Latest radio news broadcast at 12.00 on15 November 2004
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (12,00 hrs) | BH Radio 1 (12,00 hrs) | RTRS (12,00 hrs) |
| Croatian PM Sanader visits SCG | Bad weather causes problems in BiH | Arrest of war crime indictees in Foca |
| Yet 18 persons on EU black list | Pensioners’ protest in | Pensioners’ protest in |
| ICTY Meron to report to UN | World news: Sanader in | Bad weather in RS/BiH |
TV news broadcast on
| BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Bad weather in BiH | Bad weather in BiH | Popovic returns from ICTY |
| RS pensioners to protest | Criminal in Zivinice Trans | Snow problems in RS |
| Popovic returns from ICTY | HNC MoI raided night bars | Mostar electricity problems |
| Bralo transfer to Hague | Bank robbery investigation | Storm in |
| Oslobodjenje | 13 reasons for Party for BiH’s dissatisfaction |
| Dnevni Avaz | A decisive EU Council’s action – assets belonging to 18 indictees to be blocked/frozen |
| Dnevni List | Session of HDZ Presidency tomorrow : Removal of cadres announced |
| Vecernji List | Winds detroying electricity pylons |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Hurricane wrecks |
| Glas Srpske | A school for great misery |
| Nezavisne Novine | To |
| Blic | First snow blocked traffic; A great protest of RS pensioners to take place today |
| Vecernje Novosti | Difficult to the truth; The Government under attack |
| Belgrade’s Nacional | Features Serbian related titles |
LATEST NEWS OF TODAY | |
| Action to arrest war crime indictees took place in Foca?
| RS Radio News at 1200 – RTRS has just learnt from unofficial sources that several persons indicted for war crimes have been arrested in Foca this morning. More information will be made available later on after RTRS gets statements from RTRS correspondent and RS police officials from the spot. FoNet Serbian independent news agency – The RS police last night arrested eight persons which the |
| Pensioners protesting in Banja Luka
| BH Radio 1, RS Radio at 1200 – More than a thousand Banja Luka pensioners blocked five main streets in Banja Luka downtown protesting against their poor social/financial position and the RS government’s inactivity in resolving their problems. |
Political developments | |
| Party for BiH sends letter to Federation leaders
| Oslobodjenje cover page, pg 2 ‘13 reasons for Party for BiH’s dissatisfaction’ by S. Sehercehajic – The Party for BiH on Friday sent a letter to the Federation of BiH leaders listing the reasons why the Party was dissatisfied with the work of the Federation Government. Federation Ministry of Mining, Energy and Industry Izet Zigic confirmed in a statement for the daily that the letter had been addressed to Federation Prime Minister Ahmet Hadzipasic, Federation President and Vice-presidents, and Speakers of the both houses of the Federation Parliament. According to Zigic, some 12-13 reasons for the Party for BiH’s dissatisfaction were listed in the letter and they refer to various processes from the privatization to the budget revenues. Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘Agrokomerc-like revision (of the privatization) should be conducted in Aluminij, FDS (Sarajevo Tobacco Factory) and Sarajevo Brewery as well’, mentioned on cover ‘FDS and Brewery are just like Aluminij and Agrokomerc’ – The Federation Ministers from the Party for BiH have sent a letter to the Federation Prime Minister and other top Entity officials containing proposals for overcoming the current crisis in the work of the Federation Government. “I do not expect that the Government and the Parliament will consider the issues we are insisting on as unnecessary. I expect that the Government will support the proposed measures not because they have been proposed by the Party for BiH-nominated Ministers but because they are part of the Government’s program also verified by the Parliament,” said Gavrilo Grahovac, the FBiH Deputy Prime Minister in an interview with the daily. Grahovac also said that the revision of the privatization process had to be carried out in all companies where the process was disputable including the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory and Sarajevo Brewery and not only Agrokomerc and Aluminij. |
| Ruling political parties on equality of peoples in BiH
| Oslobodjenje pg 6 ‘Equality on ground of ethnic cleansing’ by A. Omeragic – SDA, SDS and HDZ judged on Tuesday as justified the warning of a few non-government organizations that slow implementation of the constitutional amendments will cement ethnic cleaning in BiH. Commenting on this issue SDS Vice President Bosko Siljegovic stated: ‘SDS will do everything to implement the amendments on constituency in the RS, however, new census should be made, which will show that the demographic picture is different now…The RS is not the problem. The Federation of BiH is the problem. We have formed Council of Peoples in the RSNA and the RS Government has Ministers of Bosniak and Croat nationality, while the FBiH House of Peoples is functioning without enough Serbs.’ SDA Vice President Sefik Dzaferovic stated: ’The earlier SDA stand is that we shall not adopt these amendments since we are not satisfied with solutions in the RS…However, our stand is that we shall support amendments since this is the only way to change them.’ HDZ spokesperson Pero Pavlovic stated that HDZ supports constituency of peoples and he confirmed that Croats are not satisfied with their position in many RS towns in which they used to make majority. DA also says that some HDZ officials believe that the story about constituency does not make any sense if the constitutional organization will be changed in BiH. Nikola Spiric from SNSD says it is late to talk about constituency and he added: ‘Nationalistic authorities wanted to cement ethnic cleansing and they almost succeeded. Last elections showed it…’ |
| HDZ Presidency to meet tomorrow in order to discuss election results
| Dnevni List, front pg splash ‘Removal of cadres announced’ and opg 3 ‘Removals of ‘incapable’ cadres in HDZ’, by Ivica Glibusic – DL announces that the HDZ Presidency will be meeting at Busovaca tomorrow, and according to the papers, one thing is certain, following the poor election results in many municipalities, there bound to be internal party elections and removals of local HDZ leadeships who did not manage to achieve desired results. According to the party spokesperson, Pero Pavlovic, « tomorrow’s session should result in the final analysis of election results, it is expected that the HDZ Presidency makes concrete moves in the municipal organizations where the desired results were not achieved ». DL notes that the HDZ has underachieved in 17 municipalities in comparison to the local elections from 2000. |
Crime/security/legal proceedings | |
| EU Council to extend its black list
| Dnevni Avaz cover pg ‘Blockade of property of 18 indictees’ and pg 4 ‘Another 18 indictees unwanted in the EU’ by S. Numanovic – DA learns that the EU Council will extend the list of persons whose property and accounts will be frozen and whose entrance to the EU countries will be banned. According to the article, this measure will be taken in order to support the ICTY work and arrest of war crime indictees. DA also says that apart from Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic another 18 persons are also on the list and they are Ljubomir Borovcanin, Goran Borovnica, Miroslav Bralo, Vlastimir Djordjevic, Goran Hadzic, Gojko Jankovic, Vladimir Lazarevic, |
| ICTY’s Meron to address UN General Assembly today
| BHT, Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Theodore Merron to report to UN General Assembly today’, Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘Meron presents ICTY report on cooperation of countries from former Yugoslavia with ICTY’, Nezavisne Novine, pg. 3 ‘Meron to submit the Report on Cooperation of BiH with the Hague to UN’ by Fena – ICTY President Theodor Meron will report on Monday to the UN General Assembly on work of the ICTY and on former Yugoslavia countries cooperation with the Tribunal.It is also expected that most of this report will be in relation to the ICTY exit strategy, since it is planned that Tribunal will be closed down in 2010. |
| SDA, SDU, Party for BiH on BiH lawsuit against SCG, Covic’s statement
| Dnevni Avaz, pg. 3 ‘Tihic: We have more and more evidence every day’ by L. Sinanovic – The article carries reactions on Dragan Covic’s statement given to RTRS, saying that it will be difficult to prove BiH lawsuit against SiCG before the International Court of Justice. BiH Presidency member Sulejman Tihic was surprised with such a statement having in mind Covic has given his support to this process on several occasions. ‘Personally I believe we have more and more evidence for this case every day, as proceedings at the Hague are being completed’, Tihic has stated. SDU Vice President Sejfudin Tokic thinks it is inappropriate for a top official of the state to make such comments and prognosis of court proceedings. The President of the Party for BiH, Safet Halilovic, says everyone is entitled to his views, including Covic, however he claims there are strong evidence in the case of the lawsuit of BiH against SiCG. DA inset ‘Softic: We have too many evidence’ quotes BiH Legal representative in this proceeding Sakib Softic as saying BiH has too many evidence that SiCG has performed an aggression against BiH. |
| Bosniak League condemns Covic’s statement on BiH lawsuit against SCG
| Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘Did Zagreb order Covic’s statement?’, Glas Srpske, pg. 2 ‘Lawsuit against Croatia as well’ by Fena, FENA – The Presidency of the Bosniak League – Movement for Equality has condemned a statement by Dragan Covic, the Croat member of the BiH Presidency, that “the BiH lawsuit against Serbia and Montenegro (SCG) is unfounded and that it will not be able to ascertain that genocide and aggression were carried out against BiH”. In an open letter to Covic, the presidency of the Bosniak League noted that Covic made this statement straight after his return from Zagreb where he was invited by the ruling Croatian HDZ. “We ask you whether Zagreb requested from you, as the member of the BiH Presidency and the plaintiff country, to make this statement and whether you, much like the HDZ in Croatia, fear the BiH lawsuit against its eastern neighbours and a just verdict by the Hague-based International Court of Justice given that it is almost certain that this lawsuit will be followed by BiH filing another lawsuit against its north-western neighbour on the same grounds,” the letter said. The presidency of the Bosniak League – Movement for Equality said that it expected from Sulejman Tihic, the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, to react adequately to this statement because it was clear, the letter said, that the Serb Chairman of the Presidency, Borislav Paravac, and Dragan Covic were opposed to the lawsuit against SCG, and that they were publicly acting on behalf of the countries which carried out aggression against BiH rather than in the interest of their own country, which bestows on them the highest state privileges. |
| Election Commission opposes Tihic’s initiative on financing of BiH lawsuit against SCG from municipal budgets
| Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘Senior authority levels in charge of a lawsuit’ by M. Cubro – Commenting on the initiative of Sulejman Tihic, member of BiH Presidency (that municipal budgets should include provision from which BiH lawsuit against SCG would be financed), Vehid Sehic, BiH Election Commission President, said that the budgets of municipalities must satisfy the needs of local communities, while the senior authority levels are in charge of financing the BiH lawsuit against SCG. OHR did not want to make any comment on this initiative, according to NN. The article further carries extract from Dragan Covic’s statement to RTRS regarding this issue, as well as the statement of the Bosniak League Presidency – Equality Movement, that condemned such a statement Covic gave, saying that Covic might be afraid that BiH would file a lawsuit against |
| Montgomery confirms US will remain present in BiH, warns of possible terrorism
| Dnevni List, pg 2, mentioned on front ‘USA remain present in the Balkans because of terrorists’, not signed – DL carries a former US Ambassador to Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro, William Montgomery, as confirming that the US are still concerned with possibility of terrorist activities in BiH. Speaking at the ‘Fakta’ show of the BHTV1, |
| Trebinje: Criminal charges against Momcilo Mandic
| Dnevni List, pg 7 ‘Criminal report against Momcilo Mandic’, by Nebojsa Kolak, Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 5 ‘A report against Momcilo Mandic was handed to the Prosecutor’s Office’ by N. Kolak and A. Sekulic– Trebinje Police Administration submitted the County Prosecution at Trebinje a criminal report against Momcilo Mandic last Friday, charging him with abuse of office and authority that resulted in gaining of illegal material gain for Aleksandar Mandic worth 306.531 KMs. The report notes that Momcilo Mandic, in the capacity of Chairman of Steering Board of ‘Autorad’ Company of Trebinje, falsified an alleged decision of the Steering Board, according to which a part of real state owned by ‘Autorad’ is being sold to ‘Man-Co’ of Bijeljina. On basis of the falsified decision, a sale contract was made, and subsequently the said real estate was transferred onto ‘Man-Co’ of Bijeljina. |
| Tomislav Popovic was arrested by a mistake
| Nezavisne Novine, cover ‘To the Hague by mistake and back to Sekovici again’ and pg. 3 ‘He was taken to the Hague by a mistake and brought back to Sekovici again’ by O. Draskic, Glas Srpske, pg. 3 ‘Via Hague to home’ by B. Miljanovic – the articles report on the arrest of Tomislav Popovic, brother of Vujadin Popovic. Tomislav Popovic was released Saturday late evening. He described he was first transferred to SFOR “Eagle” base near Vecernji List, pg 2 ‘Spent a night at |
| VN interview with Dragan Cavic on Srebrenica report
| Vecernje Novosti pg 17 ‘We have already paid BAM 4 million’ – This is a brief interview with Dragan Cavic, RS President, notes RS was ordered by BiH Human Rights Chamber to investigate into Srebrenica events and to pay the amount of BAM 4 million. On Report, he notes “it was assessed as positive and should serve as a stimulus to approach crimes committed in the F BiH in the same manner.” He stresses: “The thing that I want is that the search for balance in crimes is halted in BiH. It is more important to have balance in justice and to have all the crimes committed across BiH investigated in the same manner.” |
| VN feature on Srebrenica report
| Vecernje Novosti cover and pg 17 ‘To get the truth in a hard way’ by EBN – This is an overview of developments which followed the publication of Srebrenica Commission report, including demands for war reparation. The article stresses that Report has not been released in the public as yet. |
| Vojislav Kostunica on whereabouts of the Hague indictees
| Nezavisne Novine, pg. 2 ‘We have been handed wrong addresses’ by V. Popovic – The President of the Serbian Government Vojislav Kostunica has stated that the Serbian Government has been handed wrong addresses of war crimes indictees from RS. He claims the MoI has checked the addresses they received and found out the data were incorrect, i.e. those addresses did not even exist. |
| Serbian President’s advisor Simic: Serbian Government should resign | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 3 ‘The Government should resign because of non-cooperation with the Hague’ by Beta – The Advisor of Serbian President for cooperation with ICTY, Jovan Simic, has stated that the Serbian Government should resign if it is not ready to really cooperate with the Hague Tribunal. |
| Processing of war crimes before local courts
| Nezavisne Novine, pg. 3 ‘Domestic prosecutors are leading processes’ by R. Cengic – BiH Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed it has selected domestic prosecutors that will work on war crimes cases, as well as that it has defined criteria in accordance with which war crimes cases would be allocated to Cantonal, Regional and State Prosecutor’s Offices. According to the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, the only thing missing for launching processes are of material and technical nature (court rooms and detention units) and foreign judges that will be members of five teams that will work within the Department for War Crimes Issues. |
| RS Police Director obstructing the work of Minister of Interior
| Nezavisne novine, pg. 2 ‘Njegus is lobbying against Matijasevic’ by A. Sisic – According to a source close to RS Police, RS Police Director Radomir Njegus is trying to obstruct the work of the new Minister of Interior, Darko Matijasevic, and prevent arresting of war crimes indictees by the end of the year. As according to the source, Njegus has recently met EUPM Commissioner Kevin Karty and highest entity representatives of the authority and complained on the work of Matijasevic. |
| RS dailies on police reform
| Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘To discuss Martens’ proposal on abolishment of entity MoI in Brcko’ by M. Cubro & V. Popovic – Members of BiH Police Reform Commission from BiH CoM and F BiH have confirmed to NN that the Commission members have agreed on the abolishment of the entity Interior Ministries, while members of the Commission from RS (Ranko Karapetrovic) claim there has been no such agreement reached, noting it has been proposed by Wilfred Martens. NN source further notes that “entity ministries will be abolished, and the next meeting, which would be held on 17 and 18 November in Brcko, would have to agree on the number of regional police centres. OHR Spokesperson Glas Srpske pg 5 ‘Healing somebody else’s disease’ by V. Janjic – Carries statement by Ranko Karapetrovic (see above), where he expresses his disagreement with the proposal on abolishment of entity interior ministries, noting: “From the realistic point of view, the Federal Interior Ministry seemingly holds low level of authority over cantonal ministries, and they follow the logic of transferring everything, that cannot be resolved, to the BiH level.” |
Economic/social affairs | |
| RS pensioners announce mass protests for today
| BHT, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Pensioners to stage protests today’, EuroBlic, cover ‘A great protest of RS pensioners to take place today’ and pg. RS1 ‘Is it spite to fight for life’ by Tijana Veselinovic, Vecernje Novosti, cover and pg. 19 ‘The Government under attack’ by Lj. M., Nezavisne Novine, pg. 4 ‘Pensioners out on streets today’ by V. P., Glas Srpske, pg. 3 ‘Protest of pensioners’ by R. S. – RS Pensioners’ Association announced protests to take place on Monday in all bigger towns in the RS.The highest number of protestants is expected in Banjaluka, where pensioners’ intention is to block the RS Government and RS national Assembly buildings. Pensioners believe that those two institutions are the most responsible for their poor status. After RS National Assembly session held two weeks ago and unsuccessful negotiation with the Government, pensioners lost hope that they will receive by the end of this year at least one of backlog pensions from year 2000. RS pensioners’ Association President, Rade Rakulj, said that Government promised after protests in 2003 that this year they will pay backlog pensions and improve pensioners’ status, after military and police costs are reduced. This year, explains Rakulj, Government said that there are no conditions for fulfilling this promise yet, adding that pensioners cannot wait anymore. More than 30.000 pensioners in the RS do not receive pension higher than 100 KM. |
| Talks on Aluminij issue
| Dnevni Avaz, pg. 4 ‘There are three outstanding issues regarding the “Aluminij”’ by A. Hadziarapovic – Federation of BiH Prime Minister Ahmet Hadzipasic, PDHR Donald Hays, “Aluminij Executive Director Mijo Brajkovic and legal experts have held a meeting with an aim to resolve issues of the firm. ‘Talks have been opened. We have mainly identified what we agree upon and we have agreed to resolve issues on which we have different opinions. Lawyers have been tasked with analyzing and identifying these fact by our next meeting in order to be able to determine future steps in our work’, Hadzipasic has stated. |
| VL interview: Aluminij CEO Mijo Brajkovic
| Vecernji List, pg 5, mentioned on front ‘Workers should be running Aluminij, not foreigners’, by Zoran Kresic – Carries an interview with the General Manager of ‘Aluminij’ Company of Mostar, Mijo Brajkovic, in which he insists that ‘Aluminij’ workers owe 64% of shares in the company, whilst 24% is state-owned. Brajkovic notes that the state should be more than happy with the percentage it has in the company, arguing that the company was re-started without a single penny from the state or by money of the IC. “I do not know how you can tell the people who started the Aluminij that they are not owners, although they worked for 4 years during which they were not getting paid”, says Brajkovic. Questioned whether he is prepared for a deal with the (FBiH) Government, Brajkovic says: “It is down on the Government. Whatever the state gets, it should be happy. However, one thing should be more important to the Government, unlike in other companies, such as Zenica Steelworks, where the whole capital ended up in hands of foreigners, here the majority stake stayed in hands of the workers”. |
| FIPA blames Party for BiH for loss of 25 million dollars
| Oslobodjenje pgs 4 and 5 ‘Culprits for loss of 25 million Dollars are SBiH members’, mentioned on front, by B.S. carries an open letter by FIPA in which this Agency concludes that the Joint Commission of the House of Peoples and House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament adopted the amendments, which inevitably lead to the loss of 25 million Dollars of the loan for the support to the budget of BiH institutions. The FIPA’s letter also says: ‘We hope that in case that 25 million Dollars are lost and in case there was a negative mark of the EC, the public and media in BiH will analyze who is responsible for this situation.’ The letter goes on to say that the responsible ones are individuals, members of SBiH who were led by their personal interests. |
| Oslobodjenje on Arizona Market
| Oslobodjenje, cover and pg. 7 ‘Owners were deprived from the right to compensation’ by A. Avdic – The Ravne Association of Private Landowners at the Arizona Market claims the market was built in an illegal manner. Mara Petrovic, a member of the Association, claims the Association members are being terrorized in Brcko. ‘We have suffered a damage, yet we cannot claim compensation. We can build nothing on our own land. They don’t even allow us to gather. If we try to speak up, they punish us or beat us’, Petrovic claims. She claims the police have beaten her and penalized her on several occasions because ‘she was talking too much’. She accuses Italprojekt Director Jovica Stevanovic of being behind all of this and she claims that everyone who offers bribery to Stevanovic is allowed to enter a regulation plan. Apart from Stevanovic and District officials, she claims Ivica Santovac, the owner of a firm cooperating with Italprojekt, is influential as well. ‘He has managed to annul our lawsuits through his cousin Mato Tadic, a judge at the Constitutional Court’, Petrovic says. |
| Update to overdue salaries to HTV Mostar employees
| Dnevni List, pg 8, mentioned on front ‘Ultimate goal – shutting down of Hercegovacka Television’, by Ivana Rozic – Reminding that employees of the Mostar-based ‘Hercegovinian TV’ (HTV) and ‘Mostar Radio Station’ have not been paid for last two months, DL carries the director of the HTV, Vlatko Menix, as saying that they (employees) are ‘put on hold’ until Tuesday when Mayor of Mostar, Hamdija Jahic, is scheduled to return from Ireland. Menix argues that Mayor Jahic wants to install new supervisory boards in all institutions that have been transfered onto the City of Mostar, including the HTV, in order to secure a control of them. However, Menix notes that when it comes to HTV, Jahic cannot accept the fact that City of Mostar has only 40% stake in the HTV, since municipalities of Grude, Posusje, Siroki Brijeg, Ljubuski and Capljina own the rest. « This is an attempt aimed at shutting down of HTV Mostar », says Menix. On the same issue, Vecernji List, pg 6 ‘HRT Mostar to press criminal charges against H. Jahic ?’, by Miso Relota – carries Menix as saying : « HRT Mostar is currently the only media in the Croatian language. By abolishing the only Radio-TV station in the Croatian language, the Croats will no longer have its media. There are elements to press criminal charges against Hamdija Jahic ». |
| BiH importing ¾ of dairy needs
| Vecernji List, pg 2, mentioned on front ‘Nobody wants domestic milk’, by Marko Bandzic – The article notes that BiH is importing ¾ of its dairy needs, and the daily is wondering how its possible that import of milk and dairy products is profitable, how come domestic producers are not buying milk from farmers in BiH. VL also notes that BiH farmers are not competitive enough because of low subsidies in BiH. |
| GS cover page story on poor housing conditions of severa; families | Glas Srpske, cover page story ‘A school for great misery’ by S. R. T. – The article reports on housing issues of several families that live in premises of the Primary School in Brijest village near Lopare. |
Miscellaneous | |
| Bad weather causes difficulties in BiH, Dalmatia | Vecernji List, front pg spash and pg 3 ‘Winds detroying electricity pylons’, by Ivana Brkic-Cubela, Slobodna Dalmacija, front pg splash and pgs 2-3 ‘Hurricane wrecks Dalmatia’, Dnevni List, pgs 13 and 21, mentioned on front, ‘Storm in Herzegovina and Croatia, Bosnia under snow’ – Report about worsening weather conditions in BiH and Dalmatia, which caused problems in traffic and electricity supplies. Problems have been caused by snow, rain and strong winds. |