- BH-Central Institutions
- Federation House of Peoples to be suspended?;
- The Alliance will not accept Martin Raguz as the Chairman of the
Council of Ministers;
- HDZ to form an association of Croat cantons and to sign a referendum
for the third entity?;
- Ante Jelavic: HDZ will not boycott the process of constituting of
authority;
- The Presidency of the HDZ will call for the Main Council of the
party to decide on the future actions;
- Mladen Ivanic: Croats in BiH need guarantees that they have equal
status;
- Ante Jelavic's Foreign Policy advisor sends letter to the US
President, George W. Bush - The world is leading BiH into the war;
- HDZ Caucus in the Federation Parliament: The Alliance is an
unfortunate attempt of experimental nature of the International Community;
- FRY President Kostunica to visit Sarajevo on Friday;
- Will Volkswagen leave BiH?;
- Federation
- Reduced pensions at the beginning of February;
- Bosnian Federation bans import of cattle from Croatia;
- Republika Srpska
- The new RS Government assumes office;
- International community:
- Graham Hand (British Ambassador to BiH): SDS ministers are the
biggest problem in the RS Government;
- Dnevni Avaz: How did BiH spend European Union money?;
- OHR: RS needs foreign assistance;
- Zenica Red Cross top award goes to Wolfgang Petritsch;
- Editorials:
- Slobodna Dalmacija: Croats embittered over the election of the Fed
Parliament's House of Representatives' leadership;
- Republika: HDZ's Vice President threatens with the disintegration of
the BiH Federation;
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Central Institutions related Issues:
Federation House of Peoples to be suspended?:
In an interview with Oslobodjenje, an unidentified "distinguished legal
expert" said that the new multinational constitutional commissions, which
are to be established in both entities of BiH, will de facto fill the role
of the House of Peoples. According to the same source, the establishment
of these commissions also may lead to the suspension of the Federation
House of Peoples or, in the case of the RS, it may evolve into the House
of Peoples. Oslobodjenje further writes that the legal group made up of
the OHR and the OSCE legal experts is to draft a proposal for changes to
the entity constitutions before February 19. Oslobodjenje source stressed
that the core of Petritsch's decision is not the actual protection of the
vital and other rights of peoples in BiH, but to strip the entities of
their state-like attributes. "Thus, BiH may evolve into a state without
entities, but comprised of numerous cantons without ethnic exclusivity",
said the source.
The Alliance will not accept Martin Raguz as the Chairman of the Council
of Ministers:
After shorter and separate consultations with the members of the BiH
Presidency, Alliance parties (the SDP and the Party for BiH) stressed that
they will not support the HDZ candidate, Martin Raguz, for the post of the
Chairman of the Council of Ministers. The SDP's President, Zlatko
Lagumdizja conformed that the Alliance has not yet agreed upon any
concrete names with respect to its own candidate, but that the nominated
individual will most likely be from the SDP, since this party has most
seats in the BiH Parliament's House of Representatives.
The Presidency members also met with representatives of the SDA and the
SDS, both of whom gave their assurances that they would support Raguz's
candidacy in the Council of Ministers.
HDZ to form an association of Croat cantons and to sign a referendum for
the third entity?:
The presidency of the HDZ held a session late last night at which its
leadership was to decide as to whether this party will withdraw from the
process of constituting authority at all levels. Since the meeting ended
too late, no local newspapers had any concrete information as to the
outcome of the last night's session. However, Dnevni Avaz's sources claim
that the HDZ will indeed boycott the process, but not because its
dissatisfaction with the last session of the F Parliament's House of
Representatives, but because the party is concerned that the new
constitutional commissions, imposed by Petritsch, will have more power
then the House of People. "The House of Peoples was the only grain of
power the Croat people had, and now we may lose it," said one senior HDZ
official to Dnevni Avaz. According to the same source, the HDZ will
propose to the Croat National Assembly to create an Association or a Union
of all-Croat Cantons and to initiate a referendum with a clear question:
Are you for the third entity in BiH?. He also said that the HDZ can never
accept a civic concept of BiH and efforts of the Alliance parties to make
a minority, a mere "Folklore group" out of Croat people in BiH.
"We don't care about the possible consequences of our future actions. We
are forced to make such moves, we don't do it on whim," the HDZ source
told Avaz.
Ante Jelavic: HDZ will not boycott the process of constituting of
authority:
The President of the HDZ, Ante Jelavic, told Oslobodjenje that his party
is not even thinking about boycotting the process of the implementation of
elections results. "We won these elections and we have obligations towards
the Croat people," said Jelavic, and added that the HDZ and Croats will
not allow the creation of a government under the umbrella of the Alliance.
The Presidency of the HDZ will call for the Main Council of the party to
decide on the future actions:
In a statement for the press issued early this morning, the Presidency of
the HDZ called for the Main Council of the party to, next week, make
decisions as to the future actions of the HDZ. Commenting on the recent
constitutive session of the Federation Parliament House of
Representatives, HDZ officials warned that the outcome of this session was
a clear act of the negation of the will of the Croat people, and it
presents "the beginning of the end of the BiH Federation, the equality of
its people, as well as the foundation of the Washington and the Dayton
Agreements." In the statement, the HDZ also said that it expects that the
BiH Presidency confirms the HDZ candidate for the Chair of the BiH Council
of Ministers (Martin Raguz) thereby affirming the expression of the
legitimate will of Croat people.
Mladen Ivanic: Croats in BiH need guarantees that they have equal status:
ONASA news agency quoted the new RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, as
saying that Croats in BiH indeed need to obtain some guarantees that they
are an equal and a constituent people in the country. Commenting the
recent protests of HDZ officials to the composition of the Federation
House of Representatives leadership, Ivanic said that all relevant
political institutions in BiH should consider giving guarantees. "The fear
of some Croat officials is justified, since the position of the Croat
people, as the smallest one in BiH, is specific. This should not be a
concern of just one political party," said Ivanic.
Ante Jelavic's Foreign Policy advisor sends letter to the US President,
George W. Bush - The world is leading BiH into the war:
In an interview with Slobodna Dalmacija, Ante Jelavic's Foreign Policy
Advisor, Drazen Primorac, said that he sent a letter to the new US
President, George W. Bush, in which he warned him that the world, i.e.,
the International Community is leading BiH straight into the war with its
Unitarian policies. Commenting on the formal establishment of the Alliance
for Changes, Primorac said that that this group of political parties is
the last attempt of the International Community to crown its work with a
positive results. "At the same time, it is the most brutal illustration of
the interference of the external factors into the daily political life in
BiH, which has for its aim to remove the actual authorities at any cost,
even by illegitimate and illegal means," said Primorac, and added that the
Alliance is leading BiH into a deep political crisis.
Referring to the latest decision of the High Representative, Primorac said
that despite the vigorous insistence of Petritsch to implement the
Constitutional Court's decision on the status of BiH peoples, the Alliance
is trying to impose a civic concept of the state. "They are trying to
introduce the constituency of the citizens of Croat, Bosniak and Serb
nationality, however, the peoples of these nationalities will be slowly
pushed aside," noted Primorac, and stressed that the attempt to create one
nation in BiH are unacceptable.
HDZ Caucus in the Federation Parliament: The Alliance is an unfortunate
attempt of experimental nature of the International Community:
In an interview with Vecernji List, the President of the HDZ Caucus in the
Federation Parliament, Ivica Marinovic, said that the Alliance is not more
then an unfortunate attempt of experimental nature of the International
Community. He also said that numerous Alliance politicians told their HDZ
counterparts that they have met with the high Representative and have been
forced (persuaded) by him to join the Alliance. "In other words, the HR
achieved something that seemed undoable - to gather liberal, conservative
parties, some extremists, few war criminals, the left and the right wings,
multinational parties...now, we have a crisis," said Primorac.
FRY President Kostunica to visit Sarajevo on Friday:
SRNA news agency reported the BiH and the FRY ministries of foreign
affairs intensively work on the preparations and platform of Vojislav
Kostunica's visit to Sarajevo, which is scheduled for January 19th.
According to Boris Kujundzic (BiH Presidency Spokesman), Kostunica will
meet with BiH Presidency members, Zivnko Radisic, Halid Genjac and Ante
Jelavic, and perhaps with the BiH Council of Ministers Chairman, Martin
Raguz. The BiH and FRY foreign ministers, Jadranko Prlic and Goran
Svilanovic will meet on the same day. Kujundzic said that the protocol on
the co-operation between the two ministries will also be signed on that
occasion.
Will Volkswagen leave BiH?:
During Spasoje Tusevljak's mandate as the head of the BiH Council of
Ministers, a decision, which practically abolishes all the benefits the
Volkswagen had in BiH with the first day of this year, was passed.
If the Council at its tomorrow's session does not change its ``Decision on
changes of the decision on changes and annexes of the decision of
relieving the SKD/CKD for assembling vehicles of payment of customs,''
(SIC!) passed on September 7th last year, one of the most successful
post-war businesses in BiH might be questioned.
In other words, the Volkswagen investment in TAS in Vogosca, near
Sarajevo, which presently produces Skodas, is jeopardized.
According to the contract signed on July 21st 1998, one of the largest
auto companies was brought to BiH and it was agreed that the part of the
production of Skodas produced in Sarajevo would be sold at the local
market customs-free and with reduced taxes.
However during Tusevljak's mandate, this contract made the agenda of the
Council, which subsequently made the decision to practically remove all
the privileges of the VW.
``The decision was passed on Sept. 7th and was subsequently published in
the Official Gazette. However, neither we in the Volkswagen nor officials
of the Free Customs Zone in Vogosca knew about. Only a few days ago we
have been notified about it. '' Amil Hota, the Deputy General Director of
Volkswagen in BiH said.
Hota said that his company officials later contacted the OHR and the
surprised(?) officials of the Council of Ministers. He added that on
Thursday the Council will discuss customs-free arrangement for VW till
July 31. 2001.
Asked if the Volkswagen will withdraw from BiH if this decision is not
passed Hota said that this should not happen.
``The involvement of the Volkswagen is not yet questionable and we are
aware that a car factory is not made in a year or two but that this is a
process,'' Hota said.
He added that the VW officials contacted the Principal Deputy High
Representative, Ralph Johnson, and that this diplomat spoke to the present
Chair of the Council, Martin Raguz and the Minister for foreign Trade and
economic relations, Mirsad Kurtovic.
A foreign diplomat, Dnevni Avaz spoke to yesterday, said that the
Volkswagen is not the only foreign company which has problems in BiH. ``VW
is just the tip of the iceberg of ignorant approach or even obstructions
of local BiH authorities. If this company would withdraws, this would be a
more than dangerous sign to other partners in BiH, and to potential
investors as well,'' the diplomat warned.
Federation
Reduced pensions at the beginning of February:
All Sarajevo dailies report that the OHR and financial international
organizations, the IMF and the WB, decided yesterday that the PIO Fund
must comply with the newly imposed Law on Pension Fund and consequently
disburse January pensions at the beginning of the next month. The
negotiations between the ministers Sulejman Garib, Mirsad Salkic and the
heads of the IMF and the WB missions, Bruno de Schaetzen and Joseph
Ingram, and the Deputy High Representative for Economic Issues, Daniel
Besson, ended in the conclusion that the Federation must begin
implementing the changes and amendments to the Law on Pension Fund, which
were imposed by the by Wolfgang Petritsch on November 12, 2000. According
to OHR Spokesperson, Alexandra Stiglmayer, the Federation Government was,
once again, tasked with collecting funds for the payment of the five late
pensions and securing the proper payment of contributions to its PIO Fund.
Stiglmayer also said that the January pensions will most likely be
reduced, but that that the OHR hopes that not everyone will get the
minimum amount.
"The Government and the Ministry for the social matters assured us that
they would secure the payment of contributions to the Sarajevo PIO Fund
and that they would work with the International Community on the payment
of the five late pensions," said Stiglmayer, and added that it is very
important that the pensions systems do not collapse at this time.
Asked if the International Community will help the Federation Government
to deal with its arrears (245 million KM), Stiglmayer said she could not
comment on that, but that the F Government will have to find a way to
cover its debt. "The main source could be the means from the privatization
process, but there are other ways as well," she said, and added that, for
example, the Tax Management will have much broader authority in the future
and will be able to ensure that companies are paying contributions on
regular basis.
The President of the Federation Pensioners Association, Enver Sarajlic,
pensioners will most certainly react very strongly to this decision. "We
are concerned that the PIO may not be able to pay even the minimum
pensions to us, for there are no sufficient funds," Sarajlic told
Oslobodjenje. Commenting on the announced protests, OHR's Stiglmayer said
that pensioners should not hold their demonstrations in front of the OHR
but the Federation Government building, which is the most responsible for
illegal employment and failure to pay contributions to PIO Funds. "There
is a wrong picture among the public that the amendments of the High
Representative will bring the reduced pensions. However, our system will
ensure that pensioner do not have to worry if their pensions are late,"
concluded Stiglmayer.
Bosnian Federation bans import of cattle from Croatia:
The Federation Ministry of Agriculture, Water Works and Forestry referred
on Tuesday the order banning the import of cattle from Croatia has been
brought due to protection of animals and people from real danger of
entering the "mad cow", or the BSE, as well as foot and mouth diseases.
After Croatia prolonged the ban on import of animals, meat and meat
products from Bosnia-Herzegovina in October last year because of the foot
and mouth disease, the authorities of Bosnian entities brought a
counter-measure of banning import from Croatia. Croatian authorities and
media sharply reacted on the decision.
Republika Srpska
The new RS Government assumes office:
The new RS Government under Mladen Ivanic assumed its office on Tuesday.
The new Prime Minister, Ivanic, said that the RS government showed that
its institutions are strong and stabile and that the RS can move in the
right direction. The former head of the government, Milorad Dodik,
expressed his hope that his successor will further improve the position of
the RS.
International community related issues:
Graham Hand (British Ambassador to BiH): SDS ministers are the biggest
problem in the RS Government;
Commenting on statement of the RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, that the
newly appointed RS ministers will suspend the membership in their parties,
Graham Hand, the British Ambassador to BiH, said that it is Ivanic's
problem as to how he is going to organise the RS Cabinet, but that it
would be very good if they decided to focus more on their duties then
party membership. The Ambassador Hand also said that he discussed the
participation of the SDS members in the RS Cabinet with Mladen Ivanic, and
that he hopes that this situation will be resolved in the next few days
because he, just as other international officials, is not satisfied with
the participation of the SDS in the new RS Government.
Dnevni Avaz: How did BiH spend European Union money?:
Following the discussion about the EU aid coming to BiH, the European
Parliament adopted a resolution which stressed the need for the
continuation of aid especially in the spheres of the refugee return,
de-mining, and reconstruction. In this fashion, the Parliament supported
the way in which the European Commission has managed the disbursement of
aid to both local and international organizations in BiH. In addition, the
resolution also expressed its satisfaction with measures undertaken by the
OHR in 1999, and which purport to prevent the cases of abuse of
international aid. However, as ONASA reports, the Parliament regretted
that the OHR efforts in this sphere are somewhat limited, mostly due to
short-term (12 months long) contracts which bind its employees.
According to reports, the European Commission is asked to, before July 1,
2001, reports as to whether and to what extent, the ever present
corruption endangers the financial help in the reconstruction of BiH
and/or the financial interests of the European Union. Moreover, the
present reports indicated that the OHR made substantial savings in their
budget.
OHR: RS needs foreign assistance:
Today's edition of Glas Srpski quoted OHR's Alexandra Stiglmayer as saying
that the RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, should form the Cabinet that
will have the support of the International Community and especially
donors, because the RS needs assistance in the implementation of economic
reforms. As to formation of the RS Cabinet, Stiglmayer said that the
position of the IC is very well known and that it would be very good if
the RS PM Ivanic complied with it. Otherwise, the RS will be facing
serious economic difficulties, stressed Stiglmayer.
Zenica Red Cross top award goes to Wolfgang Petritsch:
Marking the 70th anniversary of its work, the Zenica branch of the Red
Cross awarded the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, its highest
award - The Most Humane Gesture of the Year, the Vice-president of the
organization, Hamid Begovac, told the press.
Petritsch was awarded for his exceptional results and the achievements in
humanitarian work in BiH, Begovac said.
Editorials:
Slobodna Dalmacija: Croats embittered over the election of the Fed
Parliament's House of Representatives' leadership:
Written by Marijan Sivric
The election of the leaders of the Federal House of Representatives from
the lines of the Alliance for Changes has completely illustrated a true
nature of this Coalition. First of all this is exceptionalism, lust for
power and anti-Croathood. They seized all three leading positions by a
hardly won majority, leaving the HDZ, which represent more than 90% of the
Croat people in the Federation, even without the possibility to vote for
their candidate. Even the great supporters of the Alliance and changes in
BiH object the Alliance the ignoring of the HDZ and thus the Croat people
too. Some people even claim that by this action they did a favor to the
HDZ, which, according to them, will start now with the forming of the
third entity.v
The course of the session of the House of Representatives of the BiH
Federation, confirmed that those people, who were claiming before and
after the elections that they were working on de-constituting of the Croat
people and that the Federation is turning into the entity of the Bosniak
people, were right. Ten parties from the Alliance for Changes are not the
only culprits for this process, but the IC Representatives are to be
blamed even more, because by the Election Rules and Regulations, and
post-election engineering they did everything in order that the national
parties get as less Representatives as possible.
Now it turned out that the decision to abolish the political threshold to
the political parties, by which the OSCE Mission, which organized the
elections, enabled the political parties, which won less than 0,5% of the
votes, have their Representatives in the Parliament, is crucial.
And these Representatives of the small parties joined the Alliance because
of their lust for power or as the well-informed source claims they were
pushed into the Alliance by the promises and threats of some Ambassadors.
Thus they had the talks with all the Representatives who could incline to
the HDZ and SDA, which have been on power up to now, and since The Hague
is very interested for some of them it was not difficult to break them.
Thus, the Alliance is as a Coalition of the political parties, which
represent only one people. Ivo Andric Luzanski, the current President of
the Federation, stated that this is the beginning of the end of the
Federation. Some go even further in their statements saying that this is
the beginning of the end of BiH, as the state of the three constitutive
and equal peoples, as it was projected by the DPA.
It is impossible that the OSCE, the HR, Ambassadors of some countries and
even the Alliance were not aware of it. Thus, many people are suspicious
that behind all this stands the intention to push the Croats to make some
radical moves. Namely, if the legitimate, Croat Representatives cannot
hold public posts in the existing state institutions, if they cannot
protect their legitimate rights of the constitutive peoples through these
institutions, than it is logical that they will be forced to find some
other solutions.
What is the other way to explain the IC's support to the implementation of
the BiH Constitutional Court decision on the constituency of all peoples
on the whole BiH territory, while at the same time they also support the
Alliance, which does not recognize legitimate will of the Croats in the
entities and the whole BiH, but as the hypocrisy, behind which different
intentions for BiH are hidden, different from those that they widely
propagate.
Inequality of the peoples in BiH, defined even by the DPA, and which have
been further deepened by many IC decisions, brings into question the very
reasons for the existing of such a state.
While Serbs have their entity (they say their state), their Government and
their President, the Croats are losing the possibility to participate in
the Authority of the other entity, which they share with the Bosniaks.
The Alliance which is the result of the IC dictate, and which is now
implementing the process in order to turn the BiH Federation in a civic
entity is not only anti-Croat but it is also anti-BiH, because truly it
can only be accepted partially, only on the 24% of the BiH territory. Thus
the 'Oslobodjenje' journalist was right when he concluded that this is
'the Alliance for 'fildzan'' (the association to the war, Bosniak
fildzan-state).
Republika: HDZ's Vice President threatens with the disintegration of the
BiH Federation:
By Antun Mrkonjic
It is still not known exactly how the political alliance will be
functioning at the state and entity levels, but the HDZ B&H are appalled
at the idea that the Croat interests in the Federation and B&H authorities
could be represented by NHI representatives, or Croat representatives from
some other parties. Still, the Constitution entitles the political parties
to form coalitions, and it may happen that the interests of the Croats in
B&H are represented, among others, by the NHI representatives. The
President of the NHI, Kresimir Zubak, says it was a completely legitimate
act because it is not the NHI's fault that there are not enough political
parties that would be willing to form a coalition with the HDZ and form
the Federation Government and the B&H Council of Ministers. Should the
Alliance start functioning, according to the agreements, the Croats will
have the same percentage of representation in the authorities as they used
to have, but it is possible that ministers will not be from one party
alone, which has been the case so far.
"We made it clear to our political partners in the future coalition that
the minimum that we will not go below is that the Croats have the same
percentage as they had before. We find it clear that the power that the
Croats are entitled to, will be partaken by the representatives of other
political parties, i.e. Croats from the SDP, HSS, or the Liberals if they
have any. It is not just the HDZ membership that is the proof of Croathood
and no one has the exclusive right to interpret or measure the Croathood."
Zubak said the NHI is aware that the national parties will be blocking the
functioning of the new authorities for some time, in the areas where those
parties won the majority. He emphasised the decisive role of the IC in
removing, in a rigorous manner, possible obstructions.
Zubak: "If I were to become the Minister of Justice, I would stand
energetically against crime and corruption. It is quite clear why some
persons in the HDZ are afraid of investigation, because we all know how
they acquired the wealth they have. It is enough just to have a look at
the car park of the Defence Ministry, i.e. the Croat component in the
Federation Army. In the difficult situation as it is, they are buying the
newest types of Mercedes, Audi or Passat. Minister Prce brought the HVO to
poverty, and even disintegration. Will Rade Bosnjak, who graduated from
the Law School only during the war, perhaps represent the Croat rights
better than we would?"
The national parties have absolute majority in most of the cantons, but
they cannot establish the authorities on their own at the entity and state
levels. Moreover, the IC, the Americans in particular, insist decisively
on the changes and "do not want national parties in the new governments."
Therefore, the future Government would be legitimate, too. It will take
much fiercer political struggle and painstaking negotiations before
everything is made crystal clear. The cards are on the table, and the
foreigners have decided to shuffle them, the Americans above all.
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