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| Busek – Ashdown | Bush gives deadline | RS President on ‘Orao’ | Busek in BiH |
| New Mostar Deputy Mayor | Ceca arrested in Belgrade | Corruption commission | Acimovic on security |
| Ceca arrested | Virus in BiH | New virus in BiH | Sarovic with Cutileiro |
| Washington warning |
| War against Iraq | Cavic on single army |
| Oslobodjenje | A request for an investigation against Buljubasic; Ivanic threatening with the renouncing of Sabeta and Dautbasic; US planes ready to attack Iraq; Alispahic appointed Alibabic; Police detained Ceca Raznatovic |
| Dnevni Avaz | Our goal is not oil, but democracy; Arkan’s widow arrested; Holiday Inn investigation – director’s salary over 30,000 KM; Colak –no reason for Bih citizens to be concerned; |
| Dnevni List | OHR returned Pavlicevic in order to destroy the EP CC HB!?; The OHR removes Jovicic?: Even incomplete CD coalition turned back on Jovicic; Ljubo Beslic new Mayor |
| Vecernji List | Nevertheless Beslic was elected!; Special measures in BiH due to dangerous virus; Miroslav Nikolic: I will not pretend to be an investigator |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Ashdown is preparing to remove BiH Presidency member due to support to Karadzic: Instead of Sarovic suitable Dodik?; Quarantines at Mostar and Sarajevo airports; Beslic: Mostar will be a real European city |
| Glas Srpski | Dangerous disease expands to Europe – virus in the neighbourhood; Self-will of Srebrenica Mayor – seal beyond the law |
| Nezavisne Novine | Police action following the assassination of Zoran Djindjic continues: Svetlana ‘Ceca’ Raznatovic arrested; Ratomir Spaic, owner of the RMG company – I do not know Zemun people, but I do know daughters of some SDS members; Following occurrence of unknown virus in the world – controls at the BiH airports increase; The BiH Election Commission – Barisa Colak files resignation to double function |
| FRY Nacional | Ceca arrested? |
| Blic | Deadly virus has arrived to the Balkans; Ceca questioned, police found arms in her house; Ashdown: the RS has not been created on crimes, but the Dayton Accord; Ranka Misic – education workers in strike as of tomorrow |
| Vecernje Novosti | Ceca among 420 arrested people; Virus kills on three continents |
International Community Affairs | |
| Busek – Ashdown
| Avaz pg. 2 ‘Sarajevo will be the HQ of the Fight Against Corruption Initiative’ – Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for southeast Europe, Erhard Busek, yesterday arrived to Sarajevo where he met with HR Ashdown. One of the Stability Pact initiatives is to be stationed in Sarajevo. The HR proposed that HQ of the Fight Against Corruption Initiatives be situated in Sarajevo. The two agreed that authorities in BiH and the region have to work fast on the implementation of the economic reforms, as a pre-condition for the long-term economic development of the region. An insert ‘Sarovic and Ivanic met with Busek’ – BiH Presidency Chair, Mirko Sarovic, met yesterday with Busek and talked about the forthcoming take over of BiH as a chairing country in the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP). Busek also met with BiH Foreign Minister Malden Ivanic. Oslobodjenje pg. 9 ‘Sarajevo Balkan centre of anti-corruption’ – Ashdown expressed his concern over the economic situation in the entire Balkan region because the world is on the brink of recession and probably of war. Nezavisne Novine pg. 4 ‘Sarajevo proposed as HQ for the anti-corruption activities in the region’ – “We extremely care that this initiative is seated in Sarajevo. I also received the support of the BiH government on the matter,” said Ashdown. The HR further announced that the Seat of the Commission for Sava River navigability should be in Brcko. Buseck expressed his belief that the assassination of Serbian PM, Zoran Djindjic, should not reflect upon political and economic stabilisation of this part of Balkans. Dnevni List pg. 3 ‘To continue started reforms and speed up privatization’ – HR Ashdown met with Busek in Sarajevo yesterday and that the two discussed the Initiative for fight against corruption and economic situation in BiH. Slobodna Dalmacija back page ‘Reforms without postponement’ – that Busek also met with Sarovic and Ivanic, and they talked about regional co-operation within the Stability Pact and processes in the southeast Europe. |
| Douglas J. Faith | Avaz pg. 1 and 17 – under the ‘exclusive’ column, the daily carries a statement by the US Under Secretary of Defence, Douglas J. Faith, on Iraqi crisis. Said they wanted to help Iraqi people to establish their own government and democratic institution that would ensure respect for citizens’ rights. “As President Bush said on many occasions, we have no intentions to occupy, but to ensure in Iraq constitutionality and parliament system.” |
Political Affairs | |
| Colak
| Avaz pg. 1 and 4 – BiH Security Minister, Barisa Colak, stated there was no need for concern in terms of the security situation BiH, and following the assassination o Serbian PM Zoran Djindjic. “I am in a regular contact with members of the BiH SBS, BiH Interpol, the entity police, and I can assure you that there is not a single reason for BiH citizens to be concerned about security situation in the country.” Colak also said he planned to meet today with entity police chiefs. |
| Sarovic – Cutileiro | Avaz pg. 2 ‘The goal of authorities is the progress and safety of citizens’ – BiH Presidency Chair, Mirko Sarovic, yesterday received UN Special Representative for Human Rights in BiH, Serbia and Montenegro Jose Cutileiro. They discussed the general situation of the human rights in BiH, especially after the implementation of the election results and reform of the CoM. Concluded the human rights had to be treated as a priority. Furthermore, talked about the refugee return, and possibilities of implementing most of the Annex 7 by the end of this year. |
| ‘Orao’ affair | Avaz pg. 3 ‘Cavic yesterday sent to ward an additional report on Orao’ – President of the RS, Dragan Cavic, yesterday confirmed that he forwarded the final ‘Orao’ report to SFOR Commander, US General William Ward. It was also announced from Cavic’s cabinet that a press conf would be held following the submission of the final report. An insert ‘Confirmation from SFOR’ – the daily was confirmed in SFOR that general ward indeed received the report. It is to be analysed in details by experts from SFOR, OHR and OSCE. Oslobodjenje pg. 2 Cavic completed the final report on Orao affair’ – a statement by OHR Spokesperson, Mario Brkic, that OHR will not undertake any measures until the Peace Implementation Council, which is to meet at the end of the month, express their view on the report. Nezavisne Novine pg. 5 ‘The Orao report delivered to SFOR’ – SFOR Press Office in Sarajevo last night confirmed that SFOR yesterday received the final supplemented report on ‘Orao’ affair. The report with addenda should establish the political responsibility of the RS leadership. Dragan Cavic is today expected to pass a decree on the appointment of the new Head of the RS Army General Staff, Brigadier General Cvetko Savic, and his Deputy, Colonel Stamenko Novakovic. Blic pg. 6 ‘Punishment may be very severe’ – RS President recently said that ‘the IC punishment aimed at RS institutions regarding the ‘Orao’ affair would be very severe’, and that he was aware of it. At the same time, Sarajevo weekly Slobodna Bosna reported that due to the ‘Orao’ affair, the HR Paddy Ashdown would replace Chairman of the BiH Presidency Mirko Sarovic. OHR refused to comment on Slobodna Bosna’s report, saying that OHR had never commented on speculations. Vecernji List pg. 2 ‘Additional report on ‘Orao’ affair’ – reports that Cavic submitted the report. |
| New Deputy Mostar Mayor | Avaz pg. 8 ‘Ljubo Beslic elected Deputy Mayor in the second round of voting’ – Ljubo Beslic, HDZ City Board candidate, yesterday was elected Deputy Mostar Mayor. The appointment was made during the continuing extraordinary session of the Mostar City Board. Twenty-six councillors (SDA, HDZ, People’s Part for Progress and SDU) voted for Beslic, while three councillors (SBiH and SDP) abstained. Beslic was selected in the second round of voting. Dnevni List pg. 1 and 12, Vecernji List pg. 1 and 3, and Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 1 and 15 – during yesterday’s session of the Mostar City Council Beslic was appointed new Mostar Deputy Mayor. |
| Jahic | Dnevni List pg. 12 ‘The Federation Ministry and Elektroprivreda make the work of city Administration impossible’ – Mostar Mayor, Hamdija Jahic, on the situation in Mostar. “I expect that the Federation government, as well as the international community, will support the right of the city to get compensation from Elektroprivreda, because without that compensation, which makes a big part of the budget, the city cannot function during this year (…) They make impossible the work of the City Administration and I am glad that representatives of the IC and the Federation government concluded that this problem exists and that it should be resolved.” He supported Beslic’s appointment. |
| Charges against Buljubasic | Oslobodjenje pg. 1 and 3 – Sarajevo Canton Prosecution Office filed a request for conducting an investigation against Ferid Buljubasic former Deputy Defense Minister. He is being accused of abusing his former post. The Financial Police forwarded criminal reports to the Court against Buljubasic due to his involvement in arms selling (the end of 2001 and beginning of 2002). Two criminal reports – one about the sale of 17,00 semi-automatic guns and second about the sale of 50,000 automatic guns. The buyer was from the US in both cases. |
| Commentary in Oslobodjenje | Oslobodjenje pg. 2 ‘The core of the dispute’ by Mirko Sagolj – the author comments on the dieing love between HR Ashdown and his ‘reformists’ (nationalist parties). Sagolj points out that the SDA was the first to lose patience over Ashdown’s personnel moves, and is now publicly criticizing it. Sagolj think that at the core of the SDA’s dissatisfaction lies the fact that they can no longer rule as they used to – alone and in their own way. They are therefore requesting full independence in the selection of personnel in all authority bodies. Ashdown is not allowing that. The author thinks that similar reaction could be expected from the rest of national parties currently in the government – the HDZ, SDS and even the SBiH and SNS. |
| DL on HB EP/HDZ | Dnevni List pg. 1 and 5 by S. Kuzman – a statement by an intellectual from Rama, who wanted to stay anonymous, that some sort of control of Elektroprivreda funds existed during the time of former Yugoslavia. “There has been no control however since the nineties. The money is being spent for needs of the HDZ top in Rama, led by former Head of the municipality, Dragan Meter, and Jerko Pavlicevic, who has been an HDZ official in Rama for many years.” DL recalls that former High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch removed Meter, but thanks to Pavlicevic, Meter preserved his political influence. DL also says that people from this area are appalled by the fact that Pavlicevic can become President of the EP CC HB Steering Board again, when it is well known that Pavlicevic was running the EP CC HB in the period from November 1998 until August 1999. Hence, he approved and participated in numerous illegal activities committed in this company to the benefit of privileged group of HDZ officials that he belonged to. The same source says that during 1999 former local HDZ official, Luka Faletar, sent a few official letters to Ante Jelavic, who was HDZ President at that time, warning him of illegal activities that Pavlicevic and Meter were involved in. In return Jelavic expelled Faletar from the HDZ. |
| Ashdown to remove Sarovic | Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 1 and 15 by Zlatko Tulic – with regard to some media reports that HR Ashdown has already signed a decision to remove a Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Mirko Sarovic, over his role in the ‘Orao’ affair, the SD learns from its source that the ‘Orao’ affair was just a façade for the removal and that the real reason was Sarovic’s involvement and support to network that protects Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. The daily goes on to say that although information coming from Banja Luka say Sarovic could be replaced by Nebojsa Radmanovic (SNSD) who came in second in the run for the office, SD’s source says the new member could be Milorad Dodik (SNSD) who was reportedly the most trusted RS politician among IC’s representatives. The source also says Dragan Cavic (SDS) gave green light to Dodik because during his tenure as the RS Prime Minister he allocated some 3,000 construction plots at nine locations near Brcko. Thus being the reason why the SDS apparently would not stand in the way of Dodik’s appointment. |
| Ploce port | Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 13 ‘Commission for taking care of Ploce Port is being formed’, Jutarnji List pg. 8 by Jasmin Brajlovic ‘Part of Ploce authorities not informed about secret meeting’ – reports that there was a secret meeting among representatives of the European Union and Mayor of Ploce, Anto Karamatic, manager of the Ploce Port, Ivan Pavlovic, and Director of the Port’s Administration Srecko Erak. The meeting was held owing it to instructions from the Croatian government and prior to a meeting between BiH and Croatian Foreign Ministers Mladen Ivanic and Tonino Picula due to take place in Sarajevo. SD says there is little information about the meeting. However, the daily says the participants agreed to change Article 9. of the Agreement between Croatia and BiH on the Ploce Port (i.e. the participants agreed to abolish the seventh member of Ploce Port’s Steering Board and form a Commission that would interpret and implement the Agreement). The said Commission would have six members and reportedly BiH wanted rotation of Commission head every six months. Moreover, it was reportedly agreed that in case of disputes there would be an ad hoc arbitration. In that context, each side would appoint its member and the two would appoint a third member who was also the chair of the arbitration. The arbitration’s decision would be final and binding. SD says local politicians are not happy the meeting was held in secrecy. |
| Interview with Nikolic | Vecernji List pg. 1 and 5 – an interview with Federation of BiH Minister of Defense Miroslav Nikolic. He says that handing over of duty between him and former Minister, Mijo Anic, was correct. “The problems emerged due to the High Representative’s decision that I did not have any influence when the election of my closest associates was in question.” Nikolic says that he has a good cooperation with his associates at the moment, but if he was not allowed to chose his associates by himself he was not sure whether he would be able to keep accepting the responsibility for that ‘hot potato’. Nikolic also complains about a difficult financial situation in the Federation Army. With regard to many illegal acts that are being ascribed to the work of this Ministry, Nikolic said that he swore he would act in accordance to the law and that he would sanction all illegal activities. Nikolic added that he did not want to pretend to be an investigator because there were people who weare obliged to conduct the investigations according to his orders. “As far as the Partnership for Peace is concerned, Chief NATO Secretary General, George Robertson, has stated recently that we need to have the Ministry of Defense and Army’s Headquarters at the state level. This means that if we want to join the Partnership for Peace we have to form these two bodies and place all armed forces under a joint command.” |
| Milan Jovicic | Dnevni List pg. 1 and 13 – following a statement by Deputy President of the City Council of Mostar (CCM), Milan Jovicic, that the BiH HDZ is ‘a nationalist-Ustasha-fascist creation’, the daily comments that an OHR reaction to the statement is just an average condemnation without clear consequences. What Dnevni List is seeking, given the office Jovicic holds, is sanctions passed by the OHR. “The least the OHR can do is to remove him and finally send him to retirement which he, if not because of his work then because of his age, deserves,” says DL. In this context, the daily says that if the OHR does not react with its ‘efficient measures, then it would be a clear call to retrograde forces on both banks of Neretva to intensify their efforts on final building of walls between the peoples of Mostar’. DL goes on to say it is encouraging that the incomplete CD Coalition in Mostar (without the SBiH and SDA’s councilor Safet Bosnjic) has not supported Jovicic’s statement yet. “Allegedly, some more liberal councilors of the SDA, during the recent session of the Caucus of city councilors of incomplete CD Coalition, were worried over a possibility that the OHR removes Jovicic, thus compromising SDA’s political credibility in Mostar. They therefore proposed his recall from the office of Deputy President of CCM and the appointment of Radmilo Andric Braca to the office,” reads DL. |
| Ashdown with BiH intellectuals | Dnevni List pg. 1 and 3 – HR Paddy Ashdown met a group of BiH intellectuals, who launched an initiative Request for third-BiH republic. The meeting took place at the Sarajevo’s restaurant ‘Kolegium artistikum’ last night. The intellectuals included, among others, Franjo Kozul, Mirko Sagolj, Muhamed Filipovic and Slavo Kukic. Despite the article’s headline, there is no mention of HR Ashdown giving support to the intellectuals’ initiative and in that context DL says the High Representative repeated what other international officials have been telling lately – that BiH needs reforms in order to find the right path to self-sustainable BiH. The rest of the article talks about the initiative’s goals. “Request for BiH – third republic is not an attempt to make the DPA better, but a model according to which all three peoples can live together and the State is no longer as tangled as nowadays, with entities, Republic, Federation, cantons,” reads Dnevni List. |
| DL on SDA | Dnevni List pg. 2 by Pejo Gasparevic ‘Civic society’ – “What lies behind a statement by a member of BiH Presidency and SDA President Sulejman Tihic, which indicates that his party could go into opposition? (…) A few well-intentioned issues rise from the announcement of the SDA going into the opposition. Is it an honest sign of not coping with the newly arisen (super)difficult circumstances? Or is it about the spite to force some, for the party, important concessions from the IC? Is it about the fear of taking unpleasant (read painful) decisions that would say good night to the (wartime) past and welcome more democratic future.” Gasparevic goes on to say that the SDA, together with the HDZ and SDS, is having tough times politically wise. “Three national parties are facing a challenge of creating new values, and they are nothing like those they are used to, to spend without covering the cost. Hence, the key question is – have the winning parties predisposition for a civic society?” asks the author. |
Economic Affairs | |
| Schroembgens
| Avaz pg. 2 ‘The OHR will monitor the employing of non-Serbs’ – SDHR Gerhard Enver Schroembgens said the OHR would monitor the implementation of the Law on Administration Management and the employing of non-Serbs in RS public institutions and companies. He stated this during yesterday’s meeting with RS President Dragan Cavic and his deputies Ivan Tomljenovic and Adil Osmanovic. They also discussed economy reforms as suggested by the Bulldozer Commission. Cavic assessed broader social changes were necessary for the implementation of the same. Glas Srpski pg. 3 ‘Appointments beyond politics’ – Cavic’s statement. “Schrombgens informed me that the OHR would closely follow on the establishment of the authority at all levels, and the implementation of the law concerning the appointments at administration and firms. Accordingly,” On the Bulldozer Commission, Cavic expressed his support to such initiative aimed at economic changes. On the Security policy of BiH, Cavic said that ‘in the RS they were fully aware of the criteria imposed regarding the membership in the Partnership for Peace’. Nacional pg. 11 ‘Appointments in administration and enterprises are under control’ – Cavic emphasised the need for to ensure speedy privatisation, stressing that the process of privatisation and a set of laws for stimulating of private businesses must be prioritised by the authorities in order to eliminate political influence in companies and profitable institutions. Blic pg. 6 ‘Solution for two armies’ – quotes Cavic as saying that a solution for a joint HQ and civil command for the entity armies should be found within the document ‘BiH Security Policy’. SDHR Schroembgens said that the ‘BiH Security Policy’ was very important for the country and it was one of the OHR priorities. |
| Holiday Inn business dealings | Avaz pg. 1 and 11- the federation Anti-Corruption Team has been forwarded information on business dealings of the Sarajevo hotel Holiday Inn. In the report, which is yet to be checked by the FP, it is noted, amongst other things, that he hotel management has been receiving extremely high pay and that the hotel management is again being neglected. |
| HB EP | Avaz pg. 4 ‘Charge all debts over 10,000 KM’ – the HB EP Provisional Steering board was instructed by the Ministry for Energy, Mining and Industry to undertake concrete corrective and protection. This includes the power cut off to all debtors who owe over 10,000 KM and fail to pay off their debts (this includes the HDZ). The Provisional Steering Board also passed a decision to freeze all expenditures and obligations except the usual operation costs, as well as a decision to ban new tenders and construction projects until a new aggressive Action Plan has been prepared. Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 15 ‘Mostarsko Blato project was banned’ – one of the instructions by the Federation Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry for the HB EP Provisional Steering Board is to take corrective and protective measures including drafting of the report on the schedule of payment from all clients who owe over 10,000 KM, including the HDZ. Also, there is instruction to ban all new tenders and construction projects, especially the Mostarsko Blato project. |
Djindjic’s assassination | |
| Ceca arrested
| Nezavisne Novine pg. 3 ‘Ceca Raznatovic arrested’, Glas Srpski pg. 5 same headlines – Svetlana Ceca Raznatovic, the wife of Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan, yesterday was detained for her close relations with the prime suspects in the assassination of Serbian PM Zoran Djindjic. According to B92 Radio, Raznatovic was closely co-operating with Milorad ‘Legija’ Lukovic, Dusan ‘Siptar’ Spasojevic and Dejan ‘Bagzi’ Milenkovic. Also reported in Avaz pg. 1 and 16, Oslobodjenje pg. 1 and 20. Vecernje Novosti pg. 4, Blic pg. 4&5, Nacional pg. 5 – the investigation has already established that Ceca was in contact with Lukovic and Spasojevic before and after the assassination, and she also provided financial support to the Milenkovic family after his release from custody (following the first assassination attempt against Djindjic). It has also been established that Lukovic and Spasojevic used her house as a hideout several times prior to the assassination. |
| DL editorial | Dnevni List pg. 6 by Slavo Kukic ‘Charge by minderasa’ (NB: minderas – a negative term used for people who are not active enough) – an editorial in which the author says the Djindjic assassination caused a stern reaction by the Serbian authorities including the demolition of suspects’ property and revealing suspects’ identities to the public, which, according to the author, will never happen in BiH, despite many affairs that have been shaking the country. In that context, Kukic says there was a similar event in BiH too, when the late Jozo Leutar got assassinated and when the state did not demonstrate the kind of resolute attitude the Serbian authorities were showing. Kukic goes on to say that even the Mafia here in BiH and back in Serbia are different, the former being kind of classy and recognized in social life, not causing fear but admiration. Kukic goes on to list affairs in BiH (‘Orao’, telecommunication sector, privatization), saying that Ashdown exposed all the criminals in the mentioned cases, and not, as it should have been, the state institutions. “The one (meaning Ashdown) who should be the last to make a move. And he is forced to be the first. And the most defeating issue is that he is the only one. According to that, the Mafia stampede in this country should be logically expected to go against the High Representative. He is their problem. But that is, I am sure and thankful, not going to happen. The reason is in the mental framework. Our criminals are different from the Serbian ones. The methods too. By charging against Ashdown they would provoke the rage of the IC. Something that would not worry the Belgrade Mafia. But for the Bosnian one, the rage of the world would, at the same time, mean the death penalty. Something due to which, some say, it’s better to give Ashdown a polite tap. And verbally approve what he is doing (…) And in reality, in a well-established way, ignore him. And continue with your thing. By, for instance, engaging national ‘minderasi’. Like, for instance, the Tuzla intellectual ‘delijas’ have been engaged the other day”, says Kukic. (NB: delija – means a hero). |
Police Affairs | |
| Stolac incident
| Dnevni Avaz pg. 26 ‘A house of returnee Muriz Behmen burned down’ – on the night between March 16 and 17 a house of Muriz Behmen, a Bosniak returnee to Stolac, was set on fire and it was totally destroyed. According to neighbors, the house did not have electricity. Also, the owner of the house lives in Sarajevo. “I claim the house was set on fire. I received some threats before and I informed the police about persons suspected of committing the arson. I believe that policemen have to find perpetrators as soon as possible because this is about an attack against the returnees. Policemen have to do it so that returnees can feel safer in Stolac.” With regard to this event, the SDA Stolac Municipal Board issued a press release demanding from the Ministry of Interior an urgent investigation. President of Stolac Municipal Council, Zoran Turkovic, stressed that he hoped that this was not the beginning of new troubles. “We believe that the local police will arrest perpetrators to the benefit of all people who live in Stolac.” |