• BiH State-related Issues
  • BiH State delegation in the first official visit to FRY
  • International Community might give up on succession talks
  • Tensions decrease at succession talks?
  • SDP supports the privatization of the nationalized apartments
  • BiH association of Refugees hopes for more funds at donors conference
  • Families of RS fallen soldiers dissatisfied with housing situation
  • Petar Kunic Says Draft Law on IDs and ID Number (JMBG) Are At Variance With BiH And RS Constitutions
• Federation
  • Jerko Ivankovic, a delegate in the BiH House of Peoples: I regret the HDZ lack of knowledge
  • Federation Minister of Refugees: BiH is in a deep crisis
  • Schism in Catholic Church in Herzegovina
• Republika Srpska
  • RS Prime Minister: Decision on the new cornerstone ceremony for Ferhadija on Thursday
  • Returnees want Kozarac to be turned into municipality
  • Mladen Ivanic Says Decision on Ferhadija Will Be Reached on Thursday
  • Bosniak Returnees in Janja Not Satisfied With Work of RS Police - Local Police Protects Attackers
• International Community
  • Del Ponte: Special Unit To Arrest Karadzic and Mladic
• Editorials
  • Vecernji List: Hercegovacka Bank blockage and new taxation system cause a financial collapse of budgets and funds in the Federation

BiH state-related Issues

BiH State delegation in the first official visit to FRY
The BiH State delegation arrived yesterday in Belgrade for its first official visit to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Media report that the members of the BIH Presidency, Zivko Radisic, Beriz Belkic and Jozo Krizanovic, are to meet with the FRY President Vojislav Kostunica, while the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, Goran Svilanovic and Zlatko Lagumdzija are to sign an agreement on the establishment of the inter-state council for cooperation between BiH and FRY. The council would address the issues of the inter-state trade, air, water and land traffic, as well as the dual citizenship. Federation media correspondents from Belgrade say that Serbian media did not pay much attention to this visit.

International Community might give up on succession talks
The international community will give up on SFRY succession talks unless an agreement on the division of the SFRY property is reached at the ongoing meeting in Vienna, said the head of the BIH delegation Milos Trifkovic.

Following a weekend break, the talks on the succession of the former SFRY property were continued in Vienna, the Beta news agency reported.

International mediator, British diplomat Sir Arthur Watts on Sunday distributed to the delegations of FR Yugoslavia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and BiH a new draft agreement which incorporates the proposals made during the session held last week.

"The new draft agreement that we received sums up the positions of the delegations, which they made during last week's discussion. Mr. Watts has made a selection of those proposals which may improve the first draft," Trifkovic told reporters, adding that the new draft was not unacceptable.

"Some parts of it I like, some I don't. However, all sides must make concessions. In any case, I believe we have made certain progress in our talks," said the head of the BiH delegation.

He went on to say that the biggest progress was made regarding the division of archives, while also promising were talks on the civic rights issue, where there was only one outstanding topic - old foreign currency savings.

There are indications that experts from the Office of High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch might join the talks during the week..

Tensions decrease at succession talks?
The chief of the BiH team negotiating the succession of assets of the former Yugoslavia, Milos Trifkovic, told SRNA that the differences in the positions of the successor-states have decreased. "Yesterday, we completed the draft agreement with annexes, and hard negotiations will begin after a summary of the last year's positions by the five successor-states," he said. He said that the parties made clear their positions and that negotiations were joined in by the governor of the Central bank of BiH, Peter Nichol.

SDP supports the privatization of the nationalized apartments
In a statement for the press, the SDP said that the rights of the occupancy rights holders on the nationalized apartments should be respected and that those occupants should be enabled to purchase such apartments. The SDP also said that the state should adequately compensate the real owners of the nationalized property and try to establish a common legal basis for the restitution process on the entire territory of the state.

BiH association of Refugees hopes for more funds at donors conference
The BiH Association of Refugees and Displaced Persons (SIRL) said on Monday it expected the forthcoming donors' conference in Sarajevo to secure support for the return of refugees, including the assistance from BiH entrepreneurs.

Representatives of 108 refugee families demanded at the SIRL assembly held in Bosanski Brod to have larger participation in the projects implemented by the BiH authorities and the international community, BiH TV reported.

"Today, before this assembly, we wish to express our wish to have domestic resources and budgets envisioned for the year 2001 directed in a rational manner, a manner we believe is best, since it is the refugees who best know the situation in the field. We wish our voice to be respected," said SIRL President Mirhunisa Zukic. According to the available data, more than one million BiH citizens still live outside their pre-war homes, five and a half years after the end of the war.

Families of RS fallen soldiers dissatisfied with housing situation
The families of RS fallen soldiers and military war invalids currently residing in the Sarajevo communities of Dobrinja I and IV, which were awarded to the FBiH by the International Arbitrator Judge Diarmuid Sheridan, are not satisfied with the efforts of the Serb Sarajevo municipal council and the RS Cabinet to resolve their problems. Dragan Savic of the Ilidzanski Borac Veterans' Organization said that his organization still has not received any response to its request and proposals made to the municipal council and to he RS Cabinet.

Petar Kunic Says Draft Law on IDs and ID Number (JMBG) Are At Variance With BiH And RS Constitutions
Today's edition of "Glas srpski" quotes Deputy RS Prime Minister, Petar Kunic as saying that the Draft Law on ID and the Draft Law on ID number (JMBG) are at variance with the RS and BiH Constitutions. Mr. Kunic says that the RS Government informed the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communications about it and he sees no reason to have these laws included in the CoM session agenda.

Federation

Jerko Ivankovic, a delegate in the BiH House of Peoples: I regret the HDZ lack of knowledge
"Commenting on the recent press release issued by the HDZ Board of the West Herzegovina Canton on May 16, in which the party is disapproving the visit of Hans Jochen Peters, a German Ambassador, who looked at several economic facilities in the West Herzegovina Canton, responding to my invitation, and in which my name was also mentioned in the context 'that I was assigned to the post in the House of Peoples illegally' I would like to inform the public about the following: 'I regret that the HDZ Cantonal Board does not know the BiH Constitution at all, and probably due to the lack of knowledge of the basic constitutional principles on the organization and functioning of BiH as a state, it has brought the Croat people in BiH into such a difficult position.

I was assigned to this post in accordance with the Article 4 of the BiH Constitution, which regulates the filling in of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

Personally, I am very sorry that the HDZ Authority in this Canton has never organized a visit of so high German delegation, that the economy of this Canton could benefit from. At least, I hope that the HDZ knows reasons why they have not done it..."

Federation Minister of Refugees: BiH is in a deep crisis
In an interview for Vecernji List, Kresimir Zubak, the President of the New Croat Initiative and Federation Minister for Refugees and Displaced Persons, stated that BiH is not in a deep crisis. "The events in Mostar, Trebinje and Banja Luka, and the murders of returnees in Bihac, planting of explosives in Bosansko Grahovo undoubtedly lead one to the conclusion that there are some people who are doing all they can to see to it that the leading structures fail in their intentions." Zubak thinks it is the last attempt of those forces to stop the inevitable process. In his opinion, the situation in BiH is better than may be considered by some who are not familiar enough with the situation or who make judgments based only on the aforementioned events.

Schism in Catholic Church in Herzegovina: Parents of the children confirmed by the Old Catholic Bishop believe the ceremony was valid
Vecernji List reports that the conflicts in the Franciscan Province in Herzegovina between the local Bishop and the Franciscans started as far back as 1968, to culminate recently with the confirmation ceremonies in some parishes which, according to the Romanus Pontificibus Decree, are under the authority of the local Bishop. The children in Grude and Capljina were confirmed by a Bishop whose name is either Franjo Srecko or Srecko Novak. Mostar Bishop's Ordinariate claims that neither of those names is registered in the Pope's Yearbook. As opposed to the local Bishop Ratko Peric, the parents of the confirmed children consider the ceremony valid.

Vecernji List carries an interview with the disputable Bishop, whose name is Srecko Franjo Novak and comes from Zagreb. He said that the Franciscans invited him to Herzegovina although he warned them it would have a high price and be followed by dirty games against them. As he said, it is not about a rift or a separation and the whole thing will go to Bishop Peric's head.

Vecernji List says what stands behind the case is money. Good connoisseurs of the circumstances in Herzegovina say that Bishop Peric charges 30 DEM per confirmation, a half of which goes to him, carries Vecernji List. Therefore, when Franjo Srecko, who was not charging his services, confirmed 240 children in Grude and 525 children in Capljina, he reduced the total income of the Diocese by 22,950 DEM, i.e. the Bishop's income by 11,475 DEM!

Since a few thousand believers get confirmed in Herzegovina every year, the annual income amounts to more than 100,000 DEM.

Jutarnji List: Bishop Peric: If I am at fault, I will leave
"Who is at fault for the schism in the Church of the Herzegovina's Croats? Am I at fault or is it the Pope? Who is at fault? You can see it for yourself who is working to divide the church. If I am at fault I will leave the Bishop's position, but the decision lies with the Pope. As long as the Pope does not do it, I will have to follow his will and the will of the Catholic Church's leadership. My heart aches over the latest schism that is threatening the Catholic Church in Herzegovina."

Vjesnik: The Herzegovina Franciscans intend to proclaim their own Bishop
For 33 years already, the "Herzegovina" case still burns. The roots of misunderstandings, disobedience and ultimatums, as seen by either side of the conflict, go back 100 years, even more. But in the last decades, without a doubt, especially in the last few years, the "Herzegovina case" has reached new, on few occasions, dramatic heights, which led to a big schism in the Catholic Church in Herzegovina. On one side, the Mostar-Duvno Bishop Ratko Peric refers to the Pope's "Romanis pontificibus" decree from 1975 and requests a few Herzegovina parishes to be handed over from the Franciscans to the Diocese's priests, and on the other side, the Herzegovina priests decline to do it, referring to the centuries-long links with the people of the parishes and to, alleged, Bishop's different intentions. On the other hand, there are even rumors that a group of Franciscans are planning to proclaim their own Bishop, furthermore there are even talks about the proclamation of a new Diocese, which would be situated in Siroki Brijeg. There are no official confirmations or denials from the ranks of the Herzegovina Franciscan's province, and the " Peace and Welfare" associations, which is close to the Franciscans, name Bishop Peric that the background of his requests for the return of the 8 parishes to the Diocese's priests are, actually, financial demands. In that context, the association stresses Medjugorje, which was not recognized by Bishop Peric as a place of Virgin Mary's showing.

Republika Srpska

RS Prime Minister: Decision on the new cornerstone ceremony for Ferhadija on Thursday
The RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, said that the RS government will on Thursday set a date for the new ceremony of laying of the cornerstone for the Ferhadija mosque in Banja Luka. The first attempt ended in protests and a mass violence which prevented the ceremony and resulted in injuries of a dozen of civilians and police officers.

Returnees want Kozarac to be turned into municipality
Dissatisfied with the behavior of the municipal authorities in Prijedor, the returnees in Kozarac near Prijedor decided to revive the initiative to turn this town into a municipality. An activist of the work group for this initiative, Sead Cirkin, said that Kozarac is completely isolated in all financial and budgetary matters, and added that the town's authorities have done nothing to revitalize the utility services, such as the electricity, water and PTT supplies system. Cirkin also said that the initiative for the formation of the Kozarac municipality has been forwarded to the Republika Srpska Government, the RS National Assembly, municipal authorities in Prijedor, as well as to the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and OSCE.

Mladen Ivanic Says Decision on Ferhadija Will Be Reached on Thursday
Nezavisne Novine reported on yesterday's visit of the RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic and the RS Minister for Refugees and DPs, Mico Micic,to Srebrenica where they met with the town's Mayor Sefket Hafizovic and donated 20.000 KM worth construction material intended for the reconstruction of 10 houses. The donation was allocated to 9 Serb and 1 Bosniak families internally displaced. "The donation is a symbolic move of the RS Government aimed to demonstrate that the RS Government wants to help the process of refugee return", said Mr. Ivanic. Mayor Hafizovic thanked for the donation and stressed he had understood it as economic and financial assistance to multi-ethnic administration of Srebrenica municipality. Mr. Hafizovic also reminded Mr. Ivanic that anniversary of Srebrenica tragedy is getting closer, and the RS Prime Minister promised he would do his best to calm down the tensions and make sure that the anniversary goes smoothly.

Bosniak Returnees in Janja Not Satisfied With Work of RS Police - Local Police Protects Attackers
Today's edition of Nezavisne Novine reported that attacks on Bosniak returnees in Janja have become more frequent during the last month. The returnees have been complaining that the local police is too passive in punishing people who throw stones and bombs at houses of returnees. Bosniak returnees say they are satisfied that police officers from Banja Luka arrive to Janja and hope they will be able to protect them. Bosnaik returnees have many complains on the work of the OHR Office in Bijeljina and the Head of the Office, Francois Perez who they consider responsible for the slow return of Bosniaks to this area. The daily reports that Mr. Perez ordered collective leave for all employees of Bijeljina OMI (Department of Ministry of Refugees) in April and during past few days OMI employees are on strike, which make the process of refugee return go much slower. The papers quote Chief of the Operational HQ for Return to Janja, Muhamed Alibegovic as saying that obstruction of refugee return process and inactivity of local administration is certainly orchestrated action and that people who stand behind that are very well known but the local police does not punish them. In spite of all, the process of refugee return goes very well in Janja where out of 12.000 pre-war residents, 4.000 repossessed their property. Association of Bosniak Refugees from Janja have very good cooperation with Association of Serb Refugees from Smoluca and Srebrenik who currently live in Bosnaik houses in Janja, which is another proof that good relations between two ethnic community is possible, reports Nezavisne Nnovine.

International Community

Del Ponte: Special Unit To Arrest Karadzic and Mladic
The Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte announced in her statement for the Warsaw daily Gazeta Viborca Monday that for the arresting of the former leaders of Bosnia Serbs, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, a special unit of policemen might be employed, Belgrade media report.

Del Ponte said that she is done with playing Ping-Pong about revealing the current residing place of Karadzic and Mladic. Asked whether the group would be able to do what thousands of SFOR soldiers have failed, Del Ponte said that each of them is better than James Bond.

She admitted that Serbs represent the majority among 38 war criminals wanted by the Hague tribunal, but denied the accusations that she is acting selectively. Concerning this, Del Ponte said that she instigated the investigation against tens of Albanians, Croats and Bosniaks. Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor said that she will conduct the investigation against the Croats responsible for the crimes in the republic of Serb Krajina equally energetically as against the Serbs that were killing Albanians.

Editorials

By F. Vukoja

Everyday lamentations of the highest State and Federation officials - who are informing the domestic and international public very dramatically that numerous State and Federation institutions are facing bankruptcy - are becoming more and more frequent since recently, reads Vecernji List. By all accounts, a rebalance of the Federation and some cantonal budgets will take place soon, and the budget expenditure will be reduced drastically, with economical measures introduced at all levels. A number of serious analysts have said that the blockage of Hercegovacka Bank, by the law of communicating vessels and a chain reaction, will cause a financial collapse in the Federation. Dr Nikola Grabovac, the Federation Minister of Finances, keeps saying that the 50 million KM of the Federation money is blocked in Hercegovacka Bank. Many of the companies in Bosnia are directly connected with Herzegovinian companies, Hercegovacka Bank clients.

Cantonal budgets, in addition, are struck by the taxation system reform. The number of taxpayers is bigger, but bigger are also the possibilities of tax embezzlements, so that the tax administrations and inspections will have to be much more attentive. The reduction of tax rates is not favourable for cantonal budgets either. PIO Fund in Sarajevo is facing a financial collapse and MIO Mostar is demanding from the OHR to finally have their Hercegovacka Bank account de-blocked. The budgets and funds in the Federation need de-blocking of Hercegovacka Bank, introduction of the value added tax, a better financial discipline in the fiscal policy and a final solution to the political crisis in BiH.

The BiH Media Round-up is being compiled primarily for the OHR's internal purposes under time pressure. Please disregard grammar and typing mistakes. The mentioned media reports do not reflect OHR views, and the OHR does not take responsibility for them.

OHR BiH Media Round-up