| BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| BiH to get the Council of Ministers tomorrow; with or without justice minister | Composition of new RS to be confirmed on January 16 |
| RS Government to be established without Stranka za BiH and Socialist Party | Council of Ministers to be approved tomorrow
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| Two thirds of BiH citizens lives with 1 dollar of daily expenditure | Processing of war criminals in BiH Court |
| Pentagon brings troops into Persian Gulf |
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| Oslobodjenje | FBiH Customs Administration Deputy Director suspended; BiH today gets Council of Ministers; Djindjic not giving up – Status of BiH and Kosovo still not determined |
| Dnevni Avaz | Pensions to be increased in April; Javier Solana – Safety of returnees represents an EUPM priority as well; Julian Braithwaite – OHR supports work of CRA |
| Dnevni List | Whole Federation of BiH and Dalmatia were without power supply |
| Vecernji List | Due to storm and low temperatures: Half Herzegovina was in darkness |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Due to breakdown of power-system: Dalmatia and part of BiH were without power supply |
| Blic | Human rights in BiH are violated with IC blessing; Mikerevic: Most ministers from PDP and SDS; Ostoja Barasanin: Proofs on Orao in Cavic’s cabinet |
| Vecernje Novosti | Djindjic: New Dayton for border defence |
| Glas Srpski | Implementation of property laws: Mostar – black hole; Drina is retreating |
International community/OHR | |
| Djindjic again links statuses of BiH and Kosovo
| Seven days following similar statement given to the German Der Spiegel magazine, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic delivered a new message through the US Wall Street Journal, which will probably have echo in the entire Balkans and particularly in the areas that have still not given up ideas on new territorial arrangements in the region, reports SENSE news agency (Dnevni Avaz, p 5, Oslobodenje, p 3, mentioned on the front page). “…Because that entire job has still not completed. The status of Kosovo and BiH has still not determined. More than 200,000 refugees have still not returned to Croatia. The debate here 9in Serbia) is not about what will follow but about who won,” WSJ quotes Djindjic as saying. Vecernje Novosti (pg 3 headline ‘new Dayton for border defence) carries an interview with Djindjic in which he explains his words that stirred Sarajevo. Djindjic says that he has reacted and warned that Belgrade – if Kosovo and Metohija are taken from us in the name of ethnical right of Albanians and principle of self-determination, ignoring the borders and sovereignty of FRY and Serbia – will request a new Dayton “because it has been announced that out southern province will be included in European integration processes separately from Serbia, because there will be a donors’ conference for Kosovo, basically as an independent territory”. “Besides, Pristina is asking independence, while the IC does not react. Also it has to be taken into account that the Resolution of the US Security Council 1244 says that Kosovo and Metohija are a part of Yugoslavia while Serbia is not mentioned at all, although the UN SC is not in charge for borders”. “I reacted because everything connected with Kosovo is being dealt with in accordance with the principle of ethnical self-determination, while that has not been the case with BiH, Croatia and other former-Yugoslav republics. And if that continues Serbs will be the biggest and double losers.” “By mentioning a new Dayton I have not brought, nor I wanted to do it, into question someone else’s borders, sovereignty and rights, but just to say: Serbia’s border has to be inviolable as well. Even for ethnical self-determination. It cannot be that one right is applied for Serbia, while others have other right. By mentioning a new Dayton I have not pledged for borders’ changing, but on the contrary, for their respect and defence; asking for Serbia what others, with the IC’s help, have already got.” Glas Srpski (pg 2 headline ‘I stand behind the statement on Dayton) quotes Zoran Djindjic as saying that he stands behind his statement in which he brought the Dayton Peace Accord in connection with Kosovo. In a programme at BK TV (Belgrade’s private TV station), Djindjic said that the statement was radical one and that the Serbian Government did not stand behind it. “I did not say that we ask to have the RS and give Kosovo away, but that if someone is thinking about independent Kosovo, and it is known that the whole construction will fall apart, we will have a regional crisis”, Djindjic said. He said that he had not threatened, but just explained what would happen if Kosovo got independence. “Serbia must be active when it comes to Kosovo issue”, Djindjic said, adding that in the case of Kosovo independence, Macedonia would be divided in the same way, which might provoke other crises in the region. According to Djindjic, the DPA has established the principle of borders’ inviolability, which does not apply to Serbia and Kosovo. He requests that Serbs in Kosovo have the same rights as it has been done in Dayton for Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats in BiH. Djindjic asks the EU to say Albanians that there will be no more new countries in the region. (Dnevni List, last page, also carries this statement) |
| Ashdown on apprehension of Karadzic | The High Representative of the international community in BiH Paddy Ashdown indirectly confirmed in an interview for BBC on Sunday that the West has still not made a political decision on the apprehension of the most wanted war crime suspect Radovan Karadzic. He delivered a message to the Western leaders preparing for the war with Iraq to consider the apprehension of the man who had committed horrible crimes against Muslims. (Dnevni Avaz, p 2: “The West has still not made political decision on the apprehension of Karadzic”) |
| VL: “Ashdown is imposing new law on economic crime” | Vecernji List (front and page 2, by Zdenko Jurilj,”Ashdown is imposing new law on economic crime”) carries that due to vague wording of the legal principles, that the authority institutions have passed recently, BiH is the only country in a wider European environment in which money laundering is being treated as a minor offence and not as a criminal prosecutable offence. VL says that the official replay that this daily received from the Federation Ministry of Justice says that due to various difficulties and general elections, they did not adopt amended law that would treat money laundering as the criminal prosecutable offence, although this Ministry was supposed to do it in September last year. The article says that due to such stand the whole thing was transferred to the OHR. VL also says that in the program of reforms that Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative, announced, the establishment of an efficient judiciary system, that will make possible for judges and prosecutors a legal framework for resolving of complex economic, financial and prosecutable offences is very important. VL says that the OHR expects from the Federation Parliament to pass by spring of this year the law that will treat the cases of money laundering as the criminal prosecutable offences. Also, it has been expected from the Federation Ministry of Justice to start applying the law in Administration for Struggle against Fraud by June of this year, and this Administration will be established within this Ministry, in order to conduct investigations on money laundering cases and other forms of the financial crime. |
| European officials in Sarajevo on Wednesday | Dnevni List (front and page 5, “European officials in Sarajevo on Wednesday”) carries that as of today a three-member delegation of the European Union, made of Javier Solana, the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Chris Patten, the European Commissioner for Foreign Policy, and Jorgos Papandreu, a Chairman of the Council for General EU Issues and a Head of Greek diplomacy, starts with its Balkan tour. During this tour they will also pay visit to Sarajevo. Namely, the delegation will attend a ceremony by which the European Union will officially take over command over the European Union Police Mission in BiH (EUPM), that is to take place in Sarajevo on Wednesday. (Oslobodjenje, p 8) “The beginning of the work of the EUPM is very important cornerstone for future EU activities. This is the first operation of conflict resolving, which is being carried out within the European Security and Defence Program (ESDP),” said Solana in an exclusive interview for Dnevni Avaz, (p 5, mentioned on the front page). |
| HR among nominees for Vecernji List’s stamp | Vecernji List (page 54) carries that this daily has started with its traditional election of a person of a year (the award is called Vecernji List’s stamp). Among the nominees is also Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative in BiH. VL says that Ashdown is a British Liberal, who has made many radical moves in the area of legislature, economic policy, which placed him in the focus of the media attention. The daily also says that the HR’s decisions have been criticized by domestic political parties, but also by world power-wielders. According to VL, Ashdown especially showed his firmness when he admitted a victory of the national parties at the last elections in spite of an open confrontation of powerful America. He will be the crucial person in the coming period and the future of BiH will depend a lot on his moves. |
| DL: Work of OHR South presented | Dnevni List (page 15, “OHR South activities presented: High rate of Property Laws implementation”) carries that Avis Benes, a Spokesperson of the OHR South, talked about the OHR South activities during the last year. A. Benes stated: “Apart from the implementation of the economic and legal reforms and constitutional changes, the unification of the Cantonal Ministries and adoption of the joint budget also marked the last year.” DL says that as the OHR achievement in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton for the last year, A. Benes stressed a high rate of the Property Laws implementation in most Municipalities of this Canton and the situation is similar in the Municipalities in the RS, that are in the OHR South area of responsibility. DL says that A. Benes also expressed hope that a progress in transferring of the authorities from the Municipalities to the Mostar City Administration, which started last year, will also continue during this year. She stressed: “As far as Mostar is concerned, the OHR will continue to be active in the process of the city unification and strengthening of the city authorities.” The article says that talking about the basic guidelines of the OHR South for this year, A. Benes stressed that even more attention will be dedicated to economic reforms, the reform of economy in order to open new places of work and resolve the issue of poverty, the reform of rule of law in order to prevent corruption and support entrepreneurship, as well as the transformation of the legal system in the direction of gradual adopting of European standards and legislation and other activities from the OHR mandate. She also stressed that the OHR will not be able to realize all these goals alone and that it is necessary to have a cooperation with local authorities and citizens themselves and OHR believes that the citizens will realize that the period ahead of us is crucial and that is necessary to implement number of crucial reforms that cannot be delayed if BiH wants to take a road of stabilization and joining European Union. A. Benes stressed: “We believe that the Property Laws implementation process in BiH will be totally completed this year.” |
| Ljiljan on IC/OHR | ‘The front line’ column carries a comment by Sejo Omeragic entitled ‘Robinson Crusoe’. Covering one of the most current issues – Eronet. “Now that the Administrator received the money from selling state capital does it make any sense to return this state its capital? Such trade, with those 54 million-KM from the Federation, organized by Robinson, was probably never seen anywhere by anyone.” The author points out that such dealings are not even possibly in colonialism, but certainly possible in BiH. Omeragic then goes on to compare the Eronet case with the case of the BH Bank. “In only ten days we heard an announcement on the selling of the HB, and then the OHR announced the bankruptcy of the BH Bank. As far as its known, the money in the Bank (BH) belonged to several international organization and it was requested that the capital be returned to damaged ‘institutions’. And the money was mainly returned. Why then, according tot he same set of rules, was not the sale of the BH Bank announced? Why is that capital less important then the one in the Hercegovacka Bank? How is it possible that people from the same institution, within ten days, offer two different solutions unless two different set of rules are concerned?” Omeragic ends article by asking what are those 54 million-KM from the Federation government mea to us and what to the IC. ‘SAUNA’ column ‘ Munja and 740 mujahedin’ on pg. 8. The recent statement by removed FOSS Director Alibabic that there are 740 mujahedin in BiH and that the killing of Andjelic family was committed by mujahedin. Also, Alibabic repeated again that one of the reasons Ashdown removed him was because he was in a position to arrest Karadzic. “Munja still thinks that Americans have not figured him out, and still plays their card. He wants to cause disputes between Americans and Ashdown and at the same time benefits from it. Therefore he needs stories about mujahedin and talks that HR prevented him in arresting Karadzic.” ‘Charlie Powel, Srebrenica chetnik sheriff’ on pg. 8 in ‘PRESSIJA’ column. On the requests for the removal of Srebrenica OHR office, Charlie Powel. The article quotes Ibran Mustafic (no post printed) as saying that he has not been witness to Powel’s such behavior, but confirmed that he heard stories about him from people close to OHR office. “It is incredible that the IC is treating the Srebrenica case like this when it is known and confirmed at all levels, even through the UN investigation, that there was direct responsibility of the IC for the Srebrenica aggression.” ‘Unique customs or dumping prices’ by Ivica Pasic on pg. 40. The article deals with the introduction of the unique customs administration, which, according to the OHR, should be established by the end of January this year. The author points out that RS officials, led by Ivanic, have been trying to obstruct the process. Ivanic however, promised HR to appoint experts in a team to technically implement the reform of the customs system. Yet when he was faced with the announcement of establishing the administration by the end of January Ivanic changed his mind. He, same as Sarovic, started saying that the single administration would bring ‘evil’ to Serb people. Even the RS Finance minister Vilendecic stated that the best solution was to totally abolish the customs. Minister would, according to the magazine, would like to establish ‘eldorado’ at the border as long as BiH did not have its own revenues. Ivanic went as far as to write to PDHR Hays and told him he disagreed with the reform. Hays replied making it clear that the principle was not up for a discussion, just technical details of it. The article ends by saying that HR obviously will not be stopped by obstruction by RS politicians. “Afterwards, HR is facing two difficult challenges in this year: the VAT introduction and functioning of the State Court.” |
| Feral: R. Ortynski, a former Croatian State Attorney, on IC and Hercegovacka Bank case | Feral (pages 14-16) carries an interview with Radovan Ortynski, a former Croatian State Attorney. Asked about a cooperation and legal assistance with the BiH authorities with regard to the Hercegovacka Bank case, Ortynski says: “There is an agreement between Croatia and Austria on giving the international legal assistance, and a similar agreement exists between Croatia and BiH. People should be aware that there is the OHR in BiH and I went there responding to the OHR invitation, which was among the other things, related to the investigation on the Hercegovacka Bank. During one of our meetings they told me about the plans with regard to Hercegovacka Bank and I was interested in that investigation because it is about a large amount of money that went to BiH from the Croatian budget and which was spent in BiH in a non-transparent manner. The difference between Austria and BiH is that in the case of Hercegovacka Bank, BiH launched the investigation and asked the assistance from Croatia and it was not the situation that we asked the assistance from them. I decided to help the OHR in BiH because I believe that Croatia has right to ask for the return of money that taxpayers, some against their will, sent to Herzegovina and which ended up on some private accounts and the accounts of some private companies. Then I am being accused of being Ivic Pasalic’s man and that I am protecting Pasalic and such accusations arrive from the Minister of Interior also. I can only say that I am not either Pasalic’s or Racan’s man…” |
Establishment of new authorities | |
| BiH today gets new Council of Ministers
| The new BiH Council of Ministers is expected to be appointed at the today’s session of the BiH House of Representatives. On Friday, the Office of the High Representative approved the appointment of the four Ministers, so that the new BiH CoM should include: Adnan Terzic, the Chairman, Mladen Ivanic (foreign affairs), Barisa Colak (security), Ljerka Maric (finance), Mila Gadzic (foreign trade) and Mirsad Kebo (refugees and human rights). In addition, OHR is expected in the course of the day to say whether it agrees with new candidate for the BiH Justice Minister nominated by SDS. (Oslobodjenje, p 3, Dnevni Avaz, p 2, Dnevni list, p 7, Blic pg 2, Glas Srpski pg 3, Vecernje Novosti pg 9) |
| Formation of new RS Government | RS PM-designate Dragan Mikerevic will present concept and composition of a new RS Government on Thursday, 16th January, at the session of RS National Assembly. According to his words, he awaits the High Representative’s consent to six persons he proposed for ministers, and those are ministers for defence, finance, interior affairs, justice, education and refugees. However, Mikerevic did not want to say who these persons are. The PDP says there is the parliamentary majority for Mikerevic’s proposal and that most ministers will be from the SDS and PDP. Vice-president of the PDP, Zoran Djeric, said that Serbs would get following ministerial posts: defence, finance, interior affairs, economy, education, agriculture, trade and ministry for veteran issues. Djeric will most probably be Minister of Interior Affairs. According to previous announcements, Bosniaks will get five ministerial posts: economic foreign relations, traffic and communication, science and technology, justice, urbanism or refugees. Vice-president of the SDA, Adil Osmanovic, said they would support Mikerevic only if they got post of the Government’s vice-president, ministries of refugees, justice and trade. The SPRS will not give support to Mikerevic, as well as the SNSD. The Radicals which have two delegates in the Assembly (Miljenko Mihaljica’s wing) will support Mikerevic, while Mirko Blagojevic’s wing will not give its support. (Blic pg 2 headline ‘Most ministers from SDS and PDP, Nacional pg 11 headline ‘New RS Government to be promoted on Thursday’) |
Eronet case | |
| FBiH Government to discuss Eronet case today
| Dnevni List (front and page 3) carries an interview with Besim Mehmedic, the Federation Minister of Traffic and Communications. With regard to the information that CRA decided to issue a license to Eronet for the third GSM operator only 48 hours after Grude Municipality purchased Eronet shares, Mehmedic says: “First of all, I believe that this is a very haste move and that the Council of Ministers has to participate in such important things because there was a similar situation when then HPT was demanding the same license and CRA told them to address the Council of Ministers.” Mehmedic also said that he believes that the best solution in this case is that Eronet is returned to HT Mostar. With regard to today’s session of the Federation Government, Mehmedic says that he prepared some conclusions and he hopes that the Government will succeed to adopt them and adds: “These conclusions demand the suspension of all activities and processes of privatization of telecommunication systems in the Federation of BiH, to put it more precisely, in BiH Telecom, HPT Mostar, HT Mostar and Eronet Mostar. Also, I hope that there will be a direct action and that issuing of license to Eronet will be prevented in this way.” (Dnevni Avaz, p 3: “Wrong moves in privatisation of telecommunications should be prevented”, carries a similar statements made by Mehmedic) |
| Braithwaite: OHR fully supports work of CRA, HB Provisional Afministration | “The Office of the High Representative fully supports work of the CRA and the Hercegovacka Bank Provisional Administration. We will not tolerate any political interference into their independent work,” said the Chief OHR Spokesman Julian Braithwaite in a statement for Dnevni Avaz (p 3, mentioned on the front-page). |
Financial/Political Affairs | |
| FBiH Customs Administration Deputy Head suspended | The BiH Federation Deputy Finance Minister, Sefika Hafizovic, decided on Friday to suspend Deputy Head of the Entity’s Customs Administration Hasib Salkic, learns Oslobodjenje (front page, p 3) from the governmental sources. Hafizovic signed Salkic’s suspension after the authorized judicial bodies had confirmed to her that an investigation had been launched against the senior Customs Administration official. |
| Reactions to Dragan Covic’s Dayton-related statement | Statement of Croat member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Covic that the DPA does not exist anymore and that he will pledge for a cantonised BiH with single Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior Affairs, single fiscal and monetary policy is a slap to the IC – the RS political public thinks. “Covic and Croats are most probably dissatisfied with the DPA, because prior to this agreement they had signed the Washington Agreement with Bosniaks, which is not suitable for them anymore”, Dragan Mikerevic said. “We think that the DPA is a framework within which future of BiH can be built, where the RS and Federation are equal as well as all three people,” Mikerevic said. President of the SRS, Miljenko Mihaljica, said that the Radicals condemned Covic’s statement which seriously endangered the work of joint institutions. “The DPA is a framework in which the Srpska and Federation can find a joint future. If representatives of Bosniaks or Croats request changing of the DPA, then Serb representatives have right to search for a solution that would be suitable for them,” Mihaljica said. Spokesperson of the SDS, Dusan Stojicic, said that Covic’s statement was not acceptable and that proposal of the HDZ is anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional. “For us, only solutions made by all three people are acceptable,” Stojicic said, adding that the statement is surprise since that Croats have been supporting the creation of a third entity for a long time. Branislav Lolic, president of the SNS, says that such statements are dangerous messages which consequences could be serious. “Any change of the Dayton’s structure could only bring new problems to BiH”, Lolic said. According to the words of Igor Radojcic of the SNSD, the statement is continuation of old HDZ’s policy, which basically has never accepted the DPA. Spokesman of the DPS (Democratic Patriotic party), Darko Jotanovic, said that “noone has the right to change the Dayton, but three people whose representatives signed it.” (Glas Srpski pg 4 headline ‘Dayton without bargaining’) |
| Sarovic on BiH’s lawsuit against FRY | Chairman of the BiH Presidency Mirko Sarovic told SRNA that BiH had not been preparing anything regarding the beginning the process against FRY for genocide committed in BiH before the Hague-based International Court of Justice and that this lawsuit was not matter of BiH, but of Bosniak people. “I know there is a problem in regard to financing the lawsuit, but I will not help in overcoming it,” Sarovic said. (Glas Srpski pg 3) |
Human rights | |
| Human rights of returnees | The BiH Helsinki Committee for Hu8man Rights accused BiH authorities and the international community of doing not enough to protect the most vulnerable population categories and particularly returnees, wrote Resad Dautefendic in the Dnevni Avaz Commentary of the Day. “The new authorities and the High Representative might at least ease the problem by agreeing on the adoption of a state law on returnees,” he concluded. |