- BiH Foreign Minister returns from Madrid: With help of International Community, BiH will fight of all forms of crime in the country
- Slobodan Radulj: Numerous terrorist groups created with assistance of international community and fought on Bosniak’s side
- DNS on BiH admission to Council of Europe
- SDA on Amendments to the RS Constitution: Different constitutional standards in the entities
- DNS and 10,000 RS citizens to charge Kalinic for forging amendments to the RS Constitution
- Zdravko Tomac on constitutional changes in BiH
- Banja Luka bishop Franjo Komarica commends High Representative for “securing the constituent status of all three peoples in BiH”
- SDA and HDZ hostages of Bicakcic and Jelavic
- Josip Merdzo: HDZ to elect new leadership this week
- Will Haris Silajdzic return to politics?
- Federation Finance Minister knew that Am-Sped will obtain 1,76 million KM
- Federation Supreme Court decides to open the Pogorelica case
- Provisional Administrator: Hercegovacka Banka may reopen soon
- President of the Federation Association of Judges: Judicial reform is necessary
- NATO peacekeepers uncover huge mortar stash in Mostar
- RS Prime Minister: RS is becoming hostage of publicly indicted persons
- Former RS Prime Minster not to run for president
- SNSD says charges against former premier aimed at discrediting him
- SFOR compensates Bosnian villagers for damage in operation to get Karadzic
- NHI’s Kresmir Zubak: Petritsch told me that he was not in charge of organizing the last week’s consultation with Ashdown
- OHR: Petritsch did not tell Zubak that Ashdown made a bad political move
- Croats dissatisfied with Ashdown’s “small Cabinet”: A clumsy first step
- Future High Representative will have three deputies
- Paddy Ashdown to strike Judiciary first
- Dnevni List: Meeting at Leeds without Croats sets a precedent
- Oslobodjenje: Ashdown is facing an enormous challenge in BiH
- High Representative, ambassadors plant trees in Ambassadors’ Alley in Sarajevo
- British officers pedal from UK to Bosnia for charity
- Jutarnji List: Combinations without Jelavic
- Ivan Lovrenovic: Constitutional changes in BiH will not endure the test of time
BiH State-related Issues
BiH Foreign Minister returns from Madrid: With help of International Community, BiH will fight of all forms of crime in the country
Upon his return from Madrid, where he met with the Spanish Foreign Minster, Jose Pique, BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zlatko Lagumdzija, held a press conference in Sarajevo, where he informed the press that Spain and BiH have agreed on a more concrete cooperation in the field of economy. According to Lagumdzija, within the following two months, Pique will initiate the drafting a so-called “sustainability study”. He, however, stressed that BiH first must fulfill the remaining requirements from the EU Road Map.
At the press conference held on Friday, Lagumdzija also said that, during his trip, he met with the future High Representative in BiH, Paddy Ashdown, with whom he discussed the strengthening of the rule of law in the country and the implementation of comprehensive reform in nearly all segments of authority. He also expressed hope that, with the help of the International Community, BiH authorities will finally be able to fight off all forms of crime in the country.
Slobodan Radulj: Numerous terrorist groups created with assistance of international community and fought on Bosniak’s side
The BiH Federation is not successful enough in identifying and preventing actions of numerous terrorist groups in BiH and it is not capable to cope with this problem on its own. The above was concluded at yesterday’s meeting of the member of BiH coordination team for fight against terrorism, Slobodan Radulj, and the Head of the UN Mission to BiH Team for Anti- terrorism, Sven Andreason (SIC!). Radulj stated for Glas Srpski that BiH needs more help from the international community which, lately, has had a mild approach towards the existence of numerous Islamic groups in BiH. Glas Srpski quotes Radulj as saying: “Numerous terrorist groups were created in BiH, with the assistance of the international community, and during the war, those groups fought on Bosniak’s side. At the time, they were the favorites of the West and now they are the targets.” According to Radulj, it is about time that BiH stops being a safe haven for terrorist from all over the world.
DNS on BiH admission to Council of Europe
The Vice President of the Democratic National Alliance (DNS), Jovan Mitrovic, stated that his party welcomes the admission of the BiH to the Council of Europe, with a wish that the BiH remains as created in Dayton, with RS as one of its entities. “The fact that Presidents of the RS and BiH Federation, Mirko Sarovic and Safet Halilovic, did not attend the ceremony speaks for itself and confirms, unfortunately, that the current BiH leadership welcomes the admission to the Council of Europe of a BiH that is united and with no entities. That is reminiscent of the period before the war.” According to Glas Srpski, the DNS President, Dragan Kostic, stated that the constitutional amendments were adopted in an illegitimate way. That is the reason why DNS will address the BiH Constitutional Court and the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch.
Constitutional Changes
SDA on Amendments to the RS Constitution: Different constitutional standards in the entities
At a regular Friday press conference, a vice president of the SDA, Mirsad Kebo, said that this party will initiate all “constitutional and democratic mechanisms” in the legislative authorites in the country in order to determine whether the imposed Amendments to the RS Constitution are in line with the Constitutional Court ruling on the constituent status of peoples in BiH. Kebo explained that SDA delegates in the RS National Assembly will propose a number of initiatives in order to harmonize the laws in the RS with the Court’s ruling and expressed hope that the High Representative will make a positive contribution to this process.
DNS and 10,000 RS citizens to charge Kalinic for forging amendments to the RS Constitution
Members of the DNS (Democratic National Alliance) will submit criminal charges against the speaker of the RS National Assembly, Dragan Kalinic, for forwarding to the High Representative the “forged amendments to the RS Constitution.” DNS’ Drago Kalabic stressed that the said amendments were not adopted by the RS National Assembly and that Kalinic, by signing them, violated the RS Constitution and the RS NA rules and procedures. He said that the DNS charges are supported by at least 10,000 RS citizens who signed the petition against Kalinic.
Zdravko Tomac on constitutional changes in BiH
In an editorial in Saturday’s Vjesnik,Zdravko Tomac, the deputy speaker of the Croatian Parliament, wrote that many representatives of the International Community have told him that ‘it is too early for any more profound changes in the region’. Tomac added that the preservation of Republika Srpska as a second separate state of Serb people could cause many problems in the future, because Serb and Albanian national issues will be solved through connections between Serbia and RS or Albania and Kosovo. Tomac stressed that the International Community has made a big mistake, for not using the opportunity of constitutional changes in BiH to implement radical dismantling of the RS, which would help solving the problem of some persistent Croat political structures that are demanding the third entity, i.e. the same rights that Serbs have in the RS. Tomac adds that national issue of Croats in BiH has not been solved through recent constitutional changes and the fight to achieve the full equality of Croats in BiH will be continued. However, says Tomac, the most harmful way of behaviour for Croats would be obstruction and frontal conflict with the IC. Tomac says that equality of all citizens in BiH would be possible if BiH is equally organised in its whole territory (cantonisation and federalisation), and if entities are forbidden to connect with neighbouring countries.
Banja Luka bishop Franjo Komarica commends High Representative for “securing the constituent status of all three peoples in BiH”
Banja Luka bishop Franjo Komarica expressed his satisfaction over the fact that all three peoples, Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats, are finally constituent on the entire territory of BiH. In a lengthy interview published in Saturday’s issue of Oslobodjenje, Komarica commended the efforts of the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, in the process of reaching the agreement on constitutional changes and welcomed his decision to impose “the most important and historic decision” which will help hundreds of thousands of refugees to return to their homes. (Comprehensive summary to follow)
Federation
SDA and HDZ hostages of Bicakcic and Jelavic
As it has become increasingly apparent that Edhem Bicakcic of the SDA and Ante Jelavic of the HDZ – both of whom have been removed by the High Representative and banned from holding public office – do not have any intention of stepping down from their respective posts, the future of their political parties has become fully uncertain. According to the March Decision by the High Representative on eligibility of candidates, no person that had been removed by the High Representative, Commander of SFOR, IPTF Commissioner, Elections Appeals Sub-Commission (EASC) or the Provisional Elections Commission (PEC) for obstructing the Dayton Agreement will be eligible to be a candidate for any public post. In line with the Decision, political parties whose senior leadership includes persons removed by the High Representative, the PEC and the EASC will be banned from running in the elections. In other words, if Bicakcic and Jelavic refuse to step down, perhaps the strongest Bosniak and Croat political parties will not be able to participate in the upcoming elections in October. In a statement for Dnevni Avaz, Edhem Bicakcic, stressed that “he has no intention to step down from the post of the party vice president and comply with the High Representative’s Decision.” “ My position in the SDA does not endanger the party,” Bicakcic said. Mirsad Kebo, another vice president of the SDA, however, expressed a different opinion on Friday, when he stressed that participation in the elections is the priority issue for the party and is well above all other personnel issues.
Situation is similar in the HDZ, where its president (unrecognized by the International Community), Ante Jelavic, has been toying for weeks with the idea of resignation. However, the last meeting of the party Central Board held on Friday also failed to produce any concrete results, as members refused to vote on Jelavic’s replacement. According to Josip Merdzo, HDZ Secretary General, most members of the Central Board are against voting on the new leadership, but realize that “if the party wants to function and take part in the elections, the painful process must take place”. A number of senior officials in the HDZ have expressed concern that Jelavic’s irresponsible behavior may destroy HDZ’s chances to take part in October elections, and noted that the HDZ leader may drive this party to its political death. “During Friday session, I had a chance to personally see that Ante Jelavic wants to shut down the HDZ. For, if he worked for the benefit of the party, its members and sympathizers, as well as for the Croat people in BiH, he would have withdrawn and acted in line with the decision by the High Representative,” an anonymous HDZ Central Board member told Dnevni Avaz.
HINA news agency reported, quoting HDZ’s Dragan Covic, that majority of the HDZ Board members stated in writing on Friday that they wanted a new leadership of the party to be elected so as to enable the HDZ to freely run in the elections.
For OHR, notes Dnevni Avaz, there is no dilemma. OHR Senior Spokesperson, Alexandra Stiglmayer, stressed that the Decision by the High Representative is clear. “The Decision clearly states which parties will not be able to take part in the October elections under which conditions,” said Stiglmayer, adding that if political parties want to take part in the elections, they need to replace the officials previously removed for obstruction of Dayton.
Lidija Korac, the president of the BiH Election Commission concurred with the OHR, stressing that political parties who want to register for running in the October elections will have remove the “unwanted officials” from their leadership by May 18. In a statement for Oslobodjenje, Korac said that all parties were asked to submit documents clearly indicating their internal structures, including the names of their presidents, vice presidents and secretary generals by the set deadline.
Josip Merdzo: HDZ to elect new leadership this week
Vecernji List carries on Sunday a short interview with Josip Merdzo, the HDZ Secretary General, who said that the majority of members of the HDZ Central Board, which was in session on Friday, decided that the party should re-register and take part in the upcoming elections. Merdzo confirmed that representatives from Posavina, Central Bosnia, Sarajevo and Mostar region (51 of them) were in favor of taking part in the elections, while representatives from West Herzegovina and Tomislavgrad region (20) were against it. Merdzo said, that, after the decision was taken, Ante Jelavic and other removed officials were practically eliminated. The daily notes that Jelavic announced that he would not take part in the next session of the Central Board when its members are to elect the new leadership.
Dnevni List, however, reports on Saturday that 36 members of the Central board voted in favor of the elections, and 30 against. The daily comments that, with these results, HDZ members have betrayed basic principles the party was founded upon, and changed the entire ideology of the HDZ. Moreover, notes Dnevni List, HDZ members failed to protect the interests of the people who elected them, and instead, they have succumbed to the request of the High Representative. In the long run, finishes the author of this text, “it would be better for Croats in BiH that HDZ BiH does not submit to the dictatorship of the international protector Wolfgang Petritsch”. Vecernji List writes that the most serious candidates for the leading position in the party are Niko Lozancic and Ivan Bender.
Will Haris Silajdzic return to politics?
Although the founder of the Party for BiH and the wartime BiH Foreign Minister, Haris Silajdzic, has not made any public announcements about returning to the political life in BiH, media in Sarajevo have begun speculating about his possible political engagement in the wake of General Elections scheduled for October. According to Dnevni Avaz, Silajdzic is the likely candidate for the post of the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency or some other senior post at the state level. The present leader of the Party for BiH, Safet Halilovic, refused to comment on the details, but said that he personally hopes that Silajdzic will decide to return to politics and nominate himself for one of the senior posts. “This is my view, however, Dr. Haris Silajdzic will have to make this decision on his own,” said Halilovic.
In statements for Dnevni Avaz, leaders of other political parties in BiH also refused to comment on the names of the possible candidates for members of the Presidency, however speculations have it that Jadranko Prlic, Adil Zulfikarpasic, Rasim Kadic, Zlatko Lagumdzija and Haris Silajdzic are but a few names presently discussed by the parties.
Federation Finance Minister knew that Am-Sped will obtain 1,76 million KM
Saturday’s Oslobodjenje reports, in an exclusive article, that the Federation Finance Minister, Nikola Grabovac, was informed that the company Am-Sped will obtain the customs return deposit in the amount of 1,75 million KM in an “alternative fashion”. The daily claims that the company’s director, Mirko Anic, informed Grabovac about this in a letter written in October 2001, which clearly indicates that the Finance Minister was well aware of the scam which would later bring the Federation government in a serious crisis. Moreover, a week after he received the letter from Anic, Minister Grabovac, allegedly, demanded from the director of the Federation Customs Agency, Slavko Sikiric, to resolve the issue of the deposit. Oslobodjenje concludes that all the documentation obtained clearly indicates that Minister Grabovac and his two assistants, Krunislav Jelic and Tihomir Curak, are indeed responsible for the illegal pay out of 1,75 million KM to the Am-Sped company.
Federation Supreme Court decides to open the Pogorelica case
Dnevni Avaz reports that the Federation Supreme Court decided on Friday to open the investigation into the so-called Pogorelica case and charge Bakir Alispahic, Irfan Ljevakovic and Enver Mujezinovic with terrorism and espionage. An anonymous source told the daily, however, that it is not certain who signed the said decision, as the two responsible officials – the investigator, Jasminka Putica, and the Court’s president, Sadudin Kratovic,- were not in Sarajevo on that day.
Avaz also reports that the first hearing in Pogorelica case will be held on Monday (today).
Provisional Administrator: Hercegovacka Banka may reopen soon
The Provisional Administrator of the Hercegovacka banka, Toby Robinson, said in Mostar on Thursday that there was a possibility that the Hercegovacka bank could soon start operating again. In an interview with the Mostar Television Oscar-C, Robinson said that the results of the investigation into the bank’s alleged illegal operations would be made public in the coming period. She explained that the most obvious way to reactivate the bank is to allow it to retain its shares in the mobile telephone operator Eronet, which is now active only in the Croat areas of the Federation. This would also turn Eronet into the third GSM operator in the country.
“If the bank is not reactivated, there are two other possibilities, its closure (liquidation) or sale,” Robinson said, adding that she did not believe the bank would be either closed or sold.
Monday’s Oslobodjenje carries a similar article in which Johan Verheyden, Provisional Administrator spokesman, also explains that the only way to preserve the bank is to allow it to keep the shares in Eronet. “Hercegovacka banka, that is its daughter-companies, Hercegovina Osiguranje and Croherc, are co-owners of Eronet. The problem is that the co-ownership is not recognized by the Federation, which believes that these shares belong to HPT Mostar, which is mostly a state-owned company. If the bank stays a co-owner of these shares, it could be saved,” said Verhayden.
President of the Federation Association of Judges: Judicial reform is necessary
In an interview with Dnevni Avaz, Vlado Adamovic, the president of the Federation Association of Judges, said that the reform of the judicial system in the Federation is necessary, but stressed that it could not be implemented without the help of the International Community. This is the case, he explained, primarily because a comprehensive reform will require financial means that the Federation cannot secure and expertise by certain members of the international community. Adamovic also said that the thus far branch of reform pertaining to the review of judges and prosecutors was marked unsuccessful, despite the fact that the Independent Judicial Commission participated in this process. He said that the workers in the judicial branch have not succeeded in forming a partnership with the International Community. Instead, in his words, they are fully dependent on the OHR and the IJC and, often, shy away from dissenting from the view of international officials.
NATO peacekeepers uncover huge mortar stash in Mostar
NATO peacekeepers in BiH on Saturday said they uncovered a huge stash of more than 4,000 mortars in a textile factory in the East side of Mostar. “We discovered 4,054 mortars in this textile factory,” Colonel Nicolas Rambaud, who heads the southeastern division of SFOR, told AFP. He said the 50 tons of 120 mm mortars, along with 850 kilograms of gunpowder — all ready to be fired — were discovered in the basement of the factory.
Laborers doing work in the basement of the factory stumbled upon the deadly stash of weapons, which was apparently used as a munitions dump during the 1992-95 war in BiH, Rambaud said.
Republika Srpska
RS Prime Minister: RS is becoming hostage of publicly indicted persons
RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, said on Friday that the RS authorities do not have any information about the whereabouts of two most wanted war crimes suspects, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Speaking for the Alternativna Televizija in Banja Luka, Ivanic warned that the Republika Srpska is gradually falling hostage to the persons who have been publicly indicted by the ICTY, and added that the entire Serb people is becoming a hostage to their (indictees’) decision to voluntarily surrender. The RS Prime Minister concluded that the international pressure on this entity due to the lack of cooperation with the ICTY is perhaps the only justified pressure on the RS.
Former RS Prime Minster not to run for president
The chairman of the Party of Independent Social Democrats [SNSD], Milorad Dodik, has said that he will not run for president of the RS in the forthcoming October general election in BiH. “After criminal charges have been filed against me I am reluctant to do it,” Dodik said. Commenting on constitutional changes, he said that political situation in Bosnia and Hercegovina would get even more complicated after their adoption. Click here for the full text of the Glas Srpski interview with Dodik.
SNSD says charges against former premier aimed at discrediting him
The Serb Sarajevo-based regional board of the Party of Independent Socialists [SNSD] said that the filing of criminal charges against the party chairman, Milorad Dodik, was an attempt to politically discredit him ahead of an electoral campaign. A statement issued by the board says that the SNSD had confidence in the institutions of justice, adding that it should be left to these institutions to make an independent decision on the criminal charges filed against the party chairman and former prime minister of the RS. “The board believes that citizens know what is best for a modern and prosperous Serb Republic and therefore it will support Dodik’s candidacy in the forthcoming elections,” the statement said.
SFOR compensates Bosnian villagers for damage in operation to get Karadzic
SFOR paid some 4,000 KM to the Serb inhabitants of a village in south-east BiH to correct “perceived wrongs” in two raids aimed at arresting war-crimes indictee Radovan Karadzic, a press release said Friday. Soldiers from the NATO-led SFOR visited the village of Celebici on Thursday in response to property damage claims made by villagers in the aftermath of the force’s so-far fruitless search for Karadzic, SFOR said.
The villagers were initially informed that their claims had been rejected, since “claims arising out of combat-related activities are barred from payments” under the Dayton peace agreement. However, the SFOR commander, General John Sylvester, had authorized payments unrelated to the villagers’ claims, to aid them in repairing damage to their village.
International Community
NHI’s Kresmir Zubak: Petritsch told me that he was not in charge of organizing the last week’s consultation with Ashdown
In a statement for Dnevni Avaz, the president of the New Croat Initiative (NHI), Kresimir Zubak, said that he had been informed by the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, that he was not in charge of organizing last week’s Leeds, New Castle, meeting with Paddy Ashdown. “Mr. Petritsch told me that his office did not organize the consultations at Mr. Ashdown’s. He told me that he, himself, was there for only one hour and that he did not know what was taking place afterwards,” Zubak told the daily. He also said that Petritsch “agreed with his view that the meeting, which was not attended by political representatives of Croats, was a bad political move.” “Ambassador Petritsch told me that the first lesson Ashdown will have to learn before he arrives in BiH is that big issues in our country cannot be resolved without the consensus of all three constituent peoples. In particular, this cannot be done at meetings which take place without the knowledge of one of the three peoples in BiH,” Zubak said.
OHR: Petritsch did not tell Zubak that Ashdown made a bad political move
OHR Senior Spokesperson, Alexandra Stiglmayer, stressed on Sunday that, in a conversation with NHI leader, Kresimir Zubak, the High Representative did not say that “Asdown made a bad political move” or that “he has to learn any political lesson,” as Zubak claimed in his earlier statement for Dnevni Avaz. Stiglmayer said that Wolfgang Petritsch indeed told Zubak that he did not organize the last week’s meeting in Leeds, which was attended by the BiH Foreign Minister, Zlatko Lagumdzija, and entity prime ministers, Alija Behmen and Mladen Ivanic. “In the conversation with Mr. Zubak, the High Representative did express his understanding for Mr. Zubak’s disappointment with the fact that representatives of the Croat people in BiH were not invited to attend the meeting. However, he did not label this move by Mr. Ashdown as a “bad political move”, nor he said that Mr. Ashdown needs to “learn a first lesson,” explained Stiglmayer in her statement for Dnevni Avaz.
Croats dissatisfied with Ashdown’s “small Cabinet”: A clumsy first step
The incoming High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, is to arrive to BiH in a month, however, for a few weeks already, he has been cooperating intensively with BiH politicians, preparing the grounds for his future moves, in the capacity of the High Representative. Nezavisne Novine reported that last week, Ashdown met with the BiH Foreign Affairs Minister, Zlatko Lagumdzija, Prime Ministers of the RS and BiH Federation, Mladen Ivanic and Alija Behmen, and informed them about his intention to create a ‘small cabinet’ of sorts, and which would include the three officials. Moreover, he stressed that this cabinet would have authority to make final decisions on issues of importance in BiH. The reaction in the country, notes the daily, especially on the part of Croats, was that this was a rather “clumsy step”. The NHI’s Kresimir Zubak stressed that the fact that Croat representatives were not invited to this meeting with the future High Representative was unacceptable. The Federation Vice President, Karlo Filipovic (SDP), however, believes that Croat representatives were not excluded intentionally, but emphasized that such omissions ought not happen in the future. The idea of forming this cabinet was not warmly welcomed by some Bosniak parties either. The SDA President, Sulejman Tihic, said that BiH state institutions should deal with BiH problems. Senior official in the SNSD (Party of Independent Social Democrats), Branko Neskovic, shares Tihic’s view. He told Nezavisne that BiH already has enough institutions to resolve its problems.
Future High Representative will have three deputies
Dnevni Avaz reports that the future High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, will have three, instead of the present two, main deputies in his cabinet. They will be diplomats from the US, Germany and France. “It is already certain that Donald Hays will remain the Principle Deputy High Representative, while the names of the French and German deputies can still not be revealed. We will first have to hold consultations with the authorities of the two countries, after which the names of the two deputies will be officially announced,” the daily was told by a source in the cabinet of the future High Representative. The same source could not confirm whether the present Senior Deputy, Matthias Sonn, will remain in this post, but confirmed that the French deputy is an official already working in the OHR. He also explained that the future High Representative would like to ensure a higher engagement of the leading political forces in BiH.
Paddy Ashdown to strike Judiciary first
Vecernji List reports on Monday that the future High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, will first strike the judiciary, that is introduce a comprehensive reform of this field, when he officially takes over the post at the end of May. The daily notes that the OHR has a list of 250 judges and legal experts, who are facing suspensions and trials for various obstruction. The article adds that, in the recent talks with Zlatko Lagumdzija, Alija Behmen and Mladen Ivanic, Ashdown asked a number of questions about the organized business crime in BiH.
Dnevni List: Meeting at Leeds without Croats sets a precedent
In an editorial in Saturday’s issue of Dnevni List, Ivica Glibusic argues that intentions of international representatives in BiH are best demonstrated in the meeting between BiH politicians and Paddy Ashdown, and which was organised by Wolfgang Petritsch, however without a single Croat representative. (Please note that this is not true. The High Representative was not in charge of organising this meeting – see OHR item above). Such meetings, says the author, secretly organised, are aimed to complicate the situation in BiH so that international representatives could prolong their stay in Southeast Europe.
Oslobodjenje: Ashdown is facing an enormous challenge in BiH
Saturday’s Oslobodjenje carries the full text of the article recently published by the IWPR (International War and Peace Reporting) on the challenges facing the future High Representative in BiH, Paddy Ashdown. Click here to see the full article.
High Representative, ambassadors plant trees in Ambassadors’ Alley in Sarajevo
The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, and 20 ambassadors of countries accredited in BiH, took part in an environmental action on Saturday in Stari Grad municipality in Sarajevo. They cleaned the water bed of the Miljacka River and planted trees on the so-called Ambassadors’ Alley, where each of the diplomats will have a tree named after him. “I am very happy that I had an opportunity to plant a tree which will carry my name in the next 100 years,” said Petritsch, who together with ambassadors of the US, FRY, Slovenia, Croatia, Canada, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Greece, Saudi Arabia and others, planted one tree each along the walkway in the historic Bembasa part. All print media carry photos of the action on their front pages on Sunday.
British officers pedal from UK to Bosnia for charity
Three British army officers arrived here Sunday after cycling some 2,500 kilometres from Britain to Banja Luka in order to raise money for sick children and orphans. The organizer, Major Simon Harris, and his two army companions undertook the three-week trip to raise money for the Banja Luka Children’s Orphanage and the “Hope House” childrens’ hospice for very sick children in Britain. “We have travelled for about 24 days, and we’ve raised a lot of money. We are still waiting to see how much people have collected, but it’s a very considerable amount of money”, Major Harris said. Harris, who served with the SFOR in Banja Luka for six months in 1996, said he decided to collect money for the city’s children because “I have a soft spot for Banja Luka”. For his two cycling companions, Warrant Officer Chris Jackson and Lance Corporal Kat Hewitt, it was their first time in BiH.
The three began their journey in Oswestry, in western England, and travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy before reaching BiH.
Editorials
Jutarnji List: Combinations without Jelavic (provided by OHR Mostar)
By Snjezana Pavic
The editorial says that completely contrary views on the future of the strongest Croat party in BiH came in conflict within HDZ. They have to choose between two options: either to accept the political reality or to persist in their demand on the third entity. In other words, the HDZ will either agree to play according to the rules of the High Representative or it will go all the way in the forming of the third entity. According to the author of the editorial, this will mean an armed rebellion. The editorial says that HDZ might decide that the self-rule was a mistake and that it could return within a legal framework. This means that the party would elect a completely new leadership in which there will be no place for radicals, they would adopt the Mrakovica-Sarajevo Agreement on constitutional changes and fight for the rights of the Croats through legal institutions. Pavic says that there is no Jelavic in any of these combinations and she concludes that, most probably, due to the arguments, the HDZ will miss the deadline for its re-registration and in this way it will give a chance to Paddy Ashdown to eliminate them definitely from the political scene.
Ivan Lovrenovic: Constitutional changes in BiH will not endure the test of time
Vjesnik reports that Ivan Lovrenovic held a public forum called ‘BiH Perspectives’ in Zagreb on Saturday. Lovrenovic said that when the constitutional changes are in question, everything ended up ‘in a typical, bureaucratic-Communist manner in a few sessions of about 20 people’. For this reason, in Lovrenovic’s words, the solution is ‘the typical, bureaucratic one, which will not endure the test of time’. According to Lovrenovic, the big problem is also the fact that all segments of the society were not included in the drafting of the constitutional changes. For this reason, the Constitutional Court decision on constituency of people on the whole BiH territory was treated cheaply.
Lovrenovic believes that Europe in BiH behaves in the same way as it did when the war started and added: ‘At that time, Europe did not stop the war and now they are resolving problems shortsightedly without an insight in the core of the problem, by a policy of shallow moves.’ He stressed that some day, the greatest Serb interest will be to dismantle the RS, however, the Serbs themselves will not know how to do this.
Headlines
Monday
Glas srpski
- RS Central Serb Cultural and Publishing Society: Give us the prize
- Brana Crncevic: Milosevic is defending Serbs
- Novi Sad book fair: Karadzic’s book on stands
Nezavisne novine
- Former SFOR officer pedaled 3000 km on a bicycle, collecting money for sick and unsheltered BiH children: A Brit on a bicycle brought presents to Banja Luka
- Nedeljko Djekanovic, member of SDS Presidency: Charges against Dodik politically motivated
Jutarnje Novine
- Four successful open heart surgeries
Dnevni Avaz
- Vlado Adamovic on judicial reform
Oslobodjenje
- Parties to sack unwanted officials by May 18, or face ban to run in the elections
Dnevni list
- Investigating story about the suspicious storage of grenades in East Mostar: What is hidden in Mostar catacombs
- Interview – Zivko Budimir, HVO General and Vice President of HKDU: Pluralism should be developed among Croats
Vecernji list
- After officially taking the duty of the High Representative in BiH: Ashdown strikes judiciary first
- Scandal in treasury of Ministry of Finances: 1,5 million KM disappeared for several days
Sunday
Dnevni Avaz
- SDA and HDZ hostages of Bicakcic and Jelavic
Oslobodjenje
- Supreme Court aproves investigation into Pogorelica case
Dnevni list
- Re-run of co-ordinated police & tax office action from Republika Srpska in preparation: Dika Slezak suspected for tax evasion
- Supreme Court of Federation BiH opened investigation on “Pogorelica” case
Vecernji list
- After the session of Central board of HDZ BiH: Jelavic slammed the door, HDZ will run in next elections
- After Suskovo and Bobanovo: Soon ‘Tudjmanovo” village to be built
Saturday
Dnevni Avaz
- What will Haris Silajdzic decide?
Oslobodjenje
- Grabovac knew Am-Sped will obtain 1,75 million KM
Dnevni list
- Drama on session of Central Board of HDZ: Central Board to suspend Jelavic, HDZ facing split?
Vecernji list
- President of Croatian American Association Anthony Peraica about the talks in the White House: Republika Srpska will be gone
- Decided yesterday: Leadership of HDZ steps down
- Provisional administrator of Hercegovacka Banka Toby Robinson: Decision on the Hercegovacka Banka soon
Glas srpski
- Slobodan Radulj on struggle against terrorism: The favorite ones have become targets;
- Admission exams: Maybe yes, maybe no
Nezavisne novine
- A massacre in a High School in Erfurt, Germany: former student killed 17 people
- A new scandal in the RS Government at sight: Ivanic withdraws decision on Dragutin Ilic’s dismissal
- Slobodan Popovic, Vice President of SDP BiH (Social Democrat Party): I am nobody’s ikebana