| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA(18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| World news | Company Dobojputevi | Air bomb found in Bl | Match BiH vs Danmark |
| Conference in Sarajevo | Probe into companies | Students against MOBIS | Nato – BiH relations |
|
| Strike in Zitoprerada |
| BiH parliament for ITA |
|
| Del Ponte after Belgrade |
|
|
NOTE: Due to technical problems, BORAM did not provide with BHTV1 summary.
| Oslobodjenje | In last two months in FBiH: 17 mil KM more in budgets than last year; Carla Del Ponte: Belgrade is scare of BH lawsuit; New York Times on Srebrenica: Nikolic and Obrenovic wrote verdict |
| Dnevni Avaz | [Exclusive] Mladic hides in Valjevo region?; Mostar: Investigation into the war crimes committed in concentration camp Heliodrom; Adnan Terzic: Defence Minister could be Bosniak |
| Dnevni List | Brajkovic: New electrolysis brings thousands of jobs; Radovan Vignjevic: Minister “rigs” public vacancy |
| Vecernji List | Diaspora will be Croatian Florida; Eronet after December 31 too |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Features Croatia related headlines |
| Glas Srpske | Another explosion in Baghdad: Massacre in front of a hotel; Joint curriculum core in BiH: Damaging their own interests |
| Nezavisne Novine | BiH Federation Prosecutor’s office to press charges against four individuals: No one arrested after bomb explosions in Sarajevo; Mirko Blagojevic: From Tuesday, the RS Army will no longer exist; Banja Luka clinical centre: Medical workers will work but are still on strike |
| Blic | They have promised warm radiators by the end of year; Children Embassy sues BiH and Italy |
War crimes issues | |
| Carla Del Ponte: SCG scared of BH lawsuit
| FTV, Oslobodjenje cover, pg 7 ‘Belgrade doesn’t cooperate, because it is scared of BH lawsuit against SCG’, Vecernji List pg 2 ‘Fear of BiH lawsuit hinders Belgrade in cooperation’, Dnevni List pg 9 ‘Belgrade does not cooperate because of fear of the BiH lawsuit against Serbia and Montenegro’, FENA – In an interview for BBC service in Serb language, ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte condemned Belgrade refusal to provide documentation which would be used in trial of Slobodan Milosevic. ‘I am not satisfied with the degree of cooperation between Serbia and Montenegro and the Tribunal, which I clearly pointed at in my report to the Security Council.’ – stated Del Ponte in an interview. Asked to comment on the fact that in a last year Belgrade extradited eight war crimes suspects and that it had delivered about 7000 documents tot the ICTY, Chief Prosecutor said: ‘I do not deny that we have received certain number of documents… I have informed Security Council of what has been done, but I also have to say that I am also under the pressure by the international community and I have to meet the deadlines they set.’ She also stressed that SCG refused to deliver documents which would help her to head prosecution in a trial of Milosevic with regard to BiH, and said the reason for this was the lawsuit BiH submitted with International Justice Court in the Hague against SCG. Del Ponte repeated that 13 investigations into approximately 30 persons are currently underway. |
| JL interview with Carla Del Ponte
| Jutarnji List front, pgs 2 & 3 ‘I am demanding that EU intensifies pressure against Croatia’ – JL carries an exclusive interview with Chief ICTY Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte. Asked to comment on journalist’s conclusion that the statement given by EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, who stated that he did not doubt that the Croatian Government and its Prime Minister, Ivica Racan, did the best they could when the cooperation with The Hague is in question, is contrary to a certain degree to the contents of the report that del Ponte presented before the UN Security Council, as well as, to the statements of some ambassadors from the EU countries, del Ponte stated: “I do not know what Solana said. Also, I am not and I do not want to be involved in the political aspects of the relation. After the statements given by the ministers in the Security Council an intensified pressure of the EU should be expected. It is not my problem in which way they will exert pressure against Croatia demanding from Croatia a full cooperation. I am expecting results when Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia (the Republika Srpska) are in question.” |
| DA: Mladic hides in Valjevo region? | Dnevni Avaz cover, pg 2 ‘Criminal Ratko Mladic hides in Valjevo region?’ – While in visit to Belgrade, Chief ICTY Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte gave SCG authorities evidences which prove that Ratko Mladic hides in their territory. Dnevni Avaz claims that according to ‘diplomatic sources close to the Hague Tribunal’, Mladic currently hides in Valjevo region. Daily gives details of Mladic’s movements, and goes on claiming that when needed Mladic crosses to Srebrenica region of BiH. ‘There is a need to point out that Serbian officials did not question credibility of the evidences on Mladic hiding in SCG which was submitted to them by Carla Del Ponte.’ – reads Avaz. |
| NY Times articles on war crimes in Srebrenica | Dnevni Avaz cover, pg 4 ‘Nikolic and Obrenovic practically wrote Srebrenica verdict’, Oslobodjenje cover, pg 3 ‘Nikolic and Obrenovic wrote verdict’, FENA – New York Times journalist Marlise Simons writes in her feature on ICTY and processing war crimes committed in Srebrenica that ‘eight years after the massacre of more than 7,000 Bosnians, doubts have lingered about the degree to which the killings were coldly planned, or were improvised in chaos.’ Simons writes that ‘among the executioners, only a few foot soldiers have talked about the events that turned Srebrenica — its name means the “place of silver” — into a symbol of a modern European nightmare.’ However, Simons further writes about two senior Bosnian Serb officers [Momir Nikolic and Dragan Obrenovic], ‘both crucial figures involved in organizing the bloodshed at Srebrenica, have spoken out at the war crimes tribunal here, describing the countdown to the massacre and depicting a well-planned and deliberate killing operation. They say it was largely coordinated by the military security and intelligence branch of the Bosnian Serb Army and militarized police, forces that were on Serbia’s payroll. The two, an intelligence chief and a brigade commander, recently pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity and have now given evidence against two fellow officers. They provided so many names, firsthand accounts, documents and even a military log of the crucial days, that one court official blurted, ‘They’ve practically written the judgment.’’ |
| RS Vice President on Srebrenica report | Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Malkic: We demand for RS government to admit the crime’ – According to Avaz, report that RS Government submitted to BH Human Rights Chamber on Srebrenica did not carry any new information and still claimed that victims from Srebrenica were ‘armed men’. Bosniak representatives in RS did not participate drafting of this document, and RS Vice President Adil Osmanovic said that he also did not have any insight into the report. He said that the agenda of RS Governments’ issues did not include discussion on war crimes and missing persons from Srebrenica. ‘It is really odd that such report, called RS Government’s document, was never included in either regular or extraordinary session. I have discussed this with the Vice President of RS Government Omer Brankovic. I thought he know about this, about he also said he did not have any chance to see it, alike me and all other Bosniak Ministers.’ – said Osmanovic. Srebrenica Municipal Head Abdurahman Malkic agreed with Osmanovic that the report could be considered only as document representing opinion of RS Prime Minister. Malkic adds that RS Government has to admit crimes committed against civilians in Srebrenica. |
| Investigation of war crimes committed in Heliodrom camp
| Dnevni Avaz cover pg, pg 3 ‘Investigation into crimes in the concentration camp Heliodrom commenced’ – After receiving approval by the ICTY, Mostar Cantonal Prosecutor has commenced first investigations of the war crimes committed in notorious concentration camp Heliodrom near Mostar. Dnevni Avaz claims that Prosecution started investigations against Ante Buhovac, Miroslav Marijanovic and Marijo Milicevic Baja. ‘Part of the information gathered in these cases will probably be used for later investigations against Herceg Bosna high-ranking officials, which especially refers to Jadranko Prlic.’ – says Avaz. Slobodna Dalmacija last page – With regard to media speculation that there is a sealed bill of indictment against former President of Croat Republic of Herceg Bosna Government, Jadranko Prlic, SD carries that Prlic denied these speculations and added: “It is very obvious that the forces, which could not realize their goals during the war and which want to realize them in peace, are strong.” |
| Arrest of war crimes suspect a condition for PfP | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 3 ‘Arrest of war crime indictees – road to Brussels’ – Deputy Secretary General of the BiH Standing Military Committee, Stjepan Pocrnja, confirmed that prior to the beginning of the negotiations related to defence reform, NATO Secretary General, George Robertson said that arrest of all war crime indictees is a condition for BiH’s admission to Partnership for Peace program. Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic, also said that BiH will not enter PfP as long as Radovan Karadzic is at large. Tihic said that his party, SDA, accepted defence reform due to the fact that its most important request was fulfilled: ‘We did not want to have three armies. Of course, this is not good enough, only one single army would be a solution good enough for BiH.’ OHR spokesperson, Mario Brkic said that Brussels and NATO shall decide on conditions necessary for admission to PfP, not the OHR. |
Political issues | |
| DA: Adnan Terzic on Bosmal, CoM, Defence Law, Taxation
| Dnevni Avaz cover, pg 5 ‘Defence Minister could be Bosniak/ Bosmal still has the most serious offer’ – In an interview to Dnevni Avaz, Chairman of BH Council of Ministers Adnan Terzic confirmed that at its session on Monday, CoM is to discuss the offer from Russia in regard to building Vc corridor. He also said that at the same time, BH government has interest to also discuss offer from Croatia, but stressed that Bosmal’s offer is still the most serious one. Asked whether BH would publish tender for building corridor, Terzic said that this would never happen is not capable of carrying out such project, and explained that only tender for concession would be possible. With regard to the work of Council of Ministers, Terzic said that Ministers must understand that work in CoM was teamwork. ‘I must admit that I am not satisfied with the way we function at the moment. I have some objections and I believe that some ministers do not work enough, especially having in mind the situation in the country. In next several days I will have serious talks with a number of ministers, some deputies… It could be expected in next two weeks that some people understand on their own that, unless they want to accept the way I head CoM, they should withdrawn.’ –said Terzic. He also said that he expected BH Defence Law to be adopted in the Parliament by mid November. Commenting on the question that issues in regard to appointment of Director of Indirect Taxation Administration was one of the reasons for late implementation law. Terzic stated: ‘I have to admit I don’t have support by the international community to appoint the man I trust to perform this responsible and difficult duty in the best possible way.’ BH Prime Minister added he expected this issue to be solved in next seven days. |
| VL on changes to DPA | Vecernji List (page 2, “Dayton as alibi”, by Ljuba Djikic) – an editorial on possibility to carry out changes to the Dayton Peace Accord, the changes which are, according to the author, possible, as stated on many occasions before, and recently by one of the creators of the DPA, Richard Holbrooke. The author sees one of reasons behind the sides in BiH not agreeing to carry out changes in the Serbs “having their republic”, which would trigger the Croats to ask for the same, whilst the Bosniaks would ask for BiH without entity, something that is considered by the Serbs and Croats as sidelining. “People from the International Community know it too, so they keep repeating, ‘do agree on that’”, concludes the author. |
| Blagojevic: RS Army will no longer exist | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 4 – ‘From Tuesday, there will be no RS Army anymore’- the daily carries an interview with Mirko Blagojevic, SRS [Serb Radical Party] delegate to the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, in which he said that he shall vote against the establishment of a single BiH Defence Ministry. According to Blagojevic, the RS Army, as defined by the Dayton Peace Agreement, will stop existing from Tuesday. NN quote Blagojevic as saying: ‘Starting from Tuesday, we shall have one single BiH Army, with the same insignia, and one commander. In the days ahead of us, Atif Dudakovic will come to RS Army barracks to carry out an inspection.’ According to Blagojevic, SDS is responsible for disappearance of the RS Army as that is the party capable of doing everything just to stay in power. |
| Covic visited Brcko on Friday | CRHB, Dnevni Avaz pg 3 Sat, Dnevni List pg 2 Sat, Vecernje Novosti pg 19 Sat, Nezavisne Novine pg 4 Sat, FENA, SRNA, ONASA: The BiH Presidency chairman, Dragan Covic, said on Friday in Brcko that the results achieved in the District could be a model for other parts of the country. He rated the present structure of BiH with seven levels of government as untenable. Covic added that the year to come will see the enforcement of reform laws in the field of defense, and tax and customs systems. In his talks with the local HDZ leaders and Croat representatives in the legislative and executive authority, Covic supported their initiative to amend the Brcko District Statute in order to insure equality of Croats with the other two constituent peoples in the District. He also said that BiH, as organized as it is at present with seven levels of authority, is hardly maintainable economically. ‘Economic borders within BiH should be removed. The BiH Presidency wants Brcko inside, not outside of BiH’, Covic said, adding that Brcko should have its representatives in all authorities in Sarajevo. Oslobodjenje Sat pg 7 ‘Brcko model for all other cities in BiH’- During the meeting, Gerhard Sontheim concluded that the state of BiH can not and must not neglect its responsibility towards the District, as towards a local community over which it has a sovereignty. |
Economic issues | |
| SD: Interview with Branko Dokic
| Slobodna Dalmacija pgs 10 & 11 ‘We are offering Croatia concession for ‘Adriatic’ road through Neum’ by Z. Rerig – In an interview to SD, BiH Minister of Traffic and Communications Branko Dokic says that the issue of Vc corridor route through BiH has been a political one to a large extent. Dokic added that he believes that experts will choose the best route and politics should follow such decision. Asked about his stand on the Ploce Port issue, Dokic says: ‘I believe that this issue should not be politicized, that is, that the interest of the Republic of Croatia and BiH is to resolve this issue. Nevertheless, I believe that in this case there is more politicization from the Croatian side although according to the last round of talks it turns out that politicization came from BiH. The very fact that the deadlines are being defined according to the elections say that this is about politicization.’ |
| Probe into HT Mostar and Elektroprivreda HZHB | FTV by Meri Musa – Cantonal Prosecutor of Herzegovina Neretva Canton requested investigation into workings of HT Mostar and Elekroprivreda HZ Herceg Bosna. Prosecutor Mirsad Resulovic asked FBiH Finance Police to commence investigation following recent report by OHR special auditors. Director of HT Mostar Director Stipe Prlic said: ‘Such probes are welcomed and we wish they had come much earlier and on regular basis… I am not sure they have capacities for such complicated investigation’. Elektroprivreda HZHB also said to be satisfied with announced investigation into management of their finances. However, notwithstanding Resulovic asked for probes two weeks ago, none has been started yet. |
| Union of HT and HP send letter to PDHR Hays | Dnevni List pg 3, back page ‘Workers of HT and HP facing redundancies’ –Independent Union of employees of HT (Croat telecommunications) and HP (Croat posts) sent an open letter to the Principal Deputy High Representative, Donald Hays, in which they stress that none of auditors, which carried out audits in the two companies, raised the issue of collective agreements within the companies which define the companies’ obligations towards the employees. The letter reads although the audits is very detailed, still it failed to take into consideration the collective agreements, and had the audits mentioned them, it would have been established that the basis of the salary is lesser by 30 % than stipulated in the collective agreements. The other issue the letter mentions, the issue that “strikes fear into bones” of the employees is the fact that the audit reports constantly stress the issue of surplus of workers. In that context, the Union says there is a provision in the collective agreements according to which no one can be made redundant within five years after division of HPT Mostar into HT and HP unless the worker is at fault. The Union’s final message questions whether the PDHR Hays came to BiH to help the people or extract benefit for himself. |
| VL: Interview with Director HT Mostar
| Vecernji List front pg ‘Eronet after December 31 too’, pg 5 ‘Do not worry, Eronet continues working after December 31’ by Zoran Kresic – Amid stories and announcements that the “Eronet” Company might be banned from working come 31 December 31 2003, unless certain conditions stipulated in the recently adopted Action plan are met, VL carries an interview with the President of Eronet’s management, Bozo Knezevic, who says the company got the licence for period of 15 years back in 1996. He also expressed the hope that the company will keep working with the licence which has been harmonized with the Law on certification of public documents. ‘I simply do not think anything important will happen on November 25 or December 31’, says Knezevic. Knezevic also believes that the other two mobile phone companies, HB Telekom and Mobis, should not be involved in talks about the third GSM licence, saying that they should include only be the State, CRA and Eronet. |
| RS Government to adopt action plan on Telekom Srpske | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 4 ‘Action plan for RS Telekom’ – The RS Government is supposed to adopt Action plan for RS Telekom today, based on the report of the special auditor. The RS Government discussed the situation in RS Telekom on its session on Friday and concluded it is necessary for authorised institutions to carry out detailed investigation into the work of the company. Director General of the RS Telekom, Zeljko Jungic, and Chairman of the RS Telekom Board of Governors, Zoran Vujanovic also attended session on Friday. Glas Srpske, pg. 4 ‘Report made without experts’- Officials of the RS Telekom claim that the special auditor, Dale Ellen Ralph made her report on the work of RS Telekom without checking all the documents in possession of the company, which completely deny her claims. According to Telekom, the company is in possession of documents which prove that Ralph’s report is incorrect and that her associates either did not want to see those documents, or – have not understand them. Telekom believes that mistakes in the report of the Special Auditor are made due to the fact that there were no telecommunications experts in the special auditor’s team. |
| Collection of taxes in FBiH | BHTV 1 Sat, Oslobodjenje cover, pgs 4&5 ‘ 17 million KM more in budgets that last year’ – Officials from FBIH Taxation Administration announced that almost all cantonal budgets will be filled by the end of year, and Sarajevo Canton could have surplus of money. ‘This is to be thanked to new regimes of collection of taxes on high-tariff goods, due to which last two months we have collected 17 million KM, which is 37% more than in August and September last year.’ – stated Director Midhat Arifovic. Collection of taxes has been increased also in Bihac, Gorazde, Tuzla, Travnik, etc. |
| Hadzipasic on pensioners | Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘Payment of overdue pensions depends on IMF’ – FBiH Prime Minister Ahmet Hadzipasic rejects criticism which say that the Government did not make enough efforts to improve difficult position of pensioners. ‘Both me and the government are aware of bad situation of pensioners and we are trying to find modals to increase pensions and pay out three overdue pensions.’ – said Hadzipasic. He also said that government discussed the issue of overdue pensions with IMF, who is ‘very satisfied with the disciplined and responsible government’s performance.’ Such comments by IMF allows the government to hope to be approved with loan from Escrow account which would pay off overdue pensions, stresses Hadzipasic. |
| DL on appointments in FBiH Pension Fund | Dnevni List front, pg 2 ‘Minister Radovan Vignjevic ‘rigs’ public vacancy’ – After the FBiH Government forced the decision to issue vacancies for positions of the Director and Deputy Director of FBiH Pension/Disability Fund, there has been an information leak about the pre-requisites the candidates must meet in order to be appointed to the positions. According to DL, the pre-requisites are in collision with the recently adopted Statute of the FBiH Pension/Disability Fund, and the daily got a confirmation from “a well informed source” within the FBiH Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare that the competent Minister, Radovan Vignjevic, personally issued the pre-requisites in order to eliminate the majority of possible candidates i.e. to make sure that his people get appointed. The same source says the FBiH Ombudsman’s office will likely react to the FBiH Government’s decision, because it is the Steering Board of the FBiH Pension Fund that takes the decision on issuance of the vacancy. The source adds that the wider public, as well as the OHR and FBiH Ombudsman’s office, will soon be made aware of “trades” done by Minister Vignjevic. |
| Zitoprerada update | FTV by Mirza Sadikovic – Workers of Zitotorprerada company from Bihac will soon reach a year since they have started with strike before the government building. Government of Una-Sana Canton set October 14 as deadline for end of strike. Strikers believe the company can be sealed without any prior judicial decision since it was obvious ‘new owners breached a number of laws’. Leader of 87 strikers Murat Dedic said: ‘We proved new owners illegally sacked us and employed new workers, as well as some other things as well’. Prime Minister Fadil Islamovic promised full and detailed investigation into privatisation of the company. |
Peacekeeping in BiH | |
| Boston Globe: ‘Bosnia offers lesson is nation building’
| Boston Globe ‘Bosnia offers lesson in nation building’ by Brian Whitmore – The article refers to the peacekeeping mission in BiH as ‘relative success’ which can be valuable lesson for present and future such missions elsewhere. The experience in BIH ‘illustrates the importance of international legitimacy, a multinational approach, a long-term commitment of money and resources, sufficient troop numbers, and close military-civilian coordination’. Director of the International Crisis Group in Sarajevo Mark Wheeler estimated that ‘the lesson from Bosnia-Herzegovina is that you have to do this on a large scale. You can’t do it on the cheap. When the intervention finally came, it was massive; and multinationality gave it more legitimacy.’ Positive developments in BiH include establishment of the independent police forces and State Border Service, and the return of refugees and DPs has also shown progress. While the country still faces problems, such as unemployment, corruption and war crimes suspects still at large, the security situation has improved. ‘Officials and analysts say that Bosnia has moved past the thorniest postwar issues, and the country’s politicians are now focusing on more mundane issues like taxes and pensions. This has allowed politicians to look toward goals that not long ago seemed unattainable: eventual membership in NATO and the EU… Can Bosnia, once considered Europe’s most hopeless case, become a candidate to join the continent’s elite clubs? ‘Nothing is impossible,’ [High Representative] Paddy Ashdown said. ‘I would rather be an optimist and wrong than a pessimist and right.’’ |