- New state TV to start broadcasting to 90 per cent of BiH on May 7
- HDZ Mostar recommends re-registration of the HDZ
- HDZ BiH on boycott of elections
- Mostar Cantonal Court initiates investigation against Bender and Boras
- Edhem Bicakcic to remain in the SDA leadership until May 11
- Cro-press: Who is involved in arms smuggling in BiH: Silajdzic and Orucevic are owners of mortar rounds in Vrapcici?
- RS Defence minister denies any knowledge of Karadzic’s whereabouts
- Separate curricula in the entities
- DNS: Kalinic and Ivanic control judiciary
- Party of Independent Social Democrats and Democratic Socialist Party united into the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
- High Representative to meet for the last time with PIC Steering Board on Monday and Tuesday
- High Representative meets with Portuguese Defense Minister
- Paddy Ashdown in Washington: Greatest dangers for BiH are corruption and crime
- Liberal Democrat News: Ashdown could resolve the Croat issue
- OHR, OSCE, UNHCR, UNMIBH and CRPC: Property law implementation rises to 46% in March
- Muslim charity head arrested in Chicago thanks to evidence collected by police in BiH
- Senior Milosevic ally surrenders to the ICTY
New state TV to start broadcasting to 90 per cent of BiH on May 7
A promotional launch of the Public Broadcasting Service news show – BH TV One – which is scheduled to start broadcasting on May 7 on some 90 per cent of Bosnia and Herzegovina – was organised in Mostar’s Hotel Ero on Thursday. On behalf of the founding committee of the PBS, Slavo Kukic said that he had been involved in this project for the past two years and that many people tried to discourage them in that period by saying that this was an unrealistic and illusory project of the International Community and the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch. “Our objective was to build a system of public information which would be made up of three equal parts – Public Broadcasting Service [PBS], RTRS and the Federation Radio-TV [RTVF] – and to build a system which will be a contribution to the integration of the media network of BiH, and by the same virtue, a contribution to the integration of the BiH state and society,” Kukic said. The PBS’s general director, Drago Maric, said that BHTV 1 will not be in the service of politics but in the service of the public. At the Mostar promotion, he said the television will work on “developing dialogue and creating an democratic ambient”. (Croat Radio Herceg-Bosna, all news agencies and Oslobodjenje reported on this item)
HDZ Mostar recommends re-registration of the HDZ
The HDZ Municipal Board of the Mostar Municipality South issued a press release on Friday saying that after a lengthy discussion, its members unanimously decided to recommend more senior HDZ bodies to re-register HDZ for the next elections as soon as possible. The press release says that since HDZ has the biggest support of the Croat people in BiH, it has to show political maturity and continue extensive preparations for the elections. The Mostar municipal board is the strongest and most influential center of HDZ power.
HDZ BiH on boycott of elections
Jutarnji List reports that the Presidency of HDZ BiH will most likely nominate Niko Lozancic as a successor to Ante Jelavic at today’s session of this body. Furthermore, the daily says that the Central Board of HDZ BiH that is to convene on Tuesday will receive the list of candidates who are to replace officials removed by the High Representative in order to have the HDZ BiH re-registered.
Niko Lozancic, a Vice President of HDZ, told Jutarnje Novine that during the session of the HDZ Presidency, which is to take place today, the Presidency will be talking about the participation of HDZ at the next elections. He said that chances that HDZ runs for the elections are fifty-fifty and that the stands within the party are very harmonized and for this reason he does not expect that something spectacular will take place during the session. According to Lozancic, at the moment the HDZ BiH is not thinking about their chances at the elections but about the chances of the Croat people, that is, whether the mechanisms for the protection of the national interests of the Croat people exist.
Mostar Cantonal Court initiates investigation against Bender and Boras
Dnevni Avaz reports today that the Mostar Cantonal Court is conducting an investigation against Ivan Bender and Marijo Boras on the ground of suspicion that they committed illegal acts in the process of privatization of Mostar Hotel ‘Ero’. A copy of the official letter of the Mostar Cantonal Court referring to the investigation against Bender and Boras is also published with the article. The article says that this fact is important because according to some speculations Bender has been mentioned lately as a person who might be elected the HDZ President, however, since persons who are a subject of the investigation cannot even hold lower positions in the party, Bender cannot hold any position within HDZ.
Edhem Bicakcic to remain in the SDA leadership until May 11
Oslobodjenje reports that Edhem Bicakcic will remain in the SDA leadership until May 11, when the party’s Central Board will convene a session and, most likely, vote in favor of Bicakcic’s removal. The daily notes that moderate party members are hoping that Bicakcic, who was earlier removed by the High Representative, will resign himself and save them unnecessary trouble. However, most members of the SDA would like to see Bicakcic stay in the party, but they have to comply with the Decision on eligibility of candidate issued by the High Representative and remove unwanted officials if they want to run in the upcoming elections.
Cro-press: Who is involved in arms smuggling in BiH: Silajdzic and Orucevic are owners of mortar rounds in Vrapcici? (provided by OHR Mostar)
In relation to the mortar rounds discovered in “Djuro Salaj” factory in a place called Vrapcici just outside of Mostar, Dnevni List quotes a senior official of the Federation Ministry of Interior who wanted to stay anonymous as saying that Haris Silajdzic, “the President of Party for BiH in shadow”, and Safet Orucevic, the former Mayor of Mostar, are involved in the affair with the secret ammunition cache. The daily also says that it is indicative that the cache has been discovered in the same time when SFOR detected the terrorist camp at Pogorelica.
Dnevni List also carries that Nicolas Rambaud, a Spokesperson of the SFOR Multi-National Division Southeast, denied the MoI of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton at HTV Mostar and stated that Police was allowed to have an access to warehouse of weapon and that Police is conducting an investigation on this case. Rambaud sent a message to those in the Cantonal MoI, who do not have this information, to read newspapers and added that it is their personal problem that they are not familiar with the work of the MoI in the investigation. The article also says that it is interesting that the public learnt from press and not from the competent bodies about the biggest illegal cache of arms revealed after the war and that the Federation MoI and the Federation Ministry of Defense keep silent about this event. Also, on Tuesday night they started with the destruction of the mortar rounds in settlement Dubrave, and for this reason a logical question arises as to how to complete the investigation on this case when they have already started to destroy the weapon, reads Dnevni List.
On the same issue, Vecernji List reads the investigation in the matter will enter its second stage today i.e. the investigation will be taken over from SFOR by the Cantonal Ministry of Interior and IPTF. According to the spokesman of SFOR MND SE Nicola Rambaud, the only remaining task of SFOR is to destroy the ammunition, a task that should be completed by May 11. Rambaud added that all the documentation about the case, after it has been translated, would be forwarded to the local police and IPTF as ordered by General Maurice Amarget, the commander of the MND SE.
VL comments that according to unofficial investigation conducted so far, the way the mortar rounds have been stashed and professionally stored indicate that the rounds were not destined for Kosovo or Palestine as some media speculate, but some closer area. VL substantiate its assessment with a fact that the rounds had already been equipped with fuses which eliminates a possibility of transportation to a far location.
RS Defence minister denies any knowledge of Karadzic’s whereabouts
Slobodan Bilic, the RS defence minister, stated in Banja Luka on Thursday evening that he did not have the information that The Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte had, namely, that former RS president Radovan Karadzic was hiding somewhere around Banja Luka and that he was being protected by armed guards. “I do not know where Radovan Karadzic is and according to my information, something like this is not possible,” Bilic told Tanjug. Minister Bilic asked Carla Del Ponte to say where exactly Radovan Karadzic was if she knew that.
Separate curricula in the entities
Glas srpski reports that, according to the recent statements by the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, the OHR and Council of Europ are working on the framework laws on the primary, secondary and higher education and results are expected already in the next couple of weeks. Commenting on Petritsch’s statement, the RS Minister of Education, Gojko Savanovic, said that the framework law does not mean the establishment of the single curriculum for all schools in BiH, as the education falls under the entity jurisdiction. “I spoke with the CoE experts about this law and we disagreed on several provisions. First of all, we disagreed that this should be the framework law. Instead, we believe that wee need an agreement, an information on accepting principles that are to be incorporated in the entity laws and I think that will be respected”, Savanovic said. Savanovic also stated that the framework law foresees respect of principles raising from the UN and UNESCO Charters and speak about respect of human rights, the rights of a child and, as such, will be incorporated in provisions of the new laws on primary, secondary and higher education. “We have finished pre-drafts of these laws and they were considered by the RS National Assembly in that form. After that the laws should be submitted to the RSNA deputies in the form of proposals at one of the following RSNA sessions”, said Savanovic. He also highlighted that current education system in the RS is good, but needs to be modified, and these modifications are currently being conducted. Savanovic announced that the meeting between the CoE experts and the RS Commission that worked in preparation of these laws will take place on May 7th in Banjaluka.
DNS: Kalinic and Ivanic control judiciary
In an interview with Nezavisne novine the vice-president of the Democratic People’s Alliance, Jovan Mitrovic, explains his views on the fate of the criminal charges that the DNS filed against the current RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, and the DNS’s intention to file criminal charges against the Speaker of the RS National Assembly, Dragan Kalinic, for sending the “fake” amendments to the RS Constitution to the High Representative. Click here for the full interview.
Party of Independent Social Democrats and Democratic Socialist Party united into the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
Glas Srpski reports that the chairman of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) [ not to be confused with the former Dodik’s party with the same acronym but slightly different name – the Party of Independent Social Democrats] Milorad Dodik, has confirmed following the SNSD assembly that he will not run in the RS presidential elections in October, but that he will stand for the parliament, SRNA news agency reported yesterday. The first SNSD assembly ended in Banja Luka with the adoption of a decision on unification, the SNSD basic documents and the election of Milorad Dodik as the SNSD chairman. Dodik told a news conference after the assembly that the first next step for the alliance would be the elections in BiH, in which the SNSD would run in the RS, the BiH Federation and for the joint bodies in BiH at all levels. “At present we have lists of candidates, but we shall not reveal them because we were of the opinion that this is a part of our political strategy,” Dodik said. He announced that he would stand for parliamentary elections in the RS. Asked whether he tried to establish cooperation between the SNSD and the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) and its leader, RS Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic, Dodik said that the SNSD “has tried to establish correct political relations with many parties and that Ivanic will best check his popularity at the 5 October elections, which he will contest without the SNSD support”. Chairman of the SNSD executive committee Nebojsa Radmanovic said that some of the goals had been achieved at the assembly: the unification of two social democratic parties: the Party of Independent Social Democrats and the Democratic Socialist Party. “The other goal is for our political option to lead this area into Europe and we think we are on a good road,” Radmanovic stressed. He said that the SNSD was open for cooperation and ready to accept new members with similar programmes, and that talks about this had been conducted with some parties at their initiative. “You heard today that the Labor Party of the RS has decided to join the SNSD and we think that it is possible for other parties to voice similar interests, which the SNSD assembly bodies will discuss in a regular procedure,” Radmanovic said.
High Representative to meet for the last time with PIC Steering Board on Monday and Tuesday
The Peace Implementation Council Steering Board will meet Monday and Tuesday in Sarajevo at the level of Political Directors. At a press conference in Sarajevo, OHR spokesman Patrik Volf said that this will be most likely the last meeting of the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, with the Political Directors before the conclusion of his mandate. “Among other things, the Peace Implementation Steering Board will discuss the Constitutional reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, preparations for the October elections, and Judicial Reform,” said Volf, adding that the PIC Steering Board will also hold talks with high-ranking representatives of the state government and the Entity governments. (News agencies and print media in the Federation carry Volf’s statement)
High Representative meets with Portuguese Defense Minister
Portuguese Defense Minister Paulo Sacadura Cabral Portas said on Thursday in Sarajevo that his country will do everything to support the peace process in BiH. After meeting with the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, the Portuguese Minister praised the engagement of the international community in BiH, in both the military and civic sectors. He underlined that Portugal has also contributed in the establishment of peace in BiH.
Portas assessed as great the work of Portuguese soldiers engaged in SFOR, sending the same message to the country’s diplomatic mission in BiH. “The international community has succeeded to execute certain projects in BiH, which is a success in comparison with the situation in the country several years ago,” he said. Petritsch said he informed Portas on the political and overall situation in BiH. He commended the support of Portugal in implementing peace in BiH and the concrete aid for reconstruction and other projects in the country.
Paddy Ashdown in Washington: Greatest dangers for BiH are corruption and crime
The future High Representative of the International Community and the EU special Envoy in BiH, Paddy Ashdown, will meet later today (Friday) with the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and the US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Ashdown’s spokesman, Julian Braithwaite, told Dnevni Avaz that the future High Representative is in Washington on a three-day visit to the US, which is only a part of his tour of the main political centers in Europe and the US. On Thursday, Ashdown met with White House National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice. Ashdown is scheduled to return to London on Saturday ahead of a number of meetings with European, Russian and NATO officials. “The purpose of all these meetings is to help the new High Representative gain support for his plans. His main message is that the prime danger for BiH does not lie in nationalism, but crime and corruption,” said Braithwaite, adding that Ashdown has already succeeded in securing support of political leaders for speedier reform in BiH.
Liberal Democrat News: Ashdown could resolve the Croat issue
Vecernji List carries excerpts of an article written by Brian Gallagher, the former vice president of a branch of the British Liberal Democrats (LD), the party led by the future High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, for the “Liberal Democrat News”. In the article, Gallagher gives a few pieces of advice to the future High Representative, especially emphasizing that Ashdown can, by doing his job fairly and impartially, not only resolve the Croat issue, but also open the road to a self-sustainable BiH. According to Gallagher, the number of Croats in BiH has been halved, they are prevented from returning to the RS, while “the shameful changes to the election law disabled Croats to elect their own representatives.” Gallagher sees a solution to the Croat crisis in respecting the will of the Croat electorate which will create good faith and calls on Paddy Ashdown to strengthen financial independence and local self-government, which would provide Croats with schools and services of their own. Finally, Gallagher warns that without the full equality of all three peoples, BiH will never be stable but remain a “centralized international protectorate, a country which would never be governed by its peoples.”
OHR, OSCE, UNHCR, UNMIBH and CRPC: Property law implementation rises to 46% in March
The Agencies involved in the Property Law Implementation Plan (OHR, OSCE, UNHCR, UNMIBH and CRPC) announced on Thursday that, as of the end of March 2002, the overall implementation rate of the property laws in BIH has risen to 46%. In the Federation, 51% of cases have been solved; while in the RS this number goes up to 38%. In Brcko District, 47% of cases have been solved. In other words, out of 141,229 households that filed a claim in the Federation, 72,379 have repossessed their property, and out of 107,516 claims in the RS, 41,245 have been solved. Out of 6,867 claims filed in the Brcko District, 3,257 repossessions have taken place. In total, 116,881 out of 255,612 households have repossessed their property across BiH. (PLIP press release was carried by all media in BiH)
Muslim charity head arrested in Chicago thanks to evidence collected by police in BiH
The arrest in the United States of the head of a Muslim charity was carried out thanks to evidence from police in BiH, which showed that he had been in “direct communication” with Osama
bin Laden, SFOR said on Thursday in Sarajevo. “Without going into detail, police found evidence of direct communication between Mr Arnaout and Osama bin Laden,” SFOR spokesman Scott Lundy told a news conference, referring to Enaam Arnaout, a Syrian-born US citizen. Arnaout, who is the executive director of Benevolence International Foundation (BIF), was arrested on Tuesday by the FBI on suspicion of links with bin Laden’s al-Qaeda. US law enforcement officials said the search in BiH turned up firearms, classified documents from several governments covering Islamic extremists, and photographs, including some of bin Laden and others of Arnaout handling rifles, anti-aircraft guns and rockets. The SFOR in BiH said it was pleased to see that evidence collected by local police had led to Arnaout’s arrest
BiH government’s “cooperative approach to dealing with terrorism and its related support network is working well,” Lundy said, adding that joint activities will continue. (This was the top story in nearly all print media on Friday)
Senior Milosevic ally surrenders to the ICTY
Two more suspects surrendered to the ICTY on Thursday, including Slobodan Milosevic’s right hand man during the crackdown in Kosovo, Nikola Sainovic. Sainovic, once Milosevic’s deputy Prime Minister, flew to The Hague yesterday, less than a week after another senior Yugoslav official, Dragoljub Ojdanic, turned himself to the ICTY. Sainovic was accompanied by Momcilo Gruban, who was charged for running a notorious prison camp for Bosniaks in Omarska, and who also surrendered on Thursday. Sainovic is to make his first appearance before the court on Friday when he will be expected to enter a plea on his charges. The date for Gruban’s appearance has not been set yet. (This was the top story in all electronic media in BiH)
Oslobodjenje
- Arnaut charged with obstructing investigation
Dnevni Avaz
- Who is the arrested Syrian with BiH Passport?
Jutarnje Novine
- The poor buy domestic, the well-off foreign cars
Dnevni List
- Who is involved in arms trafficking in BiH: Mortar rounds in Vrapcici ownership of Silajdzic and Orucevic
- Interview with Vlado Ivankovic, President of Independent Union of Aluminij d.d. Mostar employees: Apology from FTV to Aluminij d.d. Mostar might help that Croats accept that television as their own!
Vecernji List
- Glamoc: Fire in Finvest’s sawmill planted
- Affair with Vrapcici mortar rounds continues: MoI continues with investigation
- Helsinki Committee of RS accuses: Lagumdzija’s deputy a war criminal?
- Brian Gallagher: Ashdown must respect will of Croats
Glas srpski
- Chairman of the House of peoples of BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Nikola Spiric: by blackmails to the law
- The epistle of Patriarch Pavle: Belief in resurrection is the only cure
Nezavisne novine
- Prison in The Hague received two more prisoners who came voluntarily: Sainovic and Gruban in Scheveningen
- Jovan Mitrovic, Vice President of DNS: Kalinic and Ivanic control judiciary in RS