- BH-Central Institutions
- Karlo Filipovic (SDP BiH) on appointment of the CoM Chair;
- BiH owes 6 million KM for membership in international organizations;
- Vojislav Kostunica: Dayton is one of the constitutions under which
the FRY has to live;
- Zivko Radisic meets Mladen Ivanic: RS Government and BiH Joint
bodies need more coordination;
- Federation
- Pensions - two months between two payments;
- HDZ to boycott the work in the Federation Parliament for the time
being;
- Croatian Parliament: Croats in BiH are in a dramatic position;
- Republika Srpska
- RS budget in disastrous state;
- International community:
- OHR in Mostar welcomes the new head - Colin Munro;
- Entities to approve the Draft Elections Law by June 1:
- Editorials:
- Slobodna Dalmacija: Who cares for Ivan Brigic?;
- Vjesnik: Is BiH Federation condemned to death?;
|
Central Institutions related Issues:
Karlo Filipovic (SDP BiH) on appointment of the CoM Chair:
Karlo Filipovic, SDP BiH Secretary general, said yesterday that the SDP
expects the BiH Presidency to appoint an SDP member as the CoM Chair,
since the SDP is the strongest party in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.
"We call on the BiH Presidency not to make mistake by nominating someone
who does not have the support of the majority in the parliament, and who
will therefore obstruct constituting of legislative bodies in BiH."
Filipovic confirmed that members of the Alliance agreed that the CoM Chair
should be a member of SDP.
BiH owes 6 million KM for membership in international organizations:
According to Dnevni Avaz, BiH owes around 6 million KM for membership in
various international organizations, due to shortages in the state budget.
On the recent session of the Council of Ministers it was concluded that
BiH membership in several organizations is now questionable, or could be
temporarily suspended.
Vojislav Kostunica: Dayton is one of the constitutions under which the
FRY has to live:
In an interview with Dnevni Avaz, the FRY President, Vojislav Kostunica,
said that he considers the DPA to be one of the constitutions under which
the FRY has to live, despite the fact that it was signed by the previous
FRY government and never ratified in the state parliament. "I am a strong
advocate of the implementation of the DPA, just as I am an advocate of
respect for the FRY constitutions, despite all its inadequacies," said
Kostunica.
Zivko Radisic meets Mladen Ivanic: RS Government and BiH Joint bodies need
more coordination:
The chairman of the BiH Presidency, Zivko Radisic, and the RS premier,
Mladen Ivanic, spoke in Banjaluka about the coordination between the RS
Cabinet and RS representatives with the BiH joint bodies. Radisic told
reporters after the session that such meetings should be held more often,
especially when common positions need to be taken by BiH joint bodies.
Premier Ivanic said that he agreed with Radisic and added that the RS may
become an example of stability in BiH.
Federation
Pensions - two months between two payments:
At the recent meeting of international organizations in Sarajevo, it was
decided that January pensions would be disbursed at the beginning of
February, which leaves pensioners for more then two full months without
any income. Oslobodjenje writes that it is not even certain that the PIO
Fund in Sarajevo would be able to collect sufficient funds for the payment
of January pensions in a timely manner. Thus, it is possible that even the
minimal guaranteed pensions of 117 KM could not be guaranteed after all.
According to some information, the PIO would have managed to in January
collect 29 million KM, which would have be sufficient to cover the minimal
pensions. However, the F Government used some of these funds to pay a
portion of pensions in Tuzla canton, a move which is deemed illegal by the
OHR. Moreover, the closure of Payment Bureaus further complicates the
situation, since numerous companies still have not disbursed their
salaries, and consequently have not paid their contributions to the Fund.
Meanwhile, General-Managers of large utility companies in the Federation
said on Wednesday that, despite the difficult financial position of
pensioners, this social category will not be exempt from paying utility
bills, and that no late payments will be tolerated.
The Sarajevo Canton Ministry for Social Politics informed Oslobodjenje
that it will do its best to subsidize the cost of heating for the most
vulnerable segment of the pensioners population. The subvention will
amount to 50 KM, will be used to cover the cost of electricity, gas or any
other form heating, and will be determined by one's income.
Despite the fact that the Federation Government promised to, together with
the International Community, find ways to cover its debt and pay the
outstanding pensions, pensioners in the entity threaten with
demonstrations. OHR's Spokesperson, Alexandra Stiglmayer, said that the
situation should be better in the long-run, since the Tax Management is
now responsible for the collection of contributions for the PIO, and that
it can effectively force companies to pay the contributions for its
employees. The OHR, the IMF, and the WB issued yesterday a joint press
release, in which they warn that the pension fund will be on the verge of
collapse, if the new Law in not complied with.
For the past several days, live radio and contact programs are overloaded
by disgruntled pensioners. While some were calling for a social unrest,
others proposed a mass public suicide by hanging in front of the
Federation Government building in Marijin Dvor!?
HDZ to boycott the work in the Federation Parliament for the time being:
According to Federation media, the HDZ will temporarily suspend its
participation in the work of the Federation Parliament's House of
Representatives. Commenting on the last constitutive session of this
House, HDZ's Marko Tokic said that the Alliance, by ignoring the will of
Croat voters, destroyed the foundation of the Federation. "At this time,
the HDZ has a historical mission - the fight for the founding principles
of BiH, fight for freedom of its people and for the survival of Croats in
BiH. At yesterday's press conference, HDZ officials stressed that the
party has not been considering the establishment of the third entity in
BiH, but that the latest events ensured that "Croat deputies will not be
able to decide about the faith of the Croat people in a democratic
fashion."
Croatian Parliament: Croats in BiH are in a dramatic position:
At a special session of the Croatian Parliament's Board for Economic and
Foreign Policy, Josko Paro, an assistant to the Foreign Minister, said
that the present political situation in BiH, especially the position of
Croats, is dramatic. Paro reminded of the fact that more then 80 percent
of Croats in BiH voted for the HDZ, and that the party was subsequently
excluded from bodies of authority, due to "the elections engineering of
the OSCE." Paro stressed that the Republic of Croatia could intervene in
the situation only through the International Community. He did not clarify
this any further.
Republika Srpska
RS budget in disastrous state:
New Bosnian Serb Finance Minister Milenko Vracer said the budget of the
Republika Srpska is in a disastrous state, daily Nezavisne Novine reported
on Thursday. Vraca said that the previous government headed by Milorad
Dodik left only 1.5 million German marks in the financial reserves.
Budget income "is critical", especially now when wages and pensions are
several months in arrears, Vracar said, asking people for patience.
Monthly income into the RS budget should be between 70 and 80 million
marks.
He added that the financial problems "have caused difficult functioning"
of the new government led by Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic.
International community related issues:
OHR in Mostar welcomes the new head - Colin Munro:
The new Head of the OHR for the southern part of BiH, a British diplomat
Colin Munro, called upon the HDZ BiH to re-consider its decision to
boycott the work of the Federation Parliament. Munro, who on Monday,
January 15, took over the duty of the Deputy High Representative South in
Mostar, was the Ambassador of the Great Britain in Croatia for the last
three years. " I call upon those who want boycott (the HDZ BiH) to think
once again," stated Colin Munro and added that it is more important for
one to work on what unites and not what divides Bosnia and Herzegovina. At
the press conference in Mostar, the new Head of the OHR expressed his
satisfaction for having been the Ambassador in Zagreb in the last three
years , 'when major democratic changes happened, which are now happening
in the FRY as well.' He emphasized that his work will be directed toward
making Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to the European integration
processes. Munro said his new duty is 'demanding and responsible in the
City and region where many problems exist'. Munro set as priorities the
establishing of democratic principles and respect of human rights.
Entities to approve the Draft Elections Law by June 1:
A draft election law should be approved by June 1, after the entities
have amended their constitutions in accordance with the Constitutional
Court decision on the constituency of all three peoples in BiH, the Head
of the OSCE Mission to BiH Robert Barry said during a meeting with the new
speaker of the BiH House of Representatives and the party collegium. OSCE
Spokesman Luke Zahner told reporters during a Thursday news briefing
that the officials, during the Wednesday meeting, discussed the
Parliamentary
Support Program designed by OSCE in cooperation with the BiH
Parliamentary
Assembly.
In the course of the meeting, Barry pointed out that the program,
designed
to improve the capacity of the state Parliamentary Assembly PA, is
a top
priority of the mission, Zahner said. He added that the members of
Parliament and staff from a number of countries will work with the
House of Representatives and the House of Peoples of the BiH
Parliamentary Assembly during their mandate, with a view to improving the
functioning of the committee system and the ability to draft
legislation. The Collegium and the OSCE will work out a schedule of
activities for the program.
"The legislative program for 2001 is a demanding one, consisting of a
number
of draft laws already in various stages of the parliamentary procedure
and an
ambitious economic reform program as laid out in the Alliance for
Changes
program and the EU roadmap," Zahner said.
Editorials:
Slobodna Dalmacija: Who cares for Ivan Brigic?
By Petar Milos
First of all I would like to clarify some things. I am not an agitator of
the HDZ and even less of the SDA. This is the issue of legality and
legitimacy. This is also the issue of honesty. The HDZ-SDA Coalition did
not work well during its mandate. These parties failed the expectations
and hopes of their voters and peoples. They have created a huge
bureaucratic apparatus, which was inclined to corruption, to the sale of
the national wealth and connection with the organized crime. However, the
will of the people should be respected, if we want democracy.
Ivan Brigic, the SDP member, was elected as the Representative of the
Croat people for the position of the Chairman of the House of
Representatives of the BiH Federation.
Thus Brigic happened to have an absurd political and personal fate - he
has always been ashamed of Croathood and the Croats, but he always 'had'
to represent them. The only difference is that during the Communist time
he was elected as the only candidate in a base, while this time he was
appointed as the Representative of the Croat people, who gave him only 20
votes.
Vjesnik: Is BiH Federation condemned to death?
By Ivan Sabic
Replying to the HDZ's statements, OSCE Spokesperson Luke Zahner said "it
is unbelievable that anyone could speak about the end of the Federation in
that way." He stated that the HoR was formed in a completely democratic
manner because, as he said, establishment of post-electoral coalitions in
Western democracies is the usual model. Therefore, in his opinion, the
HDZ's objections are not grounded.
This obviously testifies of irreconcilable views which reflect the very
essence of the crisis and also point to the conclusion that the political
crisis in B&H will not be overcome so fast or that easily.
What would be achieved by application of the model customary in Western
democracies is that the majority of Croat representatives would be in the
opposition. Thus, a situation has been established which, should the
international representatives fully support it, could turn into an
entirely original "Bosnian model" under which the members of the people
that has the majority, after choosing for partners a few "eligible"
representatives of the people that is smaller in number, would form the
ruling coalition, whereas most of the representatives from the people that
is smaller in number, would go to the opposition benches. This would not
constitute a violation of parliamentary democracy, but the question is as
to how politically wise it would be to introduce solutions which ignore
the will of a constituent people in a multi-national community.
Indeed, a "barrier" against outvoting was installed in the Federation
Constitution - the House of Peoples. According to the Constitution,
"decisions of vital interest for any of the constituent peoples require
approval from the majority of deputies in the House of Peoples, including
the majority of Bosniac deputies and the majority of Croat deputies,"
which would annul possible outvoting attempts in the House of
Representatives. However, prior to the elections, the OSCE Mission imposed
the election rules that open a possibility for the deputies who are not
supported by a sufficient number of votes, to appear in the House of
Peoples as representatives of one (smaller in number) people. HR Wolfgang
Petritsch has recently made the "barrier" even thinner by the decision on
the forming of commissions for the protection of vital national interests
which could take the role of the Federation House of Peoples should it
seem useful to Petritsch. If the House of Peoples is not formed in
accordance with the Federation Constitution, or if Petritsch's commission
takes the role of the legally elected House of Peoples, one can really
start speaking about the end of the Federation as we know it.
|
