OHR BiH Media Round-up, 15/8/2002

Headlines in Print Media

Oslobodjenje: US sent to BiH draft agreement on non-extradition of US citizens to ICC; SFOR attempts to break network of Karadzic’s secret helpers; New HR’s decision – Permit not needed for the Ferhadija reconstruction

Dnevni Avaz: SFOR action in the village of Celebici near Foca – Search for Radovan Karadzic’s secret helpers; Aluminum arbitration procedure to start in September

Jutarnje Novine: SFOR again blocked village of Celebici; Ashdown imposes amendments to the RS law on urban planning – permits not needed for the reconstruction of the monuments

Dnevni List: Frantz Friedl, the general manager of HVB-BiH Banks, denies Vecernji List allegations – WE do not buy Hercegovacka Bank; The biggest financial crime in the post-war BiH – Politicians destroyed BH Bank by taking loans under special conditions; Ceric’s speech protects terrorists?

Glas Srpski: SFOR again blocks the Celebici area – Instead of Karadzic they arrested a postman; Srbinje Mayor Nedeljko Pavlovic – the people should be left alone; RS President Mirko Sarovic – unnecessary demonstration of force

Nezavisne Novine: Action of the multi-national forces in Celebici near Srbinje/Foca – SFOR looks for secret helpers of Radovan Karadzic

FRY Nacional: Several thousands SFOR’s soldiers hunt Karadzic; Delimustafic: Serbian Mafia kidnapped me, because I am the key witness against Milosevic; Kalinic: Dodik has short memory and loose tongue

Vecernje Novosti: Offensive on Karadzic

Euro Blic: Swine plague in Brcko District; Celebici under siege of SFOR; Gas from Serbia in RS by 2005; Kostajnica border crossing’s opening on 26 August; Ivanic: I will resign if I’m not supported; Cavic: The SDS will remain the strongest party

SFOR official says Celebici action against Karadzic’s support network

SFOR members from the Multinational Division Southeast, with the help of members from the Multinational Division North, launched helicopter patrols in the southern part of the RS (the are of the village of Celebici near Foca/Srbinje) after receiving reports about Radovan Karadzic’s support network, according to SFOR spokesman Scott Lundy. “SFOR received a lot of information about Radovan Karadzic’s base of operations and it is now being investigated. SFOR considered this information sufficient to engage additional infantry and helicopter patrols,” Lundy said. Although the focus of this operation is not Karadzic’s arrest, SFOR would do so if circumstances permit. This operation is part of SFOR’s continuing efforts to receive information which would lead them to the arrest of Karadzic and other war crime suspects, Lundy said. SFOR asks the RS citizens not to obstruct its members while carrying out their task. “SFOR will give new information once it becomes available and intends to present an extended report at tomorrow’s news conference in Sarajevo,” Lundy said. (Oslobodjenje, pages 4-5, announced on the front page, Dnevni Avaz, front page, p 2, Jutarnje Novine, front page, p 3, Vecernje Novosti p 8, FRY Nacional p 4, Blic p 8, BBC, The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Politika, front page, Danas, front page)

Both Banja Luka dailies, Glas Srpski (front page, p 4) and Nezavisne Novine (front page, p 3) extensively report on the SFOR operation in Celebici. Glas Srpski assesses that this was one of the most serious operations by SFOR aimed at arresting Radovan Karadzic, the first RS president indicted by the ICTY for war crimes. Both papers also report that, during the action, SFOR troops arrested mailman, Milivoje Zivanovic, who was distributing pensions when the operation started. Glas reports that SFOR troops searched him and found 2 bullets. It adds that the SFOR Spokesman, Scott Lundy, denied SFOR had arrested the mailman.

A spokesman for the RS Interior Ministry, Zoran Glusac, has confirmed for FENA that SFOR representatives informed the top leadership of the RS and the RS Interior Ministry that they would try to capture war crimes suspects in Foca vicinity over next few days. Glusac added that Wednesday’s SFOR action near Foca, that is, Celebici, was announced. “The RS Interior Ministry will be undertaking measures envisaged by law within the framework of its activities, but it is difficult to say at present what these activities will be,” Glusac said. (Oslobodjenje, pages 4-5, announced on the front page, Dnevni Avaz, front page, p 2, Jutarnje Novine, front page, p 3, Glas Srpski, p 4)

RS President Mirko Sarovic will visit the municipality of Srbinje/Foca, his office has told SRNA. During Wednesday’s meeting with SFOR Commander John Sylvester, President Sarovic warned against unnecessary show of force in this municipality, the adviser to the RS president for the media, Drago Vukovic, said in a statement with SRNA news agency. Sarovic recalled that the past events show that SFOR exercises led to the destruction of material goods and that they caused anxiety among the people. (Glas Srpski – front page)

Glas Srpski carries (p 4) yet two articles related to attempted arrests of the former RS President Radovan Karadzic. The first article (Headline: One failure after another) gives the rundown of SFOR’s actions aimed at apprehending Karadzic, while the second article (Headline: Catching your own shadow) talks about where Karadzic has been seen and by whom.

Glas Srpski quotes (front page) the Srbinje/Foca Mayor, Nedeljko Pavlovic, as saying that persons indicted for war crimes are not hiding in the Foca/Srbinje region and that SFOR should leave the Srbinje/Foca people alone.

US/BiH relations – US Administration has sent draft bilateral agreement on preventing hand-over of the US citizens to the ICC to BiH

The US Embassy to BiH officials confirmed to Oslobodjenje (front page) on Wednesday that the US Administration had sent a proposal for signing of a bilateral agreement on non-extradition of US citizens to the International Criminal Court to BiH. The US Embassy does not comment on the communications with the local government so that the newspaper was not told whether the BiH political representatives have already responded to the proposal. Asked whether an eventual rejection to sign the agreement might results in cessation of the US military assistance to BiH, the Embassy officials told newspaper that the law on protection of US soldiers contained certain limits referring to the military assistance to the countries which signed the Rome’s Statute (ICC establishment). According to the US Embassy, the same law gives the US President authority not to apply these limits for certain countries, regardless of a fact they signed the ICC Statute, when it is about the US national interest.

On Tuesday, the European Union requested the countries – candidates for the membership in the Union – not to sign bilateral agreement with the United States giving immunity to the US citizens from prosecution by the ICC. In the meantime, Eric Witte, a political analyst from the Coalition for the International Justice, told Voice of America that, in his opinion, it wasnot fair to put BiH in a position to chose. “It is ridiculous that the US and the European Union are actually forcing such the vulnerable countries including BiH to chose between Europe and America,” he said. (Oslobodjenje, p 6, Dnevni Avaz, p 4)

The organization for the protection of human rights, Human Rights Watch, accused the United States of blackmailing the other countries forcing them not to hand over the US citizens to the ICC, BBC reports. (Oslobodjenje, p 6)

The High Representative amends RS Law on Urban Planning

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, on Wednesday issued a Decision amending the RS Law on Urban Planning enabling the RS to meet in an efficient and speedy manner its obligations under Annex 8 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which covers the preservation and reconstruction of national monuments. The amendments to the law will ensure that monuments listed under Annex 8, including the Ferhadija mosque, will be exempted from the licensing regime envisaged in the Law on Urban Planning, thus speeding up the implementation of Annex 8. These changes will also contribute to the harmonisation of the legislation in both entitites necessary for proper protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of designated National Monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Oslobodjenje, p 7, announced on the front page, Dnevni Avaz, p 2, Jutarnje Novine, p 5, announced on the front page, Glas Srpski, p 3, Nezavisne Novine, p 5, Blic p 17)

Glas Srpski carries(p 3) a press release, issued by the RS Ministry for Urban Planning and Ecology, in which the Ministry expresses its discontent saying that, during the talks with the OHR representatives, the criteria of profession have not been respected, but principles of political conditioning.

SDP supports the High Representative’s judicial reforms-related activity but consider it too slow

“The BiH Social Democratic Party supports the activities of the High Representatives in reforming the judiciary but the party considers that the process is too slow and that some moves are not in compliance with the SDP’s program,” Ljubisa Markovic, a member of the SDP Presidency, told a press conference in Sarajevo on Wednesday. This, according to Markovic, particularly refers to the SDP’s standing for a proportional representation of all constituent peoples primarily in the judicial, then in all other public and state institutions. Markovic emphasized that, accordingly, the SDP would continue insisting on the proportional ethnic representation in the judicial councils in compliance with the 1991 census as stipulated by the constitutional amendments. (Oslobodjkenje, p 7, Dnevni Avaz, p 8, carries FENA report, Jutarnje Novine, p 4)

Federation affairs

Dnevni list (page 3) carries article signed by ‘Investigative team of DL’ in which the speech of Reis-ul-ulema of Islamic Community in BiH Mustafa Ceric, in which he attacked journalists and editors of ‘Slobodna Bosna’ weekly, is characterised as protection of terrorism. However, the article says that representatives of International Community are not allowing de-liberation of indicted in “Pogorelica” case before the elections, regardless of the fact that “public calls of religious leaders are resulting with homogenisation of Bosniaks“. The article says that American and British intelligence services knew about chain of terrorism in BiH but they silently and ignorantly approved it until their interests were endangered. The article reminds that a part of Dayton Accord is Article 3 from Annex 1 A which defines that all troops that are not originally from BiH should withdraw from BiH within 30 days from 21. November of 1995. “Americans have ignored non-implementation of this agreement until 11. September (…) after those events, USA starts to destroy webs of islamic terrorists across the World”.

Dnevni List (page 4) reads that after the OHR forwarded a request to the FBiH Ministry of Social Affairs, Refugees and DPs for discussing the current problems in connection with the program of the mentioned ministry for recovery in the Mostar area, the deputy Federation Minister Mijat Tuka canceled his visit to Mostar at the last minute. According to OHR the Ministry has not expressed seriousness in dealing with this problem nor has it shown responsibility for its actions, and in spite of this the OHR will remain dedicated to resolving of this issue.

Dnevni List (page 5) carries article which says that the Bank Austria is not interested in buying Hercegovacka Banka as it was reported in Vecernji list daily. “I was  informed  by  my  colleagues on the news and I wish to say it is an incorrect  information. I can confirm that Bank Austria is not interested in buying Hercegovacka Banka,” director of HVB Banka BiH Franz Friedl said. He added that he did not have talks with bank’s provisional manager Toby Robinson. “We are not interested at  all for  buying any bank in BiH, because the process of founding a bank in which we’ll invest about 30 million marks is underway. We believe it is better for the country’s economy to establish a new, internationally  recognized  bank  than  buy  a  domestic bank that has too many problems,” he said.

Dnevni List (page 3) carries that the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office issued bills of indictment against 12 persons regarding the case of BH Bank due to the abuse of authorities or assisting in these misdeeds. DL says that those who were granting loans, as well as, those who were receiving them are among the accused ones. The total amount of loans is 36 million Marks.

Dnevni List (page 5, by Vladimir Buic) carries a reaction on the editor’s commentary published in Oslobodjenje a day or two after August 5, which is a Croatian Day of Homeland’s Gratitude. Buic says that the editorial objects Croatian authorities because during the ceremony of marking of this holiday they did not mention a role, importance and contribution of Atif Dudakovic, a Commander of the Bihac 5thCorps in these historical events. The editorial says that Oslobodjenje also underestimates a role of Croats in rescuing of Bosnia and it glorifies significance of Bosniak-Moslem factor. Buic objects the fact that many high-ranked Bosniak politicians and legal experts spread in public thesis about alleged aggression of Croatia against BiH and The Hague’ stand on this issue is the best proof as to how powerful media harangue can be.

“The Federation Government has accepted the international arbitration to determine the ownership structure in the Mostar-based Aluminum Combine, and this is another international audit not opposed by the company’s management either. The Government has accepted the arbitration after it failed to determine by its own what has left of the state property in the pre-war state firm, as the announced agreement of the self-styled Aluminum owners is coming after they have alredy survive one international revisions directed by OHR,” Hamid Deronjic wrote in an article on the issue published in this week’s edition of the Sarajevo-based biweekly Start.

Dnevni Avaz reads that the arbitration process for Aluminij Company will start in September and that the World Bank should finance arbitration process, if both Federation Government and “Aluminij” Management agree to accept result of arbitration as final. The article says that the Federation Government has accepted the precondition of the World Bank but the Management of “Aluminij” still hasn’t. Minister of Energy Hasan Becirevic stated: “If the key elements of the Agreement are not accepted from the other side, i.e. from the Assembly of potential shareholders of Aluminij, then it is quite natural that the Government will have other legal and constitutional means at its disposal”.

Brcko – Arizona market issue

President of Republican Party Stjepan Kljujic met with landowners at Arizona market supporting them. He told them that they, if necessary, must fight for their land even with their bodies, otherwise they would betray their ancestors. “The right on private property is inviolable in the whole world, we will go to the High Representative and to Strasbourg; no one has a right to take away what belongs to you. It is clear to everyone that international Mafia has sneaked in here, and it will bring drugs and prostitution; someone wants to create a small Trieste on your land,” Kjlujic said. (Dnevni Avaz p6)

As FENA reports, some 1,000 sellers at Arizona market, dissatisfied with the work of competent authorities that on Wednesday started to close down shops that do not have proper work permits, have blocked on Thursday morning road Orasje – Tuzla. The sellers claim they have legal permits issued by the Department for Urbanism, Real Estate Affairs and Economic Development of the District Government, and that they regularly pay all taxes. They say they will stop the blockade as soon as someone from the Government addresses them.

• SFOR Launched operation against logistic network of Radovan Karadzic
• BiH Agency for Protection of Deposits to start working soon
• Property law implementation in RS improving

FTV 1 (1930)

• The biggest postwar indictment for activities in financial sector of BH have been raised
• SFOR capturing Radovan Karadzic blocked Foca and Celebici regions
• Exhumation from a new mass grave in Srebrenica settlement Kamenica started
• Reconstruction of cultural and historic monuments in RS from now on without issuing construction licenses.