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A30 world news
Diasabra 30 Juli 2022

Spanish PM Sanchez opens Balkan tour with visit to Serbia

Spain is among a handful of
Serbia remains a rare Euro- EU nations who have not
pean country that has kept recognized the independence
friendly ties with Russia de- of Serbia's former province of
spite its invasion of Ukraine Kosovo, which has won the
and refused to join Western backing of the United States
sanctions against Russia. and most EU countries.

Sanchez said the war in Kosovo declared indepen-
Ukraine has prompted the dence in 2008, a decade after
EU to rethink its enlarge- its ethnic Albanian majority
ment policies and open its launched a rebellion against
doors to countries in Eastern Serbia's rule, triggering a
Europe — Ukraine and Mol- brutal crackdown by Bel-
dova recently formally be- grade. The conflict claimed
came membership candidates more than 10,000 lives before
— and the Western Balkans. NATO bombed Serbia to
Sanchez said his tour seeks force it to cede control over
to send a message that Serbia the territory.
and the rest of the Western
Balkans "belonged in Eu- With Spain facing own sepa-
rope." ratist movements, Sanchez
said his government believes
"You have an ally in Spain in the respect of territorial
who will support you in your integrity. He called for a reso-
(AP) — Spain's prime Prime Minister Pedro San- The Balkan nations are all effort to join the European lution of the Kosovo dispute
minister on Friday kicked chez held talks with Serbia's in different stages of the EU Union," Sanchez said at a through an ongoing EU-me-
off a tour of the Western President Aleksandar Vucic accession process. EU offi- joint press conference with diated dialogue.
Balkans with a visit to Ser- in Belgrade ahead of his vis- cials have recently sought to Vucic. He described relations
bia, offering his country's its to Bosnia-Herzegovina, encourage governments in with Serbia as "excellent." The two leaders also an-
support for the integra- Montenegro, North Mace- the region to move on with nounced plans for Serbia and
tion of the volatile region donia and Albania in the reforms amid concerns over Vucic said "Serbia sees Spain Spain to hold a business fo-
into the European Union. coming days. Russia's efforts to boost its as a true friend, one of its big- rum in October.
influence in the Balkans. gest friends in the world."

Lebanon doubts Ukraine claim of stolen grain on Syrian ship

(AP) — Lebanon appeared Friday According to the Ukrainian Embas- The Ukrainian Embassy said it was would "harm bilateral ties," according
to reject claims by the Ukrainian sy, the Laodicea is among scores of going to ask Lebanese authorities to to an embassy statement.
Embassy in Beirut that a Syrian vessels that Kyiv alleges transported implement a Ukrainian court order Kyiv had previously praised Lebanon
ship docked in a Lebanese port is grain stolen by Russia. An embassy and take possession of the vessel. for condemning Russia for its war on
carrying Ukrainian grain stolen statement Friday said the ship had Lebanese government officials de- Ukraine, which upset Hezbollah and
by Russia, following an inspec- turned off its AIS tracking system in clined to publicly comment on the allies who say they were not consult-
tion by Lebanese customs offi- the Black Sea for 10 days, after dock- matter, pending the investigation. ed on the matter - as well as Russia.
cials. ing earlier this month in Russia-con- Lebanon is scrambling to improve Ukraine had also recently promised
trolled Crimea's port of Feodosia. ties with the West as the cash- to export flour to Lebanon, struggling
A senior Lebanese customs official There, the embassy said, it was "load- strapped nation appeals for financial with a wheat shortage and food secu-
told The Associated Press that there ed with barley and wheat flour ille- assistance to help with its economic rity crisis.
was "nothing wrong" with the cargo gally exported from the territories of recovery. Western countries and Gulf
of the Laodicea, which docked in the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kher- Arab states are irked by the political Russia's war on Ukraine, now in its
Lebanese port of Tripoli on Thurs- son" in Ukraine — areas taken by power and influence that the Leba- sixth month, has prevented grain
day, and that its papers were in order. Russia in the war. nese militant Hezbollah group — a from leaving the "breadbasket of the
The official spoke on condition of major ally of Iran and Syria — wields world," making food more expensive
anonymity because he was not autho- Marine Traffic, which monitors ves- in Lebanese politics. across the globe and threatening to
rized to talk to the media. sel traffic and location of ships on worsen shortages, hunger and po-
The controversy surrounding the seas, said the vessel was initially head- Ihor Ostash, Ukraine's ambassador, litical instability in developing coun-
ship has underscored how Lebanon, ing to Tartus Port in Syria, and had met with Lebanese President Michel tries. Together, Russia and Ukraine
a tiny Mediterranean country bor- been expected to arrive there earlier Aoun on Thursday, warning him that export nearly a third of the world's
dering Syria, has been in the cross- this week. It was unknown why it had purchasing stolen goods from Russia wheat and barley.
hairs of Russia's months-long war in rerouted to Lebanon.
Ukraine.
There were no signs that its cargo was
The Laodicea is carrying 5,000 tons being unloaded and the customs offi-
of flour and 5,000 tons of barley that cial who spoke to the AP said the ship
Ukraine's Embassy in Beirut says was will remained docked until "the own-
illegally taken by Russia. After the er decides what to do with the cargo."
embassy raised the alarm, Lebanese Also Friday, Lebanon's acting Foreign
authorities initiated an investigation. Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said
Lebanon had received "a number of
The Russian Embassy, meanwhile, protests and warnings from a number
has told Lebanese media that the of Western countries following the
Ukrainian claim was "baseless." arrival" of the Syrian-flagged ship in
The U.S. Department of the Treasury Tripoli. The British Embassy in Bei-
had sanctioned the Laodicea in 2015 rut told the AP that it had also raised
for its affiliation with the Syrian gov- concerns with Bou Habib about the
ernment of President Bashar Assad. ship.