BH-Central Institutions FRY Embassy Charge d'Affairs says Kostunica canceled his trip to Banja Luka; BiH Parliament's House of Representatives cancels discussion on the session regarding the appointment of Bozidar Matic; Dobrinja returnees association say Dobrinja I and IV belong to the city of Sarajevo; BiH Workers Union threatens with general strike in BiH; President of the BiH Constitutional Court says there is no need for new entity constitutions; Current Issues: HDZ-related news The High Representative disappointed with Lozancic's letter; HDZ critical of OSCE statements and policy; US State Dept official says the HDZ is programmed to self-destruct; Ante Jelavic ready to dismiss the HDZ?; SDHR Matthias Sonn meets Cardinal Vinko Puljic; Federation Alliance parties decide on their candidates for the Federation House of Peoples; Safet Orucevic to quit post of Mostar mayor?: Republika Srpska Bozidar Matic in Banja Luka; International community: US Ambassador Thomas Miller: You need give me something good to report to my government; Editorials: Vjesnik: Who wants to prevent Croat companies to invest into BiH economy?: Central Institutions related Issues: FRY Embassy Charge d'Affairs says Kostunica canceled his trip to Banja Luka: In an interview with Dnevni Avaz, the FRY Embassy Charge d'Affiars, Radoslav Jankovic, said that the FRY President Vojislav Kostunica canceled his trip to Banja Luka, where he was to conclude the agreement on special and parallel relations between the FRY and the RS. Jankovic said that the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be informed shortly about all details of this agreement. Meanwhile, the BiH Ministry received a note verbale from its FRY counterpart, in which it is said that the establishment of the special relations was no secret and that it was extensively discussed during Kostunica's visit to Sarajevo and his talks with the President of the BiH Presidency, Zivko Radisic, the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, and the BiH Foreign Minister, Jadranko Prlic. "It is our great desire to conclude this agreement as soon as possible in order to resolve some burning issues burdening citizens and numerous families in both the FRY and the RS," read the note. In the RS, Bosniak members (Sulejman Tihic, Remzija Kadric, Senija Bubic) of the entity Constitutional Commission asked the High Representative to prevent the signing of this agreement since it is detrimental to the vital interests of Bosniak people and others in the RS. Sense agency reports that the US Administration is also concerned that the special and parallel relations may be detrimental to the sovereignty of BiH, and asked the RS Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic to keep the process fully public and transparent. BiH Parliament's House of Representatives cancels discussion on the session regarding the appointment of Bozidar Matic: Although it was scheduled for Friday, the Collegium of the BiH Parliament's House of Representatives failed to hold a meeting during which its members were to set a date for the discussion on the appointment of the Chair of the Council of Ministers. The HoR Chairman, Sead Avdic, said that the Collegium had to cancel its session because the BiH Presidency said that the decision on the nomination cannot take effect until it is published in the Official Gazette. Avdic said that this clause is completely absurd and was not there when the previous two candidates were nominated, but that, following the consultations with the OHR, the Collegium decided to discuss the date on Monday (today). Dobrinja returnees association say Dobrinja I and IV belong to the city of Sarajevo: After its session on Saturday, the president of Dobrinja returnees association "Nas Dom", Fadil Suljic said that the association's assembly decided on several important issues. He told the press that members of "Nas Dom" and numerous other former residents of the neighborhood stressed that that parts I and IV of Dobrinja should be returned to the city of Sarajevo. However, it was agreed to allow the additionally built apartments to remain in place as long as their existence does not infringe upon the rights of the pre-war residents. Suljic stressed that it is necessary to suspend any present works until the final decision on Dobrinja is made. BiH Workers Union threatens with general strike in BiH: At a press conference held on Saturday, the BiH Workers Union warned that the present social disturbances could develop into a general strike if most acute problems of workers are not resolved in the near future. The Union's President, Sulejman Hrle, said that workers employed in the industry are in particularly difficult position, and threaten to block all state institutions, if their requests are not met. President of the BiH Constitutional Court says there is no need for new entity constitutions: The newly elected President of the BiH Constitutional Court, Snezana Savic, said that there is not necessary to have new entity constitutions in order to implement the decision of the CC on the constituent status of peoples in BiH. "Simply it is not true (that new constitutions are necessary). That cannot be found in the decision per se, and I see it as one more way to politically interpret this decision," said Savic. Ministry of Refugees and Human Rights. Current issues: HDZ-related news The High Representative disappointed with Lozancic's letter: The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, said he is disappointed with the unreasonable refusal of the Chairman of the Federation House of Peoples, Niko Lozancic (HDZ), to schedule a constituting session for the new House. Petritsch stressed that the decision of the HDZ can be understood as an intended attempt of obstruction of the process of formation of authority. All Federation media carried the OHR press release. Meanwhile, following the additional legal readings of parliamentary procedure, the constituting session of the Federation House of Peoples was scheduled for February 23. The Secretary of the House, Hilmo Pasic, told Dnevni Avaz that the OHR said that the present number of delegates can make valid and legitimate decisions and, consequently, there should be no further obstacles for the formation of this body. According to Avaz, 25 (of 30) Bosniaks, 14 (of 30) Croats and 19 (of 20) representatives of others have been elected thus far for the Federation House of Peoples. Pasic said that the OHR confirmed that the House in such a composition has authority to discuss the issues of vital interest to one of the peoples, since the majority of delegates in individual clubs are present. Avaz also reported that the SDP has 30, the SDA - 10, Party for BiH - 6, NHI - 3, BOSS - 2, and DNZ - 1 delegates in the House. HDZ critical of OSCE statements and policy: The HDZ BiH criticized the recent statement of OSCE Spokesperson Luke Zahner, who said that Croats, like the other constitutive peoples in BiH, have a right to have the highest level of the internationally recognized human rights and basic freedoms, including the rights to have their own language, religion and culture. Commenting on this statement, the HDZ BiH issued a press release in which it stressed that 'the OSCE and its Spokesperson are offering to the Croats only the basic human rights that all the citizens in normal and democratic societies have'. 'Zahner even offers much less then the national minorities have all over the world, because they have a right to have their own media, while the Croats were deprived of this right long time ago'. The HDZ also stated that the OSCE Spokesperson showed once again that the Croats can only have civic rights, while he did not mention the rights guaranteed by their constitutive and sovereign position and the Constitution.' The HDZ BiH considers that the Zahner's statement is utterly inappropriate and damaging and it hides some familiar but dangerous tendencies. US State Dept official says the HDZ is programmed to self-destruct: Commenting the present politics of the HDZ in BiH, a senior official in the European Section of the US State Department told Dnevni Avaz that the HDZ is a party of extreme nationalists, which does not do any good to anyone, especially to the Croat people. "It appears that the HDZ is programmed to self-destruct," said the same source, and added that the State Department and the High Representative carefully monitors the behavior of the HDZ. Ante Jelavic ready to dismiss the HDZ?; According to a source of Dnevni Avaz, the leader of the HDZ, Ante Jelavic, will be willing to dismiss his party if the International Community meets several requests, which are soon to be put forth by the HDZ. The same source said that Jelavic will ask the High Representative to provide his guarantees that BiH will get a new "peoples constitution", whose draft will be prepared by representatives of all three peoples in BiH. "This way, we will give a chance to the IC to show that it has no bad intentions towards Croats in BiH, while we will show that we are willing to sacrifice so much for the interest of the Croat people," said the source. Suggesting the same idea, Zagreb's Vecernji List published today an article under the title "BiH Croats stay without their central party" in which its author reveals the most important requirement of the HDZ BiH: (Full translation provided by OHR Mostar) If the International Community accepts HDZ proposals, which are presently being discussed in a deep secrecy by a group of lawyers and other experts, the leaders of the HDZ BiH are ready to close down their party. The International Community, which is basically a protector with a broad mandate, is drastically punishing the HDZ BiH, although the party received nearly a plebiscite-like support of the Croat people at the past elections As the punishing of the HDZ is basically the systematic punishing of the Croat people, the self-dismissal is a logical move, the members of the Party hold. A highly positioned leader of the Party and one of the authors of the document, informed us yesterday about that sensational turnabout at the BiH political scene. The document includes the principles of the political organization of BiH and institutions which would guarantee the national equality of all three peoples in BiH. According to our source, the document is the attempt of the HDZ to seriously explain its views, in the tense relations with the international representatives and point out to their justifiable requirements which lead to the equal position of all the peoples in BiH. The document, which the HDZ is making in a deep secrecy, includes five principles and 'Vecernjak' is the first to present them to the public: The first principle is the standardization of human rights in BiH, the individual and collective human rights, and the most important thing is to find a balance between them. The second principle is the equal position of the peoples in the electoral process, that is to say a possibility for any people to elect its representatives to the Houses of Peoples and not for the Houses of Peoples to be turned into other Houses of Representatives as a consequence of ' everybody electing everybody', as it happened by the change of the election rules and regulations before the last general elections. The third principle is the composition and the process of decision-making in the governmental institutions. It is required that the composition of the highest institution to be based on the national parity, with rotation at the leading position, and consensus when important national issues are being decided upon. In addition, there is a proposal that the issues related to the most important national interests or regional interests, which require a consensus, should be precisely defined. The fourth principle is the administrative and territorial organization, which would be based on the European standards. It is also acceptable to BiH without Dayton entities, with more multiethnic cantons, but also with a functional structure which will guarantee the equal position of all the peoples and citizens. The document also does not exclude the possibility of having BiH with more than two entities. The fifth principle uses the opening of the process of changing of the Constitution (due the decision of the BiH Constitutional Court on the constituent status of all three peoples in entire BiH) for a comprehensive constitutional reform. The new Constitution, so called people's constitution, would be verified in the BiH Parliament. In particular, it is necessary to incorporate in the Constitution the modern democratic experiences of the multinational states protecting the national interest, human rights and relations between the regions, or administrative units and the central authority. Also, there is a proposal that the members of the Presidency should be elected in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, and not directly at the elections, as it has been the case so far, and its mandates to be reduced and taken over by the central government. In the joint military system any people would keep its military components. Generally, a more simple and efficient structure of the state is foreseen. If one receives the assurances that a lasting equality of the Croat people and human rights of all the citizens will be based on those principles, our source claims that a consensus has been almost reached about it at the top level of the HDZ BiH, the HDZ would, then, decide to close down the Party. In that case, most Croats would stay without their political representatives. Therefore one proposes for the new elections to be held at which the present and new parties would equally participate. It is difficult for one to foresee if some of the present members of the HDZ would then found some new parties, since some highly positioned officials of the HDZ founded their parties after they left the Party. For instance, Zubak (NHI), Kljujic (Republicans), Brkic (HNZ). Zoran Tomic, the Spokesman of the HDZ BiH, got surprised when we asked him about the document and closing down of the Party. "Unfortunately, I can not tell you anything at the moment," Tomic said, and added that he cannot deny the existence of such a document. "The Central Board of the HDZ BiH proposed to the Presidency of the Croat People's Assembly to establish the working bodies in charge of the elaboration of the strategy and decisions which the Assembly will make. As much as I know, such an agreement was reached at the Croat People's Assembly. It might mean indirectly that such a document is being prepared!" Tomic told Vecenje List. SDHR Matthias Sonn meets Cardinal Vinko Puljic: Dnevni Avaz and Oslobodjenje reported that the Senior Deputy High Representative, Matthias Sonn, met with the Cardinal Vinko Puljic and discussed the present position of the Croat people in BiH. According to reports, the Cardinal Puljic said that the rights of Croats in this country could be secured only through the legal institutions. Sonn, on his part, expressed disappointment that the messages of the International Community are not reaching Croats, which created a rift of mistrust between the two. Federation Alliance parties decide on their candidates for the Federation House of Peoples: According to ONASA news agency, the Alliance parties have decided on their candidates for top positions in the Federation Parliament's House of Peoples. Agency's source said that SDP's Ivo Komsic will be nominated for the Chairman of the House, while Party for BiH's Meliha Alic is a candidate for the Deputy Chairperson. In addition, the Alliance block agreed that the Secretary of the House will be from the ranks of "others", however his name has not been disclosed yet. Safet Orucevic to quit post of Mostar mayor?: According to Dnevni Avaz, the present Mostar mayor, Safet Orucevic, will withdraw from the city politics after seven years spent in leading positions in Mostar. Following the scheduled regular rotation after which Neven Tomic was to become the new mayor, Orucevic will make his decision public. Avaz claims that Orucevic will discuss his decision with representative of the International Community. Read Orucevic's press statement. Republika Srpska Bozidar Matic in Banja Luka: The Chairperson Designate for the BiH Council of Ministers, Bozidar Matic, will meet separately today in Banja Luka with representatives of RS parties that supported his nomination to this position and discuss the composition of the future CoM. However, representatives of the SDS and RS Socialist Party told the agency that they had not received an official invitation for a meeting with Matic. International community related issues: US Ambassador Thomas Miller: You need give me something good to report to my government: Speaking at the Forum Bosnia (academic association) conference, the US Ambassador Thomas Miller stressed, among other things, that the US Administration is not going to cut and run from BiH, but will certainly work on certain revisions. "The best reason for us to stay longer in BiH is that you give me something good to report to my government," said Miller, and added that the US wants to see people returning to cities like Banja Luka, and arsonists of Bosniak houses in Srebrenica behind the bars, and not having political functions. "On the contrary, the prognosis is not as optimistic," concluded Miller at the session. The nearly entire BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in the audience, as well as the Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Robert Barry, the leader of the NHI, Kresimir Zubak, and an Aide to Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Mirza Hajric. Editorials: Vjesnik: Who wants to prevent Croat companies to invest into BiH economy?: Written by Alenko Zornija (Provided by OHR Mostar) The verbal war between the representatives of the International Community and the HDZ BiH has been increasingly shifting onto the field of economy. First, at the end of the last year some of the leading Croatian economists published data on the manner of donations distribution in BiH during the past period. Rather precise data showed that only Tuzla Canton, with a Bosniak majority, received more money than all Croat territories in BiH together. On the other hand, experts in the international organizations in BiH, have started comprehensive investigations on the way of the business operations of the Companies that are believed to be in a close relation with the HDZ. Also the audit of the Aluminium Factory was announced. The renewal of this Factory is considered to be the greatest success of the HDZ economy. The information on the alleged irregularities in the process of the privatization of this Factory, and during the change of the owners' structure of the attractive Hotels in Neum was published in the media. The reply from the other side warns that the IC did not succeed in reconstruction of any of the major companies, which would employ at least a part of the army of unemployed people in the territories with the Bosniak majority, but they gave large donations for the reconstruction of the infrastructure and for the salaries of their personnel. In addition, the Bosniak side and even some influential foreign diplomats were indirectly accused that they deliberately obstruct the process of privatization of the Companies such as Sarajevo 'Bosnalijek' or 'Vispak' from Visoko, only because the Croatian Companies 'Pliva' and 'Franck' were interested to buy them. At the same time Slovenians are investing tens millions of their capital into BiH and they seriously threaten to 'economically colonize this country totally'. New arguments are coming from the group of Herzegovinian economists who concluded that the real background of the current political struggle for power in BiH Federation is actually the economic one. According to the conclusion published in a Sarajevo weekly 'Hrvatska rijec', the Croat territories in BiH are paying in much more money into the budget of that entity than they get back from it.

The BiH Media Round-up is being compiled primarily for the OHR's internal purposes under time pressure. Please disregard grammar and typing mistakes. The mentioned media reports do not reflect OHR views, and the OHR does not take responsibility for them.

OHR BiH Media Round-up