BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A keenly awaited European Union report in November will criticize EU candidate Turkey on human rights, the role of the military and its failure to open its ports to Cyprus, a draft showed. Despite the shortcomings, the annual progress report on November 7 will laud the mainly Muslim country for its handling of a constitutional crisis this year and for reforms leading to strong economic growth. “Limited progress was achieved on political reforms in 2007. Further efforts are needed, in particular on freedom of expression, on civil control of the military and on the rights of non-Muslim religious communities,” said the draft European Commission report, seen by Reuters yesterday. Further progress is also needed on fighting corruption, judicial reform and the rights of trade unions, women and children, said the draft, prepared by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. The draft was drawn up before attacks on the country launched by Kurds from across the border in Iraq.

BRUSSELS (AFP) – European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday urged the president of EU-hopeful Albania to do more to tackle corruption and organized crime. During a meeting in Brussels with Albanian President Bamir Topi, Barroso said he “conveyed a clear message to go on with reforms, because there are indeed some problems regarding also the perception of Albania in Europe,” particularly regarding corruption and organized crime. “Those issues are serious and they have to be tackled with decisiveness,” Barroso told reporters during a joint press conference after their meeting. The pair also discussed Albania’s role in stabilizing the Balkan region. The Albanian government is doing everything in its power “to deepen the reforms, particularly within the political and judicial systems,” said Topi.

Serbia yesterday backed Turkey’s crackdown on separatist Kurdish rebels and warned that the independence of its own ethnic Albanian province of Kosovo would be a “dangerous precedent” for others. “Serbia supports Turkey’s policies to restore stability along its southern border,” Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told a gathering in Ankara of 12 Black Sea region countries. Jeremic warned that independence for Kosovo would destabilize the region and set “a dangerous precedent” for other countries with separatist communities. “Recognizing the independence of Kosovo will mean recognizing the legitimacy of forcibly partitioning Serbia. But not only that: It means recognizing the legitimacy of one day partitioning any country against its will,” he said. (AFP)

A dead man’s fingers were cut off for identification in Albania even though he was carrying identity papers and his killer confessed. Police confirmed a media report that shocked the family of the victim, who had returned to Albania to marry his fiancee. “This action was performed by the investigative team not only to identify the corpse, but also to clarify some doubts about the evidence,” the Police Science Institute said yesterday. (Reuters)