| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BTV 1(19,00 hrs) | FED TV(19,30 hrs) | RT RS(19,30) |
| Registry to be established | New RS MoI appointed | Inspector builds illegally | Matijasevic new RS MoI |
| FBIH Govt in session | Cavic meets CoE team | Wood ind. workers protest | SDA reaction to dismissal |
| Control of gas stations | Konjevic Polje church | Teloptic buys Milkos | Cavic on RS Govt session |
| Money to 38 municipalities | War criminals’ supporters | New RS MoI appointed | Exhumations in Kevljani |
Oslobodjenje | SDA left authorities in Republika Srpska; Round table: Ethnic cleansing, for now, has been successful; Indictment for Croat Self-Rule confirmed |
| Dnevni Avaz | Bakir Izetbegovic: I did not give a motive for stories on rift; Prices for telephone services must be reduced; Paddy Ashdown: I expects Matijasevic to act; Shagic: Mikerevic punished me because of the church |
| Dnevni List | Self-rulers freed of part of indictment |
| Vecernji List | Anti-Catholics want to move Croats out of BiH |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | BiH: |
Nezavisne Novine | Dragan Mikerevic carried out Government re-shuffle: Sehagic removed, SDA demands removal of Dokic; BiH CoM adopts Information of the State Debt: BiH owes over BAM 4 billion |
| Glas Srpske | School books in Brcko: Traders in children’s’ souls |
| EuroBlic | RS Government re-shuffle: Matijasevic new RS Interior Minister; Mladen Ivanic: Mujahedeens in BiH are the fact |
| Slobodna Bosna | Balkan Narco-Mafia in |
| Dani | Confession of a spy [of Saud Curic Sok] |
| | RS Government reshuffle |
| Mikerevic removes SDA Minister from RS Govt; SDA withdraws from RSNA majority [reactions]
| FTV, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Mikerevic removed Mensur Sehagic’ by M. Vidovic, Dnevni List, pg 4 ‘Matijasevic a new Minister of Interior’, not signed, Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 12 ‘New minister expected to carry out arrests’, by A. Macanovic, EuroBlic RSpg 1 ‘Sehagic removed’ mentioned on cover ‘Matijasevic new RS Interior Minister’ by R. Radosavljevic – RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic on Thursday confirmed he has removed Mensur Sehagic, the RS Minister for Urban Planning and Ecology, and instead appointed Hrusto Tupekovic. Mikerevic said that this move indicates the beginning of the RS Government reconstruction. BHT 1 – “With this I started RS Government reconstruction, to which level I will go, I cannot say for now,” stated Mikerevic. RTRS, Oslobodjenje cover splash, pgs 4-5 ‘SDA left authorities in Republika Srpska’ by Orijana Vukovic, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘SDA leaves Assembly’s majority and withdraws confidence in RS Government’ by Onasa – Adil Osmanovic announced that SDAdelegates will leave RS National Assembly’s majority and withdrew its confidence in the RS Government. |
| [SDA: calls on Branko Dokic’s removal]
| Dnevni List, pg 2 ‘Removal of Minister Dokic requested’, not signed, Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘SDA demands removal of Dokic’ mentioned on cover ‘Sehagic removed, SDA demands removal of Dokic’ by D. Risojevic; Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Decision written by Ivanic’ – Adil Osmanovic, RS Vice President, and Omer Brankovic, RS Minister of Economic relations with Abroad, on Thursday held an extraordinary press conference to express their full support to Sehagic and called on Chairman of BIH Council of Ministers Adnan Terzic to dismiss Branko Dokic, BIH Minister for Communications and Transport.Sehagic, who also attended the conference, stated: “I was removed without any proper reason”, noting he learnt of this decision from the press during the session of RS Government. Adil Osmanovic considers dismissal of Sehagic a precedent and a non-democratic act, showing that Mikerevic confirmed he is “a mere Mladen Ivanic’s executioner”. Osmanovic denied that removal of Sehagic was agreed by the highest officials of SDA and PDP, noting that: “SDA would not allow to anybody, including Mladen Ivanic and PDP, executing self-will and uncivilized actions.” Omer Brankovic noted that he himself and Saud Filipovic, RS Minister of Justice, both personnel of SDA, remain in Government until party top reaches final decision. |
| [Sehagic says he was removed over Konjevic polje church issue]
| Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Prime Minister punished me because of the church in Konjevic polje’, mentioned on cover ‘Mikerervic punished me because of the church’ by E.S. – Sehagic comments for DA that he will not accept Mikerevic’s decision without a fight, and said he will address his issue with the OHR in Banja Luka. “For time being I can only suspect that this removal has something to do with disputable church in Konjevic polje,” says Sehagic. According to RSNA delegate, Sadik Ahmetovic, removal was ‘ordered’ by [Serb Orthodox] bishop Vasilije Kacavenda. RHB, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Removal of Mensur Sehagic ungrounded’ – SDA Vice President, Elmir Jahic says Sehagic’s ‘ungrounded’ removal has been used to redirect the attention from the essence of problems in RS, that is the lack of cooperation with ICTY. |
| Cavic: SDA never was RSNA majority; Segahic did not meet his obligations
| Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Human right under the feet’ by M. Mihajlovic – According to GS inset ‘Majority’, RS President Dragan Cavic commented on removal of Mensur Sehagic saying that SDA delegates were not part of Parliament Majority, owing to which recon they are not actually leaving RS NA majority as SDA announced. Cavic stressed: “Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic that Sehagic is not fulfilling his tasks as expected, which is the reason why the dismissal is justified. Responding on press question whether there would be removals of Serb delegates at BiH COM, Cavic said it would not be good since it would then be an act of political avenge. RTRS – Dragan Cavic: “I don’t know what the other ministers from SDA will do. They have a legal and constitutional right to resign. There will be no problems. We will carry out the legal procedure to appoint new ministers if they decide so. These new ministers will satisfy the constitutional requirements on representatives of all constitutional peoples in the government.” |
| DA op-ed reads PDP removes Sehagic to show voters they protect ‘Serb interests’
| Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘Fight for authorities and seats’ op-ed by Edina Sarac – Editorial refers to the removal of Mensur Sehagic from RS government, which author sees as “the most picturesque example testifying that the struggle for power at the upcoming municipal elections will be lead to the ‘last drop of blood.’” Calling Sehagic a “classical scapegoat” removed by Dragan Mikerevic following orders of PDP leader Mladen Ivanic, in order to show that nobody can make decision to remove Serb Orthodox Church’s facilities, “especially not a Bosniak minister.” Sarac further concludes that neither Ivanic nor Mikerevic really care about the church, but “they very well care to show their voters that they and [their] party will represent and protect ‘Serb national interests on every inch of Serb land.’” Otherwise, says Sarac, if Mikerevic’s statement on this removal being a first step in reorganization of RS Government would result with removals of all three SDA’s ministers. |
| Oslobodjenje op-ed SDS-PDP-SDA will join again soon
| Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Marriage wreckage’ by Azhar Kalamujic – Editor believes that “interests driven marriage” between SDA and ruling Serb parties in RS experienced a fiasco with the “politically orchestrated” removal of SDA minister from RS Government. As for Dragan Mikerevic, author believes that he intended to “ensure the continuation of ‘soup opera’ featuring SDA – SDS – PDP, by removing one, not three SDA ministers, which was the ultimate request posed to him by Serb parliamentary majority in RS.” Calling decision of SDA to withdraw from parliamentary majority “a drama”, author cynically notes that that very soon, those parties will continue their lives “fulfilled with love… in assembly’s hall and ministers’ cabinets.” |
| Mikerevic appoints Darko Matijasevic as new RS MoI
| RTRS, FTV, Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Darko Matijasevic new RS minister of interior’, Dnevni List, pg 4 ‘Matijasevic a new Minister of Interior’, not signed, Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 12 ‘New minister expected to carry out arrests’, by A. Macanovic, Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘Darko Matijasevic new RS Interior Minister’ by D.R., Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Matijasevic appointed, Sahagic removed’ by G. Dakic – RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic on Thursday appointed Darko Matijasevic new RS Minister of Interior. Mikerevic expects Matijasevic to implement reforms at the Ministry of Interior as soon as possible, in order to enable Ministry to carry out ICTY requirements. He also expects Matijasevic to cooperate with all security institutions in BIH, noting that: “We expect from Matijasevic to create a political structure serving citizens and their needs, and also to create material pre-requisites for all tasks ahead of him.” RHB– “I am fully aware of the challenge and responsibility that are ahead of me, ahead of Ministry of Interior, ahead of RS Government in the upcoming period. I want to say that I am fully prepared to face those challenges,” stated Matijasevic. BHT 1 – RS President, Dragan Covic, commented: “I believe in Matijasevic. His advantage is that he is not member of any political party, he can independently make a judgment on any person that is subject to an investigation regardless that persons’ political option.” |
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| Investigations |
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| Dnevni List, front and pg 5 ‘’Self-rulers freed of part of indictment’, by N. Dedic – Judge Gi Van Kran of the BiH Court confirmed the indictment which was raised against 7 Croat officials (Ante Jelavic, Miroslav Prce, Ivo Andric Luzanski Marko Tokic, Zdravko Batinic, Petar Milic and Dragan Curcic) and who were charged with organizing of the Croat self-rule in March and April of 2001. However, a part of indictment that was prepared by Prosecutor John McNair, which relates to the account regarding attempts to change constitutional set-up of the FBIH, was not confirmed. DL notes that the date of the first hearing before the FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘Indictment for Croat Self-0Rule confirmed’, mentioned on cover, by A. Nezirovic, Dnevni Avaz pg 9 ‘Jelavic and others not accused of a trial to change constitutional structure in FBiH?’ by F. Vele – also covered. |
| McNair says relatives of Momcilo Mandic to be charged with crimes
| Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Indictments against members of Mandic’s family soon’ by A. Sisic – Aleksandar and Drazenko Mandic, son and niece of Momcilo Mandic respectively (whose named have been placed on EU and US ban list for aiding war crime suspects), will be charged with financial crime committed within the company “Man Co” and Privredna Banka Serb Sarajevo, confirmed John McNair, Head of BiH Prosecutor’s Office Special Chamber for organised crime. McNair also noted that a large progress has been achieved on this case over the past months since suspects have been detained in mid July. |
| TI: Over 2 billion Euros annually embezzled | vni List, pg 7, ‘Over 2 billion Euros embezzled yearly’, not signed, Vecernji List, pg 2, ‘2 million Euros a year go for bribery’, by Milan Sutalo – “Banka” regional magazine carries that BiH Transparency International has assessed that over 2 billion Euros a year is embezzled through various malversations. Two years ago, making an assessment on financial losses caused by crime and corruption, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development arrived at the amount of 2 billion US$. BiH financial auditors as well as Transparency International are of the view that the big source of corruption are public purchases and services and that passing the state-level Law on public purchases would reduce corruption by 50%. The World Bank assesses that 426 million Euros a year is spent in those two fields, 10% of which get embezzled. |
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| Other political issues |
| Cavic meets CoE monitoring team: Ashdown violates human rights
| BHT 1, RTRS, Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘Cavic: Ashdown is violating Human Rights Convention’ by SRNA; Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Human right under the feet’ by M. Mihajlovic – RS President, Dragan Cavic, on Thursday received representatives of the Council of Europe Monitoring Team, led by Tim Cartright, whom he handed 74 decisions of High Representative, which he finds in violation of Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms and Protocol and other Conventions applied to CoE member-states. Cavic said: “I reminded my guests that BiH has ratified these Conventions in 2002 and raised the issue as to whether any human being in any state – regardless of the job s/he assumes – is allowed to violate human rights of citizens of any state. And this is actually happening in BiH…I ask Council of |
| Terzic meets new US Ambassador to BiH
| RHB, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘BiH will still enjoy US support’, Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘US support and help’, Dnevni List, pg 5, ‘America supports reforms in BiH’, by Nina, Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘USA maintains support to reform processes in BiH’ by ONASA – during his meeting with the Chairman of BiH Presidency Adnan Terzic, the new US Ambassador to BiH, Douglas McElhaney,expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved in BiH and said that the USA would continue its support to reform processes, particularly in the process of BiH joining Euro-Atlantic integration. |
| DA int w/ Bakir Izetbegovic: FTV, instead of information, offers propaganda and depressive news
| Dnevni Avaz cover splash, pg 5 ‘I did not give a motive for stories on the first in the party’ by Fadil Mandal – DA brings an interview with SDA Vice President, Bakir Izetbegovic. Asked to comment to the press release of FTV, in which they accused Izebtegovic of applying a pressure against them and asked for protection of the High Representative, he denied such accusations. Izetbegovic claims that the entire story began at the election gathering with youth, who also wanted to discuss media. According to him, at that occasion he pointed that there are some media fair in their presentation of SDA activities, and some which – in his opinion – subjectively cover the events in the country. “The examples for that are some political and news programmes of FTV. This media has an obligation to offer its viewers, in return to the subscription they pay, with as objective and complete information as possible. Instead, they often serve us with the bad and depressive news and instead of news, they offer propaganda,” Izetbegovic says adding that the best example for such attitude was recent removal of 60 SDS officials by the High Representative Paddy Ashdown when “FTV central news bulletin not only did not support this strong action of the HR, but instead was a reason for viewers to suffer through 15 minutes long propaganda directed against HR and SDA?!” Izetbegovic though stressed that he is not in a favour of censorship. As for the speculations that rift in the SDA is possibly, Izetbegovic says that he constantly repeats that he has no leadership ambitions to replace SDA leader Sulejman Tihic and that he would continue to help Tihic in everything he can. |
| VL in with Cardinal Puljic: ‘Anti-Catholics want to move Croats out of BiH’
| Vecernji List, front and pgs 4-5 ‘Anti-Catholics want to move Croats out of BiH’, by Jozo Pavkovic – carries an interview with the Archbishop of Vrhbosnia, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, in which he mostly talks about problems of the Croats in BiH and the recent letter that he had sent to the Pope, in which he asked for protection of the BiH Croats. Questioned to comment about his concerns for the BiH Croats, Cardinal Puljic says: “I was reading reports of some ambassadors or principals of various organizations in this country with sadness. I see where they are aiming at. For example, when I warned about the problem of getting construction permits for churches in |
| PDP youth protests for insufficient representative in media
| RTRS, Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘Protest of the PDP Youth’ by S. Gojkovic – Around 30 members of PDP Youth on Thursday held a protest in front of RTRS, holding brooms in their hands (insinuating RTRS needs to be cleansed and formed as unbiased and objective station). Aleksandar Anicic, President of the PDP Youth Council, said: “We demand more space in public service for young politicians, who are hardly represented in the media.” Dragan Davidovic, RTRS Director, waited for the youth, in company of his associates, and stressed when they came that all political parties enjoy an equal treatment in the informational programme of RTRS, noting that the issue of debts former RTRS managements left should be raised as well. Nezavisne Novine op-ed pg 7 ‘A broom broke’ by A. Sekulic – Editorial refers to the protests mentioned above, noting that the protest was all about the flag, four posters and brooms in the hands of protestors. The author notes the number of participants (around 25) speaks about the importance and message sent out from this protest. The author is also cynical about claims of the PDP youth that the youth from other RS cities in 36 busses came to gather at mass protests, but were distracted by |
| Journalists condemn political pressure against BiH media
| FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 9 ‘Protest of PDP youth’, Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘More frequent political pressures against BiH media’ by D.R. – BIH Coordination of Press Associations and Media Help Line on Thursday strongly condemned pressures of political parties and individuals on journalists in past month.Their statement says that public threats to journalists calling for lynch of some media and attempt to put media under control of parties, represent the most dangerous way of political fight. BIH Association of Journalists: “Beside public threads to journalists of Nezavisne Novine, RTRS; FTV and other media, we are witnesses of ordered political protest at RTRS building, telephone calls and direct death threats to journalists of Slobodna Bosna and Dnevni list.” BIH Coordination of Press Associations and Media Help Line called on BIH Electoral Commission to follow up on statements of politicians and react in accordance with their authority. |
| Update to Konjevic polje issue
| BHT 1 by Lidija Beslic – Removed RS Minister for Urban Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology Mensur Sehagic several days ago decided to close down Orthodox Church in Konjevic Polje. Zvornik-Tuzla Orthodox Bishop Vasilije Kacavenda called this decision shameless. “The High Representative [Paddy Ashdown] should deal with this. Firstly, this is a disgrace for the RS Government, an act of a dictator, even Bolsheviks are better. We will demand our rights.,” said Bishop Vasilije. This Church was built in period 1996-1997 on ground of illegal decision signed by Miroslav Deronjic, indicted by ICTY for war crimes, says President of the Bratunac Municipality Assembly Refik Begic. Deputy Head of RTRS, Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘Problems in Konjevic polje should be solved through dialogue’, Oslobodjenje pg 7 ‘Problems in Konjevic-polje to be solved through dialogue’ – EUPM encourages local authorities and representatives of religious communities in Bratunac to solve problems after incident in church in Konjevic Polje through dialgue. |
| Round-table on constituency of peoples
| BHT 1, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Decisions on constituency of peoples are not being respected’, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Ethnic cleansing, for now, has been successful’ by M.K.S. – Congress of Bosniak intellectuals, Serb Citizens’ Council, Croat Peopels Council and Association of the Independent Intellectuals Cirlce 99 on Thursday held a round table on implementation of amendments to the Constitution regarding the constituency of peoples. Participants of the discuss concluded that two years after the adoption of the amendments, their neither executive nor legislative authorities have implemented them. “Multi-ethnicity has been presented only at the highest levels of BiH authorities and entities, while all other levels of authorities and companies mono ethnic,” Chair of the Serb Citizens Council, Mirko Pejanovic, stated. The Chairman of the BiH Helsinki Committee, Srdjan Dizdarevic, said that the fact on 99% of employed are members of majority group in almost all municipalities of BiH proves that ethnic cleansing was successful. Participants also agreed that Dayton Peace Accord must be amended in a way to ensure equality for all three peoples, and concluded to launch an initiative for establishment of special OHR unit which would verify results of implementation of mentioned amendments. |
| Ivanic: ‘Bosniaks bothered with the truth’
| Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Bosniaks bothered with the truth’ by N. Z. – The BiH Foreign Minister, Mladen Ivanic, told Glas Srpske that Bosniak politicians’ attacks against him would not discourage him from telling the truth about mujahideens which are, in his words, the reason behind BiH’s bad image in the world. Ivanic added that he had been saying repeatedly that the main problem for BiH was the cooperation with the Hague Tribunal but, also, reports related to terrorism. |
| SD on BiH citizens renouncing their citizenship
| Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 17, ‘Dozens of thousands of people renounced BiH citizenship’, mentioned on front, by Zlatko Tulic – in light of recently published data that 27 thousand BiH citizens gave BiH citizenship up, SD claims that the trend of BiH citizens taking some other citizenship and renouncing the original one is still growing. The fact that this is an alarming situation is illustrated by intensive negotiations of BiH with the EU countries, which do not allow for double citizenship. The author says that, although the economic factor is said to be the main reason for giving BiH citizenship up, one cannot grant amnesty to the state because of the trend. |
| NN on mtg between HR Ashdown and RS Helsinki Committee Chair Todorovic
| Nezavisne Novine pg 16 ‘Support to civilian society’ by Bi. G. – The HiRep to BiH, Paddy Ashdown, on Thursday met with Branko Todorovic, the President of the RS Helsinki Committee for human rights and his associates in Bijeljina. The meeting discussed the possibility of assistance by the international community to organisations working to develop civil society and human rights in BiH. Todorovic said after the meeting that: “We discussed the current situation of human rights in BiH as well as the possibility to make positive steps forward in that regard so as to enable BiH’s progressing toward European democratic standards of human rights.”’ |
| SD op-ed on BiH Constitution
| Slobodna Dalmacija, pg 13 ‘Bosnian convention’, op ed by Danko Plevnik – SD carries an op-ed in which the author claims that legal experts deem that owing it to the current BiH Constitution, the State cannot be either destroyed or built, which leads the author to say that BiH needs a sort of a ‘Bosnian convention’, using the European Convention as a model, which would be prepared by leading experts to the benefit of the citizens, as bearers of the sovereignty. Still, the author believes that the coexistence is possible only with help of all three constituent peoples in BiH, because it is hard to believe that the “citizens, as the fourth constituent people would manage to change the situation, simply because a great number of people do not want to be citizens, but rather Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks or again Muslims”. The author also claims that the OHR too is not upholding the rule of law, because the OHR recently removed (and suspended) 59 officials from the RS because of aiding war crimes suspects. In that context, the author says it should constitute a criminal act, therefore the OHR should have filed criminal charges. |
| GS lead story on text-books issue in Brcko | Glas Srpske cover page story ‘Traders in children’s souls’ by M. Dj. – GS reports that the Brcko District Government has bought for over BAM half a million textbooks for Serb and Croat pupils at Brcko District schools. The problem, according to GS is that textbooks given to Serb pupils were written in Latin alphabet and in the Bosnian language, while the textbooks given to Croat pupils were written in Cyrillic. The parents of pupils complained. |
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| Economic issues |
| CoM establishes BiH owes more than 4 billion KM
| BHT 1, RTRS, Dnevni List, pg 6 ‘BiH owes more than 4 billion KMs’, mentioned on front, by Danka Polovina-Mandic, Slobodna Dalmacija, back pg ’61 million Euros for roads’, by Zdenko Rerig – The BiH Council of Ministers, at a session held on Thursday, determined the Proposal of platform for conducting talks with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the aim of which is funding of regional programme of development of roads, which will be forwarded to the BiH Presidency. According to Foreign Minister, Mladen Ivanic, the loan is worth 61 million Euros, of which 31 million is for the FBiH, and around 29,9 million for the RS. The BiH CoM also discussed the information about the BiH foreign debt, which amounts to more than 4 billion KM on |
| FBiH Govt on Aluminij
| RHB, Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘Payment to lawyers stopped’, Dnevni Avaz pg 9 ‘Canadian lawyers fired because of Aluminij?’ by A. Hadziarapovic, Dnevni List, pg 3 ‘Government is not giving up arbitration for Aluminij’, mentioned on front, by Ivica Glibusic – The FBiH Government, at its session held Thursday, adopted an information on activities related to preparations on arbitration agreement related to the ownership structure in the ‘Aluminij’ of Mostar. The information was prepared by the ‘Odraz’ Trust for viable development. It was concluded that the Canadian legal firm ‘Fasken Martineau DuMulin LLP’, which is preparing the arbitration agreement, is not to be paid for the time being, until a commission that is negotiating on behalf of the FBiH Government has presented a report on progress in the matter, after which the FBiH Government would decide how to proceed with the said legal firm and the arbitration itself. According to the FBiH Minister of Industry, Izet Zigic, the FBiH Government is not giving up the arbitration for the time being, adding that the position regarding the future of arbitration procedure should be taken in the next 15 days. Zigic explains that the ownership structure and rights of workers are still debatable. |
| FTV on case of allegedly illegally build house in Stup
| FTV by Zvonko Maric– According to FTV, Sarajevo Cantonal Market Inspector Reso Hadzic build his 4-stores house in |
| Workers of wood industry Neretva to protest
| FTV – FTV reports that 215 workers of wood industry Neretva from Konjic have to report to the unemployment bureau in three days. The company is in bankruptcy procedure, and more than 200 square meters, together with their equipment, have been cheaply rented to private entrepreneurs. Dissatisfied workers have announced a blockade of the company as of Monday. |
| SD on Busko lake
| Slobodna Dalmacija, front and pg 6 ‘BiH: Croatia stole Busko lake from us’, by Z. Rerig – the article is dedicated to the issue of Busko lake near Livno, which is located in BiH in its entirety, however, thanks to a decision of the then Ministry of Urban Planning of Croat Republic of Herceg Bosna from 1996, the Elektroprivreda of Republic of Croatia has been given rights to use the lake, which apparently has massive potentials in terms of production of electricity. According to an MP in the FBiH Parliament, Ante Colak, the Croatian Elektroprivreda first got the right to exploit the lake, and one year later it was recorded in the land registry in its name, which means it became its property. According to the FBiH Minister for Urban Planning, Ramiz Mehmedagic, he is informed about the whole case. “This contract cannot be deemed as legal as long as BiH and |
| CRA says prices of telephone services to be reduced
| Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Prices of telephone services must be reduced’, mentioned on cover, by S. Numanovic – Director General of the BiH’s Communications Regulatory Agency [CRA], Kemal Huseinovic, says for DA that the CRA will soon initiate activities that would leave to reduction of prices for telephone services, especially of mobile telephony. “Prices of the services inside the same operator were too high and it is necessary to reduce them. Telekom Srpske and BiH Telecom already some steps in that direction… and Agency welcomes such measures,” Huseinovic says. |
| OHR: BiH economy received 3 billion KM in a year | Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘BiH Economy in a year received 3 billion KM’ – According to the OHR monthly report, almost 3 billion KM have poured into the BiH economy between July 2003 and July 2004, OHR spokesperson in Banja Luka Ljiljana Radetic said. “In this report, which has compiled information from the Central Bank and Entity Statistics Bureaus, it is evident that bank deposits in KM, as opposed to Euro and other currencies, has grown at a much higher rate than before”, Radetic said. She said that the supply of BiH with money has also grown significantly, which can only grow if owners of Euro and other foreign currencies change their money for KM. The Economic Newsletter will be made available at the OHR website today. |
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| War crimes |
| Ashdown: Cooperation with ICTY top priority for BiH
| Dnevni AVaz pg 3 ‘I expects Matijassevic to act’, mentioned on cover, by S. Numanovic – In an interview to DA, the High Representative Paddy Ashdown says he expects new RS Interior Minister, Darko Matijasevic, to make moves which will have some concrete results. Along the lines, Ashdown reminds of the obligations that BiH has to fulfil presently with regard to the accession to Partnership for Peace and NATO, stressing that the cooperation with the ICTY is the most important. He wonders why all posters placed in RS on search for war crimes suspects were SFOR-sponsored, why RS authorities do not do something similar: “After nine years, words, good moves here and there, good statements… they are simply not enough. We need actions,” Ashdown says adding: “Matijasevic has a huge task before him and I wish him to succeed.” Constantly repeating that BiH has no bigger priority from cooperation with the ICTY, Ashdown says: “I am concerned about anything that can draw attention from this problem that must be solved. Another ‘NO’ would be catastrophe and I will not let this country to be a hostage of a handful of criminals which believe that protection of war criminals is more important than a BiH’s path… You have another three months and don’t waste time.” |
| OHR warns Presidency to sign agreement re war crimes trials in BiH
| Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘Trials for war crimes in January’ – In a statement for DA, the High Representative Paddy Ashdown explains that BiH Presidency has reached a framework agreement, but did not sign the accord that enables process of launching trials for war crimes before the BiH Court in January 2005. “We are late and that already is a bad signal,” Ashdown says stressing that this should be done at the next session of BiH Presidency. BHT 1, Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘Tihic, Paravac and Covic jeopardised the future of the state’ by A. Sisic – “If an agreement is unsigned it is unmet…. Failure to sign this agreement at the next session is the worst possible message for BiH to send and would cause severe damage to be done to BiH’s long term European future,” said OHR spokesperson, Vedran Persic. |
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| Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘BiH Court wants authority over War Crimes Chamber Registry’ – BiH presidency accepts the principles of the agreement regarding the establishment of future War Crimes Chamber’s Registry [see BiH Media Round-up for Sept 16]. DA writes that currently the Council of Ministers is working on preparation of the final text of the agreement which should be submitted to BiH Presidency for signing. According to Acting Chair of the Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Registry’s status disputable’ by Fena – also carries Ilic’s statement. |
| European Parliament to threat ICTY indictee same like terrorist
| RTRS, BHT 1,Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Hague indictees to be treated as terrorists’ by Fena – European Parliament believes that the ICTY indictees at large and their supporters must be treated the same before the law as those accused of terrorism. Parliamentarians adopted the resolution which endorses US Security Council’s conclusion made last year calling on all members states to do everything to assist the work of the Hague Tribunal. |
| Mikerevic: RS resolute to cooperate with ICTY
| Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘Mikerevic repeated resolution for stronger cooperation with the Hague’, Oslobodjenje pg 10 ‘RS Government resolute to cooperate with ICTY’, Dnevni List, pg 4 ‘RS improves cooperation with The Hague’, by NINA – RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic on Thursday met with the heads of offices of German and French Embassies in Banja Luka, Ullrich Kinne and Michel Charbonnier respectively. At the meeting they discussed the current economic and political situation in the RS and reforms implemented by the RS Government aimed at brining BiH closer to the EU. They also discussed cooperation with the ICTY. Mikerevic reiterated the determination of the RS Government to improve cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. Talks about included the upcoming local elections in the RS. |
| Oslobodjenje on Srebrenica Commission final report
| Oslobodjenje pg 9 ‘Kazani will not be in the final report’ by A. Avdic – Kazani, one of 32 locations of the mass graves in Podrinje that Srebrenica Commission has included in its report, will probably not be incorporated in its final report to be published on 15 October. The Commission’s member Smail Cekic says that unless the Commission establishes through additional evidences that that was a mass grave in Kazani, it will be erased from the report. [To remind, FBiH Commission for Missing Persons has stopped exhumations in the locations identified in the report, after no body remain was found in Kazani location.] Cekic rejected to comment on the request from FBiH Commission for Missing Persons for their staff to attend the session of Srebrenica Commission, and Oslobodjenje claims that they did not discuss this issue at the latest session. |
| New book of Karadzic presented | Vecernji List, pg 2, ‘Books on Karadzic’s “acts of mercy” presented’, by f., Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Another picture of Markale’ – The International Board for the truth about Radovan Karadzic on Thursday in Belgrade held a promotion of the fourth book on Karadzic entitled “Mercy and appeals”, containing acts of mercy and public appeals and statements testifying how Serb authority and Karadzic treated imprisoned Croat and Bosniak prisoners and their release. |