Latest radio news broadcast at 12.00 on 11 August
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA(12,00 hrs) | RTRS(12,00 hrs) |
| Criminal privatization in BiH? | Srpske Poste robbery |
| TI survey on corruption in police | Terzic on SBS Director |
| Appointments in judiciary contested | |
TV news broadcast on 10 August
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA(18,00 hrs) | TV PINK (18,00 hrs) | BHT 1 (19,00 hrs) |
| Lukic denies charges | Milan Lukic to be extradited | Lukics’ extradition to the ICTY |
| No request for Lukic’s extradition | RS MoI held press conference in BL | McElhaney welcomed Lukics’ arrest. |
| Pejic on RS MoI coop. with ICTY | 4 Zenica prison inmates case,update | |
| Humphreys visits | Old currency savers’ protest in BL | Judge Garlick resignation case |
| NTV Hayat (19,00 hrs) | FTV (19,30 hrs) | RTRS(19,30 hrs) |
| Milan Lukic to be extradited | Situation in Gornji Vakuf/Uskoplje | Lukic denies charges |
| Novo Rajak’s trial, update | | Exhumation of Bosniaks starts in BN |
| Bozo Medic sentenced to 3 years | Hadzipasic met Energopetrol deleg. | HR requested to de-block the return |
| RS MoI held press conference in BL | Production stopped in Elektrobosna | Humphreys on police reform |
| Oslobodjenje | Lukic accepted to be extradited to The Hague Tribunal |
| Dnevni Avaz | Terzic: Alagic should be Director of SBS |
| Dnevni List | Price of marriage with Chinese reached 20 000 KM |
| Vecernji List | Europe is criticizing |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | American Boeings over |
| Glas Srpske | Killed in |
| Nezavisne Novine | They bought it for 1,6 million and sold it for 50 million |
| Blic | They have announced October revolution |
| Vecernje Novosti | Lukic now hurries to get to |
| Srpski Nacional | Features |
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| LATEST NEWS OF TODAY |
| BiH shadow government to Ashdown: Investigate into wartime past of officials at all levels | RHB – Justice Minister in the (Alternative) Government of BiH, Hasan Balic, is asking from the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, and other relevant bodies to investigate into wartime pasts of all employees working in judicial, legislative and executive authorities at all levels in BiH, especially at levels of municipalities. Balic recommends that all of those, who are suspected of committing crimes, be suspended until processes have been completed. |
| TI survey: 55% of citizens believe police are corrupt | RHB – According to a public survey conducted by the Transparency International, 55% of citizenry in BiH believe that majority of police officers in BiH are corrupt or involved in corruption. |
| Srpske Poste vehicle robbed
| RS Radio – On the route Ribnik-Mrkonjic Grad, the unknown person has this morning – under an arms threat – robbed vehicle owned by Srpske Poste. According to Rade Mutic, Spokesperson of the Banja Luka PSC, driver was taken out from the vehicle, which was transporting the amount of approximately BAM 38 thousand. The search after robber is ongoing. |
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| War Crimes |
| Argentina approves extradition of Lukic to ICTY
| RHB, Pink, BHT, Hayat, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje cover page, pgs 4-5 ‘Lukic accepted to be extradited to The Hague Tribunal’, Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘Milan Lukic goes to The Hague soon’, Dnevni List pg 2 ‘Lukic agreed to be extradited from Argentina’ by NINA, Vecernji List pg 5 ‘Lukic: I want to remove stain from life’ by H, Vecernje Novosti cover pg splash and pgs 12-13 ‘Lukic now hurries to get to the Hague’ by U. D. N., Nezavisne Novine pg 2, announced on cover ‘Milan Lukic is going to the Hague’ by D. R., M. C. and S. K., Glas Srpske pg 5, announced on cover ‘Lukic goes to the Hague’ by Srna, EuroBlic pg 2, announced on cover ‘Lukic was planning to surrender on August 23’ by N. C.– The authorized Argentinean judge allowed extradition of Milan Lukic to the ICTY. The extradition is expected in 10 days. Lukic is being charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity and violation of war rules during the war in BiH, but he denied all the charges. |
| EuroBlic, Nacional: Lukic intended to surrender on August 23
| EuroBlic pg 2, announced on cover ‘Lukic was planning to surrender on August 23’ by N. C., Srpski Nacional pg 3 ‘Lukic wanted to surrender’ by R. P. – report Milan Lukic had stated before the court in Argentina he was planning to surrender on August 23. ‘I want to reveal the truth and clean my name, because I was accused of something I didn’t do’, Lukic said. |
| Ambassador McElhaney on arrest of Lukic, need to arrest Karadzic, Mladic
| BHT, Oslobodjenje, pg 2 ‘I believe Karadzic and Mladic will be arrested by new year’, by ONASA, Dnevni Avaz, pg 5 ‘I will not say anything positive until Mladic and Karadzic are arrested’, mentioned on front ‘Lukic arrest is message to Karadzic and Mladic’, by ONASA, Nezavisne Novine pg 5, announced on cover ‘We are breaking the network of support to Karadzic and Mladic’ by Onasa – In an interview to the ONASA news agency, the US Ambassador to BiH, Douglas McElhaney, stated that the US Government did not know where Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were, saying that Saddam Hussein was found on basis of information provided by the Iraqis, whilst Osama bin Laden has not been found because of lack of necessary cooperation. “I will not say anything positive until Karadzic and Mladic are arrested. I think there are people who know where they are and the RS and SCG governments must absolutely, completely cooperate”, said Ambassador McElhaney. Dnevni Avaz, pg 5 ‘I will not say anything positive until Mladic and Karadzic are arrested’, mentioned on front ‘Lukic arrest is message to Karadzic and Mladic’, by ONASA, Oslobodjenje, pg 4 ‘Political leader was Karadzic, Mladic was military leader’, by ONASA – In the same interview Ambassador McElhaney, whilst talking about the arrest of Milan Lukic, stated that the arrest represented a strong message to Karadzic and Mladic. He notes that one cannot forget that Lukic’s political leader was Karadzic, whilst Mladic was his military leader. McElhaney could not talk about the role of the US Government in the Lukic arrest, however he confirmed that international authorities are working on arrest of war crimes suspects. |
| UK Ambassador to SCG Gowen on arrest of Karadzic and Mladic
| Oslobodjenje, pg 2 ‘Everyone would be satisfied with arrest of Karadzic and Mladic’, by not signed, Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘Karadzic and Mladic should be in the Hague by October’ by Beta – The UK Ambassador to Serbia-Montenegro (SCG), David Gowen, stated on Tuesday that ICTY-wanted Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic should be in the ICTY before SCG starts with the SAA talks scheduled for October this year. “If they end up in |
| Montenegrin journalists on Karadzic’s whereabouts
| Slobodna Dalmacija pg 7 ‘Radovan would like to have comfortable prison accommodation as Plavsic has’ by A. Kalajdzic – With regard to the information that war crime indictee Radovan Karadzic is hiding in Montenegro, SD carries journalist of Montenegrin weekly ‘Monitor’ Seki Radoncic who says that with regard to the Karadzic’s arrest it has been negotiated the most about the country in which Karadzic would serve his sentence. Radoncic added that Karadzic demands to serve the sentence in |
| | Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Karadzic and Mladic in the Hague very soon’ by Srna – The Head of the International Center for Security from Belgrade, Orhan Dragas, is convinced Hague indictees Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic will soon be in the Hague because ‘collusion between Hague indictees and parts of state institutions was broken’. |
| RS MoI says new ICTY indictees apprehensions to follow
| RHB, Pink, BHT, Hayat, Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘New apprehension soon’, Dnevni List pg 4 ‘New arrests or surrenders of The Hague indictees soon’ not signed – Spokesperson to RS Police Director Radovan Pejic said at a press conference in Banja Luka on Wednesday that RS Ministry of Interior had been conducting activities on finding a number of the ICTY indictees. Pejic said that institutional cooperation with Serbia-Montenegro Police had been intensified and it was expected to result in either new surrendering or new arrestments. Pejic also added that arrestment of Milan Lukic came out as the result of cooperation with SiCG MoI and the International Community. RS Police still does not want to reveal any details on action of arrestment of Lukic. |
| Russian Embassy:
| Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Russia has nothing to do with Hague indictees’ by Agencies, Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Cooperation with the Hague’ by N. Z. – Russian Embassy to BiH Wednesday issued a press release denying any connection between Russian state bodies with activities or movements of Hague indictees. The statement also reads |
| HR Ashdown sent a letter to RS PM Bukejlovic on Srebrenica victims
| Oslobodjenje, pg 3, mentioned on front ‘Stop questioning the number of killed in Srebrenica’, by Se. Kurtovic – Oslobodjenje reports that the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, wrote the RS Prime Minister, Pero Bukejlovic, a letter which reads that he expects from him to immediately stop questioning the number of victims that were killed in Srebrenica. The daily says the letter was triggered by Bukejlovic’s interview to |
| GS on crimes against Serbs in Sarajevo: Killed in Sarajevo, buried in Zenica
| Glas Srpske cover pg splash ‘Killed in Sarajevo, buried in Zenica’ by N. Z. – Families of persons killed during the war claim the recent exhumations and identifications of Serb civilians, who were killed during the war in Sarajevo, confirm both crimes and hiding of evidence on it were organized, which could not have been done without a support of the authorities. The article features several statements of family members of persons that were killed in |
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| Political Developments/Reforms |
| BiH COM Chair on appointment of SBS Director: Alagic got best grades
| Dnevni Avaz cover pg splash ‘Terzic: Alagic should be Director of SBS’, pg 2 ‘Bosniak candidate Alagic had best grades’ by S.Numanovic – In regard to the appointment of the SBS Director, Adnan Terzic, BiH CoM Chair, says that: “BiH COM should have appointed SBS Director. However, in order to distribute such key functions, the practise has been so far that BiH Presidency and ruling parties sit at the table and agree. And those claiming that legally stipulated procedure must be respected are wrong, since BiH Constitution demands from us to respect ethnic representation either by parity or 1991 census.” He adds that he does not oppose to respect of professional principles, stressing attention must be paid to ethnic representation. He further expresses agreement with Sulejman Tihic, who said that if HR has to make an appointment, Vahid Alagic had the best grades according to people engaged in nomination process, adding: “Hence I expect he would be appointed as Director of such important institution.” Urging resumption of police reform talks, he says that this should be a subject to compromise of general interest. He also underlines once again he “has no problems in relations with Tihic.” |
| EC’s Humphries: Police reform can be carried out if there is genuine political will at all levels in BiH
| RHB, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Complicated structure a cause of inefficiency’, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Police is good but its organization is complicated’, Dnevni List pg 5 ‘Whole story about police reform was politicised’ by NINA, Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘I believe in consent of politicians with regard to police reform’ by V. Popovic, Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Domestic products for European tables’ inset ‘Police’ by N. Tomasevic – In the course of his visit to Banja Luka on Wednesday, Head of EC delegation to BiH, Michael Humphreys expressed hope for the positive results of the negotiations on police reform since BIH citizens need efficient police to fight against crime, organised crime and corruption. The solution for the police reform can be reached if there is the political will on all levels of the authority, according to Humphries. He agreed with the statements that the entire process of police reform was politicised in RS as well as in F BIH. Humphries reiterated that police in BiH was inefficient due to its complex and complicated structure. |
| OSA platform: 21 million KM at disposal, priorities are search for Hague fugitives, terrorists and persons involved in organized crime
| Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘They are searching for Hague fugitives and following terrorists’, announced on cover ‘OSA will spend 21 million KM to reveal locations of Hague fugitives and to monitor movements of terrorists’ by M. Cubro – As OSA platform for this year foresees, approximately 21 million KM will be earmarked to OSA to try and reveal locations of Hague fugitives, terrorism suspects and persons involved in organized crime this year. The Chairman of the BiH Association of Fired Intelligence Agents, Predrag Ceranic, claims the sum is not too high if it is used in a proper manner and if results of the work justify the needs for such an amount of money. ‘However, results of OSA work are very poor and, judging the so far activities, they will continue to deal with themselves because they are now experimenting with division of this service in two new – intelligence and counter-intelligence service’, Ceranic said. Tomislav Limov, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Surveillance over the work of OSA, did not want to comment on planned activities of the service since the Commission still has not discussed OSA platform. |
| BiH’s Topcagic on BiH admission to EU
| Dnevni Avaz pg 9 ‘Date is known, but not fixed’ by Osman Topcagic – Osman Topcagic, the author of the text and Director of the BiH Directorate for European Integration, elaborates on topic when BiH will become the member of the EU, stressing that the date of accession is known, but still not fixed: it will be the day when BiH fulfils all duties placed before candidate-states and when EU is ready to admit new member. |
| Council of Europe and Transparency International dissatisfied with anti-corruption activities in BiH
| Vecernji List cover pg splash ‘Europe is criticizing’ and pg 3 ‘BiH authorities ignored corruption’ by E. Medunjanin – In the last Council of Europe’s report, BiH was criticized because of its insufficient engagement in the struggle against corruption and organized crime. Also, the BiH authorities were criticized because of the lack of the political will for implementation of these activities and this additionally endangers ambitions to join the EU soon. VL says that Transparency International (TI) has the same opinion on BiH when anti-corruption activities in BiH are in question. TI believes that anti-corruption strategy should be adopted as soon as possible in BiH. |
| Djapic (HSP of
| Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 10, mentioned on front ‘I will tie Osijek to Mostar’, by Zoran Zekic – In an interview for SD, the President of HSP of Croatia, an MP in the Croatian Parliament and Mayor of Osijek, Ante Djapic, whilst commenting on the future constitutional changes in BiH, says Croatia, as a signatory of the Dayton Peace Accord, has an obligation to react to evident breaches of the DPA. Djapic explains that the HSP is not planning to interfere into other state’s affairs, however the party will go before the Croatian Parliament’s foreign policy commission and ask for clarification of position of the BiH Croats and |
| British Embassy Political Department visited HDZ
| Dnevni List pg 4 ‘British Embassy delegation visited HDZ’ by NINA, Nezavisne Novine pg 8 ‘Closer mutual cooperation was agreed upon’ by N. N. – A delegation of the British Embassy Political Department talked with the HDZ leadership in Mostar on Wednesday about the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accord, necessity to implement constitutional changes, HDZ membership in the European People’s Party and reform laws, which are to be adopted and which open the door for beginning of the negotiations on stabilization and association with the EU. During the meeting more direct contact and future cooperation between the British Embassy and HDZ was agreed. |
| DL: New political party HDZ BiH 1990 to be established?
| Dnevni List pg 9 ‘HDZ BiH 1990 is being established?’ by Z. Jukic – The sources, who are well familiar with the situation within HDZ, claim that, most probably, new political party with a Croat prefix would be established during the autumn. DL says that it is quite certain that HDZ President Dragan Covic and his people will manage to strengthen their positions within HDZ in the next few months and many high-ranked HDZ officials led by Bozo Ljubic are going to lose an inter-party struggle. According to the article, a newly established party might gather Martin Raguz, Vinko Zoric, Velimir Valjan, Josip Merdzo, Jozo, Maric, Pero Markovic and Nikola Lovrinovic. Analysts believe that, most probably, the new party would be called HDZ BiH 1990. |
| VL: New alliance for Changes to be formed?
| Vecernji List pg 4 ‘SDP will gather new Alliance for Changes’ by D. Jazvic – A year before the general elections in BiH opposition parties actualised a possibility to gather in some sort of an alliance as the Alliance for Changes used to be. VL says that NHI, HSS, Liberals, Party of Pensioners etc. support this initiative in principle. SDP President Zlatko Lagumdzija announced gathering of the opposition in spring next year. VL says that aspirations of Lagumdzija and other leading people of the opposition parties to become a leader of this alliance might be an obstacle to this process. Namely, SDP believes that the leader of the alliance should come from the strongest party and it is SDP in this case, while among the other opposition parties the opinion prevails that Lagumdzija has been discredited a lot and for this reason he is not good for this position. |
| SNSD’s leader Dodik to ask for abolishment of RS Council of Peoples
| Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘To leave national interests to BiH House of Peoples’ by V. P. – SNSD’s Milorad Dodik has confirmed he would ask for abolishment of RS Council of Peoples through changes to RS Constitution and he would also ask for the competences of RS CoP to be transferred on BiH HoP. ‘In the first three years of the existence of CoP, there had been nothing positive about it. Delegates only used protection of vital national interest to promote their political ideas’, Dodik has stated. |
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| Economic/Social Issues |
| BiH old foreign currency depositors held a protest rally in Banja Luka
| RHB, Pink, BHT, Hayat, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Protest of foreign currency depositors’, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Nisic: RS Government deceiving citizens’, Dnevni List pg 5 ‘Depositors started their struggle through protests’ by T. Dragic, EuroBlic cover pg splash and pg RS2 ‘They have announced October revolution’ by Mirna Soja – BiH and Diaspora Old (pre-war) Foreign Currency Savers Association held a protest rally in front of the Agency for Information-Financial Services (APIF) in Banja Luka on Wednesday. The Association decided to hold protest due to invitation they received by entity and District Brcko Governments to verify/register their savings at the Agency in period of August 10-November 10 this year. The Chair of the Association Svetozar Nisic called on boycott of old currency savings verification, by saying that the verification was not in line with the Constitution. Nisic added that there would be much more radical protests to be organized by the Association in October if nothing is changed in favor of the depositors by then. “The protests will be held in the whole BiH, BiH border crossings will be blocked as well all until our problems are properly solved”, said Nisic. |
| BiH foreign trade deficit amounts up to 3.6 billion KM | RHB, Pink, BHT, FTV, RTRS – The foreign-trade deficit of BiH in the first seven months of this year amounts 3.6 billion KM, what is higher for 5% comparing to last year, stated Vice-President of the BiH Foreign-Trade Chamber Petar Milanovic on Wednesday. Milanovic also pointed out that there is a lack of proper State measures to protect domestic production, and particularly the export-oriented production. |
| EC’s Humphries attends the 100,000th animal registration ceremony
| Pink, Hayat, RTRS – The Head of European Commission Delegation to BiH Michael Humphreys attended ceremony marking the registration of the 100.000th animal within the competent agency. EU has invested 3 million Euros in project of identification/registration of animals, which enables better health protection and better trade conditions. “I hope that in 2006, necessary activities will be conducted and I hope that we will be able to say that the market can be opened”, said Humphreys. |
| Refugees, DPs request Ashdown to unblock the return process
| BHT, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenjepg 11 ‘Return still blocked’,Dnevni Avaz pg 8 – Representatives of 90 local associations of refugees and displaced persons from |
| BiH Central Bank Governor says foreign currency reserves increasing
| Pink, Hayat, Dnevni Avaz pg 9 ‘Foreign Currency reserves reach record amounting to 3.7 billion KM’ – In the first half of 2006, BiH foreign currency reserves are estimated to 3.762 billion KM, said Central Bank Governor Kemal Kozaric. He added that the reserves were being increased, and he announced that such positive trend was to be continued by the end of the year. Kozaric also said that the bank continued its work with no problems after departure of former Governor Peter Nichol and transfer of powers to local officials. |
| VL: ‘Bulldozer’ project completely stuck
| Vecernji List, pg 3 ‘’Bulldozer’ project collapsing’, by Eldina Medunjanin – VL notes that the ‘Bulldozer’ commission, which was established three years ago and which was to remove all obstacles to development of business in BiH, will most likely collapse. The daily explains that ever since the managing of the commission was trusted to “domestic forces” 8 months ago, almost nothing was done that would justify its existence. According to the commission president, Tomislav Grizelj, due to the attitude of the BiH authorities towards the commission, the commission is adamant to ask for OHR’s participation in the project. “We have sent a very unpleasant memo to the OHR. What hurts us the most is the application of some old initiatives and we have already had contacts with new PDHR Larry Butler and we hope things will get moving one more time”, says Grizelj. |
| NN on privatisation of banks in RS: They bought it for 1,6 million, sold it for 50 million
| Nezavisne Novine cover pg splash and pg 3 ‘They bought it for 1,6 million and sold it for 50 million’ by P. Klincov – According to some information, SE Europe Development Bank, which Mladen Ivanic’s Government sold to the Bank for SE Europe (BSE) from Puerto Rico for 1,6 million KM, was sold to “Nova Ljubljanska Banka” at the beginning of August for at least 25 million €. New owner announced to present details on purchase at a press conference that will be organized after the entire process is completed. NN reads it is interesting to know the Government sold the bank for 1,6 million KM only couple of months after the bank invested more than 7 million KM to purchase an administrative building in the center of |