- BiH/Central institutions:
- BiH and FRY to form an International Council for cooperation;
- The RS and the Federation Teams deliver final arguments in Dobrinja
I and IV arbitration process;
- HDZ-related Issues:
- Croat National Assembly calls for support from Croats living in BiH
and abroad;
- OHR: The High Representative will not engage in a dialogue with
extreme members of the HDZ;
- UM Mission to BiH spokesman says only 40-50 people want the Croat
self-rule;
- ICG's James Lyon: Corruption is in the essence of the HDZ;
- Federation Customs system facing a blockade?;
- Federation Minister of Defense dismisses three senior officers of
the Federation Army;
- Hercegovacka Banka denies that HDZ has any secret account with it;
- Jutarnji List: International community discloses the plan of the
Croat self-rule;
- Diaspora Croat associations support decisions of BiH Croats;
- Federation:
- Single Federation pensions fund by April 30th;
- Republika Srpska:
- RS authorities in Banja Luka issue urban permit for reconstruction
of the Ferhadija mosque;
- RS leadership meets the FRY President in Belgrade;
- International Community:
- Wolfgang Petritsch: Our withdrawal would be fatal;
- The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, meets with the US
Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and the UN Secretary General, Kofi
Annan;
- The Hague prosecutor Carla del Ponte arrives in Banja Luka;
- Editorials:
- Vjesnik: Financial War between the Federation government and the
Croat self-rule;
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BiH State Institutions-related Issues
BiH and FRY to form an International Council for cooperation:
During his short and unofficial visit to BiH capital on Sunday [to watch a
football game between Sarajevo and Belgrade clubs], the Yugoslav Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Goran Svilanovic and his BiH counterpart, Zlatko
Lagumdzija, agreed to discuss further the formation of an International
Council for cooperation between the two countries. "That would be a
political and legal framework for cooperation between the two states, and
it should be given more substance and agreements, which would improve the
lives of ordinary people in both the FRY and BiH," said Lagumdzija.
RS and Federation Teams deliver final opinions in Dobrinja I and IV
arbitration process:
According to Federation media, the RS and the Federation Teams delivered
their final arguments on Saturday before the International Arbiter,
Justice Diarmuid Sheridan, who is to make his ruling on the issue of the
inter-entity boundary line (IEBL) in Dobrinja I and IV by the mid April.
The Federation representative, Ramiz Mehmedagic, said that the pre-war
residents are not indifferent as to the outcome of the ruling, since their
chances for the purchase of their apartments would be significantly
complicated if the disputed parts were given to the RS. "IF they had to
comply with the RS Law, the residents would have to pay cash for their
homes," said Mehmedagic. Radomir Lukic of the RS Team expressed his
dissatisfaction with the "mistakes" which were caused by the topographic
change of the line from 1:600,00 to 1:50, 000 scale at the expense of the
RS. "The RS never accepted this technical mistake which does not coincide
with the agreements between the sides," said Lukic, and added that the
international arbitration process can deal only with 100-140 meters of the
disputed line, while everything else, in his words, would be considered by
the RS side as his "stepping beyond his judicial function."
HDZ-related News:
Croat National Assembly calls for support from Croats living in BiH and
abroad:
At its session held on Friday, the Presidency of the Croat National
Assembly (HNS) welcomed decisions of some Croat officials within the
Federation Ministry of Defense, the Joint Command of the Federation Army,
and the Customs Management to support the Croat National Assembly and
offer their services to "legal and legitimate leadership of the Croat
people in BiH". The HNS also asked for all Croats living in BiH, Croatia
and Diaspora as well to "more concretely" [financially] support this body.
Niko Lozancic, the Secretary-General of the HNS said that the OHR has been
misinforming its superiors and the UN Security Council about the present
political crisis in BiH. "We have been working on presenting the UN
Security Council with correct information," said Lozancic. He also
stressed that the HNS formed a negotiation team for talks with
representatives of International Community on important issues relating to
the present political situation in BiH.
The president of the so-called Croat self-rule in BiH, Marko Tokic,
confirmed at a press conference following the session that Croat soldiers
who decided to leave the Federation army were paid 500 KM.
OHR: The High Representative will not engage in a dialogue with extreme
members of the HDZ:
OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic told the Bijeljina Bobar Television (and
reports the BH Press) that the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch,
remains open for a dialogue with constructive members of the HDZ, that is,
with representative of the more moderate wing of this party, but stressed
that there is no longer a chance for any talks with the dismissed Croat
member of the BiH Presidency Ante Jelavic.
UN BiH spokesman says only 40-50 people want the Croat self-rule:
In a lengthy interview with Oslobodjenje, UN Mission to BiH spokesman,
Stefo Lehmann said that the HDZ considers all those who disagree with its
politics as the enemies of the Croat people. "The HDZ reflects its
leaders, perhaps it is only 40-50 people who are interested in the Croat
self-rule," said Lehmann, and added that the HDZ leaders are only
concerned about their narrow personal interests, and do not pay attention
to the interests of ordinary people.
ICG's James Lyon: Corruption is an essence of the HDZ:
In a shorter interview with Sarajevo Dnevni Avaz, the Balkan director of
the ICG (International Crisis Group), James Lyon, said that the HDZ
leadership is trying to cover up its criminal activities and corruption by
insisting on the establishment of the so-called Croat self-rule in BiH,
and added that there is a good deal of evidence for that. "In this moment,
I would not like to mention names of individuals or companies, but the
corruption is in the essence of the HDZ. It exists in the name and in the
interest of corruption," said Lyon, and added that the party leadership
does not really care about the interests of the Croat people, but only
about its own pockets.
Federation Customs system facing a blockade?;
The deputy Federation Minister of Finance, Nikola Grabovac, dismissed on
Friday the director of the Federation Customs Management, Filip Andric,
and appointed Milenko Tosic in his place. This move of the Federation
Finance Minister came only day after Andric and 18 other senior Croat
officials, along with 460 Croat officers at various BiH customs check
points, declared their loyalty to the Croat National Assembly. AFP agency
reported that HNS officials also declared that Croats will cease paying
any duties or customs taxes to the Federation budget, but they did not set
a time table. However, the president of the so-called Croat self-rule in
BiH, Marko Tokic, said that the Croat National Assembly will not do this
unilaterally, i.e., without a prior dialogue with representatives of the
other two peoples in BiH.
Federation Customs Management officials say that these moves of the Croat
nationalists should not create a blockade of the customs system in the
Federation.
Federation Minister of Defense dismisses three officers of the Federation
Army:
The Federation Minister of Defense, Mijo Anic, removed on Friday three
senior officers of the Federation Army, Antun Luburic, Dusko Grubesic, and
Ivo Filipovic from their respective post because of severe violations of
work ethic, irresponsible behavior and their refusal to follow the chain
of command in the Federation Army.
Hercegovacka Banka denies that the HDZ has any secret accounts:
Hercegovacka Banka from Mostar rejected the allegations presented by
certain media that the HDZ has a secret account in this bank with 54
million KM deposited by the Republic of Croatia. The head of the HB public
affairs office, Milan Sutalo, told Onasa that the OSCE has had a chance to
audit and control all accounts in this bank, and that it has not detected
any inconsistencies. "I am not familiar with the motives behind this
campaign against the Hercegovacka Banka, but it is obvious that it is
backed by certain circles who do not mean well to this bank or to the
Croat people in BiH," said Sutalo.
Jutarnji List: International Community discloses the plan of the Croat
self-rule:
Few weeks ago, the Croatian Government and the embassies in Zagreb
received a written information from the OSCE Mission in BiH, saying that
there is an account with the Hercegovacka Bank in which 54 million DEM was
deposited for the needs of the HDZ BiH.
No money was collected since the bank account was opened in April 2000 up
until December last year and what has drawn the attention of the public,
is the fact that the regular inflow of money to the account coincided with
the Croatian Government payments for the HVO.
One can conclude from the data about the Management Board and the
ownership structure of the Bank, the International Community
representatives think, that the Bank is under the control of the
hard-line, rightist faction of the HVO and the HDZ. This is substantiated
with the information about the members of the Management Board and the
owners.
The Management Board is headed by Branko Kolobaric, an HDZ member and the
Manager of the Primus AD company in Mostar, which is the major shareholder
in the Hercegovacka Bank with 3 millions invested.
Some of the Management Board members are persons whom the OHR and the OSCE
removed from office due to their obstructing of the reforms and the Peace
Agreement, such as Krunoslav Kordic, an HDZ hard-liner who had
participated in the creation of the Croat Republic of HHHerzeg-Bosnia and
was removed from the position of Capljina Mayor in 1999. Stipe Maric, who
was removed from the position of Mostar-Southwest Municipal Mayor for
obstructing Bosniac returns, is also on the Board.
Another member of the Management Board is Miroslav Rupcic, an HDZ member
who was working with the Federation Defence Ministry while Ante Jelavic
was the Minister. In addition to the aforementioned, there is also a
reminder of the scandal from August 1998 when Rupcic, Jelavic and Soljic
were accused of misappropriation of the pension funds to the benefit of
the HVIDRA. Rupcic is presently the Manager of the Hercegovina Osiguranje
(insurance) company.
Vlado Soljic and Fra Ivan Sevo are also members of the Management Board.
The Chairman of the Bank Management Board is Frano Ljubic, who, along with
another 9 persons, was charged with fraudulent handling in the
privatization process in October 1999. He was removed from office in 1999
on the suspicion of money laundering, and in April 2000 he became a member
of the Management Board of the Federal Investment Bank.
One of the Management Board members is Ignjac Rakic, the Manager of the
Monitor company.
Ivica Karlovic, the Bank's General Manager, was on the HDZ election list
and won a seat at the Federation House of Representatives, and his Deputy
Zlatko Prusina was also on the HDZ list but was not elected.
The major founder of the bank, according to the data collected by the
international organizations, was the company Monitor, which was
established by General Ljubo Cesic Rojs under the patronage of the late
Croatian Defence Minister, Gojko Susak. As is stated, Monitor used to
direct 3 million DEM to Herzegovina on a daily basis during the war, and
after the Dayton Peace Agreement was signed, the company continued to
finance the parallel institutions of Herzeg-Bosnia. Monitor helped the
establishment of the Hercegovacka Bank in 1997, and was initially
controlling 15% of it, having invested 1.5 million DEM. Apart from
Monitor, the three Croat-majority Cantons and the HPT participated in the
formation of the Bank, but since the transfer in 1998, none of them have a
share in the ownership.
Diaspora Croat associations support Croat decisions in BiH:
According to Zagreb's Vecernji List, Croats originally from BiH who are
presently living abroad will form an umbrella organization of BiH Croats
in Zagreb, Croatia. "We want to warn all the people in Croatia and BiH
that we do not agree with what is happening to the BiH Croats," said Damir
Zoric of the Initiative Board of the future organization. Zoric also said
that his organization supports the electoral will of the Croats as
expressed at the elections last November.
Federation:
Single Federation Pension Fund by April 30th?:
According to Dnevni Avaz, the single Federation Pensions Fund should be
created by April 30th 2001, when the two existing funds from Mostar and
Sarajevo are to come together. "We have not yet established a
consolidation plan for the PIO Funds, but we will do it shortly in order
to implement the law imposed by the High Representative," said Nikola
Grabovac, the Deputy Federation Prime Minister.
Republika Srpska:
RS authorities in Banja Luka issue urban permit for reconstruction of the
Ferhadija mosque:
All Federation media reported that Banja Luka authorities issued an urban
permit for the reconstruction of the Ferhadija mosque and all other
facilities which previously belonged to it. Explaining its decision, the
city's department for urban planning said that it took into consideration
the complaint of the Islamic Community, the decision of the Human Rights
Chamber, and the legal opinion of the High Representative while ruling on
this issue. It is expected that the Islamic Community will obtain
construction permit within the next seven days, which would secure the
rebuilding of the famous mosque which was destroyed in 1993.
RS Leadership meets the FRY President in Belgrade:
Weekend editions of both Banja Luka dailies report on meeting between the
RS leadership, led by the RS President Mirko Sarovic, and the FRY
leadership which took place in Belgrade on Friday. After the meeting
Sarovic said that the Dayton Peace Agreement is the best framework that
can only be changed through the will of all three peoples. Sarovic also
said that the initiative for revision of the Dayton peace Agreement was
discussed and that participants expressed their strong support. Commenting
on the UN Security Council Report calling for the High Representative to
monitor implementation of the Special Relations Agreement between the RS
and the FRY, Sarovic said he supported the appeal and stressed that there
is nothing disputable in the Agreement.
International Community :
Wolfgang Petritsch: Our Withdrawal would be fatal:
Federation media (Dnevni Avaz, Oslobodjenje) dedicated their front pages
to last week's visit of the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, to
the United States. While Dnevni Avaz carries the full text of Petritsch's
article titled "Our Withdrawal would be Fatal" and which was published in The New York Times, Oslobodjenje quotes, in a
great length, a Sense agency interview with the High Representative.
Petritsch told the Sense that he is satisfied with his recent trip to New
York and Washington D.C., and stressed that he has received strongest
support thus far from the UN Security Council and the US Administration.
He explained that this support was twofold: both his recent intervention
against the Croat nationalists in the Federation and his statements that
the implementation of the Dayton peace Agreement has significantly
progressed were backed by the UN and the US Administration. Petritsch said
that he has been assured by the new US government that it is fully aware
of the necessity of its continuing presence in BiH.
The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, meets with the US Secretary
of State, Colin Powell and the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan;
All Federation and RS media reported (3rd and 4th pages, mostly excerpts
from the OHR press releases in Sarajevo dailies, while Banja Luka media
barely even reported on this) on Thursday's meeting between the High
Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, and the US Secretary of State, Colin
Powell, as well as his talks with the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
See the attachments!
The Hague prosecutor Carla del Ponte arrives in Banja Luka:
The UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte arrived early Monday in Banja
Luka for talks with RS leaders at the start of a three-day visit to BiH
that will also take her to Sarajevo. Del Ponte will meet with the RS
president Mirko Sarovic, the Prime
Minister, Mladen Ivanic, and the prosecutor general, Vorislav
Dimitrijevic, for talks
that are expected to touch on the fate of war-time leaders Radovan
Karadzic
and Ratko Mladic. This is Del Ponte's first visit to the RS since the last
October.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, she is scheduled to meet with BiH leaders, UN
officials and commanders of the SFOR.
Editorials:
Vjesnik: Financial War between the Federation government and the Croat
self-rule:
The political conflict between the Federal authorities and the self-styled
Croat autonomy in BiH could soon turn into a real financial war with
incalculable consequences. It is almost certain that the payment of funds
from Herzegovina to the accounts of the central entity authorities in
Sarajevo will be considerably reduced.
"Should the Herzegovina-based companies stop paying the customs duties and
taxes to the entity budget, they will cut their own throat. They will not
be able to sell in Bosnia the products they import because we will treat
the imported commodities as those for which legal liabilities are not
met," stated Nikola Grabovac, the Deputy Prime Minister of Behmen's
Government and Minister of Finance. He claims that, in that case,
Herzegovina will face economic collapse because all the imported
commodities for the market of two million citizens in Bosnia will be
redirected to other, "loyal" areas in the country.
However, hundreds of Croat officials have ceased to be obedient to
Grabovac, similarly to the case of Defence Minister Mijo Anic (also from
the NHI). After Grabovac removed Filip Andric, the Director of the
Federation Customs Administration, around 500 officials of the
Administration supported the Croat autonomy in BiH. Croat soldiers in BiH,
along with customs officers, have sided with the self-rule. There is
almost no doubt that the policemen in the Croat-majority areas of the
country, Herzegovina in particular, will do the same despite the threats
with sanctions.
The Government in Sarajevo simply has no support from the Croat population
in the country. The problem does not lie in the personnel, it has even
been admitted that NHI ministers would be quite a good solution under
different circumstances. However, the problem is in the concept.
Time could show to be an important factor. The leading international
diplomats in BiH, Wolfgang Petritsch and Robert Barry, are expected to
leave soon. In the long-term perspective, the position of the "Alliance
creator", US Ambassador Thomas Miller is not much too secure, either. The
leading officials of the Croat autonomy expect that they might get other
interlocutors who will be more sensitive to their demands.
Still, it is hard to believe that whoever may replace Petritsch and Barry,
will openly support the removed politicians of the HDZ. If the autonomy
keeps the level of support from the population that it has now, in spite
of the threats with sanctions, the ultimate reach of the autonomy may be
the achievement of a fairer Election Law and a possible initiating of a
discussion on constitutional changes. However, it will not be feasible
without a discussion (and a much fairer one than has been the case so far)
in the institutions of the system.
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