| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18:00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19:00 hrs) | FED TV (19:30 hrs) | RT RS (19:30) |
| Tihic in Jasenovac | The use of Bar Port | Bratunac commemoration | Anniversary of RS Army |
| Fire in Mostar SDP offices | Women of Podrinje | Ratko Mladic’s connections | Jasenovac commemoration |
| FBiH MoI |
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| Mladic – FRY Army |
| Mladic’s contacts |
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| SNSD on RS govt. |
| Oslobodjenje | Tihic in Jasenovac, Covic to Blajburg; Economy – protect local products before it’s too late; Remembering missing Bosniaks from Bratunac – do not forget, but seek no revenge |
| Dnevni Avaz | Batic – amongst those arrested there are war criminals; Tihic – we are proud to be on the side of the anti-fascism; Durakovic – our public service is paid by Bosniaks |
| Dnevni List | Thousands believers went on pilgrimage in Hrasno; Dragan Vrankic – Federation of BiH government will analyze work of public companies; Faruk Balijagic responds to alleged slanders and public lynch in some Sarajevo based media – why ‘Ljiljan’ has not published part that refers to secret dinner in Mostar? |
| Vecernji List | From 400 to 7,000 customs officials are going to lose job; Covic target of Tax Administration official?!; |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Stjepan Mesic at commemoration in Jasenovac – the idea of Croatian state as alibi for killing; Owner of ‘Solaris’ removed management |
| Glas Srpski | Anti-hail protection in Republika Srpska: SFOR running things around; Croatian border – gypsies and camp inmates returned |
| Nezavisne Novine | Poverty – 3,000 pensioners are starving in Banjaluka; BiH Prosecutor’s Office today commences with an investigation against those suspected for trafficking in ‘white slavery’; Arrest warrants issued for Milka, Sasa and Sinisa Milakovic |
| Blic | Last days of the Republika Srpska Army – Dragan Cavic: survival of the Republika Srpska Army is a priority, Ostoja Barasin – the Republika Srpska leadership hiding the truth; Dragan Kostic left the post; Geodetic administration sues a public attorney; The Milakovics vs. authority |
Political Affairs | |
| SNSD vs. RS government
| Avaz pg. 2 ‘Requesting resignation of the RS government’ – the SNSD yesterday suggested to the RS government to resign. The party thinks that the RS government continues to successfully implement the politics of economic disaster designed by Mikerevic’s predecessor Ivanic. They further emphasize that total helplessness of the RS government has become obvious, which is displayed through the foreign trade deficit and halting of the privatisation process. The party also adds that the government is incapable of fighting organized crime in Elektroprivreda, in the privatisation process of banks, in the process of mismanagement and money laundering by tax administration, and the only thing the government can do is to occasionally arrest one of the local criminals after SFOR prepares everything for them. |
| Reconstruction of Mostar | Avaz pg. 9 ‘Party for BiH withdrew from the Commission for Devising Mostar City Statute’ – an extraordinary session of the SBiH city council was held on Saturday night in Mostar. A decision was made to withdraw an SBiH party member, Bakir Krpo, from the Commission for Devising Mostar City Statute. “We thought that the establishment of the Commission, which came through upon the OHR imitative, would bring changes, and we viewed their intentions as honest. However, in the course of two session, which were only held for the sake of saying that they were held, we witnessed a number of deviations from original basis like the one on the structure and number of Commission members, which caused us to suspect Commission’s intentions,” stated Safet Omerovic, President of the SBiH cantonal council. Explained that reps of the SDA and HDZ had been installed in the Commission because the OHR allowed Mayor Hamdija Jahic and his Deputy Ljubo Beslic to have the last word in a process of the election of Commission members. Added that the party thought the guidelines were crystal clear and they did not want to partake in the status quo, and therefore decided to withdraw their member. |
| Mladic’s whereabouts | Avaz pg. 2 ‘Officials from the Serbian & Montenegro Army said they last saw Mladic on May 21 last year’ – a statement by Boris Tadic, Serbia and Montenegro Defence Minister. “The last time any of the officials had any contact with Mladic was on May 21 last year. It took place in one of the military buildings. Since then no one has seen or heard about him,” stated Tadic in an interview for Reuters. He also added that soon he would inform the NATO of a report on Maldic’s last appearance on the army premises. |
| Covic targeted by Tax Admin. officials | Vecernji List pg. 1 and 3 – the Financial Police of the FBiH Tax Administration failed to connect difficult situation and collapse of the ‘Soko’ company from Mostar with the name of a Croat member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Covic. According to an anonymous source from the Tax Administration, a high-ranked official of the Federation Tax Administration, Miro Vidovic, distributes reports on the investigation in the ‘Soko’ company to ‘chosen’ media and participates in the ‘anti-Covic’s’ campaign. The source also says that there is evidence to prove this claim and VL says that this fact puts Vidovic in the same position as former Head of the Federation Intelligence Service Munir Alibabic who was removed because he was revealing official information. The source believes that Vidovic does it out of revenge since Covic demanded removal of Vidovic in 2000 (when Covic was FBiH Minister of Finances). However, the OHR kept Vidovic at his position. VL says that they contacted Vidovic with regard to this issue and Vidovic denied his alleged role in the aforementioned case. |
| Bishop Peric criticizes IC | Vecernji List pg. 2 ‘Everybody wants to enter Europe without God and Pope’, Dnevni List pg. 1 and 7 and Slobodna Dalmacija last page ‘Message of peace from Hrasno’ – almost 10,000 believers from the whole Herzegovina went on a pilgrimage to holy place Hrasno, near Capljina. VL says that during the pilgrimage Bishop Ratko Peric harshly criticized Europe. Apart from Europe, Bishop Peric also condemned the policies of The Hague and IC, which, according to Peric, equalize a victim and aggressor. He also mentioned pressures exerted by the IC, which, according to Peric, attack Bishops and creates politically orchestrated multi-religious Councils. |
| Interview with Bishop Sudar
| Vecernji list pg. 7 ‘Foreigners want Croats to move out of BiH’ – carries excerpts of an interview that Sarajevo Auxiliary Bishop, Pero Sudar, gave recently to the Radio Vatican. Sudar is quoted as saying that, out of nearly 2 million DPs and refugees, 450,000 are Catholics adding that consequences of ethnic cleansing can still be felt and that only 20% of the population returned to BiH. Bishop Sudar is also reported as saying that the IC has promised huge assistance, but has realized little so there has been huge political and economic stagnation. As for the systematic reduction of the number of Catholics in BiH, he said that not even half of them returned to their homes. It seems that the IC helps Muslim and Serb part of the population more, hoping that Croats would emigrate. |
| Mikerevic with ambassadors | Nezavisne Novine pg. 3 ‘Mikerevic hosts ambassadors’ – Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska, Dragan Mikerevic, on Sunday organised a reception at the Mrakovica near Prijedor for ambassadors of the US, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. At this informal meeting, ambassadors and RS Prime Minister exchanged views regarding political and economic situation in the region, and stressed the need of a joint battle against organised crime. |
| Pavic on fighting organized crime | Nezavisne Novine pg. 7 ‘Authority is consciously blocking the battle against organised crime’ – Marko Pavic, the newly elected President of the Democratic People’s Alliance, claims that the resignation of Dragan Kostic from the position of the DNS President did not result from misunderstandings and conflicts inside the DNS. “There is no division or fractions within the DNS,” claims Pavic. He claims that some ruling parties have originated from war profiteering, crime and corruption, and as such cannot be bearers of the battle against organised crime and block such battle by some individuals who are capable of confronting organised crime. |
| Interview with Gadzic | Nezavisne Novine pg. 4 ‘The Orao affair cannot happen again in BiH’ – in an interview to NN, Mila Gadzic, BiH Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, stated that the chances for seeing the affair similar to ‘Orao’ were reduced to the minimum possibility. She grounds this claim on the system of controls, which have been established following the affair, and also referring to the Law on Sale of Ammunition and Military Equipment, which authorises this Ministry for issuing licences for import and export of these products. According to an NN inset, Gadzic is not aware of any criminal charges pressed against her, since NN journo claimed such does exist against her. She also denied any knowledge into possible reasons for such a charge, stressing that the media was just speculating. |
| SNSD session | Nezavisne Novine pg. 7 ‘Serb majority at the RS Parliament in jeopardy’, Glas Srpske pg. 2 ‘New municipal elections’ – Milorad Dodik, SNSD President, at a session of the municipal Board of the Election Assembly of SNSD on Saturday in Gradiska said that the Serb majority at the RS Parliament was in jeopardy. According to him, ‘some people have returned to the opposition block’. “The stereotype stories about Serb majority, Serb territories and Serb manner of living are facing disaster. And these stories have caused major damages to Serbs.” Speaking of the military reform, Dodik presented some concrete proposals. “We demand the abolishment of the military service and also that all military property be transferred onto the local communities.” During the session, Nikola Kragulj was elected the new SNSD Gradiska Board President. In regard to the issue of crime in the Republika Srpska, Dodik said that a number of policemen should be cut and their salaries should be doubled. Blic pg. 7 ‘To form a professional army, elections as soon as possible’ – Dodik says that the recruitment should be abolished, majority part of military objects should be sold or given to towns, and professional army should be introduced. “This way we will get more efficient and cheaper army, and an enormous wealth in towns that belongs now to the Army will be used better,” Dodik said. He criticises the work of police and the privatisation process. Saying that the situation in Republika Srpska is unsatisfactory, Dodik thinks that early elections are the only normal solution. “If Republika Srpska President Dragan Cavic does not want to sigh them out then someone else will do it. So-called Serb majority in the Republika Srpska National Assembly is melting away, because the DNS and SPRS are getting closer to the SNSD,” Dodik says. |
| Miletic case | Blic pg. 6 ‘Ashdown removed, Sarovic brought back’ – the RS Administration for Geodetic and Property Issues has submitted the second set of charges against former Chief of HQ of Deputy Republic Attorney, Dragica Miletic, and her collaborator, Gospava Joldzic, due to the misuse of office. Director of the Geodetic Administration, Tihomir Gligoric, confirmed the info. Miletic was removed by the High Representative in July 2002 from the Commission for the Re-Verification of contracts due to corruption, and at that time the Justice Ministry submitted a proposal for her removal from the post of Chief of HQ of Deputy Republic Attorney. The RS NA adopted the proposal at the last session. In the meantime, Miletic has been appointed as BiH State Public Attorney by the Council of Ministers after former Chairman of the BiH Presidency Mirko Sarovic nominated her for the post. |
| Bar Port | Vecernji List pg. 2 ‘Instead of Ploce, Bar port to rescue Bih economy’ – after the issue of the Ploce Port was not resolved at the last session of the Inter-State Council of BiH and Croatia, the BiH authorities started talks with the Montenegro government about possibilities to use the Bar Port for the needs of the BiH economy. Sources close to the BiH government say that the goal is to exert additional pressure against the Croatian Parliament and show that the BiH has an alternative. VL says that the BiH authorities believe that the Croatian side will take these talks with the Montenegrin government seriously. However, VL says that for the time being chances are not that big, although Croatia has been suffering negative consequences because the agreement on the Ploce Port was not reached. |
| Pension Insurance Fund | Dnevni List pg. 3 ‘The forming of the Pension insurance Fund Steering Board urgent’ – Head of the Federation of BiH Pension Insurance Fund, Marko Matic, as saying that so far eight cantons have sent names of candidates for the Steering Board of the FBiH Pension Insurance Fund. “The Federation government sent to the rest of the cantons with the Croat majority a request that they also submit names of their candidates for the Steering Board. It can be expected that that these cantons will also submit the representatives. It should be stressed that the biggest problem is in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, which has not formed its Steering Board yet and I wonder as to how they will send a name of their candidate.” |
| VL on Mostar reconstruction | Vecernji List pg. 4 ‘The SDP Mostar proposes four municipalities’ – a proposal by the SDP Mostar on new organization of this city envisages the establishment of four municipalities (Mostar North, Mostar South, Old Mostar and New Mostar). VL says that it is interesting that the SDP’s proposal represents an attempt of administrative legalization of the ethnic division in Mostar because Bosniaks make majority in northern settlements, Croats make majority in the southern settlements. Also, the Bosniaks make majority on the left bank of Neretva River, while Croats make majority on the right bank of the river in the city itself. The article also says that SDP’s municipalities would practically confirm the current administrative borders established by the Roman Agreement as an interim solution. |
| FT commentary | Commenting that the characteristic of the general situation in BiH is stagnation and that all these years following the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) have resulted in getting back to square one, Feral Tribune (pg. 29-31 by Ivan Lovrenovic) says that there are two key elements due to which the Dayton political design of BiH functions as a hindrance in any serious reform process. One relates to the political-territorial-administrative division of the country, whereas the other one refers to the functional relation between the international and local administrations. The article reads that during the short rule of the Alliance for Changes and during the mandate of Wolfgang Petritsch, there was an attempt to make the Dayton ethnic model relative by passing constitutional reforms via realisation of the right of all the three peoples to the so-called full constituency, yet this was implemented only half-way and the whole initiative lost its value due to a high degree of compromise. What followed is a huge change of policy of the IC in BiH, the arrival of Paddy Ashdown and the general elections in 2002 during which nationalistic parties won so that preconditions were created for the restoration of the ‘old regime’. What encourages such a development is also the ‘new style’ of the IC and the High Representative personally (conviction that nationalistic parties and leaders can implement reforms). The article says there are many indications showing the new international administrators and Ashdown personally do not realize or for some reason ignore the fact that the key moment for understanding the permanent crisis and stagnation in BiH is organic symbiosis of nationalistic structures and corrupted criminal system. Ethnic model of authority does not favour reforms advocated by Ashdown and the authorities will cunningly try to selectively implement them to prove their commitment to reforms. The article further adds that the entire model has been set in a way not to enable the domestic political structure to fully develop and get independent, to get the awareness of responsibility for their own country fully mature, whereas it limits the international factor, despite its huge practical power, in terms of the capacity of open and full protectorate. Thus, it leaves the IC without genuine and transparent responsibility, but also without a clear assignment, which makes the voluntary and ad hoc acting easier. |
Police Affairs | |
| Halilovic
| Avaz pg. 2 ‘Fight against crime from the state level’ – Federation Minister of Interior, Mevludin Halilovic, yesterday stated that the FBiH MoI was ready to fight organized crime, but that the results would be much better if all fighting for the same cause were connected. He went on to advocate the state-security frame that would permanently disable the spreading of crime in BiH. “The current entity instruments of fight against crime should be moved to the state level. With a clear hierarchy in collecting, checking and using of info on crime as well as in undertaking repressive measures.” Dnevni List pg. 1 and 3 – Halilovic said that the current instruments for the struggle against crime should be raised from the entity to the state level. |
| Batic | Avaz pg. 1 and 5 – the biggest front-page story in today’s issue is an exclusive interview with Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic. He announced that trials against 45 persons, against whom criminal charges have been raised for organized crime, would start in autumn. Asked about his recent statement that the RS MoI was not submitting requested info, Batic stated that ‘the RS citizens will best assess the functioning of the RS government’. “Politicians there have their own problems to explain details of the ‘Orao’ affair, eavesdropping, the disappearance of the state security documents…” |
| EUPM request | Nezavisne Novine pg. 3 ‘The EUPM wants to harmonise police salaries’ – Sven Frederiksen, Head of the EUPM Mission to BiH, will soon organise a meeting, which will be attended by local police officials and the High Representative to BiH Paddy Ashdown. The meeting is to discuss the modalities of harmonising the police pays to all police officers across the BiH. |
Economic Affairs | |
| Oslobodjenje commentary
| Oslobodjenje pg. 2 ‘Per capita’ by Ibrahim Prohic – the author thinks that the news of the day, or rather of the year, is that Albania is ahead of Bosnia in terms of economy. “Now we know. The defeating fact is stabbing our eyes. We can no longer hide it fro ourselves. BiH is the poorest country in the world.” The author thinks that instead of feeling sorry for ourselves we need a positive shock. “The causes are mostly known, but where is the way out? Who is blocking the development, who shall we make responsible? The government is of course responsible. And IC mediators because they have the power. But the passive attitude by citizens allows the responsible ones not be held responsible. It is necessary to have different consciousness and social movement.” |
| Consequences of unified customs | Vecernji List pg. 1 and 3 – from 400 to 700 customs officials from both BiH entities will lose job soon as a result of the unified customs system in BiH, which should start to function from July 1 this year. Also, two entity customs administrations will be merged into one and instead of customs offices, that the Federation alone has 10, from four to seven customs centers will be established in the entire country. VL says that after the Republika Srpska authorities realized that the unified customs system would be established, during the last 2 months they had been offering companies and especially importers of high-tariff goods a possibility to import goods through fictitious companies. The goods pass through the customs in the RS and in return the companies do not have to pay tax. These goods are then exported from the RS to the Federation of BiH. The article says that the IC wants to speed up the process of the establishment of unified customs at the state level not only in order to harmonize it with European standards, but also in order to prevent crime. |
| RS pensioners | Nezavisne Novine pg. 1 & 2 ‘3,000 pensioners are starving in Banjaluka’ – Nenad Ratkovic, President of the Banja Luka Association of Pensioners, stated that pensioners of the city of Banja Luka were forced to go on protests because 3,000 of them were faced with biological disaster. “If no assistance is provided to us soon, we will go on protests. Pensioners do not have anything to eat, and the Republika Srpska government has not done anything to change it,” stressed Ratkovic. |
Military Affairs | |
| Cavic and Savic on joint army
| Glas Srpske pg. 3 ‘One army is impossible’ – Republika Srpska President, Dragan Cavic, stated on Saturday (following a reception he organised for Republika Srpska Army officials upon 12th May, the RS Army Day) that the RS does not need another Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), but reformed and modern army, which will bring it closer to the Euro-Atlantic integrations. Republika Srpska President stressed that the authority of the RS was ready to participate in the creation of a modality that would establish the joint command or some other form at the BiH level and in accordance with the BiH Constitution. Such structure should, according to him, include a representative of the Serb nation. Cvetko Savic, Head of the RS Army General Staff, concluded that interpretations and variants on military reform vary, emphasising that the Constitution of BiH, Law and all rules and regulations, including the Dayton Peace Agreement, must be fully respected. |
| LJILJAN on single army | Ljiljan pgs. 29-30 ‘One state, one army’ by Mustafa Borovic – at a recent three-day seminar on the Jahorina mountain, a document representing nucleus of the future BiH Defense Law was presented for the first time in the recent history of BiH. The seminar was attended by experts from both entities and the international community. Borovic emphasizes that such a development was almost unthinkable until recently. “The international community has finally become aware of a fact that defense of a part of a state exists nowhere in the world and that something has urgently to be changed in BiH with regard to this as well. The main task of the armed forces in the country, according to the initial materials presented on Jahorina, is therefore to protect BiH’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence,“ wrote Borovic. |
| Serbian papers on single army | Blic pg. 7 ‘Last days of the Republika Srpska Army’ – RS Minister of Defence, Milovan Stankovic, says that the final stand on the Republika Srpska Army’s reorganisation into the BiH defence system will be made by the Republika Srpska institutions. As for Dudakovic’s statement, Stankovic says that is a private opinion, which should be accepted as such. According to Stankovic, the reform of armed forces in BiH means that there will still be the RS and FBiH armies, and that means that a single army will be formed if the Republika Srpska institutions accept the changing of the BiH Constitution. Military analyst, Ostoja Barasin, says that the RS political and military leadership is hiding the truth from the public. “I really cannot understand RS officials who are saying that we will have a joint command and three armies. A joint command means command over the BiH Army. The project is prepared and delivered to the entity officials and everything is clear,” Barasin said. |