| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| BiH HoR sesison | Sarovic against lawsuit | Law on Ministries adopted | RS Elektroprivreda |
| FBiH Customs Admin. | Law on Ministries adopted | Sarovic against lawsuit | Workers protests |
| NATO Commander arriving | Yugoslavia ceases to exist | The end of Yugoslavia | BL stock market |
| Milosevic’s trial |
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| BiH HoR sesison |
| Oslobodjenje | Police took over a station in Karakaj; Insufficient oil supplies; Visa suppliers not arrested; Remembering Markale – everyone knows someone who is gone; |
| Dnevni Avaz | A suggestion by RVI BiH – use the delayed pensions for loans; US supports government as long as its on the path of reforms; OHR – deficit BiH over five billion KM; General Halilovic going to The Hague on February 10; A Bosnian one of investigators of the ‘Columbia’ shuttle accident |
| Dnevni List | Ecological bomb within perimeter of Mostar Clinic; BiH House of Representatives – Proposal of the Law on Ministries adopted |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Interview with Dr. Milenko Brkic, President of the HNZ – coalition with the HDZ on verge of collapse; BiH Presidency does not accept candidates for Strasbourg from BiH: Into the European Court – in alphabetic order |
| Glas Srpski | Brcko government proposes – the increase of salaries; Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Mirko Sarovic on privatisation of Elektroprivreda RS – pressures must stop |
| Nezavisne Novine | FRY Parliament declares new state union of Serbia and Montenegro – no more Yugoslavia; World Bank Director, Joseph Ingram – the RS will loose up to 90 million Euro if it does not sell Elektroprivreda; Strong explosion disturbs citizens of Sarajevo Mejtas neighbourhood: an ‘Audi’ blown up – the owner claims it was a mistake |
| Blic | Bijeljina faces new ecological incidents; Mirko Sarovic – we will not accept the lawsuit against Yugoslavia; Vracar – loans for apartments in June; Kremenovic – payment of pensions soon |
Economic Affairs | |
| OHR economic report
| Avaz pg. 1 and 2 – OHR yesterday announced the economic analysis on BiH. “BiH registered a trade deficit in the first six months of the last year amounting to 5,2 billion KM. That indicates the need for an urgent development of a competing exporting sector and the speeding up of business and economic reforms.” In the document, the OHR warned the BiH has not yet stepped into a phase of economic transition. OHR’s economists further warn that unless reforms are implemented BiH could be facing a collapse. Oslobodjenje pg. 14 ‘Progress achieved in the process of privatisation in BiH’ – quotes OHR Spokesperson Kevin Sullivan. “In the course of privatisation of small and medium companies an encouraging progress has been achieved, while problems are still present in the process of privatisation of large companies.” Sullivan said the economic report concluded there were many positive changes in a number of BiH sectors, but also warns of the remaining problem – that foreign investors are still not interested in making investments in this country. Sullivan also said that contrary to most predictions, the privatisation process did not have a negative effect on the employment in strategic companies. Blic pg. 7 ‘BiH trade deficit 5.2 billion KM’ – “The trade deficit in BiH was 5.2 billion KM for 10 months of last year,” said Sullivan. |
| Ashdown on VAT and customs | Avaz pg. 2 ‘Ashdown visiting Brcko today’ – HR Ashdown should be travelling to Brcko today where, amongst other things, he would emphasize the importance of the VAT and single customs introduction. Kevin Sullivan, OHR Spokesperson, stated that Brcko was of a core importance due to its special status, geographic position, and represents the third participant in the collection of customs and taxes. |
| BiH meets CoE monitoring group | Avaz pg. 4 ‘How to speed up economic reforms’ – on yesterday’s meeting of the BiH presidency members and a delegation of the Coe Secretariat monitoring group lead by Jean-Louis Laurens. The CoE delegation congratulated the new Presidency members on their appointments. The CoE delegation emphasized the importance of making serious moves in the sphere of human rights, progress in the fight against corruption. Hence, they stressed out the importance of the economic reforms. |
| BiH Presidency meet IMF reps. | Oslobodjenje pg. 48 ‘Strong economic strategy necessary in BiH’ – the Presidency members yesterday met with the IMF delegation led by Peter Doyle, Head of the IMF office in BiH. They talked of the appointment of a Central Bank governor and the end of the second review of the stand-by arrangement. |
| PDHR Hays | Avaz pg. 8 ‘Customs and VAT have to be at the state level’ – PDHR Donald Hays met yesterday with RS PM Dragan Mikerevic and told him of a joint view of the IC on the matter of the VAT and single customs introduction at he state level. He also conveyed HR’s message that by mid-February there has to be an agreement on this two important reform issues. Director of the RS Customs Administration, Milica Bisic, thought it was not fair to expect any discussions on the above-mentioned issues if the conclusions had been outlined in advance. Blic pg. 7 ‘Convincing over lunch’ – reports that the meeting of the RS leadership with PDHR Hays, regarding the introduction of a single customs and VAT on the state level, lasted until late last evening. Hays lunched on late Thursday afternoon with heads of delegates’ clubs in the RS NA, after which he met Milorad Dodik, SNSD leader. Today Hays will meet with RS President Dragan Cavic and Director of RS Tax Administration Milica Bisic. Nacional pg. 11 ‘It is important who will get tax revenues’ – a statement by Bisic. “Those who want to implement the reforms, which would mean the establishment of a single tax administration and control of customs, by which RS might be left without control over two-thirds of its budget revenues, must say how they plan to implement this,” Bisic told SRNA. “Thus far we have not received any concrete proposal apart from those general statements which are of political nature,” Bisic said. She emphasised that the RS ‘supported the unification of tax payers’ obligations in the entities and Brcko District, and from that viewpoint it was a single VAT, but the other thing was who would be authorised for the collection of revenues and where those revenues would go’. |
| HSS on VAT and customs | Oslobodjenje pg. 9 ‘Against single tax rates’ – the Croat Peasants Party (HSS) issued an announcement giving their full support to the introduction of VAT and single customs at the state level. They request that attention be paid to the most endangered members of society in the process of determining the tax rates. The party requests the introduction of differentiated VAT rates, and was not in favour of a single tax rate. |
| Davidi | Nezavisne Novine pg. 4 ‘Changes to the Law on Privatisation necessary’- the Head of the EC Political and Economic department, Renzo Davidi, met yesterday with representatives of the RS Privatisation Directorate, Stock Market Commission and Private Investment Funds. Davidi warned that there was no progress in the privatisation of strategic companies and that it was necessary to initiate the financial restructuring of some companies and closure of some of them, in line with the Law on Bankruptcy. |
| WB warning to the RS | Nezavisne Novine pg. 3 ‘The RS will lose around 90 million Euro if it does not sell Elektroprivreda’- said the World Bank Director, Joseph Ingram, after yesterday’s meeting with RS Minister of Economy, Energy and Development, Milan Bogicevic, in Banja Luka. Ingram also said that the credit envisaged by the project Power III depends upon the privatisation of 51 % of ‘Elektroprivreda’ RS. Also, according to Ingram, the RS might face some legal responsibility due to the fact that Mladen Ivanic’s government signed the agreement in question. Minister Bogicevic announced that the government’s stand on the issue would be known soon and that a solution satisfactory for all sides might be found in the next three or four weeks. Meanwhile, the employees of ‘Elektroprivreda’ hold protests against the privatisation and according to the Chairman of the Trade Union of ‘Elektroprivreda’, Mirko Djukic, all 11 000 employees will go on a strike, requesting the RS Government not to give in under the World Bank’s and IMF’s pressure. |
| Sarovic on ‘Elektroprivreda’ | Glas Srpski cover page ‘Pressures must stop’- Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Mirko Sarovic, told GS that pressures on RS authorities and ‘Elektroprivreda’, the goal of which is to impose the privatisation model for this very important system, must stop. There is no standard European model for privatisation of the energy sector. When it comes to the privatisation of ‘Elektroprivreda’, the paper signed by Milorad Dodik means nothing. The only authorised institution to decide on the privatisation of ‘Elektroprivreda’ is the RS National Assembly and it already declared its view.’ |
| Hercegovacka Bank | Nacional pg. 28-31 by Berislav Jelinic ‘Herzegovinian Franciscans participated in plundering of money from Croatian budget’ – “The Herzegovinian Franciscan Province took part in plundering of a part of at least 216 million DM, the amount some founders of Hercegovacka Bank and its close entrepreneurs spent without specific purpose”. Nacional says it has come to the aforementioned conclusion after it has analyzed the report prepared by the Provisional Administrator for Hercegovacka Bank, Toby Robinson. Nacional says the Franciscans had their representative in the HB’s Steering Board although they had only 2,5% of HB shares and says that parts of the loans the Bank was giving were used by companies owned by the Franciscans and that ‘businesses that these companies were doing proved that the Herzegovinian Franciscans were an important link in the interest chain, which spent the money from the Croatian budget’. The weekly goes on to elaborate that the ‘technology of the plunder’ is as follows. ”The money from the Croatian budget is transferred on HVO accounts and then HVO pays alleged services to some companies, among them companies owned by the Franciscans”. |
| Kalajdzic on privatisation | Glas Srpski pg. 4 ‘Brcko Trade Union warned Henry Clarke: nothing aside the laws’ – President of the Brcko Trade Union, Ilija Kalajdzic, requested from Supervisor Henry Clarke to implement the Orders on Privatisation, especially in relation with a complete check of solvency of firms buying public-owned capital. Kalajdzic points out that special attention should be paid to the monitoring of the implementation of obligations in relation with employing new workers and their rights, as defined by the international conventions. On behalf of the Trade Union, he says that the most important task is a consistent implementation of the Strategic Plan on economic development. With an aim to have the privatisation issues regulated by laws, the Trade Union will continue pointing on wrong decisions made during previous attempts to privatise Robna Kuca, Pirometal, Palis, but will also provide concrete suggestions in this painful, complicated and long-lasting transition process. Nezavisne Novine pg. 6 ‘The Trade Union is not obstructing the privatisation’ – The Brcko District Trade Union rejected claims of some individuals from the District, who had said that the Trade Union was obstructing the privatisation. The Trade Union points out that they only want to have the ownership transformation, which is underway in accordance with the Order issued by Supervisor Henry Clarke. |
Political Affairs | |
| Bond-Terzic meeting
| Avaz pg. 1 and 2 – on yesterday’s meeting between CoM Chair Adnan Terzic and US Ambassador in BiH Clifford Bond. Us Amb. Congratulated Terzic on the appointment and said the BiH government would enjoy the US support as long as they stick to the path of reforms. He also emphasized the importance of the reforms in the area of defence, which are key to BiH’s joining to the Partnership for Peace and getting BiH closer to the Euro-Atlantic integrations. Oslobodjenje pg. 3 US will support reforms in BiH’ – that Terzic emphasized the importance of the US support to the process of reforms in BiH. |
| FBiH HoR
| Avaz pg. 4 ‘The Federation government has to be elected by Friday’ by A. Hadziarapovic – Muhamed Ibrahimovic, Chairman of the FBiH HoR, claims there would be no re-scheduling of a FBiH HoR session planned for this coming Friday. “I hope that by the beginning of the session we would get the confirmation from the OHR for nominated ministers. If however that does not happen there is still no need not to appoint the new Federation government without one or two ministers. They can be appointed additionally,” said Ibrahimovic. |
| HDZ candidates | Avaz pg. 4 ‘Marin did not pass the vetting, HDZ nominating Miroslav Nikolic’ by H. Orahovac – Slavko Marin, second HDZ candidate for the new federation Defence Minister, did not pass the OHR vetting procedure (their first candidate was Dragan Curcic). According to Avaz’s source from the IC, Marin is being accused of closeness with an extreme HDZ wing. Also, his role in the attempt of the establishment of the third entity was an additional factor. |
| BiH HoR | Avaz pg. 4 ‘The CoM completed following Slobodan Kovac’s appointment’ – the HoR held session yesterday where Slobodan Kovac was finally appointed the new BiH Justice Minister. Niko Grubesic was appointed the new Deputy Justice Minister. HoR reps adopted the Draft Law on Ministries after a long discussion on the Article 29, which stipulates the abolishing of six institutes that were established before the adoption of the BiH Constitution. In the end however, the SDA, HDZ and SDS, helped by the PDP, managed to ensure the majority to pass the Draft Law. Oslobodjenje pg. 8 ‘Six state institutions are being abolished’ – Adnan Terzic said that laws adopted before the adoption of the BiH Constitution were not in accordance with the Constitution. In the course of discussion on the abolishment of six institutes, Terzic said they would take care of them. Nezavisne Novine pg. 7 ‘Slobodan Kovac appointed for BiH Justice Minister’, Glas Srpski pg. 2 ‘Self-proclaimed institutions cancelled’ – reports that the BiH House of Representatives confirmed the appointment of Slobodan Kovac and Niko Grubesic and also passed the Draft Law on Ministries. Dnevni List pg. 1 and 3 – the Draft Law was supported by 19 MPs (SDA, HDZ, SDS and PDP), 15 MPs were against and 1 MP (Mirsad Ceman, SDA) abstained from voting. |
| Pope’s visit
| Nezavisne Novine pg. 5 ‘The Pope will visit Banja Luka on 22nd June’- the RS Vice President, Ivan Tomljenovic, confirmed that the Pope, John Paul II, is supposed to visit Banja Luka on 22nd June. According to Tomljenovic, the Pope’s visit is only of religious character and must not be politicised. “There are always some people who are against Pope’s visit, no matter where he goes. Neither Bosniaks nor Serbs should be against his visit, as it would have a great importance for this town,” said Tomljenovic. |
| Interview with Brkic | Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 1 and 17 – an interview with President of the HNZ, Dr. Milenko Brkic, in which he strongly opposes the situation in which the SDA and HDZ MPs in the Federation House of Representatives appointed the Federation Vice President from the line of the Serb people. The move, according to Brkic, treads on the principle that every constituent people has the constitutional right to appoint its senior representatives to the authority. Questioned whether the HNZ, an HDZ coalition partner, would split with the HDZ due to the aforementioned situation, Brkic said the decision did not lie with him but the whole party. “If we do not respect, protect and build on the institution of the House of Peoples which we, the Croats, need the most, and which guarantees national equality with others, and if we do not protect rights of others that we seek for us, then it is absurd to protests against what happened to us two years ago when the Alliance formed the authority, and it could happen to us after the next elections,” says Brkic. |
| OHR removes Cevra | Vecernji List pg. 1 and 5 by Zoran Kresic – learns from a source close to OHR Mostar that ‘the Speaker of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly, Omer Cevra, refused to propose a Prime Minister designate of the cantonal government on February 3, thus breaching the deadline given to him by the OHR Mostar’. “That’s why one cannot rule out the possibility that the OHR might remove Cevra, and he would then join an army of removed officials”. VL says ‘the Bosniak side requests parity within the new HNK government, which should have eight ministries and a Prime Minister’. “According to the apportionment, Croats would get three ministries, same like Bosniaks, whilst Serbs should have one minister just like representatives of other peoples”. VL goes on to say that besides neglecting the OHR, Cevra is in breach of the cantonal Constitution because it stipulates that the Speaker of the Assembly must propose a Prime Minister designate from a line of other constituent people. |
| CoM’s tasks | Vecernji List pg. 4 by Marko Markovic ‘Only between 20 and 35% of taxes is being collected in BiH’ – about future tasks of the new composition of the BiH Council of Ministers saying that priority no. 1 the CoM stresses is improving the standard of living of BiH citizens. VL says the IC will help like it has done before and goes on to note that the unemployment rate has gone past 40% and many people are on minimal wages. The daily also says that the CoM has declared that its main job is not to open new jobs, but create better atmosphere so the foreign investments arrive to BiH. In that context, VL says the CoM will have to work on shortening the deadlines for registration of companies and creation of unified customs system, economic space and taxation policy. “The collection of taxes in BiH is currently between 20 and 35%, i.e. most of the money ends up in private valets. The tax evasion is no news, but the question is how to solve them. That will be one of the tasks of the newly installed officals,” says VL. |
| DL on the Presidency | Dnevni List pg. 2 by Slobodan Kuzman – an editorial in light of reports that the Croat member of BiH Presidency, Dragan Covic, will be charged with illegalities in the Eronet case and a report that other two members of the Presidency, Mirko Sarovic and Sulejman Tihic, will be charged too (see weekend Cropress summary). “It seems that some people believe to be untouchable and that the law cannot harm them, but the current situation says different. Nobody is untouchable in ‘the time of the High Representative’ including our representatives and as always, only time will tell whether they are really at fault for what they are being accused of,” says the author. |
OHR/International Community Affairs | |
| Commentary in Oslobodjenje | Oslobodjenje pg. 2 commentary by Amra Kebo ‘What did Ashdown say?’ – “In the last month and a half as many as three times HR Ashdown’s statements from the international media were denied by the OHR. They were denials related to statements on the arrest of Karadzic and the SDS. Ashdown’s Spokesman Julian Braithwaite additionally assessed the statements as misinterpretation,” writes kebo in her opening paragraph. She went on to list all the statements she referred to – staring with the one in the Moscow Izvjestija to the BBC and ending with the most recent one in the British Independent. Elaborating ont eh last statement, kebo say that Ashdown said nothing new that would be taken as a mean set up by anyone in BiH. According to Kebo, such statement would be expected of a man who was on the side of BiH in the midst of the war and who testified in The Hague three times. Kebo tells that they checked whether Braithwaite denied the statement for the Independent before he did so in the local media, but as it turns out he did not. Kebo goes on to say how they spoke to journalist Stephen Castle, who conducted the most recent interview with Ashdown, who confirmed that there were no reactions from the OHR. Additionally, Castle phoned Oslobodjenje to let them know that he received a call from Braithwaite who explained why he thought Ashdown was misinterpreted. There was however no talk of publishing a denial in the paper or a correction. |
| DL on Ashdown (positive) | Dnevni List pg. 10 by Eduard Babic ‘To English planned goals even over American policy’’ – a rather positive analysis of the tenure of the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown. “What can be said about Ashdown’s engagement in BiH after half a year. It is visible that all his efforts are aimed at the strengthening of state of BiH and the development of local self-government at the expense of the entities (…) Also, Ashdown avoids, as much as possible, to make personal appointments and punish disobedient local politicians by their suspensions, which was one of the main habits of previous High Representatives who wanted to strengthen their positions by doing so (…) It is quite obvious that he will persist in his efforts to introduce the VAT and customs administration at state level as soon as possible (…) We are prone to assert that if he succeeds in his efforts by the end of his tenure, his engagement, unlike his predecessors, could be labeled as successful,” says Babic. Babic also says that when it comes to the Croat point of view, the HR satisfied the role he is in because Ashdown, according to DL, treats all peoples the same and passes decisions that suit the Croat people in BiH. The one thing the author criticizes Ashdown for is that he calls this country Bosnia without mentioning Herzegovina. “This has become custom of almost every international official, both in and outside of BiH,” says Babic. |
| DL on Ashdown (negative) | Dnevni List pg. 6 by Zvonimir Jukic ‘Is stopping of development of Mostar about to happen’ – a rather negative editorial about the whole peace process in BiH in which the author says that the destabilization process of all pillars the IC has built in the last seven years after signing of the DPA has started six months ago with ‘dire arrival of British Lord Paddy Ashdown’. Jukic says it does not matter whether Ashdown did it on purpose or because he simply could not cope with the situation. The author goes on to say that BiH is, in the last six months, heading for the abyss saying that the security situation has been jeopardized. In that context, Jukic says attacks on returnees have become more frequent, citing incidents in Prijedor, Kostajnica and murders of Bosniak returnees to the RS and notes the burning of the Nativity Scene in Mostar. The author’s conclusion is that all segments show that all the positive processes in BiH have been stopped and that the next thing that is to happen is most probably ‘destruction’ of Mostar and the returning of the city into the ‘times of divisions, walls on Boulevard and nationally quarreled administration’. “If this happens, it will show the shortsighted policy of Lord Ashdown, and the main result of his activity will be a completely ruined optimism in this country, especially among young and progressive people. Because, I do not believe that young people, for instance in Mostar, will accept to live in Islamic Republic of Herzeg-Ireland, for their city become Belfast. They will not accept that their Sarajevo becomes Dublin and the President of the neighboring state becomes Radovan Karadzic who enjoys full support of people, since those who do not support him have either been expelled or slaughtered,” says Jukic. |
| HR’s and PDHR’s security details | Vecernji List pg. 1 and 3 by Zdenko Jurilj – reads that due to the culmination of the crisis in Iraq, the security status of international organizations in BiH has gone up. VL goes on to say that the OHR is not idle either and cites two examples to back it up. Firstly, the daily reports that PDHR Donald Hays’ personal security searched and took photos of three young men whose appearance resembled militant Islamists. Secondly, VL reports that one could see that the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, is nowadays surrounded by more bodyguards than it was the case when he started his tenure in BiH. |
| General Jones visiting BiH | Oslobodjenje pg. 3 ‘Informal visit’ – newly appointed supreme NATO Commander for Europe, James L. Jones, yesterday morning arrived to Sarajevo. He met with HR Ashdown and several ambassadors. SFOR Spokesperson Shawn Mell stated this was a routine two-day visit. |
CIPS | |
| Lagumdzija
| Avaz pg. 4 ‘Now Lagumdzija is requesting responsibility for the CIPS, which is being managed by his friend’ – at yesterday’s session of the BiH HoR, Zlatko Lagumdzija requested a list of companies with the names of owners and HQs, as well as written contracts within the realisation of the CIPS project. He further requested information on how much money has been paid so far from the issuance of new Ids and where the money went. He is also interested in the role of the local and international reps in the project. |
| Commentary in Avaz | Avaz pg. 3 by Armin Zeba ‘Lagumdzija’s hypocrisy’ – on Lagumdzija’s requests made yesterday during the BiH HoR session. According to Zeba, this goes to prove that there is no end to Lagumdzija’s hypocrisy. Zeba however reminds that BiH people know that Lagumdzija himself is one of the key creators of suspicious arrangements with the CIPS. His commentary ends by saying that authorities and judiciary bodies have finally come to realise that those who were involved in the CIPS scam are slowly loosing ground and would undertake necessary measure including criminal procedures against the responsible ones. |
| Skrbic | Avaz pg. 8 ‘Skrbic wants to hide the robbing of citizens by making sad allowances for pensioner’ – saying that the robbing by CIPS continues despite a number of protests. The daily claims that Skrbic pays no attention to any of the requests and continues to deceive the public, the last one being a hypocritical promise to reduce the prices for pensioners with permanent IDs. |
The Hague Affairs | |
| Sarovic
| Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘Sarovic will not support the lawsuit against FRY’, Dnevni List pg. 1 and 8 – both stories taken from news agencies (FENA and ONASA). BiH Chairman Mirko Sarovic stated he would not change his view and support the lawsuit against FRY regardless of the latest decision by The International Court of Justice. “Such decision is not surprising for me. That is only one phase in the process. It does not speak of the basic, but procedural questions.” |
| Reactions to the ruling | Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘Facing the reality’ – Professor of International Law, Vojin Dimitrijevic, who is also an ‘ad hoc’ judge at the International Court and voted against the last decision, stated that FRY and BiH politicians should reach an agreement and drop the lawsuit. If not, said Dimitrijevic, BiH is heading for a long, exhausting and expensive process of proving genocide. RS Vice-president Adil Osmanovic said that all serious politicians in BiH should accept the Court’s decision. “We do not want to prejudice the further outcome of the Court’s work, but we think that the International Court of Justice is the most competent to make a final decision regarding the happenings between 1992 and 1995,” Osmanovic said. He added that the decision was not directed against Serbs and RS, but against the regime in FRY at that time. The SDS’s stand has not changed. “It is illegal suit when it comes to interests of BiH as a subject of the international law defined by the DPA,” Dusan Stojicic, SDS Spokesman said. He added that the SDS believes that the Hague Court will bear in mind that one constitutive people in BiH and one entity is against the lawsuit. He also said that those who say that the lawsuit was not directed against the RS were not right, because ‘it prejudices character of war conflict BiH’. Leader of SNSD, Milorad Dodik, said that the lawsuit was disputable for the RS, because it had been submitted by one part of BiH – ‘the war leadership of Alija Izetbegovic in 1993’. “Due to that, the lawsuit is illegitimate. Besides, each decision with the international implications brought during the war should have been verified in BiH institutions after the Dayton,” Dodik said. He added that the International Court of Justice did not have any basis to continue with the process, unless it wanted to destabilise BiH. BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mladen Ivanic, said his Ministry did not have anything to do with the lawsuit. He explained that his Ministry did not have any function in it, because the BiH Presidency defined the whole foreign policy. (Blic pg. 7 ‘We will not accept the lawsuit’) “Monday’s decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague concerning BiH charges against the FRY was expected and Yugoslavia now faces a protracted lawsuit that will largely centre on a definition of the conflict,” Predrag Simic, FRY President’s Foreign Policy Adviser, said. (Nacional pg. 7 ‘An agreement of two states better than the court’) |
The Judiciary Affairs | |
| DL on appointing judges to the European Court | Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 1 and 16 by Zlatko Tulic – despite a proposition by the former BiH Council of Ministers who suggested that Ahmed Zilic, Zoran Pajic and Ljiljana Miovic become judges of the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg, the BiH Presidency requested the current CoM to withdraw the candidacies saying it is the only body according to the BiH Constitution authorized to give proposals. According to information close to the Presidency, allegedly there is only consent for Miovic. SD contacted BiH Deputy Foreign Minister, Lidija Topic, who tells the daily that Council of Europe’s recommendations read that BiH Parliament ought to be consulted and that a formal pre-requisite was omitted, the omission being that the candidates had to be nominated in alphabetical order. Topic stresses that the Foreign Ministry wants to see the process through therefore the Ministry will insist to the Presidency to hold additional consultations. According to SD, the rumor is that Pajic and Zilic suitt some BiH Presidency members. SD also says since Pajic spent most of the time during the war in London, some media accuse him of lobbying against BiH lawsuit against FRY and link his stay in London to his current status in the OHR. In that context, SD says Pajic owes much to the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown. |