| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1(19,00 hrs) | FED TV(19,30 hrs) | RT RS(19,30) |
| Murder in Siroki Brijeg | Foca exhumations | Murder in | Gravesite controversy |
| Football incident in Mostar | Children exhumations | Illegal orphanage in BiH? | Exhumation near Prijedor |
| Murder in | Use of illegal arms grows | New strikes announced | RS POWs against Tihic |
| R.Bakic in BL court | Lawyer for Milosevic? | Illegal arms case in Zenica | Did Karadzic have a stroke |
Oslobodjenje | Two years in prison for laundering of KM 13 million |
| Dnevni Avaz | Six bids for 5c corridor construction |
| Dnevni List | Exclusive: Orucevic does not support Party for BiH |
| Vecernji List | Police arrests supporters |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Mostar: 8 Police officers injured in clashes of football supporters |
| Glas Srpske | Preparations of faculties for transfer onto new method of work: Matriculation books according to Bologne |
| Nezavisne Novine | BiH Olympic team left to |
| Blic | “Inga” personnel in front of RS Government: They demand salaries because they cannot afford bread |
| Vecernje Novosti | Features Serbian related topics |
| Belgrade’s Nacional | Features Serbian related topics |
|
| Economic/social issues |
| Farmers to block Mostar crossroads on Thursday
| FTV, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Farmers to block Mostar crossroads on Thursday’ – President of BiH Farmers’ Association Ranko Bakic announced blockade of Mostar intersection/crossroads near |
| Criminal charges pressed against Ranko Bakic
| Herceg Bosna Radio, Slobodna Dalmacija last pg ’Criminal charges against Ranko Bakic’ by F – The RS Ministry of Interior filed criminal charges against President of the BiH Association of Farmers Ranko Bakic because of the protest of farmers organized on December 13 last year near Gradiska border-crossing. The BiH Association of Farmers issued a press release, which says that Bakic will respond to the summons and he will be heard before the court in |
| PDHR Hays: It is realistic to expect economic change for the better
| Oslobodjenje pg 6 ‘It is realistic to expect economic change for the better’, Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Accent on development of agriculture’ by S.C. , ONASA – The Principal Deputy High representative, Donald Hays, said in the Petrovo municipality on Monday that the future of BiH was primarily in the hands of its citizens as the obligation of the international community was to provide necessary assistance. He said it was realistic to expect economic alteration for the better in the country but that all of its citizens had to respect Rule of Law. Speaking on the economic development, Hays emphasized that the municipalities the development of which was based on agriculture were in the most difficult position. In Petrovo, Hays met with the top municipal officials headed by Mayor Dusan Milotic. Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Visit to two of the least developed municipalities in BiH’ also reported on PDHR Hays’ visit to the municipalities of Petrovo and Pelagicevo yesterday. |
| Bulldozer Committee statement on Neum session
| Oslobodjenje pg 6 ’60 new reforms’, Dnevni List pg 5 ‘Easier registration of new pharmacies’ not signed, Slobodna Dalmacija last pg ‘Meeting of Steering Board of BiH Association of Businessmen’ by M. Skobic, FENA – The Regional Bulldozer Committees, the BiH, Entity and Brcko Emergency Reform Units, and representatives of the newly-formed BiH Employers’ Organization met in Neum this weekend for the first plenary session of Bulldozer Phase III. Sixty proposals were discussed, of which 15 were approved and 12 will be discussed at the second plenary session that will take place in a month. Proposals range from administrative adjustments that will encourage investment in BiH to changes that will make it easier to register new pharmacies. One reform proposal aims to reduce the price of construction land, while another is designed to eliminate double taxation. There are also proposals that will eliminate discriminatory provisions in tendering requirements and harmonize licensing requirements for trucking companies in both Entities. “This weekend’s meeting has been a strong support to start for Bulldozer Phase III. Discussion has been focused on practical changes that will improve the business environment in BiH and thus help to create jobs,” said Esad Ibisevic, representative of the BiH Employers’ Organisation. |
| Six bids for 5c corridor construction
| Dnevni Avaz cover page ‘Six bids for 5c corridor construction’, pg 5 ‘There will be no Behtel-like affair in BiH’ – Interview with Haris Basic, the BiH Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications. According to Basic, a commission tasked to evaluate project-technical documentation for 5c corridor construction has received six applications from BiH and foreign companies so far. The body is expected to complete evaluation of all the applications by September 10. |
| Vrankic and Hadzipasic on rebalance of FBiH 2004 budget, preparations for 2005 budget
| Dnevni List, pg 7 ‘Federation Government prepares draft budget for 2005’, by Miso Relota – Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of FBiH, Dragan Vrankic, confirms for DL that the making of announced rebalance of FBiH budget for 2004 is in final phase. “The rebalance will go into the procedure after the summer holidays, so it will be on the agenda of the FBiH Government next month”, says Vrankic. The rebalance is aimed to bring balance to the expenditures and collected revenues. DL also carries the FBIH Prime Minister, Ahmet Hadzipasic, who says the FBiH Government should start with preparations on draft budget for 2005 in month of October. |
| DL on VAT: IMF pushes BiH into poverty
| Dnevni List, pg 9 ‘IMF pushes BiH into even bigger poverty’, mentioned on front, by Danka Polovina-Mandic – the daily learns from well informed sources that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed the single rate of VAT (17%) in BiH. Apparently, many experts voiced their concern against the decision, foremost domestic producers, farmers in particular, believing the single rate of 17% will be a strike against the already poor citizenry of BiH. Namely, according to provisions of the VAT law, which will be in the parliamentary procedure in autumn, groceries and other essential goods, which were not taxed until now, will become more expensive, whilst the taxes on luxury items will decrease by 3%. According to Deputy Director of FBiH Tax Administration, Vinko Krizan, there should be two or three rates for different products, adding that the FBiH Tax Administration was not consulted during the making of the law. |
| VL: After ‘sugar’, now a ‘potato’ affair
| Vecernji List, pg 3 ‘Following ‘sugar’, BiH is shaken with potato affair’, mentioned on front, by Dejan Jazvic – the daily claims that the recently discovered ‘sugar affair’ in BiH is not an isolated case of customs-related frauds in BiH. Apparently, an analysis prepared by the Indirect Tax Administration (ITA) shows that BiH has in last three years imported several products that bypass the needs of BiH market. Apparently, in the period between 2001 and 2003, it was officially registered that BiH imported more than 60 tonnes of seed-potato, which can cover needs of domestic producers several times. ITA says it is obvious this is not about import of the seed-potato, it is rather a façade for import of other, most-probably high-tariff goods. |
| Sugar affair
| RTRS – Althoughthe investigating team of European Commission left BIH they are still determining whether BiH broke the rules regarding the import of sugar. EU bodies who are carrying out the investigation are satisfied with the cooperation they received from domestic institutions and the desire shown in BIH in order to resolve this matter. This was confirmed by Deputy Head of EU delegation in BiH Renzo Daviddi. If it is determined that there was illegal export of sugar then it will represent serious problem for BIH in the sense of future export of goods to the EU market without paying the customs tariff as well as the beginning of negotiations regarding Stabilisation and Association Agreement. “We have informed the representatives of domestic authorities that there are reasons to consider statistical data and domestic authorities reacted immediately. With that regard they cooperated very well with us. We are in a phase now to evaluate are there reasons to be concerned or not”, said Davidi. Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Customs officers involved in so-called sugar affair will be punished’ also addressed the issue. |
| Protest of Inga factory workers in
| EuroBlic, cover ‘They want salaries because they cannot afford bread’ pgs. RS2-RS3 ‘They cannot afford bread’ by Rajna Radosavljevic; Nezavisne Novine pg 11 “they demand removal’ mentioned on cover ‘Workers demand removal of management’ by Z. Medjedovic; Glas Srpske pg 4 ‘They demand removal of management’ by Lj. Cicic – Employees of “Inga” furniture factory from Gradiska protested in front of the RS Government building yesterday. They claim they have not received their salaries for the past 30 months and they have no social insurance. Three months ago, the employees have requested from the Government to remove the firm’s management, which has led the firm to disaster, but there was no reply to their request. The employees claim the firm was ruined the day when politics got involved in the selection of the firm’s management and when ‘local powerful persons appointed their own people to rule’. ‘We want Director Blazo Buljic back because, while he was the boss, the factory had had a profit amounting more than 4,5 million KM. Now it owes more than 16 million KM’, the employees claim. RS Government claims the “Inga” issue will be resolved in couple of days and it does not oppose to changes at the factory leadership. |
| RS health system
| Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘Working conditions at RS hospitals intolerable’ – This is a brief interview with Milenko Granulic, President of the RS Syndicate of Health Care, who expresses his view that it is high time RS Government realised there is no people fit for work without a healthy population. He also stresses that health care institutions are in serious problems, owing to unpaid allowances. He notes that those in charge fail to do anything to improve the situation within this field. |
| Drug addiction in RS/Banja Luka
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Drastic increase in mortality of drug addicts’ by S. Karic – NN reports that the mortality of drug addicts in the region of Banja Lka has increased over the past few months, noting that the exact number of those who died of overdose or akin cannot be established, since there is no institution in charge of collecting this sort of information. Dr Tibor Danelisen says that one of the reasons for mortality level increase is the use of “pure drugs”. Experts claim that one of main reasons that narco-crime in RS has developed is the fact that BiH is a transit area for all sorts of narcotics that come from |
| Interview with General Manager of HT Mostar Stipe Prlic
| Dnevni List pg 5 ‘We can offer GSM services without Eronet’, mentioned on cover, by J. Petrovic – carries an interview with General Manager of HT Mostar, Stipe Prlic, who says that HT Mostar has secured funds for paying of the first installment of the GSM license, however, at the moment they are still waiting for the RAK’s decision on the appeal lodged by Eronet. Prlic also says that HT Mostar hope that a solution for paying of 51% of equipment in Eronet will be found. In case that a solution is not found, Prlic says that they are already negotiating with those who can deliver the equipment. Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Struggle underway for control of Mostar telecom’ also addressed the issue of the third GSM operator. |
|
| Crimes/investigations/legal proceedings/incidents |
| Oslobodjenje: Mild punishments for financial crime
| Oslobodjenje cover page, pgs 4-5 ‘Two years in prison for laundering of KM 13 million’ Aldijana Omeragic – The BiH Court has in recent months made first rulings in cases of money laundering and tax evasion but, according to the author, the Court has been too ‘gentle’ towards the perpetrators instead of sending them to prison for several years. While, for example, money laundering can be sanctioned with up to ten years prison term, judges with the allowance of prosecutors are sentencing such the criminals only to two-three years in prison. Co-owner of the Uzdah Company Tihomir Lukic, for example, last week admitted he had laundered KM 13.5 million. However, thanks to a deal with the prosecutor he was sentenced to only two years in prison. |
| Remains of 21 victims excavated on the first day at Miljevina coal mine site
| Oslobodjenje pg 8 ‘Remains of 21 victims excavated on the first day’, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 4 ‘The grave contains around 600 bodies’ by M. Cubro – Remains of 21 victims were excavated on Monday from a mass grave at the Miljevina coal mine site, Chairman of the Federation Commission for Missing Persons Amor Masovic told FENA. He added that on the basis of clothes and shoes found at the site it could be concluded that it was about civil victims. Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ’21 body found on the Milljevina mine waste’, mentioned on cover ‘Masovic: We are searching for 600 missing persons from Foca and Kalinovik’ also covered the issue. |
| Update to exhumation at Sijekovac
| Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘Exhumation at Sijekovac scheduled buy F BiH Commission’ by A. Sekulic – Aleksandar Radeta, Head of RS Office for search after missing persons, yesterday stated that this Office is investigating into each single information it receives on mass graves. Hence, he denied claims the Coordinator of the Association for search after missing persons, Marko Grabovac. Radeta also said that exhumation at Sijekovac was scheduled by F BiH Commission for search after missing persons, noting that the practice is the Commission should then engage firms on exhumation According to NN inset ‘Bodies of 17 children exhumed’, exhumation at Sijekovac near Serb Brod yesterday resumed. 57 bodies (including bodies of 17 children between ages 5 to 17) have been exhumed so far from this mass grave. |
| DL on arrest of war criminals
| Dnevni List, pgs 6-7 ‘Most experienced operatives on bounty hunt’, by Miso Relota – carries the BiH Security Minister, Barisa Colak, as commenting on initiative by the Chairman of BiH Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic, aimed at establishment of a joint Police team of BiH and Serbia and Montenegro that would be tasked to arrest war criminals. Believing that the cooperation of countries in the region should be improved, Minister Colak says: “Not only is it an EC pre-requisite, it is also a need to expand the cooperation and have contacts. When it comes to war crimes suspects, terrorism or organized crime, the need is even greater. I would not talk about modalities of cooperation, however it is certain that we must use modern European practices”. An inset of pg 6, under title ‘Joint fight against crime’, announces that the Montenegrin Minister of Police, Dragan Djurovic, will be hosting Directors of Police forces of Republika Srpska, FBiH, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and UNMIK today in order to discuss about prevention of terrorism and organized crime. An inset on pg 7, under title ‘Catching millions with salary of 600 KMs!?’, carries a ‘source close to FBiH MoI”, who, speaking about Terzic’s initiative, says that the legislative framework ought to be changed first. The source explains: “What happens if our man goes there and gets killed? Who will be responsible for him, on top of that he would be going on a salary of 600 KMs. The OHR can impose to us that we have to do it, but what happens to
|
| Football supporters clash in Mostar
| Vecernji List front pg ‘Police arrests supporters’ and pg 54 ‘Noblemen made supporters happy and announced big possibilities’ by I. Cubela, Slobodna Dalmacija front pg and pg 16 ‘8 policemen injured in conflicts of supporters’ by A. Vlaho and Dnevni List pg 48, ‘Supporters of ‘Sarajevo’ demolished cars and facilities in Mostar’ mentioned on cover, not signed – On the eve of a football match between football clubs ‘Zrinjski’ from Mostar and ‘Sarajevo’ a few incidents took place. According to the report of the Police Administration Mostar, supporters of ‘ |
| New investigation on murder of Travnik policeman committed in 1998
| Vecernji List pg 2 ‘New investigation is revealing murderers of policeman Valjan’ by Z. Kresic – The court procedure on the murder of a Croat policeman Ante Valjan, which was committed in Travnik in 1998, will be renewed after the Federation of BiH Police documented new evidences on suspects. VL reminds that the FBiH Police Director, Zlatko Miletic, had recently confirmed that a new investigation on this case had been brought to the end and processing of the responsible ones is to take place soon. VL also says that according to police sources, the investigation on this case had been taken in a wrong direction thanks to the local Police in Travnik and two Bosniak operative agents of AID (Agic Malic and Ibro Sab |
| Open letter on alleged RS Police Director Njegus’ involvement in obstructions to car thefts investigation
| Nezavisne Novine pg 7 ‘Radomir Njegus is undermining action of seizing illegal vehicles’ – The daily published a letter written by a person, who wished to remain anonymous. The letter concerns the issue of car thefts, which has recently been raised by the media, and the possible involvement of RS Police Director, Radomir Njegus, in it.
|
| Update to Mandic & Popovic case
| Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘Detention extended against Mandic and Popovic’ by N.N. -The BiH Court yesterday extended detention sentence against Aleksandar and Drazen Mandic and Dragoslav Popovic, the suspects in the investigation into the business dealings of the company “Man Co” and “Privredna Bank Srpsko Sarjaevo”. The Court said that this decision was reached, because it is believed that the suspects may flee and exert influence on witnesses. The three are suspected if abuse of power, money laundering, obstruction of evidence and conspiracy. Aleksandar is son Momcilo Mandic, the owner of “Man Co” and “Privredna Bank S. Sarajevo”, whose banking accounts have been frozen as he is suspected of providing assistance for persons indicted for war crimes. Drazen Mandic, the manager of “Man Co” is his cousin. |
|
| Political developments/media |
| DL: Orucevic will not support SBiH in local elections
| Dnevni List, front and pg 3 ‘Exclusive: Orucevic does not support Party for BiH’, by Nermin Bise – the daily got a confirmation from a well informed source in the Election HQ of the Party for BiH (SBiH) that a former Mayor of Mostar, Safet Orucevic, would not be supporting the SBiH at the forthcoming local elections in October. Apparently, the news was welcomed with joy in the SDA with whom Orucevic parted over the SDA’s policy in Mostar. DL notes that the SBiH is disappointed with Orucevic’s decision because they counted on his charisma, since Orucevic was offered to run the SBiH’s pre-election campaign in Mostar but he declined saying he is dedicated to private business and commitments in the Mostar’s Centre for peace. |
| SD: OHR prevented the Croat TV channel
| Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 12 ‘OHR prevented the Croat TV channel’, mentioned on front, by Petar Milos – carries Filip Andric, an MP in the BiH Parliament’s House of Representatives whose amendments to the proposal of law on RTV service in BiH, which envision broadcasting in three official languages on three separate channels, were rejected by the Parliament’s Board for traffic and communications. Andric explains why the amendments did not receive the necessary support: “Of nine members of the Board, three were in favour, three against, three abstained from voting. I think there was no support to the amendments because of constant pressures by leaders of the OHR on some of the members. They even pressured the HDZ President to give up the amendments, although the request for a Croat channel in the Croatian language is not only legitimate, but is also in harmony with the Constitution and European convention on human rights”, says Andric. He adds should the BiH HoR fail to adopt his amendments at its session scheduled this week, in that case the Croat MPs in the BiH House of Peoples are to declare the Law of RTV service as vital national interest law with all the implications that it carries. |
| RTRS Davidovic on prime time news
| Glas Srpske pg 5 ‘Viewers should decide’ by D. Majstarovic – Dragan Davidovic, RTRS Director, told GS that the RTRS is not a public broadcasting system, which would be broadcasting Latino “soaps”, but instead would offer the latest information on all affairs in RS and around it to its viewers. He rejects the very idea on abolishing the central evening news at According to Davidovic, the core of the latest assaults against RTRS are free will and personal choice. |
| Mostar Mayor Jahic on name of Herceg Stjepan Kosaca centre
| Dnevni List, pg 11 ‘Joint city institutions cannot bear national prefix’, not signed – the Mayor of Mostar, Hamdija Jahic, reacts to an article recently published in DL under title ‘Herceg Stjepan Kosaca keeps Croat prefix’, which was dedicated to the visit of Senior Deputy High Representative, Werner Wnendt, to Mostar (see Cropress summary, August 6). Mayor Jahic stresses it is clear that in a multi-ethnic city, such as Mostar, joint city institutions cannot have national prefix. Furthermore, Mayor Jahic says rationalization of all city institutions is inevitable, including the cultural ones, noting that Mostar has to form a joint city institution a Dom (Home) or Centre for culture of city of |
| VL on recent Ivanic/Tihic statements
| Vecernji List, pg 2 ‘Debatable Ivanic’, by Oliver Cvitkovic – carries an op-ed which deals with a recent statement of President of PDP, Mladen Ivanic, who said his party would be contesting the name ‘Bosniak’ and use of the term ‘Bosnian language’. Noting that Ivanic’s statement caused many reactions of the Bosniak public, the author argues that Ivanic’s statement is only a reaction to Sulejman Tihic’s initiative, which disputes everything that has the ‘Serb’ prefix in BiH. The author concludes: “Why nobody from the ‘multi-cultural’ public did not even think to defend interests of one constituent people in BiH. It is wrong to claim the country and deprive somebody of something that is guaranteed by the Constitution. It only deepens crisis and leads to new conflicts. I hope we have had enough of those”. |
| Statement of Day: Mostar Deputy Mayor Ljubo Beslic
| Dnevni List pg 2 carries in its ‘Statement of Day’ Mostar Deputy Mayor Ljubo Beslic as saying: “The Federation of BiH is suffocating Mostar and whole |
| Interview with President of BiH Election Commission Vehid Sehic
| Vecernji List pg 5 ‘Municipal elections will cost 9 million KM’ by V. Rupcic – VL carries an interview with the President of the BiH Election Commission, Vehid Sehic. Asked about debts towards the BiH Election Commission, Sehic says finances are always a problem since we have an expensive state and he added that the municipal elections will cost about 9 million KMs. Asked whether the BiH Election Commission has been exposed to threats of some political parties, Sehic says that there were no threats but misunderstandings of some legal provisions. Sehic also said that in general the political parties have a correct attitude towards the BiH Election Commission.
|
| BiH Election Commission statement
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘BiH Election Commission removed names of 2057 candidates from lists’ by V. Popovic – Maksida Bajramovic, Spokesperson of the BiH Election Commission, yesterday confirmed that the BiH Election Commission removed names of 2057 candidates from lists for the upcoming local elections in BiH. Bajramovic could not |
| RS Association of former inmates critical of Tihic
| Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘RS Association of inmates calls on Ashdown to sanction Tihic’ by ONASA; Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Tihic’s inciting’ by Z. M. – According to press release yesterday forwarded to the media, the RS Association of former inmates yesterday called on Paddy Ashdown, High Representative to BiH, to “sanction an open anti-Dayton activities of the Chairperson of BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic”. The Association demands from the BiH Presidency and BiH Parliament MP’s to confront with anti-Dayton activities in accordance with their authorities., “otherwise, the referendum for RS secession from BiH could be a response to such activities”. |
| Lagumdzija critical of Ivanic
| Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘The course of Mladen Ivanic from safety fuse, microphone to ideologist of SDS’ by Radio Free Europe – Zlatko Lagumdzija, SDP of BiH President, yesterday stated that the PDP leader, Mladen Ivanic, has entered the process of disputing the Bosnian language in a primitive method of cheap politics, in order to save his political party from falling down. Lagumdzija said: “I must admit I feel sorry for Ivanic. A year and a half ago, Mladen Ivanic, like Party for BiH committed to revive coalition SDS, HDZ and SDA and to enable them establish BiH CoM. That is when the fall of Ivanic has commenced, when Ivanic appeared like a safety fuse of SDS, turned into a SDS microphone. However, I am afraid he has lately determined to be not the SDS spokesperson but a recommender of SDS ideas.” Lagumdzija further expressed his view that Paddy Ashdown, High Representative to BiH, is often engaged in ephemeral problems, while – on the other hand – HR tackles important issues in a superficial manner. He further noted that “HR must finally explain it to himself and admits to himself that he ahs committed a catastrophic mistake by having called nationalists reformers and gave them a licence of reformers.” |
| PDP Kotor Varos Board denies SNSD claims
| Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Official visit of Premier’ by D. M. – The PDP Kotor Varos Board yesterday released a press statement, reiterating that Dragan Mikerevic, RS Premier, paid an official, not private visit to Kotor Varos on 2nd August. |