26.11.2001

BiH Media Round-up, 26/11/2001

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BiH State-related Issues

  • Reception in regard of the BiH Statehood Day – Petritsch urges for adoption of the Law on the State Holidays
  • BiH Statehood Day celebrated just in some areas
  • BiH Coordination team for Economic Development and European Integration discusses Budget rebalance, succession law and Road Map
  • Tensions raise in Bosanska Kostajnica
  • CEI countries support BiH’s accession to the Council of Europe
  • Lagumdzija calls on CEI countries to join efforts in combating terrorism
  • SDA says Lagumdzija covering a diplomatic scandal
  • Sarovic claims BiH Foreign Ministry was informed about the RS delegation’s visit to Russia
  • SBS to take over control over control over Banja Luka airport on December 14
  • Mihalj says SBS tightens security to prevent Al-Qaeda members from entering BiH
  • Mihajlovic says only Siemens applied for CIPS project
  • SDA to initiate essential changes of the BiH Constitution
  • Problems in the establishment of the BiH Election Commission

Federation

  • Raising of at least two indictments against Edhem Bicakcic to be initiated by Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor?
  • New OKO management sets ultimatum to Oslobodjenje to pay one third of its debts by December 1
  • Slobodna Dalmacija: Reporters in Stolac – It is a lucky thing that it got cold…
  • Vecernji List: Manufacturers of wine and alcoholic beverages accuse the High Representative of damaging Federation budget
  • Vecernji List: Opposition’s votes crucial for Maslesa and Skrijelj’s appointment

Republika Srpska

  • Esma Palic to receive compensation of DEM 65,000
  • RS Trade Unions leader says 600 millions KM needed to take care of workers who will lose their jobs in the privatization process
  • SNSD and DSP leaders sign platform to unify the two parties
  • RS politicians’ reactions to the new indictment against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
  • RS Central Treasury to be established next year

International Community

  • Fena: Petritsch says there is no place for SDS in Europe if it does not reform itself
  • Dnevni List: Interview with Matthias Sonn, the Senior Deputy High Representative of the International Community in BiH
  • Consensus still not reached on the unification of SFOR, KFOR and Amber Fox
  • Russian Ambassador to BiH says Karadzic not sheltering in Russia
  • Schwartz-Schilling says international financial support still necessary for the return of refugees
  • OHR says HDZ BiH has betrayed its voters
  • OHR calls on Croat journalists to start working with the Federation TV
  • Dnevni List: The Croatian Parliament Speaker receives Cardinal Puljic

Editorials

  • Dnevni List: Lehmann’s own goals in the net of IPTF
  • Slobodna Dalmacija: On the occasion of the 6th anniversary of the agreement signed in American army base

 

 

BiH State-related Issues

Reception in regard of the BiH Statehood Day – Petritsch urges for adoption of the Law on the State Holidays

The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, urged at a reception in regard of the BiH Statehood Day for an urgent adoption of the BiH Law on Holidays, which was currently a subject of the parliamentary procedure in the BiH House of Peoples. Petritsch appealed on all members of the parliament and all other authorized institutions to complete the process determining November 25 as the holiday to be celebrated in the entire country. According to the Saturday’s Oslobodjenje, the Friday reception was hosted by BiH Council of Ministers Chairman Jozo Krizanovic. The BiH electronic and print media report that the BiH Statehood Day was celebrated only in a third of the country’s territory mainly belonging to the BiH Federation. (Oslobodjenje and Jutarnje Novine carried the Press Release )

BiH Statehood Day celebrated just in some areas

Nezavisne Novine reports on ways in which certain BiH towns marked November 25th, the BiH Statehood Day. According to the daily, it was marked in the Federation BiH, in towns with Bosniak majority, while the towns with Croat majority and the Republika Srpska ignored the celebration. The daily also carries small survey asking citizens of Prijedor, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Bijeljina about the Holiday. According to the survey the RS citizens would rather chose some other day while the Sarajevo residents (with a few exceptions) consider this day a proper national holiday.

BiH Coordination team for Economic Development and European Integration discusses Budget rebalance, succession law and Road Map conditions

Monday’s Oslobodjenje reports that the BiH Coordination Team for Economic Development and European Integration held its meeting in Sarajevo on Sunday and agreed on the rebalance Budget of the BiH state institutions. It also accepted certain amendments to the Law on Succession and concluded that BiH had so far fulfilled seven out of 18 Road Map conditions. The meeting convened by BiH Council of Ministers Chairman Zlatko Lagmdzija was attended by Entity Prime Ministers Alija Behmen and Mladen Ivanic, BiH Ministers Azra Hadziahmetovic, Anto Domazet and Dragan Mikerevic and Entity Finance Ministers.

Tensions raise in Bosanska Kostajnica

Head of the Bosanska Kostajnica municipality Drago Bundalo on Friday sent a letter to the top international and BiH officials in which he warned that tensions were being raised among the town’s citizens following the agreement on the opening of the border crossing reached by BiH and Croatia. According to the Saturday’s Oslobodjenje, Bundalo reminded in the letter that a series of BiH/Croatia interstate commission’s meetings had been held at which the proposal was agreed on the construction of a common terminal at the location of Una and Uncica. “However, at a meeting in Hrvatska Kostajnica on November 15, Croatia defined a new proposal, which did not include the common terminal, but the construction a new bridge over the Una river,” the letter read. Bundalo emphasized that this meant the road access to the future bridge might be constructed only if a large number of the Kostajnica downtown building is removed. He therefore requested High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, other international officials, BiH Presidency and the BiH Council of Ministers to initiate diplomatic activities in order to overcome this newly-created situation.

CEI countries support BiH’s accession to the Council of Europe

In a declaration adopted at their conference in Trieste on Friday, the 17 prime ministers of the Central European Initiative (CEI) countries supported the BiH’s admission into the Council of Europe. “The also supported the BiH efforts that the process of the stabilization and association becomes effective as soon as possible through the talks on a contract such as the one Croatia has recently signed with the European Union,” Lagumdzija told Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz upon his return to Sarajevo. ” First of all, we have to fulfil 18 Road Map conditions we have accepted while simultaneously launching the process to draft the feasibility study, which should define how prepared we are for signing the contract on the Stabilization and Association,” Lagumdzija added.

Lagumdzija calls on CEI countries to join efforts in combating terrorism

According to Saturday’s Oslobodenje, BiH Council of Ministers Chairman Zlatko Lagumdzija called on the leaders of the Central European Initiative countries gathered in the Italian town of Trieste to join efforts in combating terrorism, injustice and poverty. “Terrorism is not a problem of just one particular country but it is a global problem requiring a global action. We all also have a common enemy, which are the injustice and poverty,” Lagumdzija emphasized.

SDA says Lagumdzija covering a diplomatic scandal

The BiH Democratic Action Party (SDA) requested BiH Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija to seriously tackle the problems inside the Ministry and sanction the Ambassador to Russia due to ruining the reputation of the country he represented. According to Saturday’s Oslobodjenje, SDA Vice-president Elmir Jahic told journalists in Sarajevo on Friday that Lagumdzija was trying to cover a diplomatic scandal caused by a visit to Moscow of a Republika Srpska delegation in order to maintain an illusion on strategic cooperation with partners from the smaller BiH entity. The party claims that the RS leadership headed by President Mirko Sarovic and Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic traveled to Russia without any knowledge of the BiH Foreign Ministry. In addition, the SDA official emphasized, it was an absurd that the BiH Embassy in the Russian capital had fully ignored the BiH Foreign Ministry by organizing the visit.

Sarovic claims BiH Foreign Ministry was informed about the RS delegation’s visit to Russia

According to Sunday’s Dnevni Avaz, Republika Srpska President Mirko Sarovic said late on Friday upon the return of an entity delegation from five-day visit to Russia that the BiH Foreign Ministry had been informed on the visit by the BiH Embassy in Moscow, Moreover, Sarovic emphasized, RS Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic informed BiH Council of Ministers Chairman Zlatko Lagumdzija on this trip. “We were there at the invitation of the Russian parliament and this visit did not jeopardize BiH’s interest in any way,” Sarovic said.

SBS to take over control over control over Banja Luka airport on December 14

BiH State Border Service Director Tomislav Mihalj and Republika Srpska Interior Minister Dragomir Jovicic on Friday in Banja Luka signed an agreement on taking over the control over the Banja Luka Mahovljani Airport by SBS. “The agreement defines that the SBS will take over the full control over the airport on December 14,” Mihalj told Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz.

Mihalj says SBS tightens security to prevent Al-Qaeda members from entering BiH

According to the intelligence data available to the BiH State Border Service, a certain number of people suspected to be linked with the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization have been moving from Afghanistan towards the central Europe. “We posses information that they are moving from Afghanistan over Bulgaria and FR Yugoslavia towards BiH. SBS has therefore, in cooperation with the entity police forces, prepared special instructions for all units on the ground in order to prevent Al-Qaeda members from entering the country,” SBS Director Tomislav Mihalj told Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz.

Mihajlovic says only Siemens applied for CIPS project

In a statement with the SRNA news agency carried by the weekend edition of Jutarnje Novine, BiH Minister of Civil Affairs and Communications Svetozar Mihajlovic said that only Siemens had applied for the realization of the Citizens Identity Protection System (CIPS) project. “The negotiations with the company will start very soon,” Mihajlovic announced. He added that, if the talks would be counter-productive, the BiH Council of Ministers would request additional technical data or cancel the arrangement with Siemens and open a new tender for the job.

SDA to initiate essential changes of the BiH Constitution

The BiH Democratic Action Party (SDA) deputies to the BiH parliamentary Assembly will soon offer a document containing essential amendments to the state Constitution. “The drafting of the document is about to be completed and it will be presented to the public in the second half of the next month at the latest. By the document, we request that the Constitution defines the state as the Republic of BiH, that the state is given powers in the fields of the defense and security, as well as the economic policy. For us, this is a sort of mini-Dayton, by which we want to initiate a process to de-block peace agreement implementation,” SDA President Sulejman Tihic told Monday’s Dnevni Avaz.

Problems in the establishment of the BiH Election Commission

Glas Srpski, also on the cover page, specifies problems related to the process of the establishment of the BiH Election Commission. According to the newspaper, the decision of the High Representative to appoint local members of the Election Commission caused dissatisfaction of some politicians, because it was all done without consultations with local officials. The daily also criticizes deadline set for the establishment of the Commission (September 15th) by the final provisions of the Election Law claiming that the BiH Election Law did not exist at that time. “RS Government was not involved in or consulted about the election of a Serb member of the Commission and decision on the matter was made by the High Representative himself”, stated Cvijeta Kovacevic, the Head of the RS Government’s Public Relations Office.

 

Federation

Raising of at least two indictments against Edhem Bicakcic to be initiated by Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor?

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz learned from reliable sources that it was certain two indictments for the public office abuses would be raised against former BiH Federation Prime Minister Edhem Bicakcic in mid-December. “This does not mean that other criminal charges pressed by the Financial Police against Bicakcic have not been accepted, but that, due to a complexity of the investigation and legal procedures, the Prosecution Office is in a phase to complete two indictments,” the newspaper’s sources said. The Sarajevo canton prosecution Office wanted neither to confirm nor deny this information, because the procedure was still underway. The first indictment, according to Dnevni Avaz, will refer to the illegal transfer of money from the secret account of the BiH Embassy in Vienna to the BiH accounts of SDA (700,000 KM) and Bosniak radio-Television (BRT) (100,000 KM). The second indictment will be raised due to a Bicakcic’s decision to pay more than a million KM to a American lawyer without knowledge of the either BiH Federation Government or the Parliament.

New OKO management sets ultimatum to Oslobodjenje to pay one third of its debts by December 1

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz carried an article published in the Zagreb daily Vjesnik, which read that, if Oslobodjenje does not pay in a million marks on the account on the OKO Printing and Publishing Company, the largest in BiH, by December 1, the Company will stop providing its services to the oldest and the most prominent daily in BiH. This, according to Vjesnik, which could mean the beginning of Oaslobodjenje’s end. “The new management of the printing firm, recently taken over by a media tycoon and Dnevni Avaz owner, Fahrudin Radoncic, has set an ultimatum to the newspapers being printed in the Company to pay at least one third of their debts by the deadline,” the article read. It is clear, Vjesnik concluded, this warning mainly referred to Oslobodjenje.

Slobodna Dalmacija: Reporters in Stolac – It is a lucky thing that it got cold…

Written by Ivo Scepanovic, (a partial translation provided by OHR Mostar)

Slobodna Dalmacija quotes a man in Stolac as saying it is a lucky thing that it got cold because the cold chased all temperament individuals away from the streets of Stolac and prevented the discussions on who is to blame from growing into even greater tensions.

The article reads that tensions have not completely disappeared after all and that the fact that parents take their almost grown-up children to school and wait for them in front of the school building to take them back home, as well as the presence of a police patrol makes it clear that the current situation does not contribute to improvement of lives of either Bosniaks or Croats.

Sacir Turkovic, the Coordinator for secondary education in Stolac, stated for the daily that the situation has been normalized and that the classes are held without any problems.

Zeljko Obradovic, the Mayor of Stolac, said that the situation is now “at a bearable stage.” He added that everyone writes about incidents in Stolac, ignoring the fact that 50% of Bosniak refugees have returned to the Municipality.

Obradovic thinks the construction of the Stolac Mosque is illegal because the Municipality has not authorized it.

The Chairman of the Committee for the Mosque Reconstruction, Amer Medar, says although the Croat side claims they do not have a location permit for the construction, “we can say that the former Mayor Zdravko Kuzman, in accordance with the Dayton Agreement, agreed with this. He was present in a meeting held in July at the OHR, where everything was agreed.” Medar did not let the reporters enter the construction site and said SFOR daily take pictures of them anyway. He did not answer to the question as to how long the mosque construction will take, and to the question about the financier of the project, he briefly replied: citizens.

Vecernji List: Manufacturers of wine and alcoholic beverages accuse the High Representative of damaging Federation budget

(Provided by OHR Mostar)

Vecernji List reports that the Federation budget loses between 8 and 10 million KMs every year because of the High Representative’s decision from 1999 to exempt some imported alcoholic beverages from paying levy. According to domestic producers of alcoholic beverages, the decision was made because of some lobbies and intentionally destroys the domestic production. Instead of allocating the money, collected from the levy and excise taxes, to the agriculture, the money disappears from the financial market of the FBiH. Director of the “Bobita” Company of Citluk (liquors producers), Marinko Sulic, says that they have informed the Economic Chamber of BiH of the aforementioned situation and their stance on the issue adding that his company and other producers that have joined in the Group of Wine and Alcoholic Beverages Producers informed the Federation Finance Minister Grabovac of the problem too. The group is of opinion that the systematic plunder of the domestic producers must be stopped adding that they do not have a chance against the foreign producers in the environment of unfair competition (…) The group also informed the authorities that there are around 20 illegal distilleries in BiH that distribute thousands of liters of their bootleg booze daily. This trend has a negative effect on the market, health of consumers and the budget, reads Vecernji List.

Vecernji List: Opposition’s votes crucial for Maslesa and Skrijelj’s appointment

(Provided by OHR Mostar)

Vecernji List reads that the talks between the ruling Alliance for changes and the opposition in the Federation House of Representatives points to another unsuccessful session of that chamber, at least when it comes to appointments of new Federation Ministers of Interior and Social Welfare and Refugees. The HoR should vote on filling of the vacated posts at its session scheduled for Wednesday, November 28. The chamber should confirm Ramo Maslesa and Rifet Skrijelj as Ministers of Interior and Social Welfare and Refugees respectively and the two need at least 71 votes. Vecernji List reads that there should not be a problem with the appointments if the Alliance MPs and one independent MP vote for the two adding that well-informed sources claim that some Alliance MPs will not vote in favour of them. That’s why the Alliance started a hunt for votes approaching opposition MPs in the process. Among the approached is Mirnes Ajanovic of the BOSS who was being persuaded to vote for the two together with his party colleague. Ajanovic confirmed for the daily that he would back Maslesa but not Skrijelj up because he would wait for a decision from The Hague in light of an appeal aimed at pre-trial release of the former Minister for Social Welfare and Refugees Sefer Halilovic. “If he is released, I do not see a reason as to why Halilovic cannot continue his tenure”, says Ajanovic. The paper reads that Rifet Dolic of the DNZ was also approached. He said that it was unlikely that his party would vote for the candidates adding that they would request the Alliance to go public with the reasons behind the Muhamed Besic’s resignation. Well-informed sources also claim that the voting could not take place if the Alliance assess that there would not be a sufficient support. The paper also learns that the Alliance will sit in Sarajevo today to discuss possible removals in the Federation Government.

 

Republika Srpska

Esma Palic to receive compensation of DEM 65,000

Republika Srpska liaison officer at the BiH Chamber for Human Rights Stevan Savic told Sunday’s Oslobodjenje that the RS Government had decided to pay compensation to Esma Palic of 65,000 KM. “The money will be transferred as soon as Esma Palic gives us the number of her bank account,” Savic said. The newspaper reminds that this was about fulfillment of a part of obligations the RS has towards the family of the missing wartime Zepa Brigade commander Avdo Palic on the basis of the BiH Human Rights Chamber’s decision in this case.

RS Trade Unions leader says 600 millions KM needed to take care of workers who will lose their jobs in the privatization process

The Republika Srpska Trade Unions President, Cedo Volas, sent a letter to Serb member of the BiH Presidency Zivko Radisic requesting him to urge High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, BiH Central Bank Governor Peter Nicholl and RS leadership to take urgent measures for improvement of the position of workers, pensioners and other BiH citizens. According to Sunday’s Oslobodjenje, Volas said at a meeting held in Banja Luka on Saturday that he expected the international community to provide 600 million KM in the form of donations as a financial support to the workers who would lose their jobs during the privatization process.

SNSD and DSP leaders sign platform to unify the two parties

Monday’s Oslobodjenje reports that Republika Srpska Party of the Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) President Milorad Dodik and Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) leader Nebojsa Radmanovic signed in Banja Luka on Sunday a platform on the unification of the two political parties. “Under the slogan ‘From Here to the Victory,’ the Association of the Independent Social Democrats will direct all of its powers toward the victory in the next elections,” Dodik said.

RS politicians’ reactions to the new indictment against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic

Nezavisne Novine carries reactions of politicians to the latest indictment against Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes committed in BiH. Sinisa Djordjevic, advisor to the Republika Srpska Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic for relations with The Hague Tribunal, stated that it was “a realistic expectation that those who think the RS is an artificial creation made by ethnic cleansing and genocide will use those indictments trying to jeopardize the RS in this way.” “The RS is in danger because Slobodan Milosevic has his position about The Hague and he obviously would not defend himself, since he does not recognize this court. If Milosevic is sentenced for eventual genocide in BiH, that would be yet another sign that the RS loses possible prerogatives of its existence.” Mladen Ivanic, the RS Prime Minister, as the both dailies carry, stated that the indictment against Slobodan Milosevic did not represent a realistic danger for the future of the RS, since it was established by the Dayton Peace Agreement. Ivanic added that the task of the Hague Tribunal was to conduct trials against individuals and not against states. Milorad Dodik, the President of the Party of Independent Social-Democrats, stated that “undoubtedly there is responsibility of Milosevic for conflict in BiH” and that raising of the indictment was the first step in revealing all those who took part in BiH conflict.

RS Central Treasury to be established next year

Glas Srpski, on the cover page, writes that the Central Republika Srpska Treasury would be established in the next year, which would enable that all revenues of the RS are going to only one account. The essence of such actions is a reduction of number of around 800 accounts possessed by the budget beneficiaries, said Assistant RS Treasury Minister Zarko Mionic.

 

International Community

Fena: Petritsch says there is no place for SDS in Europe if it does not reform itself

“If it does not reform itself, there is no place for Serb Democratic Party (SDS) in Europe. The International community has serious doubts in the party’s commitment to the Dayton Agreement,” the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, said in an interview with the Belgrade newspaper Blic. “The Republika Srpska Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, must be aware of the SDS’ bad reputation, because the party has thus far blocked the implementation of reforms through Serb representatives in the common institutions,” Petritsch emphasized. Petritsch added that the SDS had not fulfilled promises given in the declaration, which it had signed with OHR on December 12 2000, that it would support the state institutions, laws of vital importance, process of the return and the cooperation with The Hague. He said that he had expressed his dissatisfaction with a slow implementation of the economic reforms and poor cooperation with The Hague both to the RS leadership and the Peace Implementation Council. “Urgent measures must be taken in connection to nearly 40 laws at the state level, which have been proposed by the BiH Council of Ministers, but which are blocked in the Parliament by the Serb deputies,” Petritsch concluded.

Dnevni List: Interview with Matthias Sonn, the Senior Deputy High Representative of the International Community in BiH

(Provided by OHR Mostar)

Dnevni List carries an interview with Matthias Sonn , the Senior Deputy High Representative, conducted by Ivan Bakovic. In a byline, Ambassador Sonn is quoted as saying: “There are many Catholic Church representatives in this country that we established a productive dialogue with. It is very sad that the Mostar Bishop is not one of them.”

Consensus still not reached on the unification of SFOR, KFOR and Amber Fox

Officials at the Brussels-based NATO Headquarters said on Friday that the announced possibility to unify SFOR (BiH), KFOR (Kosovo) and Amber Fox (FYR of Macedonia) might include an unification of the headquarters but not the unification of the missions and troops themselves. Saturday’s Oslobodjenje learned from well-informed sources that the consensus on the proposal particularly supported by Britain was still not reached. However, the NATO official interviewed by the newspaper said there were serious thinking about a regional approach to carrying out the current missions in the Balkans.

Russian Ambassador to BiH says Karadzic not sheltering in Russia

In a statement with Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz, Russian Federation Ambassador to BiH Alexandar Grischenko rejected any possibility that the most wanted war crime suspect Radovan Karadzic was sheltering somewhere in Russia. Such the allegations appeared in certain Republika Srpska political circles in regard of the RS delegation’s visit to Moscow.

Schwartz-Schilling says international financial support still necessary for the return of refugees

After he had visited a few towns in BiH and met with the local officials to discuss the process of the return of refugees, International Mediator for the BiH Federation and the Republika Srpska Christian Schwartz-Schilling proposed to the European community to think about the establishment of a Bosnian-European fund to participate in financing the development of the local infrastructure. “The economic issues must be put in focus of the international interest,” Schilling said at a press conference in Sarajevo on Saturday, according to the Sunday’s Oslobodjenje. He added that the sustainable return process would require an international financing of the local projects for a long time.

OHR says HDZ BiH has betrayed its voters

According to Sunday’s Oslobodjenje, OHR Spokesman Oleg Milisic told Banja Luka Alternative Television that the position of the High Representative concerning the return of the HDZ BiH to the legal and constitutional BiH institutions had been always the same. “OHR believes that interests of any of the three constituent peoples can be protected only through the institutions,” Milisic emphasized. He added that the HDZ had betrayed its voters by boycotting work in these institutions thus far.

OHR calls on Croat journalists to start working with the Federation TV

Regarding the information about the return of the HTV program in BiH, which was published in Vecernji List last week, Mario Brkic, an OHR Spokesperson, stated that the Croats are a constitutive people in BiH and thus Croatian language is constitutive as well. The OHR has not seen the report of the Council of Europe yet, however, they believe that the Council of Europe does not consider the Croats a national minority. The OHR called once again on the Croat journalists to start working for the Federation TV. Marija Topic Crnoja stated that someone uses such rumors to proclaim the Croats the national minority. She cannot agree with the claims that the Federation TV is not the TV of the Croats. Commenting on this information, Tihomir Begic, Jelavic’s Advisor for Media, stated that he is afraid that the creation of some union in Southeast Europe stands behind this initiative. ‘It seems that a new Yutel stands behind it’, he added. He stressed that this TV has not fulfilled expectations and needs of the Croats.

Dnevni List: The Croatian Parliament Speaker receives Cardinal Puljic

(Provided by OHR Mostar)

The President of the Croatian Parliament, Zlatko Tomcic, met with Cardinal Puljic on Friday afternoon, reports Dnevni List. One of the discussion subjects was the status of Croats in BiH and ways of restoring trust of BiH Croats in the Republic of Croatia, which is slowly fading away. Cardinal Puljic stressed that Croats in BiH feel humiliated and abandoned by the Croatian political representatives and the Republic of Croatia itself. Tomcic agreed that the policy of the Republic of Croatia, as far as BiH is concerned, has often been undefined and indifferent, and added that the Republic of Croatia has been helping Croats in BiH, but the assistance often went in the wrong directions.

The President of the Croatian Parliament said the Church in BiH is the only institution that Croats trust and that the Church should be the moderator of unity of both the people and their political representatives.

The problem of returns to the RS was stressed in the second part of the meeting, on which occasion Cardinal Puljic said the Republic of Croatia and the International Community have failed to provide efficient assistance to the return process. The Cardinal also commented on what he called unjust attitude of individual international representatives to Croat returnees and said Croatia must influence the International Community to be fairer in the distribution of assistance to returnees.

 

Editorials

Dnevni List: Lehmann’s own goals in the net of IPTF

Written by Milan Sutalo (Provided by OHR Mostar)

IPTF Spokesperson Stefo Lehmann has singled out Dnevni List on two occasions, says Dnevni List.

“First he reacted to our report about a fight between Bosniak and Croat students in Stolac by claiming that he does not know what exactly happened in Stolac, but does know Dnevni List published an incorrect report on the event! A few days later, Lehmann gave almost the same impudent and nonsensical statement that Dnevni List covered properly.”

The article goes on to say that they were the first to report on the event of 30 hooligans from East Mostar entering the Gimnazija building and carried a lengthy coverage of it. Sutalo says that instead of providing the public with detailed information about the event the day after, Lehmann kicked the ball through his own goal and the goal of the IPTF by saying for a Hina news agency reporter “it is not clear what exactly happened,” but “UN is concerned over the fact that Dnevni List first publishes an article, without having confirmed the facts, and then asks questions.”

Sutalo thanks Stefo Lehmann for advertising the paper free of charge on two occasions, but deplores that “the IPTF are losing credibility and are subject to amounting criticism due to his gaffes.”

Slobodna Dalmacija: On the occasion of the 6th anniversary of the agreement signed in American army base

Written by Dino Mikulandra, (a partial translation provided by OHR Mostar)

Sociology says myths are less defined, less rational and less elaborated beliefs than ideologies are. Both the old and obsolete myths and the new liberal democratic ones are mostly fairly-tale-like perceptions of nature, world, persons and moral values of a social community. Anything can become a myth when virtually converted into a fairy tale that is light years far from real life, says Slobodna Dalmacija. The article goes on to say that politicians in the deceased Yugoslavia were nurturing the myth of “society of abundance.” (…)

Mikulandra next says the address of the High Representative on the occasion of the 6th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Agreement unpleasantly resembles a fabrication of another fairy-tale-like myth, the myth of Daytonland, the Dayton BiH, which is experiencing certain problems and obstructions, but is “marching” ahead into a safe and bright future, furthermore into the happy and rich dining room of the European Union.

‘Petritsch’s “epistle” may require a “reading” from the aspect of legitimacy. The High Representative is, beyond any doubt, the International Community’s legal and institutional “protector” of the state of BiH and its entities, the Federation of BiH and the Republic of Srpska.

However, this incontestable right of his, “initialed” in the UN Council, does not imply the political legitimacy of giving intellectually arrogant lessons to the constituent peoples in BiH and their democratically elected representatives, as the only proper “holders” of future and (in)existence of the state, the lessons being about allowed, less allowed and disallowed choice of consumption of political rights and constitutional freedoms.

“What I think is the most important thing is that citizens of BiH got tired of nationalist politics and that they brought to power the political parties which accept the idea of the state of BiH wholeheartedly, the parties that are committed to reforms and were not in power during and immediately after the war.”

Not even in a delirium would Wolfgang Petritsch “dictate” anything like the above quoted to his fellow citizens in Austria. When a leftist journalist asked his namesake, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Shussel (a member of the Christian Democratic People’s Party) about his opinion of the meeting of “right-wing extremists” at the Kranichberg Castle near Vienna (it was a seminar on the subject of “European right wing and media”), Shussel said angrily: “Use the normal language instead of uttering improper accusations. The conference organizers are part of the circle of Austrian democratic forces…”

Prior to the last elections, Wolfgang Petritsch signed a decree obligating all parties not to criticize the Dayton Agreement, the “holy cow” of the international diplomacy, during their pre-election campaigns. One spiritual leader commented ironically that not even religious communities imposed that sort of protection for religious dogmas!

While citizens of BiH, despite being the only people on earth who are experiencing the consequences of the coercive agreement signed in 1995 behind the wire fence of the US army base, must not utter a word against the Dayton piece of paper, all others in the world – politicians, diplomats, soldiers, journalists and even senior officials of the most powerful intelligence community can debate on it without having to bear any consequences.

“BiH is already divided now, the elections have not solved anything,” Steven E. Meyer, a former CIA agent in charge of this region , stated at a conference on the future of the US engagement in the Balkans.

His thesis that things were being done in the wrong manner in BiH for six years, is not an isolated one. The Assistant Director of the army headquarters for Europe, General (of an indicative last name) Dayton, is also of the opinion that it is necessary to come up with political solutions to be supported by all peoples in BiH in their legitimate decisions before going ahead with economic development.

Naturally, those are not the official positions of the State Department (for the time being), but the standpoint that the American soldiers have nothing to do in BiH after the war was terminated, i.e. that Dayton has long “exhausted” its peace mission, is close to the new Bush administration.

Liberal democracy in Austria, or Australia, it is all the same, restricts, by constitutions and laws, attempts of discriminating people for their racial or ethnic background, life philosophy or opinion. The only exception seems to be BiH, where Petritsch’s fabulous “nationalists” are to be exterminated at any price by means of political dictate and election engineering.

“I am getting an impression that they consider us savages of a sort who need to be taught of everything, including what we should be called since they arrived. How else is one supposed to interpret the fact that foreign diplomats are ready to invite very prominent persons in this country to be their guests and then ‘teach’ them, in front of chosen audience, that they are not Croats, but Bosnian Catholics? As such, we seem to be ideal for experiments of all sorts…,” an undoubtedly fiendish “nationalist” complained recently. As if on purpose, Croats like him very much, they listen to him and respect him because that person is the Vrhbosna auxiliary bishop Pero Sudar.

However, in Petritsch’s governing “optics,” there are bad and there are even worse, in fact, unbearable “nationalists.” The Serb people in BiH, before their bloodthirsty leaders (Karadzic, Plavsic, Koljevic) closed a pact with Milosevic for a destructive aggression and the plan of “burned land” for Croats and Bosniaks, used to make up 31% of the total population.

After the aggressor experienced a war defeat, the International Community presented them with the Republic of Srpska, stretching on 49% of the state territory, as a special Nobel Prize for Peace!

This satanic crime that begs for justice has been the untouchable foundation stone of the Dayton Agreement for six years now, and the international diplomats in Sarajevo still see a revision of Dayton as undermining of the existence of BiH as an integral state?!

Of course, Petritsch does not like “nationalists” in the RS. The Governor provokes them whenever he can, but in his “epistle,” he delights like a child in the fact that “Republic of Srpska will pass the Law on the Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in 2001.” Big news.

One centimeter below that, our journalist reports that the “state” delegation of the RS, led by President Mirko Sarovic, paid a visit to Moscow, without the knowledge of the BiH Foreign Ministry!

Could you, even with your eyes closed, imagine Ante Jelavic paying a visit to Vienna as the leader of a Croat self-rule delegation?

Not even in a worst nightmare would Wolfgang Petritsch allow this to Croat “nationalists.” According to what he personally stated for Slobodna Dalmacija, he indeed knows “wonderful Croats in Austria,” but “Herzegovina is ruled by mobsters.”

Therefore, no one should be surprised at the fact that the only official trip that Jelavic can make (“due to undermining the territorial integrity of BiH!”) is that to the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, whereas Sarovic, as an undisputed statesman of the Republic of Srpska, flies to Moscow, eats caviar and drinks Vodka with his hosts in Kremlin.

On the other hand, BiH is making progress in all aspects – if one is to believe Petritsch’s epistle – and we should believe myths because that will make it easier for us to eat the humble pie of Daytonland,’ reads Slobodna Dalmacija at length.