- BH-Central Institutions
- Coordination Board of Office for Revision of Finances meets:
- BiH Presidency to discuss negotiations with FRY:
- Federation
- BiH Pensioners fund asks Federation government for help:
- Constitutive session of Federation Parliament House of
Representatives scheduled for this week:
- Herzeg-Bosnia still exists:
- Amor Masovic SDA's most serious candidate for Federation President:
- The Ombudsman's Office wrongly interpreted the figures on the return
process to the Mostar Central Zone: 219 of the flats have been repossessed
and not 19:
- Why is the privatization in the Federation so late:
- Republika Srpska
- International Community
- SDA protests because of constant IC pressure on Bocinja residents:
- OHR says Arizona market will be fully reallocated:
- Chris Bird (OHR Spokesman): OHR will not support RS Government that
includes the SDS;
- ICTY representatives refuse political bargaining - Milosevic,
Karadzic and Mladic must be tried in the Hague;
|
Central Institutions related Issues:
Coordination Board of Office for Revision of Finances meets:
The Coordination Board of the Office for Revision of Finances of the
institutions of the Federation and the RS met in Sarajevo, papers
reported. Revision standards were adopted at this session and their
implementation will secure the objectivity and fairness of the process of
revision. Implementation of revision procedure will enable faster adoption
of the Office for Revision into international revision institutions
bringing BiH closer to Europe, papers said.
BiH Presidency to discuss negotiations with FRY:
Bosnian Serb news agency Srna reported that BiH Presidency should start
discussions on January 11th on launching the negotiations for reaching
several contracts between BiH and FRY, the BiH presidency chair Zivko
Radisic said. The Presidency is to initiate talks linked to the trade
agreements, agreement on improvement and protection of investments as well
as the agreement on customs cooperation between BiH and FRY.
Federation
BiH Pensioners fund asks Federation government for help:
Dnevni Avaz reported on Monday that BiH Pensioners' Fund officials have
sent a letter to the Federation government asking that a program of
consolidation of funds be created. Fund officials warned the government
that there is not enough money to pay the January pensions and that they
need additional 17 million KMs. The letter was sent at the end of December
last year and has still not been responded to, the daily said. w
If the funds are not provided pensioners will be in a very difficult
situation and a new social unrest is possible, especially because the New
Pension Law, imposed by the High Representative, has to be implemented,
Fund officials said.
Constitutive session of Federation Parliament House of Representatives
scheduled for this week:
Federation Parliament House of Representative has scheduled its
constitutive session for January 11th, Oslobodjenje reported. Enver Kreso,
head of the House said that 75 percent of the preparations have been done
but HDZ is still obstructing the establishment of this institution. Kreso
added that he hopes that in the next few days HDZ will finally present its
proposals for their candidates and enable the work of the House,
Oslobodjenje said.
Herzeg-Bosnia still exists:
Oslobodjenje reported on Monday that discussions at the Federation
Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of Mostar City Council
decision has shown that five years after Dayton Agreement was signed a
number of parallel institutions of the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia still
function. Not only that two parallel unconstitutional systems of
Elektroprivreda exist but the founder and one of the owners of one of the
systems is Herzeg-Bosnia. In addition to this Herzeg-Bosnia still
functions as a political and territorial community-authority in 34
municipalities in the Federation, the daily said.
Amor Masovic is SDA's most serious candidate for Federation President:
Sarajevo papers reported that the current president of the BiH Missing
Persons Commission and member of SDA party, Amor Masovic is the
most serious candidate for the Federation President. Oslobodjenje also
said that BiH Ambassador to Croatia, Hasan Muratovic said he would "gladly
accept the BiH chief of diplomacy post".
The Ombudsman's Office wrongly interpreted the figures on the return
process to the Mostar Central Zone: 219 of the flats have been repossessed
and not 19:
Split daily Slobodna Dalmacija reported that Franjo Boskovic, the Head of
the Department for the Housing Issues of the Mostar City Administration,
stated for 'Slobodna Dalmacija' that the Office of the Ombudsman wrongly
interpreted the figures on the return to the Mostar Central Zone. In the
Ombudsman's report it was stated that 469 claims for the flat repossession
have been submitted on the territory of the Mostar Central Zone, which is
under the direct Authority of the Mostar City Administration. 219 of the
claims have been solved, and 19 flats have been repossessed by the owners.
73 claims for the repossession of real estate have been submitted, 18 of
them have been solved and 3 have been repossessed by their owners.
Boskovic stated that the figures on the number of the repossessed flats
have been wrongly interpreted, because out of 469 claims for the
repossession of the flats, 219 of the flats have been repossessed by their
owners and not 19 as it was stated in the Ombudsman's report.
Boskovic stated that in the Federal Ombudsman's report on the results of
the return process during the previous period it was not stated that 208
of the decisions on the flat repossession refer to the destroyed flats
which were not temporarily occupied and thus evictions were not necessary.
He also added that by these decisions 'we have confirmed that the persons
who submitted the claims for the property repossession are the actual
holders of the tenancy right in that housing unit.
Boskovic stated that they issued 11 decisions for the flats, which were
temporarily occupied and that these flats have been repossessed by their
owners. He added that 7 flats should be repossessed during this month, and
the exact dates and hours of the evictions have been determined. He
stressed that it is important to mention that the same day when they issue
the decision on the flat repossession the flat should be returned to its
owner and according to him this is not the case in the other
Municipalities.
As far as the private houses are concerned, according to the information
of the Department for the Housing Issues of the City Administration, out
of 73 claims submitted 29 houses have been repossessed by their owners.
One business premises has been repossessed and three garages.
Why is the privatization in Federation so late:
Zagreb daily Vecernji List reported that the IC took over the care over
the process of the privatization of the 86 firms of the strategic interest
in BiH Federation- the tender sale to the foreign strategic investors.
However, only four tenders have been announced so far, and none out of 86
firms has been privatized, that is, it was not sold to the foreign
investors. The Agency for Privatization of the BiH Federation publicly
accused those who took over the responsibility for this process-the
International Advisory Group (IAG), the World Bank and the EU. However,
the people from the Federal Agency claim that the USAID fulfills its
obligations. By the tender sale to the strategic investors about 300
firms, that is, their departments should be privatized (and the rest of
these firms' shares should be offered at the public registration of
shares).
The selling of the strategic firms by the public tender was raising a
hope, but it is getting more and more difficult for the promised foreign
capital to get to BiH. And when a few firms in Herzegovina found the
formula how to run and improve production, or when they found the
investors in Croatia or in the third countries, they were accused for the
non-cooperation. The same was with the Mostar Aluminium, which succeeded
to find the partners in Croatia, Germany and France, and if they had not
committed this sin they would have gone bankrupt by now.
Republika Srpska
RS reactions on RS Cabinet released by SRNA;
Christmas editions of "NN" and "GS" (6-9 January) carry reactions of RS
political parties on SRNA news according to which SDS and PDP will get 7
ministerial posts each and SPRS will get 2 posts. Branko Dokic (PDP
vice-president) denies SRNA information, claiming that the information is
tendentious and does not match with what was discussed at the
consultations. "Today we have started to talk about specific names, the
talks will be held during the next fey days, and composition of the
Cabinet will be known on 10th or 11th of January. According to all
negotiation we have had so far, SDS will get 2 ministerial posts", says
Dokic.
Stanislav Cadjo (member of the SNSD Executive Board) says this information
tells us that this is not experts' government but a classical political
cabinet in which ministerial posts were distributed amongst political
parties. "Ivanic probably had a different vision of RS Cabinet, but
obviously could not resist pressures coming from the SDS and extremists
from his party.
Nebojsa Radmanovic (president of DSP) says that DSP will not support RS
Cabinet that includes 7 SDS members because it neither guarantees support
of the IC nor development or future of the RS. Radmanovic adds that
presented Cabinet does not correspond to what was discussed and agreed at
the consultations.
Branislav Lolic (SNS vice-president) says that the RS Cabinet with 7 SDS
members is not realistic. "It is maybe somebody's wish, but certainly it
is not a specific agreement. The SNS is ready to support the Cabinet that
will get support of both, the IC and majority in the RS NA. Cabinet that
does not have support of the IC does not have a chance for successful
work", says Lolic.
Ostoja Barasin (DNS Spokesman) says that inter-party consultations with RS
PM designate are still underway and that SRNA information is only a
speculation.
Sulejman Tihic (SDA vice-president) says that RS Cabinet that does not
include SDA member will not get support of SDA. He says that composition
of RS Cabinet, released by SRNA, is expected because these 4 parties (SDS,
PDP, SPRS and DNS) have majority in the RS NA. "It is still unknown from
which party is RS Minister of foreign economic relations, since, according
to the list, he should be Bosniak, and we have information that he is SDP
BiH member. We did not discuss it with Ivanic because this ministry exist
on BiH state level", says Tihic.
Munib Jusufovic (SBiH official) says that SBiH will not support the RS
Cabinet in which SDS will get more than half of ministerial posts. It is
ironic that a Bosniak should get post of minister of foreign economic
relations since this ministry exists at the state level.
Tomislav Tomljenovic (NHI deputy at the RS NA) says that NHI will support
experts' government without SDS.
Slobodan Popovic (SDP BiH) says that SDP will not support this RS Cabinet
regardless if it includes ten or one SDS members because SDP will not
support Cabinet with members of national parties. The purpose of this
information is only checking of the IC's puls.
Goran Popovic (SDS official) and Milutin Pejic (SPRS secretary general)
did not want to comment on the information.
SDS press release:
Nezavisne Novine reported that the SDS issued press release on Friday
which reads that members of the SDS Presidency were very surprised when
they heard about the list of future RS ministers. The press release
further reads that the list is nothing but a speculation, and that SDS
accepted Ivanic's suggestion that candidates for few ministerial posts
should be experts, who are SDS members or are very close to SDS. "The SDS
is also ready to support all other members of the RS Cabinet after
consultation with RS PM designate and representatives of political parties
who have majority in the RS NA", reads the press release.
Activities of the RS PM designate - Second round of consultations started;
Special Christmas edition of Nezavisne Novine reports that Ivanic started
the second round of consultations with representatives of SDS, SPRS and
DNS. Talks between leaders of SDS, SPRS and DNS will be probably continued
on 9th and 10th January so that Ivanic will be able to come out with
composition of RS Cabinet at the RS NA session, which, most probably, will
be held on January 12th.
International Community
SDA protests because of constant IC pressure on Bocinja residents:
Oslobodjenje reported that SDA party protested because of the constant
pressure of the representatives of the international community on the few
remaining residents of Bocinja village. The last example was the SFOR
action during Bayram holidays when it blocked the village and almost
initiated a serious incident, SDA said in a statement.
SDA is surprised with the determination of the international community to
react in Bocinja while at the same time attacks on Bosniaks and their
property in the RS are not sanctioned. Double standards will most
definitely not contribute to the building of trust of Bosniak people
towards the international community, the statement said.
OHR says Arizona market will be fully reallocated:
OHR office in Brcko District has informed the public that the Arizona
market will fully be moved to a new location, Sarajevo papers said. OHR
issued a statement carried by the media saying that the market will be
reallocated in several phases.
Chris Bird (OHR Spokesman): OHR will not support RS Government that
includes the SDS;
Christmas edition of "Nezavisne novine" (6-8 January 2001) quotes Chris
Bird as saying that the OHR is against entry of the SDS members in the RS
Cabinet. According to him the OHR will not comment on information
according to which PDP and SDS would get 7 ministerial posts each in the
RS Cabinet and SPRS would get 2 posts until RS Cabinet confirms it is
true. He reiterated that the OHR is against the RS Cabinet that includes
SDS members since the RS NA Speaker is SDS member, which is enough. "The
OHR will support experts' government and people who will be able to
implement economic reforms and refugee return process", says Bird.
ICTY representatives refuse political bargaining - Milosevic, Karadzic and
Mladic must be tried in The Hague:
Nezavisne Novine reported that commenting the statements given by Yugoslav
foreign minister Goran Svilanovic that Yugoslav indictees for war crimes
should be tried in the FRY, Christian Chartie (ICTY Spokesman) said that
indictments for war crimes against Slobodan Milosevic and other Yugoslav
indictees were pressed by The Hague Tribunal and that The Hague is the
only place where these persons should be tried.
"There were suggestions coming from Belgrade that the Tribunal might carry
out trials from Belgrade or that the trials could be carry out by the FRY
judiciary in co-ordination with the ICTY. The point is that the FRY should
co-operate with the ICTY and not that the ICTY should co-operate with the
FRY. The Hague cannot make any sort of political bargaining, because it is
a legal body with clear mandate which also includes trials for high-ranked
persons", says Christian Chartie (ICTY Spokesperson). Florence Heartman
(ICTY Spokesperson) says that if low-ranked persons are tried in The Hague
then The Hague is certainly is the right place for war-leaders such as
Milosevic, Mladic and Karadzic.
|
