Headlines
- Arrival of elite British troop marks beginning of one of the biggest military operations in Europe since the Second World War
- Gen. Clark accuses Moscow for undermining the peace mission in BiH
- BiH delegation unready for the Council for Cooperation meeting
- Bijeljina – return of Bosniak 36 families
- Sarajevo – definite canceling of the BiH Play Off in football
Kosovo
KFOR peace troops, consisted of British and French troops, entered Kosovo this morning. The aim of these first troops is to provide security of roads and to establish headquarters of KFOR in Pristina. OBN reporter from Skopje, Safet Bisevac, and Natasa Narancic, from Pristina, reported on this.
The Supreme Commander of the NATO Alliance, the US Gen. Wesley Clark, has accused Russia for termination of the agreement made with NATO about the peace mission in BiH as they withdrew 200 troops from BiH in order to send them to Kosovo.
Negotiations between the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, and the US State Secretary Deputy, Strobe Talbott, broke today without any results.
This was followed by a comment of OBN journalist and presenter, Aleksandar Mlac, on the Kosovo and its meaning for relations between the West and East. Does another cold war period threaten the world?
The US President Bill Clinton, addressed to the people of Kosovo today. He stressed that refugees would return to their houses and that war crimes would be punished. OBN journalist, Mladen Maric, produced a report on this.
Ugljevik
OBN crew visited the SFOR military base in Simin Han, Ugljevik, that some of the Russian troops in BiH had left few days ago. The Russian troops had gone to Kosovo.
West Mostar
An explosive device exploded this morning in the center of West Mostar. The bomb was placed under a car near the HVO building. According to the first, unconfirmed information, the bomb destroyed car of Jadranko Martinovic, one of the head people in the Insuring Company Eurohertz, brother of Vinko Martinovic Stela, wanted by the Hague Tribunal. The police investigation goes on.
Sarajevo / Zagreb
This was followed by a report on the yesterday meeting in Zagreb of the Council for Cooperation between the BiH Federation and Republic Croatia. Two of fourteen annexes of the Agreement about Special Relations between the two were signed. The BiH Federation could not decide who would be a signatory on the behalf of the Croatian party. The BIH Federation President, Ivo Andric Luzanski, for OBN gave his comment about the meeting in a telephone call from Zegreb.
Novi Grad (Bosanski Novi)
A custom office was opened in Novi Grad, in the Bosanski Novi Municipality. The RS top officials, the BiH Presidency Chairman, Zivko Radisic, and the RS Prime Minister, Milorad Dodik, were present at the ceremony. OBN reporter, Biljana Kovacic, reported on the event.
Sarajevo
A piece on the last week signing of a declaration on establishing the unique association of municipalities and towns of the both entities. This was only an introduction to more intense local self-management process. The report was produced by the OBN reporter, Amarildo Gutic.
Banovici
A piece on reconstruction of houses in the Ozren area where Serb returnees help workers from the Federation. An Italian humanitarian organization funds the project. This proves that coexistence in BiH is possible.
Bijeljina
This was followed by a report on 36 Bosniak families, returnees to Bijeljina, who were handed over keys of their reconstructed houses. This is the first bigger wave of returnees to this town in the RS.
Brcko
A report on 30 families, currently placed in Brcko, who expressed a whish to return to their pre-war houses in the Vucilovac village. This step would open doors for the return of Bosniaks and Croats to Brcko.
Zenica
Mayors of Zenica and Busovaca municipalities signed a memo of understanding and return to the both municipalities on May 19th, 1999. However, signing of memos is not enough for the lack of concrete results on the ground. Returnees are faced with many problems.
Kresevo
A piece on minimum of conditions that returnees need when they return to their houses. In the Crnicki Kamenik village, the Kresevo Municipality, construction of the elementary school and the first-aid station has begun.
Doboj
The Banja Luka Bishop, Franjo Komarica, visited the Makljenovac Parish in Doboj today. The Bishop spent 1993 and 1994 in the Parish.
Zenica
A piece on the transformation of judiciary came from Zenica. This is one of the main preconditions for stabilization in BiH. Non-governmental organization the Independent Zenica was the organizer of the round table meeting with a topic “Independent Judiciary in BiH”.
Sarajevo
A report on opening of the orphanage “Egypt” in Sarajevo today after 47 years of break. The Cardinal, Vinko Puljic, was present at the ceremony.
Tesanj
This was followed by a piece on the BiH Children Embassy Hub in Tesanj. Maring Gojak, naturalized Australian, donated a holiday house in Makarska to the Children Embassy.
Sport
In Sarajevo, BiH Play Off in football was canceled. This was followed by a report on the football championship’s results in the RS, report from the world championship in volleyball in Egypt and the Formula One races in Canada.