- BiH Central Institutions-related Issues
- Alliance parties agree on the name of their nominee for the Chair of
the House of Representatives;
- BiH State Fund for Return formed in Banja Luka;
- Mandate of the Commission for Revision of citizenship expires;
- Ministry of civil affairs and communications - Joint passports by
beginning of March;
- BiH Constitutional Court session scheduled - Elections, apartments
and passports on the agenda;
- Dobrinja returnees threaten with protests in front of the OHR if
decision on Dobrinja IEBL is not made in the near future;
- Federation
- Federation TV Council members claim they have not been informed
about the decision to reduce the size of the Council;
- Sarajevo Canton Government decides to keep the Ministry for Housing
Affairs;
- Croatian Parliament's Delegation to arrive to BiH;
- Republika Srpska
- RS Government holds a session;
- International community:
- Wolfgang Petritsch met Bosniak intellectuals;
- Croat Christian Democrats say Petritsch's criticism of Friedman's
article unreasonable;
- Carl Bildt: "Without the Balkan integration, there is no access to
Europe";
- SDHR Matthias Sonn at the Citizens Identification Protection System
Conference;
- Editorials:
- Dnevni Avaz on obstruction of constituting authority in Croat
majority cantons;
- Oslobodjenje on Martin Raguz;
- Vecernji List on Martin Raguz;
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BiH Central Institutions-related Issues:
Alliance parties agree on the name of their nominee for the Chair of the
House of Representatives:
According to Oslobodjenje sources, the Alliance member parties agreed
yesterday in Doboj on the name of their nominee for the Chair of the BiH
Council of Ministers. The same source said that the name will not be, for
the time being, released to the public, and added that, during the
yesterday's meeting, it was concluded, once again, that the Alliance will
form the majority in the BiH Parliament's House of Representatives.
BiH State Fund for Return formed in Banja Luka:
Both Federation and the RS media reported that, during yesterday's
conference on return issues, which was held in Banja Luka, the Ministries
for Refugees and DP's formed the BiH State Fund for Return. According to
the official statement issued following the conference, the purpose of
this fund is to determine the strategy of return and repatriation, and to
promote a more systematic return to both entities. The Fund will also
provide substantial subsidies to the reconstruction of homes and the
construction of new infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, and
businesses.
Mandate of the Commission for Revision of citizenship expires:
According to Dnevni Avaz, the mandate of the BiH Commission which was in
charge of evaluation of citizenship granted to individuals between 1992
and 1995, will expire in the mid February, but the OHR has not yet
received any request for its extension. OHR Spokesman, Patrik Volf, told
Avaz that the commission is an important institution, but that only the
BiH Parliament could decide as to the extension of its mandate. Commission
officials, on their part, said that they will forward the official request
to the BiH Parliament, with hope that the OHR will provide its invaluable
assistance.
Ministry of civil affairs and communications - Joint passports by
beginning of March:
SRNA news agency reports that the Ministry of Civil Affairs and
Communications confirmed that the first batch of passports, one million of
them, without the entity insignia is expected to arrive by the beginning
of March. The new passports will cost 30 KM plus 10 KM entity
administrative fees, while the price of diplomatic and official passports
will be 50 KM. The BiH citizens who acquired their passport between
December 12, 2000 and March 2001 will received the new passport free of
charge.
BiH Constitutional Court session scheduled - Elections, apartments and
passports on the agenda:
The President of the BiH Constitutional Court, Kasim Begic, said that the
next session of the BiH Constitutional Court will be held on 2nd or 3rd of
February, when three issues will be discussed: the assessment of
constitutionality of the Federation Law on sale of apartments with tenancy
rights, the extant to which certain provisions of the PEC Rules and
Regulations are harmonised with the BiH Constitution, and the assessment
of constitutionality of the Decision on changes and amendments to the Law
on travel documents. Begic said that, when it comes to the protection of
constitutionality, the BiH CC made four partial decisions pertaining to
the constitutionality of the entity constitutions, and established the
fact that approximately 20 provisions are at variance with the BiH
Constitution. According to Begic, one of these provisions is article 1 in
the constitutions of both entities which refers to the constitutive status
of peoples in BiH.
Dobrinja returnees threaten with protests in front of the OHR if decision
on Dobrinja IEBL is not made in the near future:
The President of the Association of Dobrinja Returnees "Dom", Fadil
Suljic, told Dnevni Avaz that the "negative energy towards the
International Community, which is procrastinating with the decision on the
inter-entity boundary line (IEBL), is rapidly growing." Suljic said that
there are no longer any good excuses, and that the decision finally has to
be made. "On the contrary, Dobrinja citizens will go in front of the OHR
and demand their right to return there," warned Suljic, and added that he
is, on the daily basis, bombarded with letters of evicted people whose
homes are in Dobrinja I or IV.
Federation
Federation TV Council members claim they have not been informed about the
decision to reduce the size of the Council:
Five members of the Federation TV Council (Enes Durakovic, Miro Sirovina,
Slavko Klisura, Branka Praljak, Bozo Misura) strongly reacted to the
recent statement of OHR Spokesman, Oleg Milisic, who said that the Council
itself proposed its restructuring and downsizing. The Council members
stressed that they have not in any way participated in the process of
restructuring, and concluded that their further presence in this body is,
therefore, unnecessary.
Meanwhile, OHR's Spokesperson Alexandra Stiglmayer said that the decision
on restructuring was made with intention to create a more efficient and
operational body which could coordinate present activities, and it was
recommended by the Council members. Among them was one of the signatories
of the aforementioned letter, said Stiglmayer.
Sarajevo Canton Government decides to keep the Ministry for Housing
Affairs:
Following its yesterday's session, the Sarajevo Canton government decided
not to abolish the Cantonal Ministry for Housing Affairs, since the OHR
suggested that the ministry has been very useful. Apart from this
decision, it was also agreed that the Canton Government will retain all
twelve ministries in the following period as well.
Croatian Parliament's Delegation to arrive to BiH:
Zagreb's Republika publishes yet another article about the Croatian
Parliament Delegation, which is coming to BiH to investigate the situation
and the status of Bosnian Croats. According to delegation's leader,
Zdravko Tomac, BiH may be on the verge of a serious crisis. "In our
contact with the relevant factors that influence the political situation
in BiH, we will try to prevent this crisis," Tomac told the press. He
said that the second goal of his visit will be to advocate the
transformation of BiH from her status of a country under the international
protectorate into an independent and democratic state.
Republika Srpska
RS Government to hold a session:
Both Banja Luka dailies quote Milenko Vracar, the RS Finance Minister, as
saying that the RS Government made decision on yesterday's session
according to which all those enterprises that have not paid debts, will
have to do so within fifteen days. Otherwise, their accounts will be
frozen. The RS Government also made decision on several appointments:
Petar Kunic is new dep/RS PM for social affairs, Stevo Pasalic is
dep/minister of education, Miroslav Stijak is dep/minister of war
veterans, victims of war and labor, Slavisa Krunic is dep/minister of
energy and mining, Sasa Cudic is dep/minister of sports and youth,
dep/general manager of the RS Customs Administration is Trivo Marinkovic
and assistant general manager of the RS Customs Administration is Ratko
Trifunovic.
International community related issues:
Wolfgang Petritsch met Bosniak intellectuals:
Oslobodjenje and Dnevni Avaz reported that the High Representative,
Wolfgang Petritsch, met yesterday with representatives of the Council of
Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals and discussed the present political
situation in BiH. See the OHR press release.
Croat Christian Democrats say Petritsch's criticism of Friedman's article
unreasonable:
Croat Radio Mostar carried today a press release issued by the Croat
Christian Democrats, in which this party stressed that the reaction of the
High Representative to the New York Times article suggesting the division
of BiH (by Thomas Friedmna) was unreasonable. The press release further
reads that Petritsch's and others' high salaries, "which they receive for
no accomplished results, may soon become the past." Bosnia and Herzegovina
portrayed by Petritsch in his reply to The New York Times does not
correspond to the truth, concludes the statements and reads: That the
multiethnic BiH is an illusion is proved by the indicative silence of the
high-ranking Croat, Serb and Bosniak officials and ordinary people about
the realistic approach of the journalist of the NY Times on the situation
in the state-constructed community of BiH. They know that without a
solution of the national question, there would be no durable political
solution in BiH. It is obvious that the fundamental program guidelines of
the Croat Christian Democrats on the establishment of the Croat republic
in the BiH is encountering positive reactions and even provoking
sympathies of the new US Administration and the anxiety among
International Community officials, - concludes the statement.
Carl Bildt: "Without the Balkan integration, there is no access to
Europe":
In a shorter interview with Dnevni Avaz, the former High Representative
and the special Balkans envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Karl Bildt,
said that it is necessary to accelerate the integration processes within
the Balkan region in order to get closer to Europe. Bildt explained that
he suggested primarily the economic integration, such as free markets and
free trade agreements, and the creation of a common customs union.
He concluded that the path to Europe goes through the Balkans.
SDHR Matthias Sonn at the Citizens Identification Protection System
Conference:
At yesterday's conference in Lukavica near Sarajevo, the BiH Ministry of
Civil Affairs and Communications promoted the project "Citizens
Identification Protection System", which is to, in the words of the
Minister Tihomir Gligoric, introduce some order in the BiH information
system and prevent forgery of identification documents. In addition, the
system will provide for the creation of new ID cards, social security
number (identification number), and residency permits. "The establishment
of this system will be a cornerstone of a normally functioning state,"
said Gligoric, and added that the system will be self-sustainable.
The Senior Deputy High Representative, Matthias Sonn, who was also present
at the conference, stressed that the System will protect BiH citizens from
various dangers, it will secure their freedom of movement and protect them
from the organized crime. "However, at this time, it is important that the
system receives a 'green light' from the BiH Council of Ministers, which
needs to discuss its adoption, in order to start the process on the state
level as soon as possible," said Sonn.
Editorials:
In a shorter editorial, Dnevni Avaz columnist noted that the OSCE's
criticism because of the belated constituting of authority in some cantons
in the Federation is fully justified, since not much has been done in the
past two months, and the obstructionists who seek to retain the status quo
in their respective regions, are trying to prevent the regular functioning
of cantonal governments. Commenting on the fact that the authority has not
been constituted in cantons with Croat majority, Avaz columnist notes that
international officials should take more rigorous steps towards those who
obstruct the process. "Will international officials finally, and in
accordance with their mandates, employ measures against concrete political
personalities, which, with their irresponsible and undemocratic behavior,
call into question the basic choice of the citizens of this country," asks
the columnist, and adds that the consequences of destructive policies
simply further deepen the crisis in BiH.
In a similar editorial, Oslobodjenje's contributor Slavo Kukic, among
other things, comments on the recent mission of the BiH Presidency's
nominee for the Chair of the Council of Ministers, Martin Raguz, who has
been traveling BiH in attempt to secure the necessary parliamentary
support for his candidacy. Kukic notes that Raguz is simply trying to buy
time and postpone the inevitable - the time of political changes on the
BiH map. "Even worse," Kukic writes, "he is calling upon not only his
national legitimacy, but also upon what has been done in the past years,"
alluding to the obstructionist activities of the HDZ.
Vecernji List: "Lagumdzija finds Raguz's seven days too much"
By J.Vricko (provided by OHR Mostar)
Martin Raguz, the incumbent Prime Minister and the BiH Presidency's
designate for the BiH Council of Ministers, has been given an additional
seven days for the second round of his consultations. The informal leader
of the Alliance for Changes, Zlatko Lagumdzija, was aware that these seven
days would be used for political trade and spoke "dramatically" about
"Raguz's week."
The impression one could get after what one could call a failed session,
is that the Alliance leaders are rather nervous. The nervousness, however,
was expected, because, considering the fact that all the Alliance parties
were present at the session, the compactness and decisiveness for
defeating the 'national designate' is not questionable. Although
Lagumdzija often stresses that it was for the first time at the past
elections that the national parties did not win even 50, but only 49
percent of the votes, he finds it clear that everything depends on two
votes in the House of Representatives.
For instance, two representatives that the Alliance counted on, did not
come to the inaugural session, and Mariofil Ljubic from the HDZ was
elected as one of the Vice Presidents of the HoR. That 'case' is obviously
a nightmare for Lagumdzija, and when he noticed that all of the Alliance
members were present in the Monday session, he wanted to take the
opportunity. Small parties and their leaders will be a "wanted commodity"
at the political market in BiH for the next seven days. The final results
will be known on Monday, which, as far as the Alliance is concerned, seems
to be much more time than it really is."
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