- BH-Central Institutions
- Mandatary for the Chair of BiH Council of Ministers meets
representatives of RS parliamentary parties:
- Presidents of RS and BiH Workers Unions meet:
- PBS Founding Board generally accepts incorporation of Radio Fern in
PBS radio:
- Second phase of establishment of BiH State Border Service began:
- Federation
- Petritsch and Silajdzic Dnevni Avaz's "Personalities of the year":
- HDZ wants to establish the third entity to protect its criminals:
- The OSCE Mission welcomes the statement of the President of the HDZ
B&H: Satisfaction with Jelavic's rejecting of the boycott of the Federal
Parliament
- Dr. Zeljko Suman, former Acting Rector of the Mostar University,
about the work of the University - 'University cannot be an end in itself'
- Exclusively: Under the protection of Valentin Coric, the former
Herzegovinian Head of the Police: Members of the Ahmici group Ljubicic and
Cosic are hiding in West Herzegovina
- Republika Srpska
- Srpska will implement the Decision of BiH Constitutional Court
- Ivanic hasn't done enough
- An initiative for changing the RS Constitution will be done in the
RS Parliament:
- International community:
- Thomas Miller remains US Ambassador to BiH:
- The High Representative meets Martin Raguz:
- SFOR in Orasje confiscates equipment and documents in a surprise
inspection:
- Interview with the Austrian Ambassador to BiH
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Central Institutions related Issues:
Mandatary for the Chair of BiH Council of Ministers meets representatives
of RS parliamentary parties:
The mandatary for the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Martin
Raguz met with the representatives of the RS parliamentary parties in
Banja Luka on Wednesday, Oslobodjenje reported on the front page. After
the meetings Raguz said that he was satisfied with the talks and that he
got "positive feedback of his previous work and the concept he intends to
use to establish the Council." Raguz also told reporters that SDA
President, Alija Izetbegovic backs up his concept and that he thinks that
the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch will support his concept as
well.
Presidents of RS and BiH Workers Unions meet:
Sarajevo papers reported that the President of the BiH Workers Union,
Sulejman Hrle and the President of the RS Workers Union, Cedo Volas met on
Wednesday and discussed the difficult economy and social position of
workers in both BiH entities. The two Presidents criticized the work of
parliamentary political parties, especially on state level and asked for
an urgent establishment of BiH Council of Ministers and a radical economy
reform in Bosnia, papers said.
PBS Founding Board generally accepts incorporation of Radio Fern in PBS
radio:
PBS Founding Board at its session on Wednesday has agreed to generally
accept the offer of Radio Fern to incorporate the resources and equipment
of this radio into PBS radio, Sarajevo papers said. According to the PBS
Founding Board this offer represents an important contribution to the
establishment of PBS because it enables a swift start of the PBS radio
with its signal covering the entire BiH. It was also agreed that by
mid-February the process of integrating radio Fern into PBS should be
completed, Board officials said.
PBS Board also commented the recent letter of the RTV BiH Union in which
it complained about radio Fern's incorporation. The Board said that the
Union's interpretation is wrong and does not help finding the right
solutions.
Second phase of establishment of BiH State Border Service began:
The chief of staff of the director of the BiH State Border Service, Radisa
Samardzija, told the press that the second phase of the establishment of
the Border Service has begun. The second phase includes the selection of
staff for eight new Service units and the employment of 908 new Border
Service workers, Samardzija said.
Federation
Petritsch and Silajdzic Dnevni Avaz's "Personalities of the year":
Dnevni Avaz reported on the front page that the High Representative,
Wolfgang Petritsch and the President of Party for BiH, Haris Silajdzic
were on Wednesday awarded with this paper's "Personality of the year,"
awards. The two were chosen by the readers of the daily.
"I try to help all BiH citizens to take their country forward,"
Petritsch said at the ceremony and added that this award strengthens his
determination and is additional motivation to work for the BiH state.
HDZ wants to establish the third entity to protect its criminals:
Dnevni Avaz analyzing the recent HNS, Croat Peoples Assembly's
announcement that a third entity should be established in BiH said that
this party wants to create the third entity in order to protect its
criminals. The daily said that the third entity story is as old as the
Dayton Peace Agreement and has in the past always been used a mean of
political pressure. But the threats that the third entity will be
established have less and less effect because there are fewer people who
believe that the HDZ is establishing the third entity to protect the
interest of Croat people in BiH but rather to protect its own position,
the daily concluded.
The OSCE Mission welcomes the statement of the President of the HDZ B&H:
Satisfaction with Jelavic's rejecting of the boycott of the Federal
Parliament
Split daily Slobodna Dalmacija reported that the OSCE Mission to B&H
welcomed on Wednesday the statement of Ante Jelavic, the President of the
HDZ B&H, that the Alliance for Changes had the constitutional right to
elect their candidates for the leadership of the Parliament of the B&H
Federation, because the representatives of the Alliance have the majority
in the Parliament. Last week the representatives of the HDZ announced
their boycott in the work of the Federal Parliament because the Alliance
for Changes prevented the candidates of the HDZ and other national parties
from being elected to the leading positions of the Parliament. " We
welcome also Jelavic's statement by which he rejects the boycot as long as
the Constitution is respected," stated Bernard Vrban, the Spokesman of the
Mostar Office of the OSCE Mission to B&H. On behalf of the OSCE Vrban also
expressed the understanding of the OSCE for the stance of Ante Jelavic,
who opposes the establishing of a system in the B&H Federation, according
to the criteria ' one man-one vote'.
Dr. Zeljko Suman, former Acting Rector of the Mostar University, about the
work of the University - 'University cannot be an end in itself'
Zagreb daily Vecernji List quoted Suman as saying that "the Mostar
University is an inevitable component of the high education system in B&H,
since further consolidation and development of the high education in B&H
cannot go without it. Preservation and promotion of institutional
integrity and identity, existence and development of the Mostar University
and its more significant engagement in the international academic
community, especially the European academic life, remain the strategic
goals of major national and social interest. I take much pleasure and
pride in the fact that I contributed to it all.
Modern university cannot be an ivory tower, closed and an end in itself.
In order to achieve its strategic goals successfully, it has to be
continually renewed and modernised, and adjust to the faster and faster
changes in both the country and the world, especially the new needs and
requirements of the students and the society in general. I convey my
sincere congratulations to Dr. Frano Ljubic and I wish him much success in
his work."
Exclusively: Under the protection of Valentin Coric, the former
Herzegovinian Head of the Police: Members of the Ahmici group Ljubicic and
Cosic are hiding in West Herzegovina
According to Zagreb daily Republikas sources from the HDZ BiH circles,
Cosic and Ljubicic are hiding on the territory of the Western Herzegovina
under the protection of Valentin Coric, the former leader of HB and the
former Head of the Herzegovinian Police. They are two out of four suspects
of the war crimes committed in the Muslim village Ahmici, against whom the
Croatian MoI issued arrest warrants in the summer, 2000.
Since the Police discovered that they were hiding under false names in
Zadar, after the fall of the HDZ, the two of them were arrested, while the
other two managed to run away. Before Valentin Coric became their
financier, Vlado Cosic occasionally gave interviews to 'Slobodna
Dalmacija', sending even signs to the MoI that under certain conditions he
would be ready to turn himself in. Those who are better informed about the
political situation in Herzegovina, are not surprised that the two
fugitives enjoy the financial protection of Valentin Coric. Due to his
high position during the Croat-Muslim conflict, Ljubicic and Cosic, the
former Commanders of the HVO Police in Lasva Valley, are potentially
dangerous witnesses on Coric's role during the war. Also, Coric is a
patronage of the family Vlado Santic, the first Croat repent at The Hague.
Republika Srpska
Srpska will implement the Decision of BiH Constitutional Court
Glas Srpski said that the RS President Mirko Sarovic and RS NA Speaker
Dragan Kalinic held a consultative meeting on implementation of the
Decision of BiH Constitutional Court and HR's Decision on introduction of
temporary procedure for protection of interests of constitutive peoples.
The meeting was attended by Zivko Radisic, Presiding of BiH Presidency, RS
PM Mladen Ivanic, Judges of BiH and the RS Constitutional Court and Legal
experts.
"Disregarding the fact that the Judges at BiH Constitutional Court from
the RS were against reaching of such decision, it has been made and we are
obliged to implement it", said Kalinic and added that the RS authorities
absolutely agreed on implementation of the decision and that very soon
they would have the opportunity to hear suggestions for a group of experts
of the HR, comprised of Venice Commission representatives. He also
expressed hope that Constitutional changes in the RS Constitution would
happen soon, which would mean implementation of the Decision of BIH
Constitutional Court and protection of the RS, at the same time.
Ivanic hasn't done enough
Both Banja Luka dailies reported that the US Ambassador to BiH Thomas
Miller assessed that the RS PM Mladen Ivanic hadn't done enough to
distance his government from Radovan Karadzic, accused of war crimes by
the Hague Tribunal.
"We are still very concerned over presence of formal and informal members
of SDS in the RS Government", said Miller in a phone statement to Reuters,
SRNA carries.
According to Miller it would be the best if SDS issued a press release
related to the worries about influence of Radovan Karadzic over this
party.
"Ivanic could be a good PM, but he does not need SDS in the Government to
achieve it. IF SDS really had good intentions, they would support reforms
even without taking part in the government", stated Miller.
An initiative for changing the RS Constitution will be done in the RS
Parliament:
RS news agency Srna reported that an initiative for changing the RS
Constitution will be made in Parliament in compliance with the BiH
Constitutional Court ruling that all three peoples are constituent
throughout BiH, said parliamentary speaker Dragan Kalinic. He said that at
a meeting attended by RS president Mirko Sarovic, RS and BiH
Constitutional Court judges from RS that an agreement on the need to
implement the ruling was reached.
International community related issues:
Thomas Miller remains US Ambassador to BiH:
Oslobodjenje reported that despite the change in the White House, US
Ambassador Thomas Miller will remain in Bosnia. Miller informed reporters
on Wednesday evening that he has offered his resignation to the incoming
Bush administration but was instructed that there will be no changes in
the US Embassy in BiH and that he will carry on as the ambassador, the
daily said.
The High Representative meets Martin Raguz:
Sarajevo papers reported that the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch
met with the Chair of BiH Council of Ministers, Martin Raguz in Sarajevo
on Wednesday. The two discussed the recent activities of the Council and
the consultations about the re-election of Raguz for the Chair. The High
Representative underlined that the new government, in any case, has to
carry out serious reforms intended to improve the economy in BiH, papers
said.
SFOR in Orasje confiscates equipment and documents in a surprise
inspection:
Papers reported that during yesterday's surprise inspection of entity
forces weapons warehouse in Orasje, SFOR soldiers confiscated parts of
electronic equipment and three boxes of documents.
SFOR spokeswoman, Susan Gray said that they also conducted an inspection
of the Post Office and the Hercegovacka Banka premises, where a computer
and some documents were confiscated.
Interview with the Austrian Ambassador to BiH:
Sarajevo-based news agency Onasa reported that the member of BiH
Presidency and leader of the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) Ante Jelavic met
on Wednesday with Austrian Ambassador to BiH Gerhard Jandl and said
that the BiH Croats do not plan to form the third entity in BiH, but they
would not accept the new government in case that "Croats feel excluded
from this government."
In a brief interview to ONASA after the meeting, Jandl said that he
had told
Jelavic that if the third entity is formed in BiH, Jelavic and his party
cannot
and should expect any support from the Austrian government nor the
European
Union.
The meeting on Wednesday was organized since Austria wanted to
meet with
Jelavic, Jandl said.
"I have an impression that in this phase we must meet with Croat
officials.
Maybe the international community did not regularly meet with Jelavic
lately.
Our view is that talks should not be interrupted when there are
problems with
certain parties or representatives of certain people. The talks
should be
intensified when there are problems," Jandl said.
Jelavic and Jandl also discussed the position of Croats in BiH,
Alliance for
Changes and the formation of the new government.
"I said that I personally and my country understand the views and
opinions
of Croats in BiH and the fears that people that have the
status of
constitutional people get the status of minority," Jandl said, adding
those
fears are baseless since the BiH Constitution is a guarantee and
protection for
BiH Croats.
Regarding the formation of the new BiH Government, the view of the
Austrian
Government is that Prime Minister-designate Martin Raguz is a good
candidate for
the post.
"We would not mind Raguz being the prime minister. I told
Jelavic that
certain persons should not be automatically excluded because they
belong to a
certain party and that they should be seen as individuals," Jandl said.
Jelavic said that he hoped the BiH Parliament would support
Raguz's
candidacy, but he could not say what will happen if Raguz does not get
support.
"The view of the international community is that certain parties
should not
be preferred and regarding that, it does not matter to us from which
party
certain official comes. We understand that the HDZ, which got majority of
votes
of BiH Croats, does not want to be excluded from all relevant bodies,"
Jandl
said.
Commenting the possible marginalization of national parties,
after the
intensified talks within the Alliance for Changes, Jandl said
that the
international community should not favor certain parties, but should
support
those parties it sees as positive for BiH.
"We cover everything and we do mind who is going to form the new
government.
If those are forces prepared to fight for better future of this country,
then we
should of course support them," Jandl said, adding the priorities of
the new
government should be economic reforms, fight against corruption,
strengthening
of democracy, civil society, refugee return etc.
He added that it would be wrong to expect miracles from the new
government.
"For example, the experiences from Belgrade show that one
should be
realistic in this region, and one should not expect that complete
situation
would change if the person who negotiates in changed," Jandl said.
The Austrian Ambassador shortly commented on the recent visit by
Yugoslav
President Vojislav Kostunica to BiH, and the expected apology to the war
victims
in BiH.
"I believe that Serbia, Yugoslavia, has a lot of responsibility
for the
recent events and that people who represent it should take on
that
responsibility and say something. In that regard, I think that an apology
itself
is not enough," Jandl said.
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