian officers to ask the man for his name. He provided one, which turned out to belong to someone else.
And then, along came 15 or so younger Albanians, prancing merrily along, as do men with concealed weapons. The lads glared darkly at the Forestry Police. "If OSCE had not been there," they glowered, "you wouldnt have been allowed to come here. We would cut your balls off!"
And verily, as if to confirm the veracity of the threat, two rifle shots rang out from somewhere along the ridgeline, 200 meters above in the woods. The OSCE minders observed, as is their wont, and so it transpired. Naturally, the little man, his tractor, and his logs were allowed to go free, under the protection of the Forestry Polices new friends.
And so concluded the days patrol of the Macedonians and the foreigners.
Indeed, the mission had been a roaring success. For two goal were achieved: not only was confidence built, but also someone, somewhere had a warm and crackling fire that night.
--
According to Forestry Police Chief Jordan Zarkadov, such illegal logging episodes are common, as is the result. Either the perpetrators are not caught, or they are released with nary a slap on the wrist.
 OSCE and Macedonian authorities visit an area devastated by the loggers.
The Albanian loggers find prime pickings in the state forest, located near the village of Jedoarce. Here, majestic 70-80 year old trees are felled every day, and are sold cheaply, merely as firewood to Albanian villagers. Many trees are easily taken from the forests beneath former Macedonian villages, burned out by the NLA last year. As of May, 30,000 sq. meters of Tetovo-area forests had been illegally logged. This means approximately four years of legal cutting done in one season. "A real catastrophe," groaned Borche Sibinovski, MP for agriculture and forestry in Tetovo.
Unless the illegal logging is stopped, Macedonia faces a real threat to its irreplaceable old-growth forests. The fact that they are being felled merely for firewood is even more disheartening. The odd thing about alleged Albanian patriotism and love of the land in Western Macedonia is how it is typically displayed: through exploitation of natural resources (logging) and stressing the environment (widespread trash and refuse on the ground).
One thing that was made clear by the events of 19 May was the total lack of authority currently displayed by the Macedonian police (Forestry or otherwise) in the west of the country. Although the OSCE claims to be merely "advisors" to the government, and not dictating what the police will do, officials concede that more often than not a "strong recommendation" is enough to silence whatever gumption the Macedonians might like to show.
A local OSCE official who responded to the issue on 21 May, and who did not want to be named, stated that the current "confidence building" policy is intended to "gradually" bring the citizens around to an understanding of and a respect for the law. Until such a result has been obtained, arrests will not be made (at least not very often). The process is intended to take "3 or 4 years, because we are being prudent and cautious." In other words, enough time for present OSCE staff to get out of the country, should the process fail. And it should also prove to be enough time for the Albanian firewood entrepreneurs to chop down the rest of the Tetovo areas trees; if we follow the set ratio, we get to 16 years logging quota within 4 years.
These chainsaw commandos, sad to say, can act with impunity and flat-out contempt for the Macedonian authorities, because they known the latter can do nothing. The OSCE, it appears, does not want to help the Macedonians establish a real rule of law, when there is a more than decent living to be made through simply building confidence.
 More clear-cutting in the Tetovo forests.
But perhaps that is too harsh. Perhaps they really are fretting right now about Macedonias endangered forests. When it comes down to it, however, both the Macedonians and the Internationals are afraid of the Albanians- logging desperados, vigilantes, drug dealers and whoever else. They are afraid of both belly-aching and reprisals. In short, they are simply afraid to rock the boat- which is, inevitably, made out of wood.
IM Generals To Meet President Parvanov.
Standartnews
Yesterday, President Georgi Parvanov summoned for a closed-doors meeting at the seaside generals from the Interior Ministry, BTA informed. The press secretariat of the Head of State confirmed the information. Chief Secretary of Interior - Gen. Boiko Borissov, Gen. Vassil Vassilev - director of the National Police Service, Gen. Ivan Chobanov - director of the National Security Service, as well as the directors of the Regional Directorates of Interior in Varna and Bourgas - Col. Vesselin Petrov and Gen. Krassimir Petrov - all attended the meeting in the "Helios Beach" hotel. The trends in crime combat and the achievements of IM and law authorities were the topics on the agenda of the working meeting, BG press agency said further. Gen. Borissov and Gen. Vassilev informed the President about the measures against drug trafficking and car robberies on highways. The President stressed that he would make efforts to improve coordination between the police, prosecution and court.
640 Students More Because of Even Grades.
Standartnews
Ralitza Krasteva
Higher annual tuition fees and hostel rents in the Sofia University.
The Sofia University will admit 640 students more that the number of students on public procurement announced in advance, head of the student's register office Georgy Geshev said. The first-year students were admitted because they have even examination grades, he added. All tuition fees will be higher this school year. The university authorities are still wondering whether to increase the prices in the students' hostels in the fall. During the past year students paid from 16 to 24 levs per month.
New Prices Hit Bulgarians.
Standartnews
Fifty levs more for driver's license, too.
Bulgarians will have to turn out their pockets again. Prices are on the rise.
National railways have secretly raised tickets' prices by 12 percent already on August 5, because of more expensive express trips. For a second class coach to Plovdiv we'll now pay 7 levs, for Bourgas - 12.90. Postal services also become more expensive. Now you will search you pockets for 0,36 levs to buy an envelope and a stamp. This is by 0.11 levs more than before. Parcels for Bulgaria and abroad also will be by 30 percent more expensive. Those who want to get a driver's license will pay a new price for schooling - at least 280 levs. This is the minimum price, which is 30-50 levs higher than the old one.
SRETEN JOSIC-EXTRADITION.
BTA
Sofia, August 9 (BTA) - Serbian terrorist Sreten Josic will be extradited when Bulgaria and The Netherlands agree on the date, The Bulgaria National Central Bureau of Interpol told BTA.
The case on Josic's extradition was returned to the Sofia City Court Thursday after a panel of the Court of Appeal decided that the Serb should be extradited.
Josic was arrested in downtown Sofia on June 20 in a special operation by the National Service for Combating Organized Crime. The police said at that time that he was wanted by Interpol at the request of Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Austria, Hungary and Sweden in connection with 20 serious crimes, including three murders of policemen in different countries, drugs trafficking and distribution of counterfeit currency.
In 1993 he was sentenced to three years in prison by a Dutch court for an attempt at murder, but managed to escape after spending six months behind bars.
Bulgartabak May Topple the Cabinet.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Krassimir Karakatchanov
Elena Yaneva
The privatization deal is shady, cronies' interests are transparent, says Krassimir Karakatchanov.
- Mr. Karakatchanov, IMRO was among the formations that were for the return of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Bulgaria. How would you assess the one-year rule of the NMS?
- We hoped that the NMS will break the bipolar political model and offer a new one that would work for the interests of Bulgaria. Regrettably, this hasn't happened.
- What are the things that the former monarch didn't know? What has he learnt during this year?
- It turned out that he knew very little about our economy. In September we are expecting a reshuffle in the cabinet. This, however, is just an option that could prolong its life by some months or a year. So far several events occurred that could well topple this government, if Bulgaria were a truly democratic country. One was the government's promise to close down Kozloduy nuclear plant. The other is the shady privatization affair with Bulgartabak. It's obvious that it serves the interests of cronies. To be more accurate - the firm that cannot even be named an offshore, for it was registered just a month before applying for the tender. SPC-KOSOVO-NUN.
Tanjug
Serbian Orthodox Church protests against arrest of Kosovo nun.
19:30 BELGRADE , Aug 9 (Tanjug) - The information service of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) said on Friday, in reaction to the detention of the Mother Superior of Gracanica convent, that Sister Efrosinia was arrested on the evening of Aug 7, and questioned by a German police inspector until close to midnight, under suspicion that cannabis is being grown in the convent compound.
After she was harassed and humiliated at the police station, the Mother Superior was compelled to issue a public denial of these absurd charges, in an attempt to preserve her honor before the whole world, the honor of the sisters over which she watches, and the honor of the Serbian church and the people who follow it, the statement said.
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