Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Refugees and Displaced Persons announced that distribution of pensions should begin at the end of next week. Pensions were increased approximately for 9.8%.
1:00
OSCE mission adopted amendment on Article 1 of the OSCE Rules and Regulations. According to the amendment, the mandate for BiH Presidency members will be four years. Representatives elected for HoR and HoP of the BiH Parliament, President and Co-president of the BiH Federation, HoR and HoP of the BiH Federation Parliament, President and Co-president of the RS, RS People’s Assembly and Canton parliaments in BiH will have two years mandate.
1:30
BiH President Izetbegovic received OSCE Mission Chief, Barry. The main subject of the meeting was September elections. Izetbegovic objected OSCE because election results in Srebrenica were not implemented yet.
1:00
BiH President Izetbegovic’s cabinet made an announcement, which says that Croatian Assembly President, Pavletic, in his conversation with German delegation said that Croatia is ready to accept 80.000 refugees from BiH, mostly from RS. We consider the Germany should not accept this solution without clear guaranty that Croat returnees will not inhabit abandoned Serb houses. If this would be the case, it would ruin return of Croatian Serbs who are presently living in BiH to Knin Krajina.
1:30
OHR Economic Affairs Head, Fau announced that at the beginning of June, inauguration of the new BiH currency will be carried out throughout BiH. Fau said that KM is real money, which enables the Central Bank to issue coins. All official transactions will have to be done with KM.
2:00
Presidency member Zubak met with the Central Bank Governor, Nicole and IMF mission chief, Brown, discussing the liquidation of the BiH National Bank. OHR Economic Department Head, Fau was also present at the meeting. CoM Co-chairman Silajdzic also met with Nicole, Brown, and Fau.
1:30
CoM Co-chairman Silajdzic held a special press conference with the privatization process as the main subject. Silajdzic said that in the past week, 7 US experts, who represent the thesis that BiH do not need privatization on the state level, visited OHR. Silajdzic said that this was direct violation of DPA and that HR and OHR experts also do not support such proposal. Silajdzic also said: according to what I understood, Dayton is now division of the war prey. Silajdzic said that this standpoint is opposite to US policy so far, adding that the HR and his associates did not take these positions and are trying to defend Dayton as it is. (BiH TV News comment) In order to understand the new US experts standpoint, opposite the BiH Constitution, it is necessary to say that it was preceded by Dodik’s visit to USA and that Dodik addressed a letter to Westendorp and Kauzlarich in which he informs them that the Law on Privatization on the state level is unnecessary, and therefore, according to Dodik, privatization in BiH can be done only by entity regulations.
3:00
BiH delegation, led by FA Minister Prlic is in official visit to the Czech Republic. The delegation met with Czech highest officials and discussed various matters of bilateral cooperation.
2:00
The Village of Peace was opened with celebration in Lukavac municipality. 150 children mostly from Srebrenica and Podrinje will reside its 12 facilities, as well as 50 elders. German foundation “Rudolf&Walter” enabled the project, and Tuzla Podrinje Canton and Lukavac municipality provided infrastructure.
2:00
Sanski Most municipality citizens held a peaceful rally against changing of inter-entity borderlines in this area. The decision of IEBL changes was recently brought and based on territory exchange between Federation and the RS. International organizations representatives were present at the site.
2:00
HR Westendorp addressed a letter to the Federal MUP Minister Zilic and his deputy Leutar. In his letter, Westendorp says that Federal Ministry did not fulfill its obligations in issuing new registration plates. Westendorp ordered, in accordance with his authorities, that MUP must immediately sign the contract about remaining production of license plates with one of the enterprises that are able to produce license plates in Sarajevo, Banja Luka or Lukavica. Westendorp added that the deadline is June 1 1998, and that if minister and his deputy do not solve this matter within three days, he will consider them personally responsible for preventing the freedom of movement to the BiH citizens, and will consider their replacement.
1:30
13 police precincts of Herzegovina Neretva Canton received new seals for issuing joint vehicle registration documents. According to Canton MUP Minister Deputy, Dziho, 5 Bosniak majority precincts received seals in two languages, while 8 Croat majority precincts received single-language seals. Dziho added that these are in Croatian and its printing was organized by Minister Coric, and that he did not accept vehicle registration documents as proposed by OHR, but organized printing of single language documents.
2:00
At the press conference held in OHR, it was said that the Presidency should create conditions for BiH TV restructuring until the end of this month. OHR Media Consultant, Attarashany said that the Memorandum on Understanding that covers the BiH TV restructuring should be signed next week. Attarashany said that the memorandum anticipates restructuring of the BiH TV into the Federal Television and Public Corporation for Joint TV. Public corporation will work on establishment of the joint media.
1:30