- BH-Central Institutions
- BiH Presidency to Hold Consultations Today;
- Halid Genjac protests against FRY President's statements about
Dayton Peace Agreement;
- Federation
- Constitutive session of the Federation BiH: Alliance candidates
score success, HDZ withdraws its candidates;
- HDZ: This is the beginning of the end of the Federation BiH;
- Federation Pensioners wait for OHR, IMF and WB to decide which
pensions will be disbursed in January;
- Republika Srpska
- Mladen Ivanic asks all ministers in his government to drop party
membership;
- Milorad Dodik criticizes Ivanic;
- International community:
- US Government asked for the removal of the controversial SDS
minister in Ivanic's Government;
- Wolfgang Petritsch send his condolences to families of the killed in
the bus crash near Foca;
- Wolfgang and Nora Petritsch donated 34,000 KM from a private fund;
|
Central Institutions related Issues:
BiH Presidency to Hold Consultations Today:
According to media reports, the members of the BiH Presidency would today
commence consultations with the representatives of parliament parties.
During the consultations, they are to discuss the possible BiH Council of
Ministers Chairman designate. "The process of nomination should be in full
compliance with the election results, and the positions of the
international community. The accent would be placed on moral, expertise
and professional qualities of the candidate," Zeljko Samardzija, an Aide
to the Serb member of the Presidency told Srna yesterday. According to
Samardzija, the members of the BiH Presidency, Zivko Radisic, Ante
Jelavic and Halid Genjac, would today meet with the representatives of the
SDP BiH, the SDS, the SDA, the Party for BiH and the HDZ, and most
probably with the PDP from the RS.
Halid Genjac protests against FRY President's statements about Dayton
Peace Agreement:
The Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Halid Genjac, said that the
statements of the FRY president Vojislav Kostunica and the premier Zoran
Zizic are a "serious blow not only to the efforts to further bilateral
relations with FRY but also to regional peace and stability." A press
release states that statements "denying the worth of the Dayton accords
and the legitimacy of the Hague Tribunal and their refusal to extradite
war criminals" can have no other effect.
Federation
Constitutive session of the Federation BiH: Alliance candidates score
success, HDZ withdraws its candidates:
At yesterday's constitutive session of the Federation Parliament's House
of Peoples, deputies elected its chairmanship for the next two years.
Enver Kreso (Party for BiH) was elected the Chairman, Ivan Brigic (SDP) -
his deputy, while Slavica Geber (NHI) received most votes for the post of
the HoP Secretary. According to media reports, this victory of the
Alliance parties was tight, and only the votes of the DNZ (Democratic
Peoples Union), whose support was not certain until the very end, tipped
the balance in favor of the S BiH and SDP candidates. Irritated by such
result of the voting, HDZ deputies in the House asked for a 15 minute
break, however, since they failed to enter the hall after 65 minutes, the
Chairman ended the session. Meanwhile, the HDZ Deputies Club decided not
to take part in the work of the future Federation House of Representatives
and to withdraw all of its candidates.
Commenting on the outcome of the constitutive session of the Federation
HoR, columnists in Oslobodjenje express their satisfaction that the
Alliance managed to secure the majority in the Parliament, but object to
its failure to allow for at least one HDZ candidate (for the post of the
Secretary) to enter the chairmanship of this House. "The Alliance showed
its great appetite by taking all three spots in the leadership of the HoR.
This was unnecessary, for the Parliament should reflect political and
party differences," noted Emir Habul.
HDZ: This is the beginning of the end of the Federation BiH:
The Vice President of the HDZ, Ivo Andric - Luzanski, held a press
conference late Monday night, at which he stressed that his party believes
that the outcome of the constitutive session of the F HoR marked "the
beginning of the end of the Federation BiH". Asked if his statement meant
that the HDZ is ready for the creation of the third entity in BiH,
Luzanski said that this decision will not be up to the HDZ, but the Croat
National Assembly. He also said that his party could not accept the
creation of a civic state and a civic Federation in BiH without the will
of one of the constituent peoples in it. "We have become hostages of the
ill efforts of the International Community and some Bosniak parties," said
Luzanski's party colleague, Ivica Marinovic, who was also present at the
press conference. Marinovic added that the deputies at the constitutive
session elected representative who have no support of the Croat people in
BiH.
Federation Pensioners wait for OHR, IMF and WB to decide which pensions
will be disbursed in January:
In a lengthy article, Oslobodjenje reports that pensioners in the
Federation are waiting for the OHR and the financial international
organizations, the IMF and the WB, to decide as to which pensions will be
disbursed in January, in order to start with the announced protests. The
President of the Federation's Pensioners Association, Enver Sarajlic, told
the daily that the future demonstrations will be significantly stronger
and possibly violent, since, as he put it, "no one can predict how the
hungry pensioners will act." "Pensioners believe that only a strong
demonstrations will have effects", said Sarajlic, and added that it is the
international organizations (OHR, IMF, WB) who are responsible for
introducing draconian measures in the pensions system. Oslobodjenje notes
at the end that the only short term solution is that these international
organizations provide additional funds thereby securing sufficing amounts
in the PIO Funds for the disbursement of January pensions.
Republika Srpska
Mladen Ivanic asks all ministers in his government to drop party
membership:
At yesterday's press conference in Banja Luka, the RS Prime Minster,
Mladen Ivanic, announced that the Government would make final decision
today as to the composition of the new RS Government. According to this
decision, all Ministers included in the Government would have to cease to
perform duties they had in their parties. According to Ivanic, this would
be the first step towards resolving problems with some representatives of
the international community. "Ministers should take care of the sector
they are in charge of, as well as of the regulations of the sector,
instead of implementing policies of their respective parties", specified
Ivanic.
He also said that the Government did not "appreciate the approach of
international institutions, their suggestions and standpoints that have
emerged these days." "We will do everything in our power to overcome
problems we are having with one part of the international community. I
believe we will find a solution in the next few days. Tomorrow (Tuesday)
the Government will make a decision, according to which all ministers to
the Government will cease to perform their duties in their parties, and
this refers to all ministers", said Ivanic.
Milorad Dodik criticizes Ivanic:
The SNSD president Milorad Dodik said that the RS Prime Minster Mladen
Ivanic's announcement that the Government will prevent its ministers from
holding party functions amounts to the "camouflaging of the problem." He
also said that it is obvious that the SDS is staying in the Government. In
an interview with Nezavisne Novine, Dodik said that this decision will not
be well received or understood in the RS.
International community related issues:
US Government asked for the removal of the controversial SDS minister in
Ivanic's Government:
According to Oslobodjenje, the US Government asked the new RS Prime
Minister, Mladen Ivanic, to remove one of his recently nominated
ministers, Goran Popovic of the SDS. It is still not clear whether Popovic
is the only "questionable" minister, or the International Community will
seek the withdrawal of several others ministers who may have been, at some
time, connected with the SDS. This information could not be confirmed by
either the PDP or the SDS. However, Banja Luka's Nezavisne Novine reported
that Popovic may personally withdraw his candidacy.
Wolfgang Petritsch send his condolences to families of the killed in the
bus crash near Foca:
The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, sent his sincerest
condolences to the families of the nine victims of the January 13 traffic
accident near Foca, which included children, and expressed his hope that
that the 18 injured passengers will fully recover.
Wolfgang and Nora Petritsch donated 34,000 KM from a private fund:
Dnevni Avaz reports that Wolfgang Petritsch and his wife donated 34,000 KM
from their private fund to several NGOs and one individual in BiH. Each
year, the High Representative and his wife award non-governmental
organizations which foster the idea of multiculturalism and are in need of
additional funds.
|
