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BALKANS

• World media focus on the opening of the trial of Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president, who is accused of genocide and war crimes in the Balkans over a period of nearly 10 years. The proceeding at the ICTY are seen as the most important hearing since nazi leaders went on trial at Nuremberg in the aftermath of World War II. The BBC World Service stressed that the trial is expected to be one of the most complex cases in post-war legal history and could last up to two years. It noted that Milosevic faces a total of 66 counts of crimes against humanity, violating the laws and regulations of war, and genocide.

BULGARIA-NATO-SACEUR

• Sofia’s BTA assessed President Parvanov’s visit to SHAPE and NATO, saying he heard statements of gratitude for the support Bulgaria provided to NATO during the crises in the Balkans and after the Sept. 11 events. The dispatch noted that President Parvanov underscored the lasting political stability Bulgaria has achieved. It has fulfilled the bulk of criteria regarding the military reform and will make an utmost effort in the time that is left before the Prague summit. The aim is not just to reduce the armed forces, but to build a modern, capable, strong and professional army and to strength civilian control. "Gen. Ralston said that reform is hard in any army, even that of the United States. NATO Secretary General Robertson will visit Bulgaria before the end of February and Gen. Ralston in March. Both will be here as part of a tour of all membership candidates," the dispatch continued.

DSACEUR-SLOVAKIA

• Gen. Stöckmann on Monday praised the progress made by the Slovak military during the implementation of the NATO accession program, reported Bratislava’s TASR. The news agency added that during his meeting with Slovak Defense Ministry leaders, Gen. Stöckmann said Slovakia is well placed to receive an invitation to join NATO at the Alliance’s summit in Prague. He insisted, however, that it is the leaders of the Alliance’s 19 member countries that will take the final decision. "Gen. Stöckmann stressed that Slovakia benefits in a big way from its increasing involvement in peacekeeping operations. He said he finds improving the training of the future military officers to be even more important than modernization of technology and compatibility with NATO armies," the dispatch continued.

NATO

• AFP reports four central European countries, including NATO’s three newest members, are planning to modernize some 140 Russian-built Mi-24 combat helicopters. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia plan to upgrade weapons and other systems on the aircraft, which first entered service in the 1970s, media reportedly said Monday, quoting Czech Defense Ministry officials. According to the dispatch, the daily Dnes quoted deputy Czech Defense Minister Stefan Fuele saying the plans were discussed at a meeting of defense ministers of the four countries—the so-called Visegrad Group—in Budapest last month. An inter-governmental accord on modernizing the aircraft is due to be signed by the four countries by the end of May, the newspaper added.

OTHER NEWS

• According to Stockholm’s Dagens Nyheter, Feb. 11, Sweden’s proposed new security policy states that the country is "militarily non-aligned" and neutrality is no longer an automatic consequence in a war. The text reportedly points to Sweden’s need to guarantee security through cooperation with other countries, for example within the UN and the EU. The daily observed that when a similar sentence was discussed last summer, it was interpreted as a small opening to future NATO membership.