BiH/Central institutions: Bosniak member of BiH Presidency ready for dialog with HDZ The High Representative meets BiH Foreign Minister in a café Federation: Airbus airplanes affairs shakes the Federation Representatives of Herzegovacka Bank refuse to meet with provisional administrator OHR deadline for Federation Constitutional Commission expires Federation Banking agency imposed provisional administration in Kredit Schweizer Bank President of the Croat self-rule at a press conference in Mostar - Marko Tokic: Federal Government does not supervise HVO Mostar: At the Economic Forum, Economic Council established - Call for rationalization Jelavic Vs Powell Actions of arresting political, military and police officials from Herzegovina are being prepared: Action of the Croatian MoI will be demanded for the arrests of Herzegovinians Crisis in Herzegovina: Are Wolfgang Petritsch and Jacques Klein making preparations for the arrest of the HDZ BiH President - Jelavic will be charged with the Leutar assassination? Republika Srpska Serbs in Zvornik protest against the arrest of Dragan Obrenovic Karadzic no longer a member of SDS Reactions to Unconfirmed Information that SDS Distanced Itself From Its Former Leader - SDS has no courage to expel Karadzic Inventory of the RS Commodity Reserves Warehouses International Community OHR Press Release urging public institutions to make provision for timely payments SFOR South-East exerts control of Mostar barracks BiH/Central institutions related issues: Bosniak member of BiH Presidency ready for dialog with HDZ Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Beriz Belkic told Dnevni Avaz in an interview that he is ready for a dialog with the HDZ representatives, but only those who were not involved in the establishment of the so-called Croat self-rule in BiH. According to Belkic only those HDZ representatives who distance themselves from the unconstitutional project can join the talks. Belkic added that the Presidency will at its next session discuss the security and political situation in BiH and will try to find a solution that will end the crisis, Dnevni Avaz said. The High Representative meets BiH Foreign Minister in a café The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch and the BiH Foreign Minister and the leader of the SDP, Zlatko Lagumdzija met in Sarajevo's Imperial café on Monday evening, Dnevni Avaz reported. During the two hour-long meeting the two discussed the current situation in BiH, the daily said without disclosing the details of the talks. Federation related issues: Airbus airplanes affairs shakes the Federation Oslobodjenje on the front page Tuesday reported that a new affair is shaking the Federation. New Federation authorities are investigating the purchase of two new Airbus airplanes for the Air Bosnia company. It appears that Air Bosnia has signed one contract for the purchase and the Elektroprivreda another one. Will BiH get the two planes or lose the planes and the money advance it has paid, remains to be seen after the investigation. Oslobodjenje said that the Financial Police investigation into the business of the Elektroprivreda company might shine some additional light in the entire case. Representatives of Herzegovacka Bank refuse to meet with provisional administrator Representatives of the Herzegovacka Bank refused to meet Toby Robinson, the provisional administrator posted by the High Representative, Sarajevo papers said. They said that court will be the place where they will meet the administrator. In an open letter sent to the administrator bank officials said they "have nothing to discuss," with her or her boss. The letter was sent on Monday the dailies said. OHR deadline for Federation Constitutional Commission expires The deadline set by the OHR for the Federation House of Representatives Constitutional Commission has expired yesterday without any concrete results being achieved, Oslobodjenje reported. The deadline was set for passing of the amendments on the Federation Constitution. The main reason for the delay is the fact that two members of the Commission, two Croats, have not been named yet. Federation officials told the daily that the OHR will name the two members this week. Head of the OHR's Press Office, Alexandra Stiglmayer said that it is just a matter of days when will the High Representative reach a decision on posting the two new Croat members of the Commission. "The OHR has previously called upon the HDZ to fill the gap with two of its representatives but has not yet received a response," Stiglmayer said. Federation Banking agency imposed provisional administration in Kredit Schweizer Bank Federation Banking Agency has on Monday imposed a provisional administration for the Kredit Schweizer Bank in Sarajevo. The administration was imposed because the bank failed to fulfill the condition on the level of share holders capital. The Agency named Zlatan Jugo as the provisional administrator and said in a statement that the bank appears to be solvent and that the measure should not have negative effects on the business of the bank. President of the Croat self-rule at a press conference in Mostar - Marko Tokic: Federal Government does not supervise HVO According to Split daily Slobodna Dalmacija Marko Tokic stated on Saturday that the Federal Government does not supervise the Croat army component, which is the reason why they asked SFOR to take control of the abandoned barracks. All the HVO barracks in four divisions have been abandoned by 8,000 Croat soldiers, supporting the appeal for disbandment from the Croat National Assembly. "The illegal and illegitimate authorities do not have the Croat (army) component. They must admit that they are without an army because the HVO has been disbanded in the 100% percentage," stated Tokic. He added that the Croat soldiers in BiH will remain civilians "until a joint army is established in BiH with an equal Croat component." Tokic said the current "illegal" Federal authorities in Sarajevo are "puppet authorities and one should stop recognising them." He appealed for "real negotiations" among the three peoples and the international community in BiH, and added that the current position "leads nowhere." He stood for the passing of changes to the constitution and the election law, where the fewest Croats would not be outvoted. Tokic expects "institutional protection" in order to avoid the situation where 90% of BiH Croats voted for one party, but are not participating in the authorities nevertheless. Mostar: At the Economic Forum, Economic Council established - Call for rationalization Slobodna Dalmacija reported that an Economic Forum held a session in Mostar and 450 businessmen from BiH participated in its work, the Economic Council was established and a number of conclusions were made. The Economic Council is an expert and consultative body which will, with its arguments, influence the preparation of the legal regulations from the economic realm and the solving of all economic problems. The Forum established the Association of the Croat Entrepreneurs in BiH, as the Chief Association of the already established Cantonal and Municipal Associations which will be an important partner of the authorities in the solving of all employment and entrepreneurs issues. The Forum demands a full financial discipline in meeting the tax and other obligations and a full solidarity with the categories of the people who were damaged by the establishing of the illegitimate authorities at the levels of the BiH Federation and BiH. In the conclusions of the session they demand the rationalization and saving at all authority levels, the level of the public companies, institutions and the companies where the majority of the capital is owned by the state. Also, it was demanded from all economic subjects that demobilized HVO soldiers are treated as a priority employment-wise. Editorial by Visnja Staresina - Jelavic versus Powell Zagreb daily Vecernji List in its Tuesday editorial said that the communication gap between Colin Powell and Ante Jelavic proved insurmountable last week. Jelavic addressed him an open letter and asked to be heard, and Powell unambiguously and permanently wrote him off as a political interlocutor of the USA in BiH, marking him as a de-stabilising element. Declaring the Croat-majority areas risky for the American citizens could have serious consequences and present an announcement of a sort of an American-Croat conflict in BiH, or, in the continuation - the end of Croats in BiH. In a state of a developed political life, a logical question of the BiH Croats would be - who brought us in conflict with the USA and why? In that conflict, all future political trades in BiH will break over us. What is the most painless and the least damaging way of getting out of such a conflict? Not even the Serbs are waging a war with America, but they are trading and reaching agreements with them instead. And just now, General Jelavic would take Croats into a (tactical?) conflict against America. Indeed, considering the army and political school of General Jelavic, it is not at all a completely surprising decision. Actions of arresting political, military and police officials from Herzegovina are being prepared: Action of the Croatian MoI will be demanded for the arrests of Herzegovinians Vecernji List said that from well-informed sources it received an information that the OHR and the Federal MoI will officially demand from Sime Lucin, the Croatian Minister of Interior, a police engagement during the arrests of the persons who are 'destabilizing' the security and political situation in the BiH Federation. At the same time it should be the third phase of the action that the current authorities in the BiH Federation are elaborating with the international officials. "Insisting on pressing charges against individual officials of the HDZ BiH and the now former officers of the Federal MoI is just an introduction into this agreement. First of all, it is necessary to press charges so that the job could be done legally. As soon as the charges are pressed, a person is automatically no longer safe in any part of BiH, or in any of the neighbouring countries which co-operate with the Federal MoI," says the source of Vecernji list. The Hercegovacka Bank case is entering a new stage these days, which is evident from certain postponements from last week. A few vehicles with special unit members of the Federal MoI left from Sarajevo to Mostar last week in order to arrest the dismissed ministers of the Herzegovina-Neretva and Western Herzegovina Cantons, Dragan Mandic and Vinko Culjak. However, they gave up the arrest in the last moment because the people from Mostar allegedly found out about the secretly prepared action. The political circles have been speculating that some actions of the Federal police and SFOR against individual politicians gathered around the HNS could be expected within the next 15 days. The frequent over-flights by SFOR helicopters best testify that something is being planned. "The international officials, reinforced with the support from the EU countries and the USA, extended by US State Secretary Colin Powell himself, will certainly ask Croatia to get engaged in the action of eliminating the 'undesirable' political officials," says the source. The modalities of their political elimination are being carefully examined. Crisis in Herzegovina: Are Wolfgang Petritsch and Jacques Klein making preparations for the arrest of the HDZ BiH President - Jelavic will be charged with the Leutar assassination? In a telephone conversation, Jelavic told Zagreb daily Jutarnji List that he had the information that charges against him had already been prepared for the Leutar case. "The international community wants to incriminate me at any cost. It is already quite clear that they have no evidence of my alleged criminal activities, although keep talking about it, because otherwise, they would have published it by now," stated Ante Jelavic, the president of the Croat National Assembly. Jelavic and the HDZ BiH leadership could be accused of undermining the constitutional order of the BiH Federation due to the decision to form the Croat self-rule, but Jelavic doubts it will happen. "In that case, it would be clear that it is about a political process. There is no justification for one of the constituent peoples to be deprived of their rights to this extent. What now seems to be the only mistake is that we did not raise this issue even earlier," says Jelavic. While the arrests are being expected, there appeared the information about a considerable increase of the SFOR forces and the arrival of the Federal police units in East Mostar. In such an atmosphere, there would be no need for any special organisation for any new demonstration of force to turn into an open conflict. The investigation into the Leutar assassination was conducted under the strong hand of General Klein in such a way that even Reis-Ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric or Bishop Franjo Komarica could as well be accused as the order-issuing authorities. Republika Srpska: Serbs in Zvornik protest against the arrest of Dragan Obrenovic Several thousand people protested in Zvornik on Monday, Sarajevo papers reported. The people demonstrated against the arrest of Dragan Obrenovic, an RS Army officer arrested on Sunday by The Hague Tribunal Prosecutors. Obrenovic was arrested for war crimes committed in Srebrenica during the war. "We are embittered and deeply moved with the brutal arrest of this honorable and honest Serb officer and we ask that Obrenovic is returned to his family," Zvornik War Veterans Association said in a statement. RS President, Mirko Sarovic has condemned the Obrenovic's arrest and said it is a "true shame for The Hague Tribunal." "The actions of The Tribunal and the existence of sealed indictments do not contribute to the strengthening of peace and trust in this region," Sarovic said according to Sarajevo media. RS daily Glas Srpski carried the statement. RS President Mirko Sarovic condemned the arrest of Dragan Obrenovic, commander of Zvornik Brigade, lieutenant-colonel of the RS Army (VRS), calling this act "a real disgrace for the Hague Tribunal". In a statement to Glas srpski, RS President said that "yesterday's arrest of Obrenovic is far from statements of the Tribunal's officials who said they would act publicly, especially when individuals who expressed readiness to cooperate with the Tribunal are concerned". "Lieutenant-colonel Obrenovic responded to invitations of the Hague's investigators. He was ready to give himself up, if his status was to be changed, or rather if became indicted instead of suspected", said Sarovic. President of the RS said that "such activities of the Hague Tribunal and existence of sealed indictment does not contribute to strengthening of peace and confidence in the region". "We were promised that the Hague Tribunal would start arresting Bosniaks responsible for genocide on Serbs in Srebrenica area between 1992 and 1993. For the time being, these promises are not being fulfilled", stressed Mirko Sarovic. Arrest of PIWC Dragan Obrenovic in Kozluk Glas srpski (GS), on its cover page, under the title "Indictment After Testimony", carries the following lines: "SFOR troops, on Sunday around 13,00hours in Kozluk, kidnapped lieutenant-colonel of the RS Army Dragan Obrenovic, commander of Army barracks "Vojvoda Zivojin Misic" in Zvornik. Same evening Obrenovic was transferred to the Hague Tribunal. Spokesperson of the Tribunal Florence Heartman stated that Obrenovic was arrested based on the sealed indictment, raised against him on April 9th this year. On the page 3 GS report on protests of War Veterans in Zvornik over "brutal arrest of Dragan Obrenovic". War Veternas Association in Zvornik gathered several thousand citizens and condemned this act in the strongest terms, GS reports. Karadzic no longer a member of SDS According to Banja Luka weekly Reporter the most wanted BiH war crimes suspect, Radovan Karadzic is no longer a member of the SDS party. An unnamed SDS source told the weekly that this party no longer considers Karadzic, war-time Bosnian Serb leader and indicted war crimes suspect, as their member. The same source said that Karadzic's membership just died because he has not been involved in the work of this party and is not politically active. "It is completely understandable that we do not consider him a member anymore," the source said. Reactions to Unconfirmed Information that SDS Distanced Itself From Its Former Leader - SDS has no courage to expel Karadzic Mladen Ivanic - RS Prime Minister RS Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic thinks that expulsion of Radovan Karadzic from SDS is and internal matter of the party and its relations towards members. "SDS should define relations within the party, but its a bit unusual to state such things through media. Obviously it is a result of our times", stated Ivanic to Nezavisne novine, commenting report of one magazine quoting anonymous source from the SDS who suggested that SDS distanced itself from members who are on public indictment lists or in Sheveningen prison. Ivanic stressed he did not consider this issue of crucial importance in the light of the role he performed and therefore he did not have a special comment. Milorad Dodik - President of SNSD (Independent Party of Social-Democrats) "Obviously SDS is obliged to expel Radovan Karadzic from he party but public announcement of such things is very painful for them. This is why they prefer anonymous sources to publicize it through media", said Milorad Dodik SNSD President. OHR "OHR should not only expel Radovan Karadzic from the party but also to try and have him arrested and extradited to the Hague Tribunal, since they influence the work of the RS Government", stated Alexandra Stiglmayer to Nezavisne novine. According to her, OHR insists that SDS takes away membership to all members who are publicly indicted war criminals or are suspected to had bee involved in war crimes. She added that the High Representative had warned SDS about this a couple of times. Stiglmayer stated that OHR still was not sure about the information on expulsion of Karadzic from SDS since "it's difficult to trust anonymous sources". Sejfudin Tokic - Vice President of SDP BiH Tokic thinks that "SDS should clearly give up war political projections personalized in Radovan Karadzic and other war leaders who contributed to crimes, suffering and who brought SDS to indictment list of the Hague Tribunal. Sulejman Tihic - Vice President of SDA "SDS, if wishes to be serious political party, has to publicly, from the very top, to expel Radovan Karadzic from the party and not "secretly and through semi-official sources to announce things which could always be denied." Tomislav Tomljenovic - High Official of NHI "If SDS wished to exclude Karadzic from the party, they should do it transparently and not through unofficial sources". Safet Halilovic - Secretary General of Party for BiH "Announcing expulsion of Radovan Karadzic from the party through anonymous source is a reflection of internal situation in the party and an attempt to fulfill requests of the International Community Inventory of the RS Commodity Reserves Warehouses Glas srpski report on the inventory done in the RS Commodity Reserves warehouses, by which it was assessed that goods 11 million KM worth, presented in official records are missing. "Out of 193 stores of the Republic Department of Commodity Reserves, 96 have no records on goods worth 4,479,108 KM, being stored. The data is accurate for 23 warehouses only. This was stated to Glas srpski by a very well informed source close to Finance Police of RS". International Community OHR Press Release urging public institutions to make provision for timely payments Nezavisne novine carry the OHR Press release on the page 3 combined with the Press release: Hercegovacka's Provisional Administrator calls meeting with bank's senior management SFOR South-East exerts control of Mostar barracks Sarajevo-based Onasa news agency reported that the members of the SFOR Multinational Division South-East on Monday started the action of putting under control the weaponry in the "Stanislav Baja Kraljevic" barracks near Mostar. The barracks was the headquarters of the First Croat Guards Battalion of the BiH Federation army, abandoned by the officers and soldiers of the Croat Defense Council (HVO) following the call of the Croat National Congress (HNS) to have the HVO disbanded. Subsequently, representatives of war veterans moved in to guard the weaponry. SFOR's Multi-National Division North also confirmed they were in the process of consolidating the arms depots of the FBiH army Croat component. According to SFOR reports, these consolidations are part of a trend aimed at increasing the efficiency and decreasing the costs. During the year 2001 a total of eight arms depots have been consolidated so far, compared to 25 in the last year.

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