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| Trial of Muamer Topalovic | International Criminal Court inaugurated in The Hague | Session of the Elektroprivreda BiH steering board | Epidemics of influenza |
| Vatikan delegation to visit BiH | Perpetrator of attack on Bingo building arrested in Mostar | Federation governmental privatisation commission to hold session on Thursday | Mine field in Domaljevici was properly marked |
| Negotiation on unification of Cyprus failed | Srebrenica’s horrible tragedy and IC’s failure to happen never again, says HR | 580 victims of Srebrenica will be buried on 31 March at Potocary Memorial | Preparation for PIC meeting, SDHR Fassier in Banja Luka |
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| Tony Blair called Russia, France not to veto new resolution on Iraq | Judges of the International Criminal Court took an oath | RS Assembly in session tomorrow |
| Oslobodjenje | Rapist Vitko Vili Jokic arrested; Srebrenica: The truth and the justice – Crime is to deny crime |
| Dnevni Avaz | Robertson sends a message through Dnevni Avaz: Surrender, the circlet is tightening! |
| Dnevni List | SFOR traces Radovan Karadzic!; BiH Presidency expresses wish for Pope’s arrival; Svetozar Mihajlovic, former minister of civil affairs and communications: Who stops CIPS project; Changes to BiH Constitution necessary; Consciously murdered three members of Andjelic family |
| Vecernji List | SDP and SDA stop Beslic appointment; Today verdict to M. Topalovic |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Topalovic is not mentally deranged; Attacker on Slezak’s betting shop arrested; Mostar: Ljubo Beslic did not go through |
| Glas Srpski | Serb MP at Croatian Parliament Milan Djukic, warns: Authority grabbed away from Serbs; Epidemic expanding: Influenza closed schools |
| Nezavisne Novine | “Laser:” staff blocked the Brcko District Government: Working seven months without pay; Risto Zaric, Director of RS Military Intelligence Agency (OBS): “We do not protect war crime suspects”; Returnees to the village of Brvnik near Samac claim: Tragedy could be avoided |
| Nedeljni Telegraf | Radovan cooks pudding in Ostrog! |
| Blic | 18,000 mine fields in BiH; Mikerevic: Entities’ armies are in line with Constitution and Dayton; Electric shocks threaten Sarajevo; Flu epidemic declared in Brcko and Bijeljina; Cavic: Punishments because of Orao would be severe on RS |
War crimes | |
| Rapist Vitko Vili Jokic arrested
| Oslobodjenje front page – Vitko Vili Jokic indicted for war crimes against civilians (rape) was apprehended and has been in custody since March 7 this year. The 36-old man was arrested together with his companion during a recent attempt robbery in Sarajevo. As a member of the RS Army during the war, Jokic allegedly committed war crime of raping against non-Serb women in the Sarajevo suburb of Vogosca. |
| NATO’s Robertson again calls on Karadzic and Mladic to surrender | Dnevni Avaz front page, p 5 ‘I call on Karadzic and Mladic to surrender because the circlet is tightening’ – Interview with NATO Secretary General George Robertson. “Each new indictee sent to The Hague represents an additional relief in the process of peace building in the Balkans. There is no place in the world where can hide those indicted by the Tribunal for horrible crimes. I therefore call on all of them particularly Karadzic and Mladic to turn themselves in to the Tribunal,” said Robertson. |
| Dnevni Avaz: Risto Zaric informs Karadzic on IC operations | Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Risto Zaric informing Karadzic on the IC operations’ – The RS Intelligence-Security Service was being involved in protection of not only Radovan Karadzic but also some other war crime indictees wanted by The Hague Tribunal, a local intelligence officer told the newspaper. Concerning the close protection of Karadzic, according to the source, it is about a system which only a few loyal and reliable RS intelligence officers have been included in. The main task of the RS Intelligence-Security Service headed by Risto Zaric is to timely inform Karadzic about any possible IC action aimed at his apprehension. |
| “OBS does not protect Karadzic” | Nezavisne Novine, page 5, ‘OBS does not protect war crime suspects’ – In an interview to NN, Risto Zaric, Head of RS Intelligence and Security Service (OBS), who does not show much in media, denied claims that OBS is protecting Radovan Karadzic, stressing that “somebody wants to harm the Service by making such statements”. Responding to allegations that OBS is providing logistic support to Karadzic and other war crime suspects, Zaric said that those allegations do not represent an official stance, but instead reflect arbitrary opinion of individuals, who launched this piece of information for their own or some other interest. |
| RS NA Vice-president: There are no Bosniaks, Croats in RS Intelligence Service | Dnevni Avaz pg. 2, mentioned on the front page ‘There are no Bosniaks, Croats in RS Intelligence Service’ – The RS legislative authority has no any control over the entity’s Intelligence-Security Service, the parts of which are being accused of providing protection to Radovan Karadzic, according to RS National Assembly Vice-president Sefket Hafizovic. “In addition, not a single Bosniak is employed by the service, and I do not believe there is Croats there as well. It is therefore ethnically clean,” emphasized Hafizovic. |
| Britain fully supports IC measures to undermine war criminals support network | Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Great Britain investigates into possible existence of banks accounts’, Oslobodjenje pg. 6 ‘Intelligence officers serching for accounts of Karadzic’s supporters’ – The Government of the Great Britain fully supports recent measures undertaken by the international community to de-stabilise the network of support to Radovan Karadzic, according to the British Embassy in Sarajevo. With regard to the operation, the British intelligence officers are currently investigating into possible existence of bank accounts owned by Karadzic supporters in the Great Britain. |
| Dnevni List: “SFOR traces Radovan Karadzic” | Under the above title, Dnevni List (front and page 5, by HINA) carries an SFOR spokesperson, Dale MacEarchern, as saying at that the SFOR troops collected significant information during the raids of civil and military facilities conducted in the RS late last week confirming the raids at Pale and Lukavica near Sarajevo were directly linked to the IC’s efforts to severe activities of persons who fund Radovan Karadzic. The daily also carries the SFOR Commander Lt-Gen William Ward as saying: “These operations clearly show SFOR will do what is instructed to it by its mandate and that it stays determined to arresting persons suspected of war crimes.” (Slobodna Dalmacija, page 6, by HINA, “Ring around Karadzic” ). Glas Srpski, page 2, ‘Hunt after Serb heads’; Nezavisne Novine, ‘Confiscated equipment of RS Ministry of Defence still being analysed’ – The SFOR Spokesperson, stated that the international troops have not still completed an analysis of the documents and materials confiscated during the Friday action of search at Serb Sarajevo Municipal Assembly building. (Blic pg. 7 headline ‘They took away even mobile phones’) |
| Dnevni List says Mladic is in Belgrade but is not hiding | Dnevni List (page 4, by D. L., “Mladic strolls in Belgrade ‘decorated’ with explosive”) learns from its Belgrade sources that an ICTY indictee at large, Ratko Mladic, is not at all hiding in Belgrade as stated by some Serbian and ICTY officials. Apparently, Mladic, together with his bodyguards, often visits a Belgrade restaurant “Milosev konak” as previously reported by FTV’s “60 minutes” show. According to DL’s source, Mladic visits other restaurants too with a bunch of explosive wrapped around him and with a detonator always at reach. Moreover, the source says a few months ago a Serbian MoI unit tried to arrest him at “Milosev konak” but withdrew after seeing the explosive. Reportedly, Mladic’s bodyguards are wrapped with explosive too. |
| US Treasury release on web site | Nezavisne Novine, page 5, ‘Momcilo Mandic controls police and judiciary of RS’ – The press release issued by the US Treasury, which is published on web site of the US Department of State, stresses that: “Momcilo Mandic protects Radovan Karadzic by using his grand influence, and we may also say control over police, judiciary and OBS of the RS. Bearing in mind the fact that he used to be RS Minister of Justice and one of the leading officials of the Interior Ministry, he had a command over special police units and other troops in the operations of ethnic cleansing. Mandic is also still cooperating with the OBS Head at the present time.” US Treasury further stresses that Milovan Bjelica is also an important financier of Karadzic. The release further emphasises that Bjelica holds control over intelligence and security agencies that protect war crime suspects. |
| Svilanovic on US Treasury action | Nezavisne Novine, page 4, ‘USA demand blockade of financial support channels to Karadzic’ – Goran Svilanovic, Serbian Foreign Minister, yesterday confirmed that the USA addressed the authorities of Serbia and Montenegro, in regard to the international-wide action of cutting financial support net to Radovan Karadzic. Svilanovic said that: “Last week, American Ambassador in Belgrade brought the letter containing all the information on the steps to be taken by the American Government, aimed at cutting the net of support to Radovan Karadzic. However, some concrete steps on this will be done after the Board of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro is established.” The Montenegrin authorities yesterday denied that Karadzic is hiding in Montenegro. (Belgrade Nacional pg. 4) |
| Serb Sarajevo Assembly on SFOR action | At the special session held on Tuesday, delegates of the Assembly of Serb Sarajevo expressed dissatisfaction with SFOR’s behavior during the inspection of facilities in Pale and Serb Sarajevo last Friday. According to a press release from the Assembly of Serb Sarajevo, the work of this authority body “was completely public, and there were no reasons for the control with weapons, taking away of documentation and material-technical means.” Delegates asked the High Representative Paddy Ashdown to give explanation for such actions. “We do not dispute the right and effort of the High Representative to BiH to perform his duties and we are on his disposal both individually and as an institution,” the press release read. (Vecernje Novosti pg. 15 headline ‘Weapon was unnecessary’). Mayor of Serb Sarajevo Predrag Lasica told the deputies that the SFOR action represented an act of occupation. (Blic pg. 7 headline ‘That is occupation’) |
| Montenegrin Interior Minister on Karadzic | Montenegrian Interior Minister Milan Filipovic said that no reliable information suggests that war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic has stayed on the territory of Montenegro. “We have contacted all sources with such information. The Hague tribunal has its own investigators in the region who deal with this issue and nobody has confirmed this information,” Filipovic told a press conference on Tuesday. Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte has said that Karadzic occasionally stays in Montenegro and that he recently visited Ostrog monastery near Niksic. “That statement was probably more of a psychological pressure on Montenegro to make efforts together with Serbia to arrest people indicted by the tribunal,” Filipovic explained. According to him, Montenegro has the capacity to tackle this issue. “We have units and services which deal with this problem and they are prepared to resolve this case either independently or in cooperation with other services,” Filipovic concluded. (Belgrade Nacional pg. 4 headline ‘The Hague investigators and head hunters in Montenegro’) |
| ‘Radovan cooks pudding in Ostrog!’ | Nedeljni Telegraf pg. 24&25 (headline ‘Radovan cooks pudding in Ostrog!’) carries an extensive article about Ostrog monastery and its history. Prior of the monastery Jovan Puric rejects any possibilities that Radovan Karadzic hides there and once again invited Del Ponte to visit Ostrog. His Holiness Serb Patriarch Pavle said that Carla Del Ponte’s attempt to connect Radovan Karadzic and Ostrog as an Orthodox sanctuary is an attack on Serb Church. Monks who live in Ostrog say they have their own Radovan (Lasica) – that is a cook who works in monastery’s kitchen. They think that people who are on pilgrimage to the monastery (and they belong to different nationalities, not only Serbs) may hear when they call the cook and therefore the wrong conclusions are drawn that is Radovan Karadzic. |
| American proposal to Serbian authorities | Nedeljni Telegraf pg. 4 (headline ‘Secret offer: prove that Mladic, Sljivancanin and Radic are not in the country and we will not blackmail you anymore’) reports that Americans have proposed to Serbian authorities ‘Ante Gotovina’s scenario’. Namely, Belgrade need to prove that this trio is not in the country and political pressures will cease. Serbia should do what Croatia has already done: Croatian authorities have proved that General Ante Gotovina is not in Croatia but in Argentina, and therefore pressures on Zagreb stopped. According to some analysts, Ratko Mladic and Vukovar’s duo Veselin Sjivancanin and Radic should be sent abroad to a country where they will not make any damages, but they think that the Hague Prosecution would not agree with the idea. However, such a solution would spare Serbian authorities from unpopular arrests, the Hague Tribunal would evade trials similar to Milosevic’s, which jeopardises the Tribunal, and the IC would secure peace and stability in the Balkans. If the West really wants to see this trio in jail they would be there already. But, it is obvious there is no political will for arrests in fear of disorders or even military putsch. But the problem is in which country they could go, and even if they go abroad they will not be that naïve to say where they are and in that way to give proofs that they left Serbia. |
| Round table on Srebrenica between the truth and the justice | Oslobodjenje pgs. 4-5, mentioned on the front page ‘Denying the crime is even the more serious crime’ Dnevni Avaz pg. 3 ‘Round table on Srebrenica between the truth and the justice: The cemetery will serve as a warning that the crime must not happen again’ – “The crime in Potocari is so bloody that its denial represents even a more serious crime,” Head of the BiH Islamic Community Mustafa Ceric said at a round-table on Srebrenica between the truths and the justice organised by the Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Movement in Sarajevo on Tuesday. The event was held under the patronage of Ceric, the International Commission on Missing Persons and the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown. Ashdown for his part emphasized the importance of the construction of the Memorial Centre in Potocari. (Dnevni List pg. 15) |
| Peaceful protest of Srebrenica and Podrinje Mothers | Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘We do not need the aggressor’s money’ – As on eleventh day of each month, the Mothers of Srebrenica and Podrinje held a peacefull protest in Tuzla seeking truth and justice. “We are embittered with the BiH Human Rights Chamber ruling not to pay out money to the families of the Srebrenica victims which had launched the legal proceedings but to the Potocari Memorial Foundation,” emphasised the representatives of the Association. |
Affairs | |
| Financial Police investigates into Meho Obradovic’s transactions | Dnevni Avaz pg. 4, mentioned on the front page ‘Financial Police investigates into Meho Obradovic’s transactions’ – “The Financial Police will immediately act in compliance with the recommendation of the Special Auditor for RS and FBiH Dale Ellen Ralph and investigate into the origin of funds used by former BiH Elektroprivreda Director Meho Obradovic for purchase and construction of the house,” the Chief FBiH Financial Police inspecyor, Zufer Dervisevic, told the newspaper. |
| Blic on BiH Elektroprivreda audit | As sources close to OHR claim, auditor’s report on numerous illegal activities in BiH Elektroprivreda which resulted in loss of billions, might be presented this week. Billions of loss were made during the period when Elektroprivreda was headed by Edhem Bicakcic (then-PM) and Meho Obradovic. “The auditor’s report will put a light on the fact that Bicakcic’s government used this firm as a service for some suspicious financial dealings”, the sources say. Edhem Bicakcic was removed by former High Representative Wolfgang Petritcsh (Blic pg. 6 headline ‘Electric shocks threaten Sarajevo’) |
| Milorad Dodik: Sarovic must leave the BiH Presidency due to the Orao affair | Dnevni Avaz pg. 9, mentioned on the front page ‘Milorad Dodik: Sarovic must leave the BiH Presidency due to the Orao affair’ – “If one seeks for the political responsibility for the Orao affair, that it is clear that Mirko Sarovic was at the time the RS Army Supreme Commander. Therefore the political responsibility for the affair may only be addressed on Mirko Sarovic,” the SNSD leader Milorad Dodik told the newspaper. |
| RS President on Orao affair | “According to some information, punishments of the IC toward the RS institutions because of Orao affair would be severe and I am aware of it”, RS President Dragan Cavic told RTRS on Monday evening. He said that he was aware of responsibility he had taken over and warned the citizens on difficult situation in which the RS was due to illegal weapon trade with Iraq. “Because of the RS citizens we should sacrifice our institutional posts, because many sacrificed their heads for the RS”, Cavic said. Speaking about the current problems in the RS, Cavic said that “since its establishing, the RS has been shaken by affairs, and culmination of it is the last affair in RS Elektroprivreda. There might be more bigger affairs in coming period.” (Blic pg. 7 headline ‘Punishments would be severe’) |
| Mijatovic and Acimovic on RS EP Audit Report | Nezavisne Novine, page 3, ‘Authorities cover up crime at RS EP’ – Mirko Mijatovic, Assistant Director at RS EP, who was removed from the position, yesterday stated that criminal activities did and still do exist within RS EP, but the RS control bodies have never discussed that problem. He stated this at the open session of the Board of Economy and Finance of the RS NA. The Board convened in order to hear stances presented by the removed senior officials of the RS EP. Ellen Ralph, International Special Auditor, also presented her views on audit report before the Board. Mijatovic stressed that the RS EP Internal Control had previously disclosed concrete criminal activities within RS EP, of which the RS authorities in charge were informed, but “that was all”. Svetozar Acimovic also presented his arguments before the Board. He stated he felt no responsibility for the claims presented in the audit report, stressing that most findings involve objective losses and the resources re-directed towards pensioners and RS economy. He also added that he could not have improved the business dealings at RS EP, owing to interference of political parties. According to NN inset, the temporary leadership at the RS EP will respect all conclusions reached by the RS Government, including the suspension of further activities in building the tunnel at Fatnicko Polje. According to Pantelija Dakic, the newly appointed Acting Director at RS EP, he appointed Arsen Dedic as his assistant. |
| RS NA Board concluded: No theft at RS EP | Glas Srpski, page 2, ‘There was no theft’ – Djojo Arsenovic, President of Board of Economy and Finance at the RS NA, stated after yesterday’s open session of this Board that the amount of KM 166 million was not robbed at RS EP, neither was that amount used beyond knowledge and assent approved of the authorities in charge. He added that a wrong impression was created in the public that the amount of KM 166 million was robbed at RS EP and that the leadership of RS EP was involved in some criminal activities. He stressed that: “What the Special Auditor attempted with the audit report was to recommend that RS EP would function better as a single company, instead of operating within the existing system.” The Board will prepare the report on this matter for the next session of the RS NA. The Board will also recommend to the RS NA to establish a Poll Commission, which would examine all claims presented in the audit report on RS EP. |
Political affairs/statements | |
| Former BiH Minister of Civil Affairs and Communications Mihajlovic on CIPS project
| With regard to the CIPS project issue, Dnevni List (front and page 9, Lj. S, “Who stops CIPS project”) carries an interview with former BiH Minister of Civil Affairs and Communications Svetozar Mihajlovic. Asked whether one of the reasons because of which the whole project is being obstructed is the fact that only BiH and not a name of the entities is written on a new ID, Mihajlovic says that certainly it is one of the reasons. Mihajlovic also says: “The main culprits are persons who run the project. Why do not they say who does not allow them to implement the project…At this moment it is less relevant as to how much a new ID will cost, either 10,5 or 14,5 KMs. Namely, the intention is to turn the public against this project, so that those forces that are against it can get importance so that they can do again the things that they were doing… None Intelligence Service, none political party, individual or Ministry can have monopoly over the CIPS Project. This is only important.” |
| CIPS office in B. Luka officially opened
| Glas Srpski, page 2, ‘New ID cards’; Nezavisne Novine, page 6, ‘Banja Luka citizens get their new ID cards’ – Zoran Djeric, RS Interior Minister, yesterday officially opened the CIPS Office in Banja Luka. Milorad Jacimovic, Head of Banja Luka PSC, was the first Banja Luka citizen to obtain the new ID card. In his opening speech, Djeric said that the opening of CIPS Office resolves the issue of issuance of new ID cards according to the up-to-date and technically secure standards. |
| DL: ‘BiH expressed wish for Pope’s coming” | Dnevni List (front and page 3, by E. Mackic) carries that members of the BiH Presidency received yesterday a delegation from Vatican. The main issue of the meeting was a possible realization of the Pope’s visit to BiH. It was agreed that the members of the BiH Presidency pay a visit to Vatican on March 23 and in this way personally hand over to Pope an invitation to visit BiH. The Vatican delegation also met with the members of the BiH Inter-Religious Council. The members of this Council suggested the Vatican delegation to have talks with the highest religious leaders of all traditional religious communities and Churches in Banja Luka during their working visit to this city and this suggestion was accepted with pleasure. (Also covered by Vecernji List, page 3, zk, “Pope pays visit to BiH”, Slobodna Dalmacija, last page, “Preparations for Pope’s visit to BiH”, Sarajevo media) |
| Coalition PDP-SDS-SDA
| Nezavisne Novine, page 7, ‘PDP and SDA awaiting for SDS move’ – The SDS Presidency, at resumption of the session late last night, discussed the position of this party within authority and also its relations with the PDP. The source close to SDS top told NN that: “Relations with PDP and re-composition of the political scene in the RS are important issues, since SDS Presidency support the proposal on breaking the coalition with PDP at its session last week. Milenko Satnic, SDS senior official, stated that it is necessary to establish a dialogue and ensure more efficient functioning of the RS NA, which does not necessarily include the crisis in relations between PDP and SDS. PDP officials did not want to make any comment in advance on possible decision by the SDS Presidency. The SNSD is not very optimistic, in regard to the functioning of the coalition SDS-PDP-SDA. |
| Osmanovic on US requests | Nezavisne Novine, page 7, ‘Washington insists on joint army of BIH’ – Adil Osmanovic, RS Vice President, confirmed upon his arrival from a one-week visit to the USA that “American Administration has committed to the establishment of the unified ministry of defence and unified army at the level of BiH. The message on this sent to RS authorities is clear.” Osmanovic paid a visit to the USA in the company of Rasim Delic, Military advisor to the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic. According to NN inset, Dragan Mikerevic, RS Prime Minister, yesterday stated that the RS Government will comply with the RS Constitution, which is in full accordance with the Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and according to which each entity has its army. (Blic pg. 7 headline ‘Armies according to Constitution’ laso carries Mikerevis’s statement) |
| Seminar on military issues in Sarajevo | Dnevni List (front and page, by I. Barbaric, “Changes to BiH Constitution necessary”) carries a report from day two of a three-day seminar in Sarajevo about military issues that is organized by the US Embassy to BiH. The seminar is reportedly attended by representatives of the OHR, OSCE, SFOR, BiH Parliament, entities’ Parliaments, representatives of entities MoDs and RS and Federation Armies. DL says three working groups have been formed to discuss the following issues: to ascertain capability of Standing Committee for Military Matters to fulfill its role, to discuss future work on creation of active reserve forces and to discuss the capability of BiH military to assist in cases of natural disasters. According to DL, legal possibilities are looked into through changes to seven documents: BiH Constitution (Annex 4 to DPA), entities’ Constitutions, Law on Defence in FBiH and RS, Law on RS Army and the latest decision on set-up and work of defence institutions at the state-level. According to the daily, the ultimate goal is creation of a state-level Ministry of Defence. In that context, DL says the main obstacle is changes to the Constitution i.e. resistance by responsible persons from the RS. Daily goes on to say that one should realistically expect that the OHR imposes the relevant law. |
| Ljubo Beslic not appointed Deputy Mayor of Mostar | Vecernji List (front and page 2, by Z. Kresic, “SDP and SDA stop Beslic appointment”) reports that Bosniak councilors with the City Council of Mostar (CCM) rejected to confirm Ljubo Beslic (HDZ) as the new Deputy Mayor of Mostar, the post which is vacated following a resignation by Never Tomic. VL says that prior to voting on the issue, the President of CCM, Ante Vidacak, read the consent for the Beslic appointment issued by the BiH Election Commission which states that “Beslic does not violate relevant provisions” necessary for his appointment. The daily announces there will be a meeting with international officials tomorrow.Slobodna Dalmacija (front and page 17, by Miroslav Landeka, “Beslic did not go through!”) says Vidacak has scheduled a meeting with Deputy President of CCM, Milan Jovicic, Mayor of Mostar, Hamdija Jahic, and Deputy Mayor of Mostar (in resignation), Neven Tomic, to discuss the Beslic appointment.Dnevni List (front and page 13, by J. Terzic, “CD Coalition and SDP obstruct Ljubo Beslic appointment”) reports that HDZ BiH stresses it will not propose another candidate for the post because Beslic was cleared by the OHR and BiH Election Commission. |
Other developments | |
| Trial of Topalovic
| Slobodna Dalmacija (front and page 15, by Darko Juka, “Topalovic is not mentally deranged”) carries a report from day two of Topalovic trials during which Dr. Senadin Ljubovic, an expert witness from the Psychiatric Clinic of Sarajevo, said Topalovic was not a mentally deranged person. Ljubovic, who did the Topalovic psychiatric evaluation, concluded that Topalovic was on the night the murders took place aware of his actions and possible consequences. The psychiatric evaluations also says Topalovic is a person whose intelligence is above average but also an introvert and emotionally unstable person who has problems controlling his aggressiveness. (Dnevni List, front and page 43, unsigned, “Consciously murdered three members of Andjelic family”, Vecernji List, front “Today verdict to M. Topalovic” and page 23 “Topalovic intelligent above average and exclusive”, by Robert Soldo) |
| Update to Brvnik tragedy | Glas Srpski, page 5, ‘Brvnik crushed by sorrow’; Nezavisne Novine, page 3, ‘Tragedy could be avoided’ – The returnees to the village of Brvnik near Samac claim that the tragedy could have been avoided if the institutions in charge had insisted on de-mining of this area. They further claim that so many times have they appealed to the institutions at Posavina Canton and Municipality of Domaljevac/Samac to ensure that the villages, where they returned, are de-mined. According to MAC press release, the area where Milan Kojic (54), Gordana Kojic (54), Djordje Kojic (34), Jovo Skuljevic (53) and Mileva Skuljevic (77) got killed is located on the former separation line between RS Army and HVO, while the villages of Brvnik and Grebice have been registered as the areas most heavily mined. |
| Helsinki Committee on mine accident in Brvnik | The International Helsinki Federation, BiH Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and Helsinki Committee in the RS are deeply shaken with death of five returnees from families Kojic and Skuljevic who died in a mine explosion when they were clearing a field in Brvnik near Domaljevac – the press release reads. According to the press release, there are more than 18,000 mine fields with around 1.5 million unexploded mines. The International Helsinki Federation, BiH Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and Helsinki Committee in the RS appealed on the BiH authorities to undertake urgent activities on demining of returnee settlements. They also appealed on representatives of the international community to increase support to systematic and coordinated demining, particularly in the zones of return. (Blic pg. 7 headline ’18,000 mine fields in BiH’) |
| Atik mosque in Bijeljina reconstruction | Bijeljina’s local communities Stari Grad and Centar will organise public signing of a petition (from 13 to 15 March) against the reconstruction of Atik mosque. Inhabitants of these local communities request that a memorial of all three people in BiH be put up at the location of this religious facility. “Discovery of archaeological remains at location of Atik mosque, can deny the right of the Islamic Community to recover the mosque”, spokesperson of OHR, Mario Brkic told a press conference of Tuesday. (Vecernje Novosti pg. 15 headline ‘Stop to mosque’, Oslobodjenje, Dnevni Avaz) |
| VL: “Wanted banker ran away from border crossing” | Vecernji List (front and page 2, by Ivica Pjanic) carries that according to their source from the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manager of failed SAB Bank Zeljko Raguz, who was charged with abuse of office due to which his clients were damaged for large amounts of money and against whom an international arrest warrant was issued, showed up at the border crossing in Neum on February 3. During the routine control of his documents Raguz lost his nerves and ran away in his car to Croatia. The VL source says that this is a big omission of the State Border Service members and also it is hard to understand ignorant behavior of the Croatian Ministry of Interior (MoI) that did not help their colleagues from the BiH MoI. The source says that Raguz obviously enjoys some sort of protection. |