Headlines in Print Media |
Dnevni Avaz: Late Sunday night talks on pre-election coalitions – the Alliance leaders fail to reach the agreement
Jutarnje Novine: Lidija Korac – Deadline for the voters registration will not be extended; NHI requests Sefika Hafizovic’s resignation
Dnevni List: Interview with Miro Grabovac Titan – Any isolation nowadays is a luxury; Nezim Halilovic Muderris, an Islamic Priest with bloodied hands – and a “businessman”???
Vecernji List: Five hours in prison with Fikret Abdic
Nezavisne Novine: World Soccer Championship – The entire Africa celebrates Senegal’s victory; Milan Ninkovic, a senior SDS official, on the customs affair – RS Government should remove Popovic
Glas Srpski: School enrolment in RS – Straight-A pupils have advantage; America: Another person suspected of having terrorist links arrested in Florida;
Blic: Fikret Abdic: I’m coming from the prison to the BiH Presidency; Only a quarter of Serbs returned to the Federation; Dragan Kalinic” The Customs’ director does not obstruct the investigation; Mujahedeens return to Bocinja?
Serbs protest return of mujahedeens to Bocinja |
The Alliance leaders fail to reach the agreement on pre-election coalition; other pre-election related news |
Oslobodjenje (p 7) reports that the political parties belonging to the Croat National Assembly (HNS), whose representatives met during the weekend at an HDZ initiative, have also failed to reach the agreement on their joint participation in the October elections.
Dnevni List (front and page 2) and Vecernji List (page 4) carry interviews with the President of HSS (Croat Peasants’ Party), Ilija Simic, in which he talks about the current situation on BiH political stage. Dnevni List notes that the Alliance for changes held a session of its Co-ordination last night in Sarajevo which was to render the issue of joint activities of the member parties for the forthcoming elections. Due to late start of the session, the papers have no coverage of the session but Simic told the daily before the session started that there was no chance that the Alliance would go as one in the October elections because the strongest parties within the Alliance have already nominated their candidates for the BiH Presidency. Questioned whether that means that the Allaince would collapse, Simic says that the Alliance would survive in the current set up until the October elections. In an interview for Vecernji List Simic says that the High Representative Paddy Ashdown made a mistake when he removed Nikola Grabovac saying that Ashdown should have left it to the regular procedure to do the job. Simic says that the move has provoked the wrath of the majority of Croats who believe that Ashdown is making moves that are detrimental to the Croats. “Some parties with the Croat prefix will try to capitalize on the move and unite the Croat electorate before the elections”.
In an interview given to Dnevni List (page 5) , Miro Grabovca Titan, the President of HDU, says that the reasons because of which they decided to form a Coalition with People’s Party Working for Prosperity are unifying of Croat votes in the best possible way and a joint vision regarding resolving of some issues, that are important for the interest of the Croat people. Titan says that the Croat people in BiH are in a very difficult political and economic situation and each sort of isolation is a luxury.
In an article on who will be candidates for the BiH Presidency in the October elections, Dnevni Avaz (p 3) writes that Haris Silajdzic (Party for BiH), Sulejman Tihic (SDA) and Ibrahim Spahic (GDS) have already been nominated for a Bosniak member of the body. The SDP has still not nominated its candidate and it is uncertain whether the party leader, Zlatko Lagumdzija, will run for the Presidency. There are also speculations that Rasim Kadic (LDS), Sefer Halilovic (BPS) and Fikret Abdic (DNZ) might run for a Bosniak member of the Presidency. Concerning a Croat member of the Presidency, for now, only Mladen Ivankovic has been nominated for the post by the Economic Block – HDU for Prosperity. There are speculations that Barisa Colak (on behalf of the HDZ) and Friar Petar Andjelovic (expected to be nominated by several smaller BiH Croat political parties) will also run for the body. In the Republika Srpska, Dragan Kalinic (SDS) and Mladen Ivanic (PDP) have been so far mentioned as more serious candidates for a Serb member of the BiH Presidency.
Vecernji List (page 5) exclusively carries an article about a visit of journalist Esad Sabanagic to Fikret Abdic “Babo”, who has been heldin custody in Karlovac (Croatia). Abdic says that he is not guilty for the crimes that have been set against him and he expects acquitting verdict from the court. Abdic announces that he will take part in the upcoming elections: “President of Election Commission (of BiH) will personally come here to the Regional Court in Karlovac, and I expect someone from OHR and OSCE. As soon as they see the files they will be able to see that I can take part in the elections. There is no guilt at all and everything comes down to political showdown.”
In an editorial on the upcoming elections, Faruk Cardzic writes in Dnevni Avaz (p 3) that the October elections could be the most uncertain and the most interesting elections held so far in BiH.
In today’s editorial in Vecernji List (page 2) Stjepan Kovac writes about possible coalitions in BiH. Saying that ‘Alliance for Democratic Changes’ is dying out four months before elections, the author says that only efficient coalition previously in BiH was the informal one, formed of SDA-SDS-HDZ. Saying that BiH by its complex structure requires coalitions, formal or informal, Kovac adds that the parties within such coalitions should legitimately represent all peoples and citizens. “One can hope that new High Representative Paddy Ashdown will not follow his predecessor who preferred some, allegedly non-national parties and coalitions, but he will ensure fair election match. Most likely, we will see post-election informal coalition of national parties “, the author finishes his editorial.
Ashdown to address entity’s parliaments |
BiH politicians support Ashdown’s idea on recruiting finance ministers from Diaspora |
Sulejman Tihic (SDA leader): “I could support such the idea. Those people must be patriots, they must love BiH.”
Ilija Simic (HSS president): “It would be excellent if such the idea could be realized in an efficient way. But, I believe that there are no too many successful businessmen inBiH Diaspora.”
Sejfudin Tokic (Vice-president of the SDP Main Board): “I fully support the standpoint that credible people are appointed to the ministerial posts regardless of whether they are living in BiH or abroad.”
NHI requests Sefika Hafizovic’s resignation |
Interview with a SDS senior official Milan Ninkovic: RS Government should dismiss Goran Popovic |
EuroBlic quotes the Chairman of the Alliance of National Renewal, Mirko Banjac (page 11), as saying that in this country anyone can take power and do whatever he-she wants to and then, of course, things like the RS CA affair happen. “On one side, the RS leadership is playing with millions and on the other people are starving. The saddest thing is that people think that if someone decided to rob them then it is better that they are one of us. If people take side with thieves, then let them starving”, said Banjac.
BBC: ICTY considers BiH war crimes trials |
A BBC correspondent in Sarajevo says some lower-level trials have already been held in BiH itself, but with uneven and sometimes legally dubious results. Our correspondent says Republika Srpska police chiefs and politicians are obstructing the trial of Serb policemen who were arrested by their own forces last month for the murder of a Roman Catholic priest in 1995.
Paddy Ashdown sees Swiss model as a path BiH should follow |
Hansjoerg Kretschmer says BiH is too late with its integration into Europe |
There were financial irregularities in the Federation Defense Ministry operations |
Nezim Halilovic Muderris, an Islamic Priest with bloodied hands – and a “businessman”??? |
Dnevni List on Mostar Airport |
Headlines in Electronic Media |
BHTV 1 (Sunday, June 16, 1900)
- Coordination of the Alliance for Changes will tonight hold a session to discuss possible joint participation in the upcoming elections. (1)
- Haris Silajdzic speaks for the BHTV 1: Nijaz Durakovic will have to decide on his own which party he will join. (2.5)
- Serb returnees in the Maglaj’s settlements of Gornja Bocinja, Donja Bocinja, Bakotic and Krsno Polje protested on Sunday because, as they said, the return of mujaheedins to this area.
FTV 1 (1930)
- Serb returnees in the Maglaj’s settlements of Gornja Bocinja, Donja Bocinja, Bakotic and Krsno Polje protested on Sunday because, as they said, the return of mujaheedins to this area. (2)
- Four persons with Abu Hamza nicknames visited BiH. The most famous one is the leaders of mujahedeens in Bocinja. He currently lives in Sokolovic Kolonija in Sarajevo. (2)
- At the seventh assembly of the BiH Serb Civic Council-Movement for Equality (SGV-PR) held on Sunday, Mirko Pejanovic was re-elected at the position of the president of this non-governmental organization.
RTRS (1930)
- SDS President Dragan Kalinic told the RTRS that the attack on the SDS is being directed from two groups – those who had people involved in numerous affairs that have not been solved, and PDP which is surprising.
- The SDS will not be an obstacle to the investigation into all affairs. (1.30)
- The PDP has never been involved in any affair, and it is not involved in the customs case either. We want all affairs to be solved, because only that can lead to the strengthening of the RS institutions’ authority PDP Spokesman Igor Crnadak said. (1)
- A decision of the High Representative to replace the Federation finance minister will affect the reorganization at the political scene in BiH, Kresimir Zubak said. He added that the Alliance for Changes is breaking up. (1)
- Finance Minister Nikola Grabovac repeated that Ashdown’s decision did not correspond to the results of his work, which is confirmed by the regular payment of pensions and invalid fees. (1)
- High Representative Paddy Ashdown said a good solution was to appoint successful BiH businessmen who live abroad as the new finance ministers in both entities. (1.20)
- Serb returnees in the Maglaj’s settlements of Gornja Bocinja, Donja Bocinja, Bakotic and Krsno Polje protested on Sunday because, as they said, the return of mujaheedins to this area.