Posted on 01/03/2003 7:21:07 AM PST by Voronin
Corruption stalls Balkans recovery
Trafficking leads crimes trumping rule of law in war-torn region
AFTER SPENDING BILLIONS of dollars on military and humanitarian interventions to douse the flames of four Balkans wars, international efforts to maintain a delicate peace between warring ethnic groups are increasingly threatened by rampant corruption and the unchecked flow of guns, drugs and human smuggling through the region.
Diplomats and local officials say the lack of resolve by top bureaucrats to get tough on corruption and police fears that a crackdown on crime syndicates could spark a new bloodbath along ethnic lines are preventing the regions recovery from a decade of conflict.
Read the rest of this sordid tale here...
VRN
VRN
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