BH-Central Institutions Fear of the "Balkan Syndrome": Will the Balkans become new Chernobyl?; Federation January pensions to be disbursed in February; Situation in Bocinje somewhat calmer; Republika Srpska Biljana Plavsic goes to The Hague?; Ivanic's Government to include seven SDS ministers; RS NA Session scheduled for January 15th; International Community OHR is looking into the appointment of Edhem Bicakcic to the post of Elektroprivreda's General-Manager; Editorials Slobodna Dalamcija: Mostar Five case; Vecenji List: The Alliance for Change strikes again; Central Institutions related Issues: Fear of the "Balkan Syndrome": Will the Balkans become new Chernobyl?: The controversy around the possible use of depleted uranium ammunition during bombing of Serb positions in both BiH and Kosovo is rapidly capturing the attention of media in BiH and other surrounding countries which may be affected. An Italian delegation lead by Italian Minister of Defense visited Sarajevo yesterday and held a series of meeting with representatives of BiH authorities behind closed doors and discussed the so-called Balkan Syndrome. Meanwhile, the SFOR and the headquarters of the NATO denied the allegations of using any cancer-causing material in their ammunition used in actions in the Balkans. In relation, the AFP reports that the Federation health ministry announced on Thursday that the number of cancer cases increased in 1999, but could not confirm if they were caused by radioactive contamination due to depleted uranium shells used by NATO. According to statistics 230 cancer cases were diagnosed among 100,000 Bosnians in 1999, while in 1998 the number was 152. In the same year, there were 10.4 leukemia cases registered among 100,000 citizens, comparing to 6.24 diagnosed in 1998. Following the reports on several deaths among peacekeepers who had served in Bosnia and Kosovo, Health Minister Bozo Ljubic called a meeting of health and environmental protection institutions on Thursday. The ministry expressed concern over the fact that the Bosnian authorities were not informed on use of depleted uranium missiles during the 1995 NATO operations in the country at the end of 1992-1995 war, a statement issued after the meeting said. The ministry is to ask for a meeting with SFOR representatives, it added. The health ministry said it lacked the adequate equipment for precise measuring of the radioactivity in water and food, stressing that the increase of cancer cases was however "certainly" influenced by risk factors of diet, smoking, alcoholism and pollution. Six Italian soldiers, who served in the Balkans have died of leukemia, prompting Italy to demand NATO investigation into the alleged effects of using depleted uranium ammunitions. Federation January pensions to be disbursed in February: Tying to clarify the confusion about pensions in the Federation, OHR Spokesman, Chris Bird, said that January pensions should be disbursed at the beginning of February, i.e., after the Federation authorities collect the sufficient amount of funds for the monthly disbursement. Bird stressed that the next payment of pensions must be implemented in accordance with the new Law on Pension Fund. On behalf of the OHR, he called upon the Federation authorities and directors of the Sarajevo PIO Fund to begin working promptly on the implementation of the new law and make necessary efforts to explain to the citizens important provisions of this law. Bird said that it is the responsibility of directors of pension funds in the entity to collect the funds in order to ensure a timely disbursement of January, and not December, pensions. "These authorities also need to remove all the obstacles in the implementation within this month in order to ensure their compliance with the law," said Bird, and added that the OHR feels with pensioners but suggests them to direct their anger to their own government and PIO Funds who are primarily responsible for work of the new system. Situation in Bocinje somewhat calmer: According to media reports, the situation in the village of Bocinje was somewhat calmer on Thursday. No incidents were registered and the leader of the Mujahedeen community in BiH, Abu Hamza, was released from detention. Oslobodjenje reports that Nordic and Polish battalions within the SFOR are still stationed in the village and are controlling several points, like the controversial "social house" which was turned into a Muslim place of warship, mesdzid. According to reports, no Serb returnees were registered in Bocinje in the past two days. Confirmation about more stable situation in this village also came from the SFOR and the IPTF. Republika Srpska Biljana Plavsic goes to The Hague?: Today's issues of newspapers in the Federation dedicate a good deal of space to the still unconfirmed rumors of Biljana Plavsic, the SNS President and a war time leader of the Bosnian Serbs, planning to appear before the ICTY. Oslobodjenje's correspondent from The Hague speculates that Plavisic will likely appear in the court first as a witness, however, her role would soon thereafter change. Similarly to the case of Drazen Erdemovic, who came to the ICTY as a witness and ended up as suspect, Plavisic's sealed indictment will be opened. The same source claims that ICTY officials are presently negotiating with Plavsic and perhaps even guaranteeing lower sentences in exchange for her testimony in politically more important cases. According to Dnevni Avaz, on her trip to The Hague, Plavsic could be "accompanied" by the present President of the SDS, Dragan Kalinic, whose war-time records also include inhumane activities towards his Bosniak patients. Ivanic's Government to include seven SDS ministers: SRNA news agency reported that the cabinet of the RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, would include seven ministers from the SDS. According to the same source, the SDS put forth candidates for the positions of the ministers of Urbanism, Energy and Mining, Education, Trade, Industry, Culture and Refugees, while the PDP nominated its members for the posts of ministers of Military Issues, Communication, Local Management, Religion, Internal Affairs, Agriculture, and Finance. Srna also reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be a Bosniak, while the post of Ministers of Defense and Justice will go to the SPRS. RS NA Session scheduled for January 15th: The session of the RS Parliament, at which the RS would most probably decide on the new Government, will be held on January 15th. This was confirmed by the PDP delegate to the RS National Assembly, Nada Babic. Among other things, Babic said that: "The list with the names of candidates for the ministerial posts at the new government has not been completed and finalized as of yet. The second round of consultations between the RS Prime Minister designate, Mladen Ivanic, and the parliamentary parties is still ongoing." According to her, the Ivanic's proposal regarding the composition of the cabinet would get the support of the parliament majority at the RS NA session. International Community OHR is looking into the appointment of Edhem Bicakcic to the post of Elektroprivreda's General-Manager: OHR Spokesman Patrik Volf said that the OHR is presently looking into the appointment of the Federation Prime Minister, Edhem Bicakcic, to the post of the Elektroprivreda General Manager. Volf stressed that the OHR needs to establish as to whether there is a conflict of interest between Bicakcic position of the Prime Minister and the post of the Elektroprivreda's Manager. "Should we find out that there are any irregularities in the process of the appointment, it is up to the High Representative to take the next step and decide what to do," - said Volf. Editorials Provided by the Mostar OHR Slobodna Dalmacija: The Mostar Case - The trial to 5 Croats accused of war crimes loses authenticity: In a badly staged process, a suspect "harassed" a victim from the hospital bed (by Zoran Sagolj) Zoran Soldo, together with Ivan Skutor and Erhard Poznic, is charged with maltreating a Bosniak from July 4 to July 7 1993. Yet, his lawyer, Drago Bevanda, claims that Soldo was seriously wounded on May 10 and was hospitalized at the Split Hospital until August 17 of the same year, so that the whole construction falls apart. Skutor's lawyer Dragan Barbaric says that none of the witnesses spoke of what they saw themselves, they actually talked about what they heard from others; not to mention that the minutes of the investigation were signed. By the end of 1996, the investigation had been completed and its results were submitted to the Hague Tribunal. Finally, last July, after the consent from the Hague had been secured, the bills of indictments were issued. "I can freely say that the investigation, which started it all in 1996, is staged both in terms of the application of the proceedings regulations and the pure Substantive Law", said lawyer Berislav Vlaho who, with his colleague Marijo Bogdanovic, defends the first indictee, Zeljko Dzidic who was, some time after the war, the president of the HDZ Mostar Municipal Board. Upon being asked whether and when the remaining two indicted Croats from the western part of Mostar will turn themselves in to the Court, Anicic's lawyer Marko Martinovic replies that "his client does not run away from the law, but before lawlessness". What he has been accused of, he claims, has not been confirmed by a single word at the hearing of witnesses, some of them even stated Anicic had helped them during the war. "As for the surrender, everything will depend on the development of the situation. I do not think that will happen as, first of all, I believe in the acquitting verdict", Martinovic is positive. Other defense lawyers of the "Mostar 5" are also convinced in the acquittal verdict for the reason that, according to them, none of the charges have been proven. Yet, as the Prosecutor suggested hearing of new witnesses, they fear that the trial may be prolonged for an indefinite period of time. They state the case of hearing of 15 witnesses so far 12 of which have, according to them, have changed the statements they had given during the investigation. That is why the lawyers of the "Mostar 5" have decided to press criminal charges against the investigation judge, Munevera Rahimic, and the Public Prosecutor, Ibro Bulic. Vecernji List: In the calm period after the holidays, the authority in BiH is being formed too slowly - The Alliance announces political offensive ( written by Dejan Jazvic) Sead Avdic, the Chairman of the House of Representatives of B&H, announced that the Alliance would soon propose a candidate, who should replace Halid Genjac in the B&H Presidency. By appointing ' their man' into the B&H Presidency, the parties of the Alliance would make a big step toward the election of their candidate for the Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers. The B&H Presidency proposes the mandatary of the Council of Ministers, however, the present members of the Presidency would not definitely propose a candidate of the Alliance for the new Premier. Ante Jelavic, a Croat member of the B&H Presidency, announced he would not support a candidate of the Alliance for the B&H Premier, even at the cost of loosing his position in the Presidency. In that case the Alliance also relies on the support of the High Representative, who might use his mandates and remove Jelavic as the one of the last impediments standing on the way of the Alliance toward the stars. However, the Parties of the Alliance will also have to resolve the internal problems, because it has not been agreed yet in that political group who will be the candidate for the new mandatary of the B&H Council of Ministers. The members of the NHI or Party for B&H have the biggest chances for that position, and the SDP might propose a candidate of the Alliance for the position of the Bosniac member of the B&H Presidency. The only thing certain for the time being is that the path of the forming of the executive authority in B&H will be thorny because the same problems and imbroglios may be expected in the process of the establishing of the executive authority at the level of the B&H Federation.

The BiH Media Round-up is being compiled primarily for the OHR's internal purposes under time pressure. Please disregard grammar and typing mistakes. The mentioned media reports do not reflect OHR views, and the OHR does not take responsibility for them.

OHR BiH Media Round-up