- BH-Central Institutions
- BiH Parliament House of Representatives constitutive session
scheduled for today:
- HDZ Presidency names its candidates for BiH Parliament House of
Representatives:
- Zlatko Lagumdzija - National parties will be left aside;
- Ivo Andric-Luzanski - HDZ finds civic option unacceptable;
- Federation
- Federation pensioners to receive August pension in January 2001
- Federation President rejects the proposal for judges of the
Federation Constitutional Court:
- Federation Prime Minister shifts responsibility:
- Bicakcic confirms he is running for Director General of
Elektroprivreda BiH:
- Police finds 112 kilograms of drugs in an UN truck:
- Mostar: Ante Jelavic at the reception by Herzegovinian Franciscans -
'B&H Croats need dual citizenship'
- Ante Jelavic, HDZ B&H President - 'Mesic sent a message to Petritsch
to crush Croats in B&H!'
- Drvar: Comments on the initiative by the Serb Intellectuals in Drvar
for secession of the Municipality from the HBC and annexation to the
Una-Sana Canton - 'Change of borders contrary to Dayton Agreement'
- 'In Bicakcic's view, the social peace is the biggest success'
- Republika Srpska
- Special bilateral relations between Yugoslavia and the RS:
- Mirko Sarovic and Dragan Cavic met with Vojislav Kostunica - Special
relations will be established at the middle of January;
- The SNS Executive Board on session of the BiH Parliament;
- Mirko Banjac - SDS without its candidate;
- International Community
- Yugoslav Foreign Minister says dissolution of FRY will effect the
region, especially BIH:
- 'Crisis in the relations between Petritsch and the US Ambassador to
BiH Miller?'
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Central Institutions related Issues:
BiH Parliament House of Representatives constitutive session scheduled for
today:
BiH Parliament House of Representative constitutive session is scheduled for
Friday, Dnevni Avaz and Banja Luka papers reported. The main topics of the
agenda are the verification of the representatives' mandates, giving the
oath and the election of the president and the two vice-presidents of the
House of Representatives, the daily said.
HDZ Presidency names its candidates for BiH Parliament House of
Representatives:
HDZ Presidency has, at its Thursday's session held in Mostar, named its
candidates for the BiH Parliament House of Representatives, Sarajevo papers
said. Mariofil Ljubic is the candidate for the President of the House while
Ivo Andric Luzanski is the candidate for the vice-president.
Zlatko Lagumdzija - National parties will be left aside;
(NN) Zlatko Lagumdzija expects that BiH Parliament leadership, that does not
include SDS-HDZ-SDA, will be elected at today's session of the HoR. "These
three parties (HDZ, SDA and SDS) cannot have more than 19 votes, while the
Alliance will probably have 22 or 23 seats, which basically means majority
in the HoR", says Lagumdzija. He says he is afraid that formation of
government at both levels and in three assemblies in BiH will be going on
very slowly and calls on representatives of national parties to be more
responsible.
Ivo Andric-Luzanski - HDZ finds civic option unacceptable;
(NN) Today's edition of "NN" quotes Ivo Andric-Luzanski as saying that if
HDZ candidate is not elected in the HoR Collegium, than HDZ will not
participate in work of the HoR and Ante Jelavic will be asked to refuse to
nominate BiH CoM designate. Andric-Luzanski says he is convinced that HDZ
candidate for the HoR Dep/Chair Mariofil Ljubic will be elected given that
HDZ was supported by 90% of Croats at the November elections.
Federation
Federation pensioners to receive August pension in January 2001:
Federation Prime Minister, Edhem Bicakcic told Oslobodjenje that pensioners
in this entity will receive their August pensions by January 3rd.
Oslobodjenje's front page story also said that Bicakcic said that despite
the implementation of the Pension Law imposed by the High Representative
pensions will not be decreased. Prime Minister said that there is enough
money in the till and that by the end of the year pensioners will receive
July pensions as they were before.
Federation President rejects the proposal for judges of the Federation
Constitutional Court:
Sarajevo papers reported that Federation President, Ejup Ganic rejected the
proposal for the judges of Federation Constitutional Court. Ganic rejected
the proposal of the Federation Commission for the Election of Judges sent to
him because it consisted of four Bosniaks, four Croats and one judge from
the corps of "others." The President said that the proposal should be
adjusted with the BiH Constitutional Court's decision on the
constitutionality of all three nations and it should be formed of three
Bosniaks, three Croats and three "others," papers said and added that
Ganic's position is backed up by the OHR.
Federation Prime Minister shifts responsibility:
Sarajevo papers said that the polemics between Federation Prime Minister,
Edhem Bicakcic and Mostar leaders continued. Accused by the workers of
Aluminijum and Sokol that he has caused a lot injustice for them and that he
should leave his position, Bicakcic urgently replied shifting the
responsibility to the Mostar City Administration saying that it is not only
responsible for these two companies the fate of its employees but that power
plants Salakovac and Grabovica are under the city administration's
jurisdiction, papers said.
Bicakcic confirms he is running for Director General of Elektroprivreda BiH:
Dnevni Avaz reported that the outgoing Federation PM, Bicakcic has confirmed
to this daily that he is one of the candidates for the Director General of
the BiH Elektroprivreda. Prior to taking over the position of the Prime
Minister Bicakcic was the head of this company the daily said.
Police finds 112 kilograms of drugs in an UN truck:
Police in Capljina has confiscated 112 kilograms of marijuana in a stolen UN
truck and has arrested two persons from Banja Luka who were in the truck.
This is one of the biggest drug busts in BiH this year, papers said adding
that there were no indications that UN officials were involved in the
smuggling but merely that a vehicle of this organization was used.
Mostar: Ante Jelavic at the reception by Herzegovinian Franciscans - 'B&H
Croats need dual citizenship'
Split daily Slobodna Dalmacija reported that the Agreement on Special
Relations between the B&H Federation and Croatia is a worthless piece of
paper and Croats in B&H need dual citizenship, said Jelavic on Thursday. He
said the Agreement is a "tie around the neck of B&H Croats" and added that
the most important annexes to the Agreement will never be signed.
He stated that Croats in B&H are not interested in participating in the
elections in the Republic of Croatia.
"We no longer want to vote at the Croatian presidential or parliamentary
elections," stated Jelavic.
He urged for the signing of an inter-state agreement on dual citizenship
between the RC and B&H as soon as possible, and said that due to the
non-existence of such an agreement, Croats are in danger of becoming a
national minority in B&H.
This tendency, in Jelavic's opinion, prevails with individual IC
representatives who, "under the guise of democracy" want to introduce the
civic one-person-one-vote system, which would result in Croats becoming a
"national minority."
However, he thinks that the "clerks" of the IC are "the last to be blamed
for the difficult position of Croats in B&H," and added that those
responsible are "our people who have had dinners with them," and are
planning to remain in power for the sake of "their own positions and
financial interests."
Ante Jelavic, HDZ B&H President - 'Mesic sent a message to Petritsch to
crush Croats in B&H!'
According to Zagreb daily vecernji List Ante Jelavic said that Croatian
President Mesic sent a message to the HR, Wolfgang Petritsch, saying that he
is giving up on Croats in B&H.
"I am not interested in the Croat people in B&H, do what you want, crush
them and form coalitions as you like," Jelavic thus rephrased Mesic's
message to the HR. He explained that an advisor of Petritsch's, whom he did
not name, conveyed that message to the Croat leadership in B&H.
Drvar: Comments on the initiative by the Serb Intellectuals in Drvar for
secession of the Municipality from the HBC and annexation to the Una-Sana
Canton - 'Change of borders contrary to Dayton Agreement'
Zagreb daily Vecernji List quoted Neven Maric, the President of the HDZ
Municipal Board in Drvar as saying that "The cantonal borders were defined
by the Dayton Agreement, which means that the idea is extremely unserious
because it calls for a change of the Dayton Agreement. It is quite clear
that one wants to provoke a situation in Drvar and find a reason for
presenting Drvar as a place with an atmosphere of incidents and thus make
Drvar a target for various critics."
Drvar Mayor Rajko Damjanovic said he would not comment on the request before
he receives it in the written form.
Regardless of the situation in Drvar, a position and an opinion is expected
to come from IC representatives and the HR who, at least so far, have
rejected all possibilities of changing the borders in the Dayton B&H and
requested full implementation of the DPA.
'In Bicakcic's view, the social peace is the biggest success'
Zagreb daily Vjesnik said that the Federation Prime Minister Edhem Bicakcic
assessed the fact that the social peace, which is in his opinion the
prerequisite for the continuation of economic transition, has been preserved
as the biggest success of his Government over the current year. Estimating
the overall results of the Government's work, the Prime Minister said that
the year 2000 has been successful for the BiH Federation.
At the New Year's press conference, Bicakcic also presented the data that
are to substantiate such a statement. According to him, the realisation of
this year's budget of the Federation will exceed the amount of the foreseen
budget revision and will amount to approximately a billion KM. The original
budget revenues of the FBiH have been fully realised, and a minor decrease
of revenues has been noted in Cantons, which is the result of the
implementation of macroeconomy. Industry production has increased for 9%,
and a significant increase of goods export, which in the year 2000 amounts
to 1,3 billion Marks, has been noted. The "coverage" of import by export has
reached some 30%, and Bicakcic expects that there could be a balance in this
sense in the next 5 years. The volume of the wholesale trade has increased
for 6%, due to drought the agricultural production has decreased for 8%.
According to data, until the end of October 11.469 people were employed and
the number the unemployed has increased for 2.426 persons. The rise of
prices in the retail sail is below the rate of 3%, which was what the
Government foresaw in the beginning of the year, and is 1,8%. Prime Minister
Bicakcic also stated that a significant progress has been achieved in the
field of DPs returns.
Republika Srpska
Special bilateral relations between Yugoslavia and the RS:
Oslobodjenje reported that Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica and his RS
counterpart, Mirko Sarovic have agreed on the establishment of special
bilateral relations.
"Kostunica and Sarovic have agreed on reaching an agreement on special
bilateral relations between Yugoslavia and the RS what will after the
establishment of diplomatic relations help solving numerous problems,"
Oslobodjenje quoted Yugoslav news agency Tanjug as reporting.
Mirko Sarovic and Dragan Cavic met with Vojislav Kostunica;
(GS & NN) Mirko Sarovic and Dragan Cavic met with Vojislav Kostunica in
Belgrade yesterday. The main topic of the meeting was establishment of
special and parallel relations between the RS and the FRY, foreseen by the
DPA. According to Sarovic, special and parallel relations will be
established at the middle of January next year, and will not question
sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH. He says that working groups
for drafting of the agreement were established yesterday, and that the
agreement will be signed after Kostunica's visit to Sarajevo.
The SNS Executive Board on session of the BiH Parliament;
(NN) At yesterday's session the SNS Executive Board decided not to accept
offers of national parties no matter what they offer. They unanimously
decided to support the Alliance for Changes and SDP BiH candidate for the
BiH CoM.
Mirko Banjac - SDS without its candidate;
(GS & NN) Mirko Banjac says that SDS will not nominate its candidate for
post of the HoR Dep/Chair. According to Banjac it still has not been agreed
who the candidate will be, but it might be somebody from PDP or SPRS. "That
person will be member of party that SDS has a good cooperation with in the
RS NA", says Banjac. He refuses possibility that SDS supports SDP's
candidate or other parties' candidates that did not support the SDS in the
RS NA. Commenting on possibility that PDP supports the Alliance for Changes,
Banjac says that in that case SDS will not support PDP.
International Community
Yugoslav Foreign Minister says dissolution of FRY will effect the region,
especially BIH:
Sarajevo papers quoted Yugoslav Foreign Minister, Goran Svilanovic as saying
that if the dissolution of FRY continues it will have serious effects on the
region, especially BiH.
"I am not prepared to directly link the status of Republika Srpska with the
status of Kosovo but if the criteria are changed on the case of Kosovo it
would be hard to explain why can't the same or similar criteria be
implemented for the RS," Svilanovic was quoted as saying.
'Crisis in the relations between Petritsch and the US Ambassador to BiH
Miller?' (by Mario Marusic)
Zagreb daily Vjesnik said that the cooperation between the American
Ambassador to BiH, Thomas Miller, and the IC High Representative Wolfgang
Petritsch are on the lowest level possible, Sarajevan "Dani" claim referring
to the statements of and unnamed Western diplomat coming from a country that
is a member of the Contact Group.
Particularly criticised is the behaviour of the American Ambassador Miller,
with a comment that it is obvious that "it is possible to cooperate and
develop common policy for the region with American diplomats only up to the
limit of and as long as one agrees and supports their policy, their approach
and assessments which can be totally wrong and counterproductive". The
crisis in the mutual relations between Miller and Petritsch, which are
actually a reflection of the relations between the USA and Europe when it
comes to BiH, has culminated by Petritsch's recent refusal of Holbrooke's
idea to ban the SDS. The American Administration was left all alone in terms
of this request in the eve of the November 11 elections, and Petritsch
stayed on the line of the French-German-British policy towards BiH, causing
the rage of Washington.
Instead of admitting their own mistakes, the cutting edge of Holbrooke and
Miller's dissatisfaction is pointed at Wolfgang Petritsch thanks to which
what is called "the international community policy" keeps on roaming "the
Bosnian maze" without a real goal.
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