02.02.1997

OHR Local News Issues, 02 February 1997

Radovan Karadzic is making threats again. If the Brcko question is not solved, we shall start war, he said in an interview given to the Greek opposition newspaper Elefteros Tipos, BiH Press reports news according to AFP. The war crime indicted did not stop at Brcko. Insisting on his innocence and asserting that he feels quite sure on the Serb entity territory, he said that nobody will succeed in arresting him since 2 000 men guard him 24 hours and if somebody tries to grab him, at least 500 people will die. (It was a lengthy report accusing the International Community for failing to stop Karadzic’s previous and nowadays threats to become a reality)
2’30”

The most immediate state and federal questions in this moment were the themes of the talks between John Kornblum, US Envoy for the Balkans and Alija Izetbegovic, BiH Presidency President: the implementation of the BiH and federal institutions, Central Bank, BiH currency, human rights, etc. I think that it is high time that tomorrow’s meeting of the Federation Forum will be an important step forward for both sides and more productive in many aspects, John Kornblum said. I am here to show that a U.S. role in the implementation of the Dayton Accord will be energetic further on. J.Kornblum stressed that the obstruction from one side will not influence the development of the other one.
2’30”

At tomorrow’s Federation Forum meeting the problems will be discussed relating to the Federation functioning – from the top to a cantonal and municipal authority: questions relating to the forming of cantonal police, organization of the municipal authority in some parts of the Federation and setting of municipal boarders, organization of Sarajevo and also the problem of refugee returning to Mostar, Stolac and other towns.
2’30”

Kresimir Zubak will be invited to attend a meeting of the evicted Croats from the Middle Bosnia with the UNHCR representatives, reports Croatian Radio. This visit was agreed last night at a meeting with Sir Martin Garrod, Chief of the HR Carl Bildt’ s Office in Mostar and representatives of the evicted Stolac Bosniaks and the Stolac Commissioner. The topic of the meeting: Return of 9 Bosniak families to Stolac in the framework of the earlier designated project.
1’30”

Ejup Ganic, Acting Federation President returned from several days visit to U.S. and addressed journalists in Bihac. He talked in U.S. with representatives of the American Congress, U.N. and Pentagon relating Brcko solution.
2’00”

Brcko united front could be an example for an wider unified Federation and BiH front. The only interest of all residents of Brcko, regardless of their nationality, is to return back to their town. (A Croat, Bosniak and Serb was interviewed and each of them confirmed a wish to return home and live with his neighbors. (A conducted questionnaire among Serbs in Brcko surprised the organizers themselves: 70% Serbs favored life with Bosniaks and Croats.)
3’00”

The body of a taxi driver, Zaim Djozo was found yesterday afternoon in Vogosca, near the river Bosnia.
0’30”

A misunderstanding relating to the non entry of the Serb police to Jusici is in fact only a local problem caused by a bad information of the residents and should not in any point disturb or stop a return project of the refugees into ZOS and further into the village. This is a result of a meeting of Sead Jamakosmanovic, the President of Tuzla-Podrinje Canton with a general Meigs. The entry of the Serb police in Jahici to found a police station and register the residents, has been postponed for 24 hours.
1’30”

Yesterday 5 men entered an office of the magazine DANI saying that the premises belongs to them. They beat Ozren Kebo, the Acting Main Editor by the time police came.
1’30”


Summary SRT News

Pale – Krajisnik, Plavsic and Bosic held separate meetings with US Special Envoy Kornblum today. All three meetings were held behind closed doors. The discussions focused on implementation of joint institutions of the BiH Union, problems with Brcko, and return of Muslims to the ZOS. After the meeting, CoM Co-chairman Bosic said that they also discussed difficulties regarding the establishing of the Central Bank. Kornblum was interested in Bosic’s personal opinion on the start of work of the CoM, “but it is hard to give any serious judgements,” Bosic said, “only a month after the CoM was established.” Plavsic said that they held open talks about the Brcko arbitration, the second part of which will start in Washington tomorrow, where the RS delegation will be headed by the RS Vice-president Mirjanic. “I think that any extreme and negative solution of this problem is out of the question”. RS Foreign Minister Buha said that “we reiterated our position. I do believe that our arguments were convincing and that arbiters will respect the Annex 2 of the DPA.”
4:00

In its article ‘Brcko – the Serb land for centuries’, Politika Ekspres reports that many old documents confirm that Brcko and its surrounding areas have always been inhabited by the Serb majority. The change of the ethnic picture occurred during the 60s when Muslims were recognised as a nation, which was followed by their moving into cities such as Sarajevo, Bihac, Brcko etc. During the Turkish occupation, there were only 38% of Muslims in Bosnia between 1520 and 1530. This is the truth about beginnings of ‘Muslimhood’, and not the claims made in Washington these days by the second man among the ranks of Izetbegovic’s fundamentalists, Ejup Ganic, that Serbs are thieves, while the Muslims are owners of the city and the wider area around it. Politika Ekspres also reports on the census figures before World War I and II and during the communist regime, which prove that, compared to Serbs, Muslims were always a minority in these territories.
3:00

Jusici – RS police were prevented from entering the village by a group of 50 Muslim women and children, despite the agreement (re-establishing control over the RS and checking of 1991 census) between IPTF and SFOR and RS police signed in Zvornik yesterday. SRT crew tried to enter the village but were stopped by Muslims threatening with rocks and sticks. Police commander Vasic said that SFOR is in an unpleasant position, because the Muslims are making fools of them for the umpteenth time. Because of the new situation, SFOR and Muslim representatives of the village held a meeting, of which results are still unknown. Anyhow, this showed once again, as SRT reports, the “humiliation” of the international community and SFOR.
3:00

Greece – RS delegation, headed by vice-president of the Assembly Ostojic, was invited by the Greek Government to visit Greece for the purpose of stregthening the good relations between the two countries.
2:00