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Joint Institutions
- The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) held its eleventh
meeting on 30 December in Lukavica. Attending the session were two of
the three Presidents, Alija Izetbegovic and Momcilo Krajisnik, as well
as Mariofil Ljubic representing Kresimir Zubak, who was unable to
attend. The Presidency welcomed the agreement of the nominated Co-Chairs
of the Council of Ministers to the Protocol on the Modalities of the
Meetings of the Council of Ministers of BiH, which was signed on the same
day in the presence of the Presidency. Following its decisions of
November 30 and December 12, 1996 the Presidency called on the House of
Representatives of BiH to convene in Sarajevo on 3 January and to approve
the nominations of the Co-Chairs and the Council of Ministers, and, upon
nomination of the latter, the Vice Chair, the Ministers and their
Deputies. The Presidency also called on the House of Peoples of BiH to
hold its inaugural session in Lukavica on the same day.
- The Presidency requested the Council of Ministers, after their approval
by the House of Representatives, to consider with urgency the question
of a permanent arrangement on the premises, location and functioning of
the common institutions of BiH.
The Presidency also decided to adopt the Agreement on Cooperation with
UNICEF. According to the Procedure agreed at the eighth session of the
Presidency, Mr. Krajisnik was authorised to sign the Agreement.
The Presidency received a letter from SFOR announcing the visit of the
Secretary General of NATO Solana and SACEUR General Joulwan to Sarajevo.
The Presidency will meet the visitors in the National Museum before
their next session, which will be held on 3 January.
On 30 December Dr. Haris Silajdzic and Mr. Boro Bosic, nominated by
the Presidency at its 10th session as Co-Chairs of the Council of
Ministers of BiH, held consultations on the modalities of the meetings of
the Council of Ministers.
The following was agreed:
- The formula for the venue of meetings of the Council of Ministers
would be the same as that agreed by the Presidency on 22 October for
Presidency meeting venues. Furthermore, as decided by the Presidency on
30 November, sessions of the Council would be held every Friday at 1400
hours.
- In accordance with the Presidency statement of 22 October, "a
permanent arrangement on the premises, location and functioning of ... the
Council of Ministers ... shall be agreed by consensus within six months"
(i.e. from 22 October 1996 to 22 April 1997).
- The Co-Chairs would take turns as Chair, rotating weekly. The first
weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers would be held in Lukavica,
chaired by Mr. Boro Bosic.
- The Co-Chairs would work jointly, convening sessions in turn and
defining the session agendas, until the Laws and the Rules of Procedure
of the Council of Ministers were adopted.
- The Co-Chairs would take office upon the approval of the House of
Representatives of BiH and nominate by consensus the following persons as
Members of the Council of Ministers:
| Vice Chair | Neven Tomic (Croat) |
| Minister of Foreign Trade & Economy | Hasan Muratovic (Bosniac) |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade & Economy | Nikola Grabovac (Croat) |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade & Economy | Gavro Bogic (Serb) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Jadranko Prlic (Croat) |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | Husein Zivalj (Bosniac) |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | Dragan Bozanic (Serb) |
| Minister of Civil Affairs & Communications | Spasoje Albijanic (Serb) |
| Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs & Communications | Nudzeim Recica (Bosniac) |
| Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs & Communications | Milan Krizanovic (Croat) |
- The Vice-Chair, Ministers and Deputy Ministers would take office upon
approval by the House of Representatives of BiH on 4 January 1997
- At a press conference following the meetings Principal Deputy High
Representative, Ambassador Michael Steiner, briefed journalists and
expressed his satisfaction with the agreement. "I think this is good
news for the end of the year. From Friday we will have a Council of
Ministers. We are working step-by-step closer to the aim of a fully
functioning Government. This will provide the preconditions necessary
for BiH representation at the forthcoming Donor's Meetings", he said.
Preparations for the Donor's Conference were especially important for
the revitalisation of the BiH infrastructure, particularly at the level
of energy, rail and road links. Ambassador Steiner stressed the need for
a speedy start to the work of the Council of Ministers and urged the
Council to forward a proposal for the location of common offices. Asked
how the impasse had finally been broken, Ambassador Steiner said that
the several day "time out" from negotiations had helped give the Parties
time to reflect on their positions. "This reflection time has worked
well. They realised that the only approach that would work was the one
that had been proposed to them", he said.
- The third session of the RS National Assembly took place in Jahorina
on 27 December. All parties were represented with 65 of the 83 deputies
in attendance. The adoption of the Legal Commission's recommendation
that the SDA, the Joint List and the Party for BiH be able to assume all
rights and duties without taking the oath permitted their full
participation for the first time. The Government invoked the "urgent
procedure" to pass a Draft Law on the Military which is expected to come
into force on 31 December. Also discussed at the session were the Draft
Law on the RS Government and the Draft Law on Ministries. No conclusions
were reached on these issues and these, as well as all other agenda
items, were referred to the next session, expected to be held in late
January.
Belgrade
- The High Representative, Mr. Carl Bildt, issued a statement on 28
December urging President Slobodan Milosevic to recognize the findings
of the OSCE Mission led by Mr. Felipe Gonzalez. Mr. Bildt called upon
the authorities in Belgrade to exercise the greatest restraint in
connection with the demonstrations "which continue in peace and dignity
day by day". Mr. Bildt said he was "deeply disturbed" by the reports of
violence in reaction to the demonstrations in recent days. "The
development of democracy in Serbia is of crucial importance for peace
and stability throughout the region", he said.
- Mr. Felipe Gonzalez, head of the OSCE Monitoring Mission which was
sent to Serbia to examine the disputed results from the 17 November
elections concluded on 27 December that the Opposition coalition
"Zajedno" (Together) had won local elections in 13 Serbian
municipalities and nine municipalities. Mr. Gonzalez issued a statement
to the OSCE leadership in Europe calling for an "urgent appeal" to
authorities and political forces in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(FRY) "to comply with the will expressed at the polls by the citizens".
- "the authorities as well as all political forces in the FRY should
accept the results of the local elections of 17 November" he said.
Human Rights
- The High Representative, Carl Bildt, wrote to the Ombudsmen of the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 22 December to congratulate them
on the prestigious Human Rights Watch monitoring award they received
last month and to praise their office for its important contribution to
the protection and promotion of human rights. In his letter, the High
Representative said that the "effectiveness with which ... you have worked
together is a convincing refutation for those who see ethnic segregation
as the only viable solution for Bosnia and Herzegovina." Mr. Bildt also
pledged the OHR's commitment to finding expanded ways of supporting the
Ombudsmen's work in the coming year.
- UN IPTF received a complaint from a Bosniac man who said that he was
evicted from his house in Teslic on 20 December on the orders of a local
official. Two other Bosniac men complained to UN IPTF that they were
under pressure from the local authorities to leave their homes.
International monitors report that harassment and intimidation of
Bosniacs in Teslic is again on the rise, with an increase in haystack
and barn-burnings, thefts of property, grenade attacks, telephone
threats, and physical assaults. International monitors also report that
the Teslic authorities have imposed special bureaucratic requirements
for minority residents and visitors that appear to be designed to
inhibit returns.
In a recent meeting with RS President Plavsic, the High Representative,
Carl Bildt, expressed his concern about the deteriorating human rights
situation in Teslic. Also, UN IPTF intervened with the Chief of Police
and the Mayor of Teslic on 17 December to request information about the
"Teslic Civil Protection Unit" which is believed to responsible for a
number of the incidents.
- International organisations reported that the general manager and the
editor-in-chief of the independent radio station "ISV" in Sarajevo
suffered severe injuries after they were beaten up outside the station's
offices on 20 December by two men wielding planks of wood. The incident
occurred after the station broadcast the findings of a poll about the
continuing popularity of Santa Claus. International officials strongly
condemned the attack as an affront on freedom of expression and to the
values of tolerance openness and goodwill for which Sarajevo was well
known.
- UN IPTF reported that four Serb men arrested on 17 December in Odzak
were released on 20 December after a decision by the court. Three HVO
soldiers being held in Doboj, who had been arrested earlier this month,
were released the same day.
Freedom of Movement
- On 20 December, a Bosniac man in Grbavica threatened to bomb the UNHCR
bus if it continued to transport Serbs to the city. The local police
were informed. UN IPTF also reported several more stoning incidents on
the Sarajevo - Gorazde road in the past few days, including an incident
on 19 December in which a Bosniac man was injured in the head after the
bus he was travelling in was hit by rocks. UN IPTF met with the chief of
public security in Rogatica concerning vehicle stonings on this route.
The Chief suggested that Federation-registered vehicles only use the
road at specified times, or use an alternate route. UN IPTF told the
official that the local police are responsible for ensuring freedom of
movement and that increased patrols and presence are required.
- Federation police in Sanski Most complained to UN IPTF that RS police
have been preventing movement across the IEBL and that three RS
policemen turned away a Bosniac family attempting to cross at Stari
Rijeka on 21 December.
- On 22 December, 30 Bosniac displaced persons were able to successfully
visit their former homes in four villages in the Prijedor area, although
some villagers near Ljubija threw eggs at their bus.
- A Croat man complained to UN IPTF that has was arrested by local
police in Doboj on 21 December because he did not have ownership or
registration documents for his car. The man was later released, but RS
police confiscated the car and fined him 380 dinars for the violation.
Economic Issues
- The World Bank has approved a loan worth 2 million DEM for
construction of a water supply facility in the Kladanj municipality. The
company Bosna-Sarajevo has already started work on construction of the
plant.
- The US Red Cross is providing 800,000 DEM for the construction of a
central heating system in Kladanj. The Overseas Development
Administration has also provided 250,000 DEM for reconstruction of the
town's power plant, situated in Sokolina.
- The US Agency for International Development (USAID) have given a
600,000 DEM loan for the repair and refurbishment of the Sarajevo
factory, Kljuc. The loan will fund equipment for the factory which will
employ up to 90 new workers, the majority of whom will be demobilised
soldiers.
- The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a statement on Thursday
announcing the delivery of one metric tonne of protein biscuits to the
Stabilisation Force in BiH in support of its humanitarian activities. The
distribution to public kitchens, hospitals and elderly persons will be
carried out by various NGOs throughout BiH.
- Norwegian People's Aid has assisted with the reconstruction of an
elementary school in Moscanica in the Sarajevo area. The total cost of
the project was 650,000 DEM.
Media Issues
- International monitors report that the editor of a Bijeljina-based
independent magazine recently resigned after being summoned to Pale for
questioning about the publication's owner. The editor's wife had also
been questioned by police on at least two occasions in recent months and
a local bank, reportedly run by a prominent SDS member, has demanded
that a loan it made to the magazine be repaid immediately. The case is
being reviewed by the Media Experts Commission (MEC).
- A local journalist in Zenica complained to international monitors last
week that she was threatened and insulted by a high-ranking official of
the Zenica-Doboj Ministry of the Interior in the presence of other
cantonal officials following publication of an article she wrote about
an assault committed by one of the Minister's staff.
- In a positive development, local media reported that teenagers
involved in producing the "underground" publications Usput (east and
west Mostar), Grafit (Tuzla), Bom (Banja Luka) and Trash (Sarajevo) have
banded together to start a new monthly magazine called Nepitani (Those
Not Asked). The new publication, like similar e-mail and comic book
initiatives currently underway, will include submissions from youth in
all parts of BiH.
Looking Ahead
- 03 January
- House of Representatives of BiH Meeting, National Museum, Sarajevo
- 03 January
- Presidency meeting, National Museum, Sarajevo
- 03 January
- Presidency meets with Secretary General of NATO Javier Solana and SACEUR General Joulwan
- 03 January
- Inaugural Meeting of the Council of Ministers, Lukavica
- 09-10 January
- Donor's Information Meeting, Brussels
- 12 January
- Economic Policy Forum, Sarajevo
- 21 January
- Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, Brussels
See our Chronology for a full list of activities
The OHR Bulletin is produced by the Public Affairs Department of the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo and aims to give an overview of what is happening on the ground in the civilian implementation of the Dayton Agreement. Suggestions and contributions are welcome and should be addressed to the Public Affairs Department of the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo (387-71) 447 275 ext. 562, Fax (387-71) 447 420. Callers from outside BiH dial via Brussels switchboard: Tel. (32-2) 737 7500 & Fax (32-2) 737 7501
OHR Bulletin nr. 31, issued 2 January 1997.
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