Headlines
- NATO Secretary General, George Robertson, in Sarajevo – one of his priorities is the arrest of individuals indicted for war crimes
- Charges against Radoslav Krstic, for crimes committed in Srebrenica, read before the Hague Tribunal – Krstic pleaded not guilty
- The BiH Federation Parliament adopted a budget for 2000 – a request of the International Monetary Fund for the continuation of the stand-by arrangement adopted
- Students’ protest in Sarajevo
- Robin Cook in Zagreb
- The US Minister of Defence, Cohen, in Vietnam
Sarajevo
NATO Secretary General, George Robertson, visited Sarajevo today. Mr. Robertson said that SFOR will continue arresting individuals indicted for war crimes in BiH. The NATO Secretary General met with the members of the BiH Presidency, SFOR Commander, General Adams, and the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch. The Secretary General met with the BiH opposition leaders as well but the meetings were closed to the public. At the press conference held by the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Robertson said that despite the fact that the attention of the world has been focused on Kosovo lately, the role of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not changed. The report was produced by OBN journalist, Zeljka Lekic and Sanjin Beciragic.
The Hague
Charges against the Bosnian Serb, General Radoslav Krstic, for the crimes committed in Srebrenica in July 1995, were read before the Hague Tribunal today. General Krstic is the ex Commander of the Drinjski Corpus of the RS Army. Radoslav Krstic pleaded not guilty. The report from the Hague was produced by OBN reporter, Vjera Bogati.
Sarajevo
The Representative House of the BiH Federation Parliament adopted a budget for 2000 according to the demands of the International Monetary Fund. Also, they adopted changes and annexes of the law on special tax for tobacco and the changes of the law on tax for products and services. These changes were a condition of the International Monetary Fund for the continuation of the stand-by arrangement and a support for economic reforms, OBN reporter, Sevko Bajic, confirmed.
Zagreb
The British Foreign Minister, Robin Cook, visited Zagreb today. This is a continuation of a campaign from the West for the stabilisation of the Balkans which began with the visit of Madeleine Albright to Sarajevo a few days ago. Mr. Cook said that the UK will support the Republic of Croatia, not only regarding its membership in Euro-Atlantic integration but in the implementation of economic reforms as well. The report from Zagreb for TV INFO was produced by Gordana Simonovic.
World
The Commander of NATO for Europe, General Wesley Clark, warned the Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic, because of his attempts to provoke clashes in Montenegro. The EC delegation which has visited Chechnya, reported on serious breaches of human rights and war crimes, committed by both parties in Chechnya. A US delegation warned Kosovo Albanian leadership they could be left without international support. The piece on these and other events in the world was produced by OBN journalist, Gordana Frimel.
Kopaci (Gorazde)
The first group of returnees to the Kopaci village near Gorazde returned on Saturday. During the same night, a bomb was thrown on returnees. OBN reporter from Gorazde, Alen Bajramovic, visited the location in order to find out whether returnees were frightened with the bomb. Returnees say that they will stay in their homes and that extremists were to blame for the incident. The biggest problem the returnees are faced with is the lack of electricity.
Banja Luka
An item on the continuation of the strike of the Banja Luka “Incel” company workers. On Friday, workers blocked the roads, and the President of the Trade Union was sued for that. This was a reason for this new protest. Workers ask their salaries for the last 12 months and pension and health insurance. The report was produced by OBN reporter from the area, Biljana Arsic.
Sarajevo
Students protested in Sarajevo today. More than 3,000 students have protested because the BiH cantons do not want to fulfil their legal responsibilities and pay for accommodation and food for the students. Also, it was announced recently that as from the next school year, students will start paying studies by themselves. The BiH Federation Prime Minister, Edhem Bicakcic, promised to solve a part of the students’ problems. The report was produced by OBN reporter, Mirna Sadikovic.
Tuzla
A piece on the announcement of the Tuzla Canton Government to dismiss its members from the positions of the companies’ boards members as from tomorrow. The main reason for that is the rule of the Provisional Election Commission which prohibits officials to be members of companies’ boards, OBN reporter from the area, Muhamed Berbic, confirmed.
Banja Luka
A report on the registration for the forthcoming process of privatisation in the RS. Representatives of the RS Privatisation Hub were satisfied with the up to date results of the registration process. Some 213,000 citizens were registered, OBN reporter from Banja Luka, Sanela Zivkovic, confirmed.
This was followed by an item on the draft law made by the RS Government on the purchase of apartments in this BiH entity. The report for TV INFO was produced by Tatjana Lasic.
Ilidza (Sarajevo)
A construction of seven houses for war invalids in llidza near Sarajevo. The donor of the project worth 500,000 DEM is Sead Heco. The report was produced by OBN reporter, Meliha Hasanbegovic.
Sport
Reports on international football and NBA were presented.