OHR Monthly Tracker / Chronology 2001

Please also consult the OHR's chronology for 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 and 1995 Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

February The month of February saw the formation of the first non-nationalist government in a decade at state level as well as the House of Peoples in the Federation Parliament. They were successfully constituted despite consistent obstruction in the implementation of last November's election results by the HDZ (Croat Democratic Union) and its threats to create extra-legal institutions on the territory of the Federation. The controversy around the planned signing of the agreement on special and parallel relations between the RS and the FRY was also the focus of media attention in February. Despite the attempted obstruction by HDZ deputies, the last weeks of the month saw the creation of BiH's first non-nationalist government since the outbreak of the war in the guise of a new Council of Ministers. The High Representative expressed hope that the new Council - "which for the first time since the signing of the Dayton Accords, includes exclusively representatives of parties that fully embrace the State of BiH and are reform-oriented - will break with policies of the past and lead BiH actively and decisively into a better future". Despite the boycott of regular parliamentary procedure by the HDZ, the Federation House of Peoples was finally constituted on February 22. Bozidar Matic -- a respected economics professor and former head of BiH's Energoinvest company and a member of the SDP -- was named the new chairman of the Council of Ministers. Despite his promises during the first days of February that the HDZ would respect and implement the election results, the Central Board of the HDZ at its meeting on February 14 announced that his party would boycott the formation of governments at both state and entity levels. During all the following sessions of state and the Federation parliaments,HDZ representatives either walked out or simply failed to show up for important discussions. Claiming that the International Community works against Croat interests, Jelavic threatened that the HDZ would "turn the page" and present BiH with "shock therapy", which he did not clarify further. At the same time, Federation media and anonymous Croat officials began speculating that the HDZ would, via the Croat National Assembly, suggest the creation of a so-called Inter-Cantonal Council comprising the cantons and several municipalities with a Croat majority (mainly in Herzegovina). Many interpreted this as one more attempt to create a "third entity" in BiH. Commenting on the behavior of HDZ officials, the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, the head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Robert Barry, and other representatives of the International Community warned Jelavic and his colleagues that their behavior was unacceptable and detrimental to the Croats in BiH. The OHR stressed that, by refusing to participate in the authority, the HDZ is leaving a good portion of Croat voters without proper representation in both entity and state institutions, and invited its deputies to take part in legally established bodies of governance. The HDZ's threat to create an Inter-Cantonal Council were also dismissed by international officials who said that this body, if created, could not have any legislative or executive function. FRY President Vojislav Kostunica's public statement on February 8 that the FRY and the RS would sign an agreement on special and parallel relations between Yugoslavia and RS in the near future provoked strong criticism from BiH state officials who said they had not been informed of any details of the agreement. On February 22, the High Representative visited Belgrade for talks with Kostunica on the agreement. Soon afterwards, RS officials promised that the signing of the agreement on special and parallel relations would be conducted in a more transparent fashion. The actual signing ceremony was scheduled for March 5 in Banja Luka. February was a busy month for the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague (ICTY), which handed down two important verdicts. On February 22, the ICTY sentenced three Serbs from Foca to 28, 20 and 12 years respectively in prison for leading a campaign of mass rape in BiH. Media marked this historic decision as the first time sexual assault was itself punished as a crime against humanity. Just two days later, the same court sentenced two senior Croat officials indicted for committing war crimes against Bosniaks in Central Bosnia. Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez were sentenced to 25 and 15 years in prison respectively. This verdict was welcomed by most members of the International Community but was deemed unfair by the HDZ and Croat veterans associations in BiH. Finally, on February 8, the Sarajevo city administration confirmed the candidacy of Sarajevo for the Winter Olympic Games in 2010. City officials and the president of the Olympic Committee said this would be a great chance for the world to repay to Sarajevo for its suffering during the war. CHRONOLOGY February 1: Croatian parliamentary delegation visits Sarajevo to investigate the status of Croats in BiH. Delegation members promise they will not interfere in internal political processes in BiH Ante Jelavic, president of the HDZ (Croat Democratic Union), sends a vague open letter to the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, informing him that his party will participate in the formation of governments only after the Constitutional Court rules on the changes of the PEC (Provisional Elections Commission) rules governing the elections of deputies to the Federation House of Peoples and the EASC (Elections Appeals Sub-commission) Decision from November under which ten Cantonal HDZ mandates were taken away . The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council asks the High Representative to vigorously pursue the economic reform in BiH order to prevent economic and social crisis in the country (PR: SB Communiqué, Feb 1, 2001) February 2: BiH Constitutional Court declares a lack of jurisdiction in the case brought forward by Ante Jelavic (see item 2 in February 1) During the regular rotation, a Serb representative, Snezana Savic, elected the new president of the BiH Constitutional Court The High Representative visits Slovenia for talks on the economic role of this country in BiH (PR: HR's Visit to Slovenia - Feb 2, 2001) February 3: British newspapers report that Great Britain and Italy will send a specialized team of immigration officials to BiH to put an end to illegal immigration via BiH February 4: OHR spokespeople say that the High Representative is disappointed with the letter of Ante Jelavic because it does not reflect the seriousness of the situation and urges the HDZ to immediately start implementing elections results and to honor and actively promote the decision of the Constitutional Court February 5: The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, imposes Arbitration process under Annex 5 to determine the inter-entity boundary line in Sarajevo neighborhoods Dobrinja I and IV, and appoints an Irishman, Judge Diarmuid Sheridan, who is to make a final ruling by April The Human Rights Task Force, comprising the main international organizations in BiH - OHR, UNHCR, OSCE, and UNMiBH - meets to establish and endorse main human rights priorities for 2001 (PR: Human Rights Task Force - Feb 5, 2001) BiH opens it diplomatic office in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Radomir Bogdanovic appointed Charge d'Affaires at the BiH Embassy in the FRY capital February 6: President of the BiH Presidency, Zivko Radisic, threatens to revoke the credentials of ambassadors to BiH who interfere with BiH's internal affairs, sucha as the US Ambassador to BiH, Thomas Miller and his British colleague, Graham Hand; a few days later, Radisic claims his statement was taken out of context At a regular session, deputies in the BiH Parliament's House of Representatives reject the candidacy of HDZ's Martin Raguz for the post of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers OHR criticizes the HDZ's lack of readiness to participate in the formation of governments even after the Constitutional Court ruling on OSCE powers in BiH Independent Media Commission (IMC) decides to issue long term broadcasting licenses for 20 electronic media in Tuzla region; the decision provokes a great deal of criticism since it leaves some 42 radio and television stations which failed to meet the IMC criteria without the necessary permit February 7: The High Representative appoints members of Constitutional Commissions of entity parliaments in both the Federation and in the Republika Srpska (PR: High Representative names - February 7, 2001) The High Representative decides to establish a Special Auditor for the ten cantons in the Federation; the Auditor is to review the work of cantonal authorities and ensure proper collection and custody of revenues (PR: High Representative establishes Special Auditor - February 7, 2001) February 8: Sarajevo city administration officially announces its candidacy for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games FRY President Vojislav Kostunica announces the signing of an agreement on special and parallel relations between the FRY and the RS; Kostunica says the agreement should be signed in Banja Luka in ten days time February 9: The High Representative asks the BiH Presidency to appoint without delay a new candidate for the Chair of the Council of Ministers (PR: High Representative comments - Feb 9, 2001) February 10: Alliance parties (SDP, Party for BiH, Bosnian Patriotic Party - BPS, Republican Party, New Croat Initiative - NHI, Civic Democratic Alliance - GDS, Croat Peasant party - HSS, Federation Pensioners Party, Liberal Democratic Party - LDS, and Democratic Party of Pensioners) propose Bozidar Matic, a prominent academic and a successful business manager, as the Presidency's candidate for the Chair of the Council of Ministers BiH Workers Union asks for the revision of the RS Labor Law and its 'discriminatory' Article 152 which provides for a modest severance pay for illegally dismissed workers in the RS, but does not give them the option to return to work February 11: Sarajevo dailies speculate that, at its next session [scheduled for March 3], the Croat National Assembly will decide on the creation of a so-called Inter-Cantonal Council comprising of the cantons and municipalities with a Croat majority In an interview with a Sarajevo daily, the US Ambassador, Thomas Miller, claims that the present leadership of the SDS is in close contact with indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic February 12: In an article written for Zagreb's Jutarnji List, the High Representative criticizes the present policy of the HDZ and says the party, by playing the fear card, is working against the interests of Croats (Article: HR for Jutarnji List - Feb 12, 2001) Ante Jelavic, the Croat member of the BiH Presidency and the leader of the HDZ, says that Croats will change their politics in BiH and threatens with a 'shock therapy' for BiH; Jelavic's party colleague, Zoran Tomic, says the HDZ is considering the possibility of seceding from the BiH Federation The European Commission decides to increase humanitarian aid to the Balkans in 2001 by 17.8 million Euros to help refugee, displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups; BiH got none of this extra cash OHR sends legal opinion to outgoing Federation House of Peoples and Cantonal Assembly speakers clarifying that the F House of Peoples can be established even if required number of deputies cannot be reached. February 13: The Bosniak and the Serb member of the BiH Presidency endorse the candidacy of Bozidar Matic for the Chair of the Council of Ministers; Croat member, Ante Jelavic, walks out of the session and claims the violation of the vital interest clause (which is legally untenable) Federation Parliament Constitutional Commission formally constituted in Sarajevo February 14: In an interview with a Sarajevo daily, the High Representative stresses that the decision of the BiH Presidency to nominate Bozidar Matic for the Chair of the Council of Ministers is of historic importance and is a sign of the growing strength of this joint body The Central Board of the HDZ meets and decides that the party will boycott the formation of authority at the entity and the state level OHR spokespeople clarify that Ante Jelavic cannot claim the so-called vital interest clause, since that provision refers only to formal Decisions made by the Presidency and not to the nomination of candidates RS National Assembly Constitutional Commission formally constituted in Banja Luka The High Representative imposes a decision to ensure the immediate publication of the Telecommunications Sector Policy in the Official Gazettes of the Federation and the Republika Srpska (PR: HR imposes Official Publication - Feb 14, 2001) The OHR and the OSCE present the Draft Law on Defamation, Slander and Libel (PR: Draft Defamation - Feb 14, 2001) February 15: OHR and OSCE say that the Inter-Cantonal Council, if created by the HDZ, would have no legislative or executive powers BiH Foreign Ministry sends a note verbale to the FRY Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing its disappointment over the fact that no state body in BiH has been informed about the process of signing the agreement on special and parallel relations between the FRY and the RS February 16: The longest privatization saga in the Federation ends as the Sarajevo Canton Agency for Privatization and buyers of the Holiday Inn hotel voluntarily annul their sale contract OHR spokespeople says the recent actions of the HDZ are irresponsible and potentially dangerous, and could lead to the isolation of Croats in BiH February 17: The High Representative expresses his disappointment with the unreasonable refusal of the Chairman of the Federation House of Peoples, Niko Lozancic (HDZ), to schedule the constituting session of this body; the High Representative stresses that the decision of Lozancic and the HDZ can be understood as an attempt to obstruct the formation of government (PR: HR disappointed - Feb 17, 2001) Taking into account OHR's legal opinion (see February 12) the outgoing Deputy Speaker of the entity's House of Peoples, Alija Behmen, calls for the constituting session to be held on February 23 February 18: FRY Charge d'Affaires to BiH, Radislav Jankovic, says that Vojislav Kostunica will postpone his visit to BiH as well as the signing of the agreement on special and parallel relations between the FRY and the RS Sarajevo newspapers speculate that the president of the HDZ, Ante Jelavic, is willing to close down the party if the International Community accepts a document which is being drafted by HDZ officials; the document apparently calls for a new constitution and leaves open the possibility of a third entity in BiH February 19: Famous mayor of Mostar, Safet Orucevic, decides to resign his post and leave city politics International organizations active in BiH -- OHR, OSCE, UNHCR and the Committee for Real Property Claims -- report on the results of implementation of property laws in 2000 in both the Federation and the RS (PR: Results of Property Laws - Feb 19, 2001) Georges Bordot appointed the new head of OHR Banja Luka (PR: Welcome to new - Feb 19, 2001) February 20: Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Halid Genjac, initiates a case before the BiH Constitutional Court claiming that Article 152 of the RS Labor Law discriminates against non-Serb workers in the RS February 21: OHR spokespeople say the RS government needs to show genuine effort and produce more significant results in the implementation of property laws The High Representative meets the FRY President, Vojislav Kostunica, in Belgrade for a discussion on the content of the agreement on special and parallel relations between the FRY and the RS (PR: HR meets Kostunica - Feb 21, 2001) Several hundred Bosnian Serbs protest in Visegrad when two Bosniak returnees, former senior SDA officials, come to check on their property in the town; several policemen are slightly injured and two cars set on fire during a day-long demonstration February 22: BiH gets its first government in a decade without nationalist parties - Bozidar Matic is named the Chair of the Council of Ministers; the House of Representatives also approves the composition of the new Council suggested by Matic During regular rotation, Mostar deputy mayor, Neven Tomic, becomes the new mayor; Safet Orucevic officially announces his resignation and is replaced by Hamdija Jahic The Hague Tribunal sentences three BiH Serbs from Foca to 28, 20, and 12 years in prison for leading a campaign of mass rape during the war in BiH; international and local media mark this a historic verdict as the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia) has punished sexual assault in itself as a crime against humanity February 23: OHR welcomes the formation of the Council of Ministers (HR welcomes Formation of new Council of Ministers 22 Feb, 2001) Federation Parliament's House of Peoples constituted - Ivo Komsic (SDP) elected the chairperson, Meliha Alic (Party for BiH) the deputy chairperson; deputies in the House also nominate Karlo Filipovic (SDP) and Safet Halilovic (Party for BiH) for the post of President and Deputy President of the Federation OHR removes the former Federation Prime Minister, Edhem Bicakcic, from the post of the General Manager of BiH Elektroprivreda for abuse of public office (PR: HR removes Bicakcic - Feb 23, 2001) February 24: Following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Great Britain, the RS places a ban on import of pork and meat products from all countries which had registered cases of the disease Commenting on his removal from the post of the General Manager of Elektroprivreda, Edhem Bicakcic rejects all allegations and says the decision of the High Representative is 'illegal' February 26: OHR welcomes the formation of the Federation House of Peoples (PR: HR welcomes - Feb 26, 2001) The Hague Tribunal sentences two senior Croat officials, Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez to 25 and 15 years in prison respectively for crimes against humanity committed in Central Bosnia during the war; while the International Community welcomes the verdict, Bosniaks are appalled by the 'light sentence'; some Croat veteran associations and the HDZ say the 'unfair' ruling places a feeling of collective guilt upon Croats in BiH February 27 Federation Parliament's House of Representatives endorses the nomination of Karlo Filipovic and Safet Halilovic for the post of the President and the Vice President of the Federation February 28: Federation Parliament's House of Peoples confirms Karlo Filipovic and Safet Halilovic as the President and the Vice President of the Federation Ante Jelavic, the Croat member of the BiH Presidency and the leader of the HDZ, sends a letter of support to two sentenced Croat war criminals, and proclaims that the Federation is from now on solely a Bosniak entity.   ECONOMIC STATISTICS Economic Data BiH for 3rd Quarter 2000 Source: RS and FBiH Statistical Offices RETURN STATISTICS See Link to the UNHCR Mission to BiH web page at www.unhcr.ba and PDF-file.

March As a significant step forward, Bosnia and Herzegovina in March has seen the establishment of authority on all levels. The Federation got its first government comprising representatives from parties that are reform-oriented and were not in power during the war, the BiH House of Peoples was constituted, and two new members of the BiH Presidency were confirmed. But the month was also marked by hard-line members of the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) trying to break from constitutional structures, leading to the High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch's dismissal of Ante Jelavic from his positions as BiH Presidency member and HDZ president. With violent unrest in Macedonia, the High Representative also argued against new calls for a redrawing of borders in southeastern Europe. Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic was on his way to jail. Nearly four months after the elections, the Federation half of BiH got its first government comprising representatives from parties that are reform-oriented and were not in power during the war , on March 12th, led by Social-Democratic Party (SDP) member Alija Behmen. On March 20th, the BiH Parliament House of People was constituted with Ilija Simic of the Croat Peasant Party (HSS) as Chairman and Sejfudin Tokic (SDP) and Nikola Spiric of the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) as his deputies. The BiH Parliament also elected the new Croat and Bosniak members of the BiH Presidency : Beriz Belkic (Bosniak, Party for BiH) and Jozo Krizanovic (Croat, SDP) will join the last remaining member of the old Presidency, Zivko Radisic (Serb, Socialist Party of RS) in the joint leadership of the country. Their election had become necessary due to the resignation of Alija Izetbegovic last October and the dismissal of Ante Jelavic by the High Representative. These events in March were overshadowed by the activities of the HDZ leadership and the Croat National Assembly (HNS). On March 3rd, the HNS declared interim "Croat Self-Rule in BiH" . This was followed by HNS officials instructing Croats and their legally elected representatives to reject the newly-elected Federation government (March 12th). HDZ officials ordered on March 13th the temporary disbandment of the Croat component of the Federation Army . Finally, on March 28th, a considerable number of Croat officers and soldiers walked out from their barracks. The High Representative and other members of the international community condemned the activities HNS and HDZ as illegal, unconstitutional and irresponsibly towards their voters. On March 7th, the High Representative removed Ante Jelavic , member of the BiH Presidency and the HDZ president, as well as three other senior party colleagues: Ivo Andric Luzanski, deputy in the BiH House of Representatives and Marko Tokic and Zdravko Batinic, who held party positions, from all elected and party functions. On March 20th, the Political Directors of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board in Brussels expressed their full support for the actions of the High Representative and condemned what they termed the illegal and unconstitutional establishment of the Croat self-rule in BiH. As part of the ongoing dispute, a number of HDZ officials left their post in the Federation, taking sides with the HNS. The Federation authorities dismissed a number of disloyal Croat officials , including Filip Andric from the Federation Customs Administration and a number of senior officers of the Croat component of the Federation Army. Another significant breakthrough was the long overdue issuance of an urban permit for the reconstruction of Banja Luka's Ferhadija Mosque on March 24th by RS authorities. The Human Rights Chamber had requested RS authorities to issue all necessary permits in its June 1999 ruling. The Ferhadija Mosque was completely destroyed by Bosnian Serb forces in 1993. The media also paid great attention to the signing of an agreement on special and parallel relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska . The FRY President, Vojislav Kostunica, and the RS President, Mirko Sarovic, signed the agreement on March 5th in Banja Luka, saying they wanted to boost economic and cultural ties. The High Representative had a busy schedule. In his address to the UN Security Council on March 22nd, Petritsch warned members against trying to redraw borders in the Balkans. The Security Council expressed their support for the High Representative and his peace efforts. Petritsch also met United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, who both pledged their support of his efforts to implement the Dayton Peace Agreement. Earlier in the week, the High Representative called on European Union foreign ministers to remain engaged in BiH and urged NATO, its partners and other countries who contribute troops to SFOR to continue their vital peacekeeping role in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the end of the month, the Chief Prosecutor of ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia), Carla Del Ponte, met BiH officials in both Sarajevo and Banja Luka as well as representatives of the international community in BiH. She said new indictments would soon be issued for war crimes allegedly committed by Bosniaks. Her deputy, Graham Blewitt, said at the end of the month that ICTY was considering widening the indictment against former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, to include crimes committed during the war in BiH. Milosevic was arrested by Serbian police on April 1. CHRONOLOGY March 1: At a round table organized by the Croat National Assembly in Travnik, the then-vice president of HDZ (Croat Democratic Union), Marko Tokic, argues that Croats should have their own republic within BiH. March 2: In the single largest raid conducted simultaneously in 39 night clubs across BiH, local police from both Entities and IPTF officers (International Police Task Force) free 177 women, mostly from the Baltic countries, who were reportedly forced into prostitution, and arrest 48 persons suspected of being involved in the illegal trafficking of women The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, issues a Decision creating a single regulator for the communications sector in BiH, the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA). The CRA combines regulatory responsibilities for telecommunications formerly held by the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (TRA), with those of broadcasting, formerly under the Independent Media Commission (IMC) (PR: HR Creates Single Communications - March 2, 2001) The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, issues a Decision amending the Law on Witness Protection in the BiH Federation (PR: HR Amends Federation Law - March 2, 2001) In a personal message to BiH citizens the day before a session of the Croat National Assembly in Mostar, the High Representative warns that the Mostar gathering could be used by radical elements to establish parallel institutions for their own advantage; Petritsch stresses that illegal and anti-Dayton activities will not be tolerated by the international community (PR: HR's Personal Message - March 2, 2001) March 3: At the session in Mostar, the Croat National Assembly (HNS) declares interim "Croat self-rule" in BiH. Marko Tokic (HDZ) is elected the president of the so-called Self-Rule, Zdravko Batinic (HDZ) vice president, and Ivo Andric Luzanski (HDZ) president of the Legislative Council. The HNS threatens to break away for good unless the international community and other political partners in BiH meet a list of demands within 15 days (see afternoon media round up for March 5) The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, the Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Robert Barry, the US Embassy to BiH, and the UN Mission to BiH dismiss the decisions of the Croat National Assembly as illegal, unconstitutional and anti-Dayton. March 5: The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), Vojislav Kostunica, and the RS (Republika Srpska) President, Mirko Sarovic, sign an agreement on special and parallel relations between FRY and the mainly Serb Entity, aimed at boosting economic and social ties. The framework agreement that is envisaged under the Dayton Peace Agreement, needs to be fleshed out in annexes, on which the OHR will be consulted, according to the agreement. Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan and the country's President, Stipe Mesic, condemn the decisions of the Croat National Assembly as detrimental to the interests of the Croat people in BiH. The Croatian leaders stress that all contentious issues in the country should be resolved through dialogue and the legally established institutions. March 6: In an interview to a Viennese daily, Wolfgang Petritsch, dismisses the recent actions of the Croat National Assembly as the "mere act of one political party - the HDZ." March 7: The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, removes Ante Jelavic as well as three other senior party colleagues: Ivo Andric Luzanski, deputy in the BiH House of Representatives and Marko Tokic and Zdravko Batinic, who held party positions, from all elected and party function. Petritsch says Jelavic and his colleagues acted irresponsibly towards their voters and violated the constitutional order in BiH (PR: HR removes Jelavic - March 7, 2001 and PR: HR TV address on Jelavic - March 7, 2001) March 8: OHR spokesperson Alexandra Stiglmayer says the international community in BiH will undertake further measures if the HDZ continues implementing decisions of the Croat National Assembly. The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council issues a statement of support for the decision to remove Jelavic, Tokic, Batinic and Andric Luzanski (PR: Steering Board Communiqué - March 8, 2001), as do the United States Embassy in Sarajevo, the US State Department, the European Commission and the Council of Europe. Most political parties in BiH, including the HSS (Croat Peasant Party), the NHI (New Croat Initiative), the Party for BiH, the SDP (Social Democratic Party), and the SDA (Party for Democratic Action) also support the High Representative's action. Brcko District marks its first anniversary (PR: HR address reg. 1st anniversary - March 8, 2001, PR: Address by Brcko Supervisor - March 8, 2001, and PR: PIC Steering Board on Brcko - March 8, 2001) March 9: The Presidency of the HDZ rejects the Decision of the High Representative to remove its officials from all public functions, but Ante Jelavic says he will "voluntarily resign" from the BiH Presidency. According to an illegal decision of the Croat National Assembly, a dismissed party official and president of the so-called Croat self-rule, Marko Tokic, becomes the civilian commander of the Croat component of the Federation Army. The Conference of BiH Bishops (Catholic) condemn the actions of the international community and call for a dialogue with "the legal representatives of the Croat people in BiH." March 10: In an open letter, the temporary Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Halid Genjac, asks for an urgent session of the BiH Parliament's House of Representatives in order to discuss the issue of filling the Bosniak and the Croat vacancies in the Presidency. The media quote the High Representative as saying the Croat and Bosniak vacancies in the BiH Presidency will be resolved simultaneously. March 11: The media report that a secret meeting took place on Saturday, March 10, between the highest political leaders of BiH and the Republic of Croatia, during which the present political situation in BiH was discussed. According to reports, the Croatian President and the Prime Minister gave their support to the legally established institutions of authority in BiH. Federation Minister of Defense, Miroslav Prce, rejects the possibility that Marko Tokic, president of the so-called Croat self-rule, can assume the civilian command of the Croat component of the Federation Army and rejects allegations that some Croat officers and soldiers are leaving the Army. During an eight-hour meeting, the Alliance parties (SDP, Party for BiH, Bosnian Patriotic Party - BPS, Republican Party, New Croat Initiative - NHI, Civic Democratic Alliance - GDS, Croat Peasant party - HSS, Federation Pensioners Party, Liberal Democratic Party - LDS, and Democratic Party of Pensioners) agree on the composition of a new Federation government. The seats are distributed, by and large, among the three strongest parties - the SDP, S BiH, and the NHI. March 12: Nearly four months after the elections in November, the BiH Federation gets its first non-nationalist, government led by Alija Behmen (SDP) Marko Tokic, the president of the so-called Croat self-rule, calls on Croats to reject the newly-elected government in the Federation. The Brcko District Supervisor, Gary Matthews, appoints members of the judiciary in the District (PR: Supervisor of Brcko - March 12, 2001) March 13: Croatian media speculate that the war-time HVO (Croat Defense Council) commander, General Stanko Sopta Baja, met with high-ranking Croat officers to create a split in the Federation Army and form a separate defense structure for the so-called Croat self-rule in BiH Media report that the dismissed HDZ president and the Croat member of the BiH Presidency, Ante Jelavic, ordered the outgoing Federation Defense Minister, Miroslav Prce, (who is soon - in two days -- to be officially replaced by Mijo Anic) to temporarily disband the Croat component of the Federation Army and have Croat soldiers remove the Federation insignia from their uniforms; Jelavic later confirmed that he indeed gave such orders to the then Federation Defense Minister March 14: OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic stresses the High Representative is always open for a dialogue with representatives of the HDZ who respect the law, international treaties and the BiH Constitution The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, issues a Decision giving the Independent Judiciary Commission a new and more comprehensive mandate (PR: HR gives mandate - March 14, 2001) The High Representative names Gerhard Sontheim acting Supervisor of the Brcko District until the position is filled on a permanent basis (PR: HR appoints Gerhard - March 14, 2001) The new Federation Defense Minister, Mijo Anic, annuls the decision of his predecessor, Miroslav Prce, to disband a larger portion of the Croat component of the Federation Army At its session, the RS National accepted its obligation to amend the RS Constitution in order to harmonize it with the Decision of the BiH Constitutional Court on the constituent status of the constituent BiH peoples in both Entities March 15: In Jajce, the Main Board of the HDZ proceeds with the creation of the so-called Croat self-rule in BiH and amends its statute to elect three additional vice-presidents from the HDZ; Martin Raguz, Dubravko Horbat and Ivo Vincetic Deputy Commander of the Joint Command of the Federation Army, General Dragan Curcic, offers his resignation to the Federation Defense Minister saying that he wants to remain loyal to the Croat people The Croatian Foreign Ministry sends an official note to its BiH counterpart stressing that the Republic of Croatia fully supports the legal state and Entity institutions in the country March 16: The Croat National Assembly (Sabor) postpones the self-proclaimed Croat self-rule in BiH for another two months March 17: Federation Defense Minister Mijo Anic appoints General Ivo Lozancic (NHI) the acting Deputy Commander of the Federation Army. A number of Croat officers in the Federation Army say Lozancic is not a legitimate representative of the Croat people and refuse to declare their loyalty to the new Deputy Commander March 19: Despite estimates by Bishop Ratko Peric that up to 100,000 people will take part in a well-advertised prayer gathering in Mostar, only 3,000-5,000 turn up. The speakers express their unreserved support for the decision of the Croat National Assembly The High Representative calls on European Union foreign ministers to continue their country's engagement in implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement (PR: HR calls EU Foreign Ministers - March 19, 2001) The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, urges NATO, its partners and other countries contributing troops to SFOR to continue their vital peacekeeping role in BiH (PR: HR urges SFOR - March 19, 2001) March 20: The BiH Parliament's House of Peoples is constituted; Ilija Simic (HSS) is elected the Chairman, and Sejfudin Tokic (SDP) and Nikola Spiric (PDP - Party of Democratic Progress) are elected his deputies At its meeting in Brussels at the level of political directors, the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) expresses its full support for the recent actions of the High Representative and condemn the illegal declaration of Croat self-rule in BiH The Mostar City Board votes no confidence for the Mostar mayor, Neven Tomic, and asks for his removal. Anonymous HDZ officials say Tomic's "sins" are his moderate views and good relations with the international community March 21: At a press conference, Federation Defense Minister Mijo Anic and the Deputy Commander of the Federation Army, Ivo Lozancic, said that they will not tolerate any attempts to establish a parallel military force in the Federation A delegation of the Council of Europe meets in Sarajevo with the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Zivko Radisic, and the BiH Council of Ministers to discuss BiH's progress in meeting the requirements for accession to the Council of Europe Mostar Mayor Neven Tomic refuses to resign despite the previous day's vote of no confidence by the Mostar City Board; President of the Board's HDZ caucus, Pavo Saravanja, resigns because he disagrees with the decision to remove Tomic March 22: According to media reports, the HDZ leadership calls on the Croat members of the Federation Ministry of Interior to leave their posts In his address before the UN Security Council, the High Representative warns members against redrawing borders in southeastern Europe and calls for continued international pressure on all Balkan states to cooperate with the ICTY (U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia) (PR: HR Brief UN - March 22, 2001). The UNSC expresses its full support for the High Representative and condemns the illegal establishment of so-called Croat self-rule in BiH (PR: UN SC supports HR - March 23, 2001) The High Representative meets UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the political situation in BiH (PR: HR meets UN SG - March 23, 2001) March 23: The High Representative meets US Secretary of State Colin Powell to discuss the progress BiH has made in refugee return, economic recovery and institution-building (PR: First Meeting HR - March 23, 2001) The Croat National Assembly (HNS) welcomes the decision of a number of Croat officials within the Federation Ministry of Defense, the Joint Command of the Federation Army and the Customs Administration to offer their services to the HNS. Marko Tokic, the president of the so-called self-rule, says that Croat soldiers who decided to leave the Federation Army were paid 500 KM Deputy Federation Minster of Finance Nikola Grabovac dismisses the director of the Federation Customs Administration, Filip Andric, and appoints Milenko Tosic to that post. This move comes a day after Andric and 18 other senior Croat officials declared their loyalty to the Croat National Assembly, of whom a reported 16 return a couple of days later. Federation Defense Minister Mijo Anic removes three senior officers in the Federation Army -- Antun Luburic, Dusko Grubesic and Ivo Filipovic -- due to their refusal to follow the established chain of command March 24: Croatian news agencies quote Martin Raguz, the coordinator of the so-called Croat Self-Rule, as saying that a high level meeting between representatives of the Croat National Assembly and the OHR would take place in the near future OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic stresses that the High Representative will no longer negotiate with dismissed members of the HDZ but remains open for dialogue with the more moderate wing of this party After a long delay, the Banja Luka authorities finally issue an urban permit for the reconstruction of the Ferhadija mosque which was destroyed by Bosnian Serb forces in 1993 (PR: OHR notes issuance - March 26, 2001) March 25: In an editorial published in The New York Times, the High Representative argues that redrawing of borders in the Balkans and the possible withdrawal of the International Community from the area would be fatal (PR: Don't Abandon the Balkans - March 25, 2001) During an unofficial visit to the BiH capital, Yugoslav Foreign Affairs Minister Goran Svilanovic meets his BiH counterpart Zlatko Lagumdzija and discusses the formation of an International Council for cooperation between the two countries News agencies report Croat National Assembly officials have declared that Croats will cease paying any duties or customs taxes to the Federation budget March 26: The Chief UN Prosecutor for the ICTY, Carla del Ponte arrives in Banja Luka for a three day visit to BiH; Del Ponte calls for the arrest of indicted war criminals, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, and announces new indictments against other war crimes suspects in BiH The BiH State Border Service officially takes over three border crossings -- rail, road and river -- in Brcko District March 27 Croat National Assembly advises the Croat component of the Federation Army to temporarily disband Following his meeting with the ICTY Chief Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, the High Representative calls the SDS (Serb Democratic Party) to deliver on their pledge to cooperate with The Hague tribunal and hand over Radovan Karadzic to ICTY. Petritsch says that the SDS should expel Karadzic from the party The BiH Parliament's House of Representatives elects Jozo Krizanovic (SDP) and Beriz Belkic (Party for BiH) as candidates for the Croat and Bosniak members of the BiH Presidency March 28: Following the call of the Croat National Assembly for a temporary disbandment of the Croat component of the Federation Army, a number of Croats officers and soldiers -- up to 7,000, according to some reports -- in Vitez, Livno, Mostar, Kiseljak and several other towns walk out of their barracks The High Representative holds high level talks with senior European Union officials to tackle illegal immigration issues (PR: HR tackles illegal - March 28, 2001) Federation Defense Minister Mijo Anic decides to dismiss three additional Croat commanders -- Marinko Ljojo, Mladen Nikolic and Ivan Antolovic -- for their disloyalty to the Federation Army March 29: The BiH Council of Ministers issues a plan with regard to legislative activity in 2001, according to which this body will pass over 60 laws, including the Elections Law, by the end of the year The High Representative expresses his concern that yet another offer he has made to the HDZ to represent the interests of the Croats in BiH and address all matters of concern within legal institutions, is not being answered (PR: HDZ again rejects - March 29, 2001) March 30: SDA vice president Sulejman Tihic threatens that SDA delegates in the BiH and the Federation Parliaments will withdraw unless the implementation of election results is revised and the SDA is given more posts in the legislative bodies The BiH Parliament's House of Peoples confirms the election of the new Croat and Bosniak members of the BiH Presidency, Jozo Krizanovic (SDP) and Beriz Belkic (SBiH) March 31: Media report that the dismissed general manager of BiH Elektroprivreda and former Federation prime minister, Edhem Bicakcic, filed a complaint to the BiH Constitutional Court pertaining to the decision of the High Representative to remove him from this post Serbian police try to arrest former FRY president and indicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic. Wait until next month's edition of tracker!   ECONOMIC STATISTICS Economic Data BiH for 3rd Quarter 2000 Source: RS and FBiH Statistical Offices RETURN STATISTICS See Link to the UNHCR Mission to BiH web page at www.unhcr.ba and PDF-file.

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Office of the High Representative