Latest radio news broadcast at 12.00 on 17 January
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (12,00 hrs) | BH Radio 1(12,00 hrs) | RTRS(12,00 hrs) |
| FBiH HoR in session | FBiH HoR session | Bomb alert at Pale |
| BiH getting UXO disposal unit | Matijasevic on arrest of PIFWCs | Update to Vasic trial |
| Jelavic trials continue today | Mesic wins re-election | Matijasevic on PIWFCs surrenders |
TV news broadcast on 16 January
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1(19,00 hrs) | FED TV(19,30 hrs) | RT RS(19,30) |
| CRO presidential elections | CRO Presidential elections | Todovic before ICTY | EC, OHR on Todovic |
| CRO elections in BIH | Croatian elections in BiH | CRO presidential elections | ICTY update |
| Plavsic wrote a book | HR on Todovic surrender | Croatian elections in BiH | Burial in |
| World news | Victims of war on HR | Croatian elections in BiH | Reactions: police reform |
| Oslobodjenje | Contributions to the salary up to 55% maximum!; Election frauds again; Ashdown should witness in |
| Dnevni Avaz | Together with Belgrade SDS wants to stop BiH’s way to EU; Those afraid of revision have unclear conscience; Mesic convincingly wins |
| Dnevni List | Midhat Arifovic: Director of FBiH Tax Administration: Pensions are questionable because of VAT |
| Vecernji List | |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Stipe Mesic wins |
Nezavisne Novine | Darko Matijasevic: There will be more extraditions; Paddy Ashdown: An important step in RS cooperation with |
| Glas Srpske | Slobodanka Mladic was imprisoned for a year at Bosniaks’ prisons: I am ready to testify |
| EuroBlic | Todovic arrived to |
| Vecernje novosti | Bozidar Vucurevic: The bargain did not “pass” |
| Nacional | Features Serbian related topics |
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| LATEST NEWS OF TODAY |
| FBiH HoR withdraws draft law on sale of apartments from discussion
| FENA news agency – At the session today, the FBiH House of Representative has taken off the agenda the draft Law on return, allocation and sale of apartments upon the request by the High Representative. OHR letter, given out to delegates before the beginning of the session, says this law prejudices the work of BiH Commission for Restitution, and therefore must be withdrawn. FBiH Government agreed with withdrawal, but only until the next session. Following removal of the Law from agenda, representatives of BiH Steel, Zeljezara, veterans and invalids have left the session. |
| Pale bomb tip-off
| RTRS at 12.00 – There was an anonymous tip-off on planted bomb at a coffee bar in Pale, which was to go off at
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| Vasic trial resumes
| RHB at 12.00 – Trials to former member of BiH Presidency and President of HDZ BiH, Ante Jelavic, regarding events related to ‘Hercegovacka bank’ case, will resume today.
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| HB trials resumes | RTRS at 12.00 – The prosecution has asked for 5-years imprisonment sentence against Bogdan Vasic at today’s resumption of the trial for trafficking in narcotics. Verdict should be reached on Wednesday, 19 January. |
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| Croatian presidential elections |
| Mesic wins re-election
| Slobodna Dalmacija, front pg splash and pgs 2-3 ‘Stipe Mesic wins’, not signed, Dnevni Avaz pg 17, mentioned on cover, ‘Mesic convincingly wins’ – According to public opinion polls conducted by ‘Puls’ and ‘GfK’ agencies, the current President of Croatia, Stipe Mesic, has convincingly won the runoff Croatian presidential elections held Sunday. RTRS – also reported on elections. |
| GONG says irregularities in BiH repeated | RHB, Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘Again election frauds’, mentioned on cover, by Fena, Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Voting at 42 polling stations in BiH’ by N.N.; EuroBlic RSpg 3 ‘Croats in BiH yesterday voted for the future President of Croatia’ by SRNA, Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 2 ‘Quarrel between GONG and HNS’, by E. Karamatic, Vecernji List, pg 11 ‘Bigger turnout of voters in BiH’, by F. M. – According to Croatian NGO “GONG”, election irregularities at the polls in BiH from the first run in the Croatian presidential elections have repeated on Sunday during the second run. GONG issued apres release stating that the election board in Prozor-Rama consisted of HDZ members while at two polls in Grude the boxes with votes were not sealed. It was also noted that citizens of RTRS– The election turnout for Croatian presidential elections in BiH was higher than in the first round. BHT 1 – BHT found out unofficially that busses were organized for voters from FTV – The members of the Croatian Election Commission stated that no any bigger irregularities were registered, however “Gong” warns that it is against Croatian Election Law to have members of political parties to be a part of election boards. |
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| War crimes / Cooperation with ICTY |
| OHR welcomes Todovic’s surrender
| BHT 1, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Ashdown welcomes Todovic’s transfer to ICTY’ by Fena, Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘The first step of RS authorities’ by Fena, Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘Republika Srpska started cooperating with The Hague’, by NINA, Vecernji List, pg 2 ‘Paddy Ashdown welcomes the extradition’, by bs – The HR Paddy Ashdown welcomed on Sunday the transfer by the RS authorities of ICTY indictee Savo Todovic. “Nine years after FTV, RTRS, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘An important step in RS cooperation with Note: On Monday, ICTY will decide on Todovic’s first appearance before the justices on plead on charges of indictment. |
| EC welcomes Todovic’s extradition to ICTY
| FTV, RTRS, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘The first indictee surrendered with an assistance of RS authorities’ by Fena, Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘European Commission welcomes extradition of Todovic’; Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘A key to democracy’ by N. Z. – The delegation of the European Commission in BiH welcomed the surrender of ICTY indictee Savo Todovic. Chief of the delegation, Michael Humphreys, stated he expects this to be just the beginning of the RS full cooperation with ICTY. |
| Matijasevic: There will be more extraditions
| Nezavisne Novine cover ‘There will be more extraditions’ and pg 3 ‘There will be more extraditions to The Hague’ by D. Jerinic – In a half-a-page interview to NN, Darko Matijasevic, RS Interior Minister, says that RS has launched several operations following the voluntary surrender of Savo Todovic, in order to improve RS cooperation with the ICTY. He also indicates similar voluntary surrenders may follow up in the future, stressing that RS Government can be satisfied over Todovic’s surrender, with whom it had negotiated the issue of surrender from the beginning of December last year. He also announces he is expected to hold a meeting with Carla del Ponte in |
| Glusac: This is the first voluntary surrender to RS authorities
| Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘Step ahead of RS authority’ by O. Vuckovic – A head of the Cabinet of the RS Minister of Interior, Zoran Glusac, stated that surrender of Savo Todoric is the first case of voluntary surrender of a war crime suspect to the RS authorities as well as the first extradition of some of the The Hague indictees to the ICTY. |
| ICTY rep in BiH: Todovic might be tried before
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Trial against Savo Todovic may possibly be held at BiH Court’ by D. Risojevic – Mathias Hellman, the Spokesperson of the ICTY Office in Sarajevo, stated that the Hague indictee Savo Todovic, would enter his plea before the ICTY in the coming days. Hellman also added that Todovic might be tried before |
| ‘Women – Victims of War’ demand Ashdown to testify on crimes in Foca
| BHT 1, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Ashdown should testify in the Hague’, mentioned on cover, by Fena, Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘Ashdown should testify on tortures of Bosniaks in Foca’ by FENA, Dnevni Avaz pg 9 ‘ICTY should call on Ashdown to testify on war crimes in Foca’ by Fena – The Association ‘Woman – Victim of War’ will in the next seven days submit a request to the ICTY Chief Prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, asking her to invite the HR Paddy Ashdown to testify. Association says that Ashdown, as British official who visited BiH in 1992, would have plenty to say on crimes committed in Foca. According to the Association, Savo Todovic played big part in those crimes. |
| RS POWs want HR Ashdown to declare himself about crimes against
| Dnevni List, pg 7, mentioned on front ‘Indictments for 150 Croats and Bosniaks have arrived’, by Arijana Beus – The President of Association of RS POWs, Branislav Dukic, confirmed for DL that the A-9 team of the ICTY has submitted 7 indictments that deal with crimes committed against the Serbs in Posavina and Semberija and which cover 150 Croats and Bosniaks who committed the crimes. On top of this, Dukic says that the Association of RS POWs is requesting an establishment of a commission that would exclusively investigate into sufferings of the Serbs of Sarajevo, not a parliamentary commission that would investigate into sufferings of all three constituent peoples. Dukic also notes that the Association has sent the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, a letter in which they want the HR to declare himself about |
| GS: Testimony on crimes at camps in Hrasnica
| Glas Srpske cover page story ‘Ready to testify’ by Sl. S. – GS features a story on Slobodanka Mladic, a woman who, together with her 15-year-old son, was held imprisoned at Bosniak concentration camps in Hrasnica near Sarajevo. She named people who were killed in the concentration camp, as well as people who were treating detainees in a brutal manner. She expressed her willingness to tell investigators everything she knows about this. |
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| Police reform/ security issues/ trials |
| RS NGOs asks from Stojicic to annul all Govt decisions after Mikerevic’s resignation
| RTRS – TheCoordination Board of 11 NGOs from RS demands from the RS National Assembly Speaker Dusan Stojicic to overrule all decisions the Government made after the resignation ofPrime Minister Dragan Mikerevic. Vice Chair of the Coordination Board, Slavko Jovicic,stated that RS will be left without Interior Ministry due to police reform and repeated the position of the Board that Mikerevic has to be held responsible for his actions since he deluded the public when he spoke about successful defence reform. EuroBlic cover ‘Jovicic: Decisions of RS Government should be annulled’ by SRNA; Glas Srpske cover page report ‘Nothing to be done secretly!’, Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘Put decision of RS Government in resignation out of force’, not signed – also reports on Jovicic’s statement. |
| Terzic supports map dividing police in five regions
| EuroBlic RSpg 1 ‘Police division of BiH’ by Rajna Radosavljevic – Adnan Terzic, Chairperson of the BiH COM, commented on police reform by saying that: “The proposal on police reform in BiH does not stipulate cantonal nor entities’ interior ministries. As for some internal affairs, entities have a possibility to decide on whether they would have entities’ MoI without police authorities. And this depends on each entity.” He is of the view that the police in BiH should be organized by five regional centers, as stipulated by the map supported by European Commission and experts from Europe, adding that “there is still time left to decide”. Goran Radivojac, Spokespersons of the RS PM, and Zoran Glusac, Head of MoI Cabinet, confirm they have not still received the copies of the police reform report. RTRS – also reports on Terzic’s stance regarding five regions. |
| PDP on PRC report: ‘Unacceptable division between authorities of BiH and entities’
| RTRS, Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘Unacceptable division between authorities of BiH and entities’ by Fena, Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘PDP: Intention for preservation of entities MoI demonstrated’ by SRNA, Dnevni List, pg 3 ‘Reports shows intention of keeping entity MoIs’, not signed – The Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) said in a statement Sunday that at preliminary insight into the BiH Police Restructuring Commission’s report it is possible to conclude that “presented views and positions show a certain level of respect for the current state of police structure in BiH and intention to preserve the entity interior ministries.” The statement cited that “the PDP deems that proposed principles of organization of local police areas and division of competencies between entities and BiH, as cited in the report, are unacceptable.” The PDP backs commitment of Police Restructuring Commission Chairman, Wilfred Martens, and High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown,to allow BiH authorities to make the final decision of police structure in the country |
| US State Department not recommending its citizens to visit BiH fearing mujahedeens
| Vecernji List, pg 3, mentioned on front ‘USA fears mujahedeens from BiH’, by Valentina Rupcic – Notes that the US State Department has issued a regular list of countries to which the US citizens are recommended not to go. The list includes 25 countries, among them BiH. The |
| VL on ‘Croat self-rule’ case: McNair looking for repentant witness
| Vecernji List, pg 4 ‘McNair looking for repentant in ‘Self-rule’ case’, by Miro Vasilj – reports that the BiH Prosecution has requested the suspects in the ‘Croat self-rule’ case to show up for additional questioning. VL learns from “well informed sources” that Prosecutor John McNair is trying to cause a rift among the defendants and that he will soon try to find a repentant, which he had managed in the ‘Hercegovacka bank’ case. According to one of the defendants’ lawyers, Nenad Gvozdic (a lawyer of Petar Milic), his client will not be a repentant, insisting that the indictment is groundless and without legal evidence. |
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| Economic issues |
| Oslobodjenje int with Alija Baksic, Head of Bulldozer project
| Oslobodjenje front pg splash and pgs 4 and 5 ‘Contributions to salaries maximally 55 %!’ by D. Omeragic carries an interview with Head of the Bulldozer project Alija Remzo Baksic. Asked as to which is the most important demand from the last 50 proposals handed over the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers Adnan Terzic last week, Baksic says that the most important demand is the one on the ground of which a unified way of settling up contributions on salaries would be defined and that rate can be maximally 55 %. Baksic also said that the Bulldozer Commission partly succeeded because of the authority of High Representative Paddy Ashdown and international organizations, which gave their support, and he added: ‘Now, we have to show that people at the local level are willing to make the system in which everything will be functioning properly and in which all obstacles for business will be removed…’ |
| DL int with Arifovic: ‘Pensions are questionable because of VAT’
| Dnevni List, front pg splash and pg 9 ‘Pensions are questionable because of VAT’, not signed – Carries an interview with the Director of the FBiH Tax Administration (FBiH TA), Midhat Arifovic, in which he notes that the FBiH TA is currently in a very confusing situation since many of its employees, foremost inspectors in charge of control of big taxpayers, do not know whether they will stay working with the FBiH TA or move to the Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA). Due to that situation, Arifovic says that many criminal investigations that cover financial illegalities worth several millions of KMs have been jeopardized since nobody is running the investigations. Due to inspectors not showing up at work, Arifovic also says that there could be a lesser control of taxpayers, which could result in decrease of collection of public revenues, which could subsequently lead to the situation in which there will be not enough funds for payment of pensions. “I have been warning the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister (of the FBiH) about that, and if it comes to that, the Government and Finance Ministry will be responsible for it, because the story about sales tax at State level and VAT has not direct connection with the pensioners. We have been warning about the confusion that has been going for three months, and if your people are leaving or waiting to go, it is natural that they are using the situation to work as little as possible and not to be at odds (with someone) because they already see themselves in other administration”. |
| usinessmen warn VAT will cause inflation
| RTRS – Businessmen warn that introduction of the VAT will cause inflation in BIH, warning that BiH authorities still have not developed anti-inflation policy. Mladen Micic, Chair of RS Chamber of Commerce, says that with the new law entities will have a right to deal with the social issues but will have no resources for it. The Indirect Taxation Administration claims that there will be no inflation. Damir Miljevic, Chair of RS Employers Association, says that countries that introduced VAT had a price control for the basic groceries in that way preventing inflation. Miljevic says that such measure will probably not be implemented in BIH and therefore high inflation should be expected by the end of the year. |
| Biber: ‘Those against privatization audit have guilty conscience’
| Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘Those who are against audit have guilty conscience’, mentioned on cover, by E. Plecic -In an interview to DA, President of the BiH Trade Union Edhem Biber qualifies ‘an appeal’ of some companies and institutions who demand from representatives in the Federation of BiH Parliament not to adopt the proposal of the Law regarding the audit of privatization, as guilty conscience and acting against the interest of workers. According to Biber, there is no a single reason not to conduct the audit of privatization which has been carried out so far. |
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| Vecernji List, pg 5, mentioned on front ‘Everything needs to be done to secure development of Aluminij’, by Zoran Kresic – Carries an interview with the Canton 7 Prime Minister, Miroslav Coric, in which he opposes decisions of the FBiH Government to take over several state-owned companies from the competence of the canton. “I really cannot understand moves of the FBiH Government and Privatization Agency given their bad experiences in privatization of companies. I will personally request that companies such as HEPOK, Mostar Tobacco Factory and Hotel Neum be returned to the cantonal (privatization) agency”, says PM Coric. Questioned whether such cases are motivated by interests of a group of people or certain lobbies, and whether such scenario is reminiscent of the ‘Aluminij’ case, PM Coric says: “It is very hard to claim that with full certainty. When you break down the reasons, one has to logically conclude it is about protection of interest of one people, lobby and individuals. I do not see a fourth significant reason”. On ‘Aluminij’, PM Coric says: “There are certain lobbies and people in this country that divide everything into ours and theirs, which I oppose. Everything needs to be done to secure development to Aluminij”. |
| NN: OHR denies involvement of its staff in corruption scandal
| Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘They are dissatisfied with the investigation on case of corruption at OHR’ by D. R. – OHR has denied the involvement of one of its high-ranking employees in a corruption scandal after it conducted an internal investigation, as Transparency International has confirmed. A source close to top of OHR has stated: “The investigation OHR conducted showed these claims were not correct. This was about a denunciation of Transparency International in which it was stated that, allegedly, the employee, whose name I cannot reveal for understandable reasons, has threatened the leadership of a public institution in RS by saying that Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative, would remove them all if they fail to give back the job to a person they have fired earlier’. Boris Divjak, the Transparency International Director, has confirmed TI has received a letter from OHR, which explained in two sentences that the employee couldn’t be held responsible of this. Divjak said he wanted to know how and through what kind of an investigation had OHR reached such a conclusion. OHR refused to comment on this case. OHR Banja Luka Spokesperson Ljiljana Radetic said OHR never comments on its correspondence. |
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| Political issues |
| SDU Tokic: ‘Together with
| Dnevni Avaz front pg splash and pg 4 ‘Together with Belgrade SDS wants to stop BiH’s way to EU’ by L. Sinanovic – DA carries a short interview with SDU Vice President Sejfudin Tokic who says that due to obstruction of Serb national parties, which act in cooperation with Belgrade, the BiH’s way towards the European integration is completely stopped and the only way that BiH strikes back is consensus of political parties that want European future of BiH. Tokic added: ‘It is clear that in cooperation with the regime from |
| Tihic blames Foreign Ministry for ‘all disgraces’ in diplomacy
| Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘MVP is responsible for all disgraces’ by M. Drinjakovic – In an interview given to DA, Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency Sulejman Tihic talks about scandals that shake the BiH diplomacy and says that he called to account the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of failures such as appointment of Filomena Primorac to position of a General Consul in Chicago, although BiH does not have a Consulate in this city, then the case of BiH Ambassador to Jordan Krunoslav Vasilj, whose case has not been resolved yet etc. |
| Jahic: ‘SDA Caucus will suggesting a decision on temporary financing of Mostar’
| Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘SDA Caucus will suggesting a decision on temporary financing of Mostar’ by F. Vele – The former Mostar mayor and the chair of SDA branch, Hamdija Jahic, sent a letter to HR Paddy Ashdown, following the letter sent by the Mostar Mayor, Ljubo Beslic, to Ashdown which accuses Party for BiH and SDA for ‘paralyzing’ Mostar, In the letter, Jahic warns that Beslic’s stands on changes to the Mostar Statute and radical delegates in Mostar City Council are nothing but a trial to please certain associations within ‘his own allies’ aimed at postponing the decision on single budget. Jahic adds that the reason SDA delegates sustained the vote was the lack of structure of budgetary users. He concludes that SDA Club will propose the decision on temporary financing at the next session of the Council. |
| On removal of crosses at Old Town at Stolac
| Vecernji List, pg 3 ‘Bosniak company removes crosses’, by Miso Relota – Regarding previous reports that the crosses on Old Town near Stolac will be pulled down on January 19, today’s VL announces that the FBiH Minister of Urban Planning and Environment, Ramiz Mehmedagic, will be visiting Stolac today (Monday) to discuss the issue with the local leadership. VL also says that according to unofficial information, the removal of cross will be preformed by “a Bosniak construction company from Mostar”, since no company responded to earlier vacancy notices. |
| NN op-ed criticize politicians in BiH | Nezavisne Novine op-ed pg 7 ‘The deserved despair’ by Nihada Hasic – The author is critical of the BiH politicians, who are persistently fighting to get as better positions possible. However, she is also critical of BiH citizens, who apparently are not satisfied with the existing situation, but still do not hold protests to express that. She concludes it is too late for any action bar admitting ourselves we have got what we have deserved, because we have a won a right to this despair. |