Breaking News – New York – The UN Secretary-General Annan requested from the international community to keep in mind the survival of BiH and to prevent its disintegration and creation of greater Serbia and greater Croatia and a new Gaza or Israel in this region. Annan reminded once again that Srebrenica massacre where 8000 people were killed is a collective responsibility of the whole world and warned the international community that it should not happen again.
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Invited by BiH Presidency members and Catholic community in BiH, the Pope should visit BiH on April 13,.
Sarajevo – CoM session – Prior to the session HR Bildt and CoM members held a meeting discussing the QSP. The CoM agreed most points on the Rules of Procedure. Apart from this issue the CoM talked about reducing crime, especially in the Sarajevo region, and the infrastructure. HR Bildt told the press: ‘That work is going ahead. There are some difficulties as it is to be expected, but there was also some progress and the working groups will now meet daily and then we will see how the things are by the middle of next week. It has been a good discussion on the number of issues.’ Bildt used this opportunity to mention once again that the Donors conference scheduled for March 3, will not be held if the CoM does not adopt the key laws from the QSP.
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Gajevi – A group of 28 Bosniaks entered the village this morning to continue construction works. It was quite throughout the day and the IPTF and Serb police started to jointly patrol the area as of last night. At the SFOR press conference held today, the OHR spokesman Murphy announced the results of the talks held between RS President Plavsic and international officials. It was agreed that a commission should be set up to to find the ones responsible for the incidents that occurred during the last week, and Plavsic was requested to order all the RS authorities to respect the procedure of refugee return. BiH TV crew went to Gajevi today to find out more about the course of reconstruction works. The mayor of Gajevi said that they would not have returned there if they had not believed in their success. Nothing will stop them, either destruction of bridges or physical assaults. They will persevere in reconstruction of 36 houses for 36 families to return. But this is just the beginning – their final goal is Koraj.
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Ganic’s report from USA – Ganic is having talks on three levels: with the White House, Pentagon and State Department and he is also holding press conferences. Most of the officials Ganic talked to so far assured him that the Brcko solution will be based on the Federation side arguments in favour of private property and multi-ethnicity of the town: ‘the solution we will be able to live with.’
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Brcko region – Dizdarusa and Omerbegovaca villages – 27 Bosniak and Croat families have returned to these villages located in the ZOS. All of the returnees said that they feel like reborn. More and more the Serb families pay visits to those villages and do not hesitate to admit they would like to return to their places of origin too. Bosniak and Croat families who already return do not have anything against living together with them. However all of them are patiently waiting for the Tribunal decision. 3:00
Strasbourg – At the European Parliamentary Session, BiH Federation Prime Minister Bicakcic said that none of the parties in BiH, as requested by the international community, should receive a penny of financial aid if they do not implement the DPA
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Zlatko Lagumdzija from the SDP sent a letter to the Secretary-General European Socialists saying that BiH delegation in Strasbourg is represented by the three ruling parties (with no opposition representatives) on the entities level although foreign policy is the competence of the BiH Parliament, the Presidency and CoM. 2:00
Summary SRT News
President from RS in the presidency of BIH Momcilo Krajisnik hosted papal nuncio Francisco Montarizzi in Pale today. Montarizzi informed Krajisnik about the planed visit of John Paul the second to Sarajevo on April 13. This was also an opportunity to discuss the issue of Serbs in Eastern Slavonia. Krajisnik proposed that the Holy See become involved in solving the problem in Eastern Slavonian area to stop a new Serbian exodus. Krajisnik emphasized that a sufficient guarantee to have Serbs stay at their “firesides” would be effectuating the right on unified territory, autonomous and political rule and special ties with RS and FRY. By achieving that, the Holy See would improve shaken relations between the members of the Orthodox and Catholic churches in the territory of former Yugoslavia. Releasing POW from prisons in Croatia and BIH Federation was also discussed. Monterizzi expressed his hope for better relations between peoples in BIH.2,5 min
At a special demand of RS president Biljana Plavsic, a meeting of the RS Government took place in Banja Luka today, devoted mainly to irregular entries of Muslims in the ZOS. “Latest events in Gajevi are the result of unresolved situation in Jusici, Mahala and Dugi Dio. There, Muslims resided in an irregular way,” said Plavsic. This irregular resettlement was then followed by the procedure signed by several International Organizations and was supposed to regulate settling along the line of the ZOS. “This procedure is not bad. If respected, RS would not get into difficulties. But, the procedure is not being respected,” commented Plavsic. If the procedure would be followed then for the return to Gajevi we wouldn’t have some 200 applications, while before the war only some ten Muslims lived and had a house in this village.
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Speaker of RS Assembly Dragan Kalinic stated at the meeting of the political committee (Council of Europe) in Strasbourg that RS wants to be a factor of stability and peace in the Union (Europe, he meant, though they use the same term “Union” for BIH). The precondition for that, Kalinic said, is the independence of RS up to the level foreseen in the DPA. The RS delegation stressed the issue of the return of refugees should be approached comprehensively, as well as the right to make a choice of the place to live.
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Council of Ministers convened its session in Sarajevo today, chaired by Boro Bosic. The main focus was on laws to be adopted after they are washed-up by a procedure. Also today, Boro Bosic talked to Carl Bildt and discussed difficulties the CoM is facing with adopting rules of procedure and the legal regulations. “We talked about the budget and financing, than the law on Central Bank, Foreign Debt, Foreign Trade and Custom rates. We agreed in principle, that commissions should speed up their work and that in the next week we review all problems that are included in those laws and can not be solved on the level of the Working group,” said Bosic. He added that he would like to see all those laws adopted a.s.p. but that in doing that “they must bear in mind the interest of the Serb people and RS”. Bosic stated that three peoples and two state-political entities must be respected and will be from the Serb side.”On the other hand, a greater level of centralization and unification of BIH is wanted and we can not accept that,” concluded Bosic.
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In Strasbourg, at the meeting of the political committee of the Council of Europe some proposals were made to aggravate sanctions against those who are violating provisions of the DPA. Parliamentarians of the European Union also asked for grater authorizations for the HR Carl Bildt. As reported by SRNA, Parliamentarians concluded that beside larger income for carrying out his mandate, CB should also be given the authority to demand recall of those hindering the implementation of the DPA, specially on the local and cantonal level.
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Deputy speaker of RS Assembly, Nikola Poplasen met in Banja Luka with the Swedish ambassador Guner Kultner. Poplasen informed the ambassador about new developments on the political scene in RS. Poplasen stressed that Brcko is a “condition for our survival” and if anybody would try to take it away from Serb, most likely we would see a renewal of conflict.
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In Sokolac, the fifth corp. of the VRS was formed today ( former Sarajevo-Romanija and part of Drina corp.)
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World news: A coordinator of the UN-IPTF in Mostar was attacked yesterday by an unknown armed man with a police badge in Western Mostar.
President of the Republican party of BiH Stijepan Kljuic stated he is not satisfied with the organization of Sarajevo, being a canton with one-national, Muslim government. Kljuic also said that Sarajevo is the only city without a mayor.