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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 11, 2009 16:43:39 GMT
Kosovo officials vehemently deny that they paid a $2 million bribe to the Maldives in order for that state to recongnise Kosovo, saying that the accusation is a falsehood deliberately spread by Serbian media to discredit their newly independent nation.
The president of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has ordered his police to investigate allegations that government officials accepted a $2 million bribe that was delivered by Kosovar businessman, Behgjet Pacolli, to recognise Kosovo, media in the Maldives and Serbia have reported.www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17301/(sits back and waits for tumbleweed to float by in this thread . . )
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Post by trubble on Mar 11, 2009 16:52:34 GMT
I know nothing about any of this but I presume the officials are lying... are they?
Every country has to bribe and network for recognition presumably.
2 mill a lot though
?
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Post by motorist on Mar 11, 2009 16:53:16 GMT
mmm bribes. Wish I was important enough to get them
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Post by Patrick on Mar 11, 2009 18:57:17 GMT
Sure it wasn't just a down payment on a timeshare? I would!
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 11, 2009 19:32:16 GMT
OK, ok, I know.
I put it to you that the only mistake President Obama has made so far is to give Hillary Clinton her head over foreign policy, where she ensured that one of Obama's first pronouncements on foreign policy was to support Bill Clinton's stance on the independence of Kosovo.
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Post by swl on Mar 11, 2009 19:34:50 GMT
Huh? Obama gave Hillary head?
hmmmm
Suspicions confirmed.
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 11, 2009 19:35:48 GMT
Huh? Obama gave Hillary head? hmmmm Suspicions confirmed. One of these days someone will talk to me about the Balkans. I'll be back, don't worry. The decision of the international court is due on March 17th, so at least that means there's SOMETHING to look forward to on that date.
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Post by swl on Mar 11, 2009 19:46:25 GMT
Sorry, I really don't know enough about current Kosovan events to comment. You've got a load of books to give you some background, I can't even start. However, if you want to discuss how liberalism is the spiritual heir to fascism and how Mussolini was the darling of the socialists and how Neville Chamberlain's wife's most treasured possession was her Fascist Party membership brooch - I'm yer man
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 11, 2009 19:48:42 GMT
Sorry, I really don't know enough about current Kosovan events to comment. You've got a load of books to give you some background, I can't even start. However, if you want to discuss how liberalism is the spiritual heir to fascism and how Mussolini was the darling of the socialists and how Neville Chamberlain's wife's most treasured possession was her Fascist Party membership brooch - I'm yer man And would be the overall conclusion of these various discussions? Or am I wrong in thinking some kind of common conclusion would be reached?
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Post by swl on Mar 11, 2009 19:53:10 GMT
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 11, 2009 20:02:22 GMT
Something about that front cover of a Smiley with a Hitler 'tache makes me think it's probably more Daily Mail than the University of St Andrew's . . .
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Post by swl on Mar 11, 2009 20:07:35 GMT
It's a bit ranty in the beginning and quite American, but it settles down. Did you read the reviews?
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 11, 2009 20:52:43 GMT
It's a bit ranty in the beginning and quite American, but it settles down. Did you read the reviews? I read the views. The phrase "opinion-driven" made me shudder, as it brought up visions of JSG in book form. I've heard the argument before anyway and seen the parallels, but what pisses me off about this kind of book is that people who don't understand politics (JSG again!) end up using 'liberal' (both as noun and adjective) in the American sense where it seems to mean 'left wing or socialist' and thus deny our own intellectual heritage of liberal ideas emanating from the point of view of personal freedom, part of the UKan intellectual tradition from Adam Smith to Thatcher . . .
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Post by swl on Mar 11, 2009 20:55:02 GMT
I'll get back to you on that once I've finished it It's fascinating to read how well-regarded fascism was in the 1930s though.
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 15, 2009 10:00:31 GMT
Before I'm finished with you lot, you WILL find the politics of the Balkans interesting. I promise you, they are.
Today's story:
The Macedonian General Election campaign has become fraught, following opponents accusing others of witchcraft.
A joint breakfast for the candidates for president in Macedonia's up coming elections that was supposed to add a positive tone to the campaign was somewhat undermined after one of the contestants verbally attacked his opponent.
As three of the candidates were waiting for the other four to arrive, Georgi Ivanov, fielded by the ruling conservative VMRO DPNME party, reacted angrily to a comment from Nano Ruzin from the Liberal Democrats.
Previously Ruzin had accused Ivanov of throwing spells at angry dairy farmers after they threatened to radicalise a protest over unpaid wages for their milk. Ivanov allegedly warned the farmers they should not make trouble as any misdeeds would bedevil their families for seven generations.
“Macedonia does not need a man who throws spells but a leader who can unite the people,” said Ruzin.
At Thursday's breakfast, Ivanov responded angrily. “Shame on you for attacking me you looser. You are a liar, I did not throw spells,” he said, as quoted by local Utrinski Vesnik. Ivanov made the comment while he, Ruzin and the host of the breakfast, Imer Selmani waited the other candidates to arrive.
According to the press Ruzin was restrained at the breakfast and did not reply to Ivanov’s accusations. ''We agreed to keep the level of discussion and we departed as friends,'' he said at the end of the breakfast.
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Post by riotgrrl on Mar 15, 2009 10:18:34 GMT
Macedonia is being promoted as a candidate for the next round of EU enlargement.
Let's hope they don't cast spells on us all!
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Post by motorist on Mar 15, 2009 10:27:30 GMT
Macedonia is being promoted as a candidate for the next round of EU enlargement. Let's hope they don't cast spells on us all! You mock the power of magic? I curse you with a plague of pimples on your bottom ;D ;D
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2009 10:43:00 GMT
Macedonia is being promoted as a candidate for the next round of EU enlargement. Let's hope they don't cast spells on us all! Be doubly careful. They use the Cyrillic alphabet, so there is also the Russian influence right there!
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Post by motorist on Mar 15, 2009 10:45:56 GMT
...and an accusation of witchraft sounds like christians to me. It's a Russian Orthodox Conspiracy oh my
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Post by Patrick on Mar 15, 2009 13:26:14 GMT
Do they realise that if they do join the EU then the matter of Farmers, Cows and Milk will be taken firmly out of their hands?
Got to give it to them for some decent battling politics eh?
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