Sarajevo – Chairman of the BH Presidency Alija Izetbegovic received a Kuwaiti delegation in Sarajevo today. The talks focused on the economic cooperation between the two countries.
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Co-chair of the BH CoM Haris Silajdzic held talks with the IMF Executive Director for BiH. The talks dwelt on the problem on the failure of the FBiH Government to agree on an automatic transfer of the part of the Federal budget, thus causing a delay in agreement with the IMF. It was jointly agreed that the problem should be resolved soon. Kresimir Zubak, a member of the BiH Presidency met with the IMF Director as well. Zubak pointed out to the significance of transparency of negotiations and proper informing of the public of all financial obligations of the Bosnian state.
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Following the adoption of the Law on Purchase of Flats, the Federal Agency for Privatisation issued details concerning the terms under which flats can be purchased: either by cash or by certificates (only after the end of June).
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The FBiH House of Representatives’ Investigation Commission requested the BiH Foreign Ministry to report on spending of US $ 24.910 million which Croatia invested in the reconstruction of BiH. EC Spokesman Ivo Gabara told the press that the recent article in the daily Avaz on a new CAFAO report on the alleged manipulations with high tariff commodities was related to the case of an irregular import of high tariff commodities which end up on the black market. The Federal Customs authorities have been asked to take resolute action in coordination with other BiH institutions, explained Gabara.
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With 14 votes in favour and one abstained, the UN SC adopted a resolution on the arms embargo against FRY last night. The media carried a lengthy report on reactions on this news from Kosovo. BiH Ambassador to the UN Muhamed Sacirbay advocated a just solution to the Kosovo problem.
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Following the last night’s statement by the Media and Press Department of the Croatian Community Herzeg-Bosnia containing a number of severe and unsubstantiated accusations, the RTV BiH issued the following statement: Last night we heard the qualifications about our network from the community which calls itself “Herzeg-Bosnia”, which are full of lies. We cannot remain silent. Firstly, the RTVBiH publicizes regularly and without any abbreviations all statements by the Croat officials and strives to present objectively relevant information about Croatian people in BiH. Thus, it publicized the said slanderous statement in the last night’s news. The RTVBiH is looking forward to announce every peace of information about positive relation of Croatian officials towards the joint state and co-existence. Unfortunately, we do not get a chance to do it often but the RTVBiH is the least responsible for that. We would like to point out that totally opposite (positive) evaluation of the RTVBiH work was made by Mr. Ivan Saric, President of the Central Bosnian Canton at the time when a round table discussion “Croats of the Central Bosnia-Circumstances and Perspectives” was held in November 1997 as well as by Dr. Ivo Komsic at the last assembly of the Croat National Council in February 1998. The two mentioned gentlemen are no lesser Croats than the people from the Croatian Community Herzeg-Bosnia. The research done by the independent institution for media monitoring “Media-Plan” upon a request by the Union of Independent BH journalists confirms that the RTVBiH is not spreading an anti-Croat sentiment..
Secondly, the proposal for internal re-organisation of the RTVBiH in accordance with the Dayton Agreement made by the European Institute for Peace was fully accepted by the RTVBiH while Croatian officials turned it down. Thirdly and most importantly, the RTVBiH is neither one-nation or one-party oriented as TV stations in the territories where the H-B has the main say. It is easy to confirm that the following persons work as correspondents, editors, head of departments: [ full names of non-Muslim managerial personnel as well as other numerous journalists and employees of different vocations who surely are neither Muslims nor SDA members .
All the above and a large number of other facts certify that we fully meet all the criteria for a public media and that we rightly carry the name of the RTV BiH. Since the RTVBiH is a public media and does not spread an anti-Croatian propaganda, while a larger number of its staff are Croats and Serb, we shall let the public judge true intentions of the last night’s statement by the H-B Media and Press Department.”
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