| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Ploce Port | Sentence for Krnjojelac | Krnojelac | RS Camp Inmates |
| EUPM on police staff | Plaque at BiH Court | Round table on Srebrenica | RS and CoE |
| HNK budget beneficiaries | Port of Ploce | 2 arrested for terrorism | Krnojelac sentenced |
| Krnojelac sentenced | Elections in Serbia |
| Elections in Serbia |
| Oslobodjenje | Police to prevent entering the Court of BiH compound |
| Dnevni Avaz | Interview with Frederiksen: Security situation in BiH is very good |
| Blic | Ten tons of arms in a cave; Attackers on policemen arrested |
| Nezavisne Novine | SFOR Action near Kostajnica: Ten tons of shells found in a cave; Milorad Jelisavac: Republika Srpska police confiscating documents from Telekom; Former director of Doboj hospital: SDS delegate, Olivera Babic, threatened me |
| Glas Srpske | Republika Srpska Association of Inmates: We will not give up!, Audit into Glas Srpske |
| Dnevni List | “Tomac: Blame for non-adoption of agreement on Ploce is on BiH” |
| Vecernji List | “Two armies in same uniform”; “Tomac” Croatia to EU through Sarajevo” |
BiH war related news | |
| Bodies of Srebrenica victims to be transferred to memorial centre today
| Dnevni Avaz pg. 12, Oslobodjenje pg. 3 FTV, FENA – Transport of 107 coffins with remains of victims of the genocide in Srebrenica will start from the town cemeteries in Visoko to the memorial centre in Potocari at 1000 on Thursday, the head of the town cemeteries in Visoko, Asmir Hodzic, told FENA on Wednesday. The victims have been identified. They will be buried in the memorial centre in Potocari on September 20, when the centre will be opened officially. The memorial centre in Potocari includes 10,000 grave sites. So far, 882 victims of the genocide committed in July 1995 have been buried there. |
| Roundtable in Srebrenica: Complete truth about all crimes needs to be revealed | BHTV, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg. 3, mentioned on the front page ‘Silence about the crime means participation in it’, Dnevni Avaz pg. 12, FENA – Participants at the roundtable “Crimes and Truth” held in Srebrenica on Wednesday stressed that it is important for the future of BiH to discover the complete truth on all crimes, to sanction these crimes and to reconcile hostile peoples. “Reconciliation alone is not enough because it can be a mechanical process, we need to go a step further. Peoples in BiH need to have mutual trust, and there is no trust without looking the truth in the eyes and without starting to respect differences”, university professor from Mostar Slavo Kukic said. FBiH Vice President Desnica Radivojevic said that truth in BiH is still covered by fog, and that punishment has not reached the crime. “A large number of people in these areas were innocent. They lived in harmony and did not want war. However, people were manipulated and this led to conflicts and serious crimes,” Radivojevic said. “Srebrenica is a place where the worst crime took place. There are also many ‘small Srebrenicas’ in BiH and truth needs to be discovered everywhere for the sake of civilisation and future,” Radivojevic said. BiH Helsinki Committee President Srdan Dizdarevic said that the ICTY is an institution that can help reach the truth, but that the ICTY would not be able to sanction all crimes and that people in BiH had to gain the strength to discover crimes. “The ICTY can establish individual responsibility but it cannot create an atmosphere of reconciliation and coexistence. We need to do this, by ourselves and with lots of courage,” FBiH Commission for Investigating War Crimes member Mirsad Tokaca said. Numerous representatives of media and other public workers from Serbia and Montenegro and Croatia also took part in the discussion. |
| Human Rights Chamber to consider Srebrenica report on October 6 | Oslobodjenje pg. 7 ‘Srebrenica report to be considered on October 6’ – The BiH Human Rights Chamber will generally consider a RS Government’s report on the fate of 7,000 Srebrenica victims and locations of mass graves where they were buried up on October 6. |
| FBiH police say former Serb camp inmates have no permission for plaque | BHTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje front page, pg. 6 ‘Police will prevent entering the Court of BiH compound’, Dnevni Avaz pg. 13 ‘We will come on the inter-entity line on Friday’, Glas Srpske, cover page story ‘We will not give up!’, Dnevni List page 10, “Sarajevo authorities announce prevention of ceremony” , ONASA – Members of the FBiH and Sarajevo Canton Interior Ministries will not allow the Republika Srpska (RS) Association of Camp Inmates to enter the BiH Court, the facility under a special protection, because it has not got a concordance for posting a memorial-tablet on this place, Inspector of the Sarajevo Canton MUP Dragan Miokovic told ONASA on Wednesday. Miokovic said that the association has not requested an approval for a public meeting on September 19. On behalf of the Sarajevo Canton MUP, he denied Wednesday’s statement of President of the RS Association of Camp Inmates Branimir Djukic that police checkpoints will be set up at the inter-entity line. At a meeting on Tuesday, which was attended by representatives of RS Association of Camp Inmates, the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, cantonal and municipal commissions for marking of historic events, Office of the High Representative (OHR) and Sarajevo Canton Interior Ministry (MUP), head of the Novi Grad municipality Damir Hadzic said that the association has not respected the legal procedure for posting a memorial-tablet. At a press conference in Banja Luka on Wednesday, the representatives of the RS Association of Camp Inmates said they would not give up on placing the memorial plaque in the former Viktor Bubanj barracks in Sarajevo. An inmates’ representative, Slavko Jovicic, said the inmates would gather in Lukavic , Serb Sarajevo, on Friday and move towards the facility. According to Jovicic, the key problem in the entire dispute is a fact that the Sarajevo Canton authorities did not want to admit that the Serbs had been victims in the war as well. |
| Former BiH army member says Sarajevo barracks were Muslim camp for Serbs | SRNA – The former barrack of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) Viktor Bubanj in Sarajevo was the largest and most infamous Muslim camp for Serbs during the last war, says Marko Mikerevic who was judge juror of the higher military court which was housed in the barracks. Mikerevic has told SRNA that the barracks were a military prison after the JNA left Sarajevo on 15 May 1992. In September of the same year “following orders by Alija Izetbegovic, the barracks were turned into a camp in which around 5,000 Sarajevo Serbs were interned, including whole families, their relatives and neighbours, so that there is no clear information on how many of them got out alive”. According to data collated by Mikerevic, following torture and maltreatment, a significant number of interned Serbs was sent to the Kazani execution ground on the mountain of Trebevic, where, according to him, around 3,000 civilians perished. There executions were performed by members of the 10th Mountain Brigade of the BiH Army, which was lead by Alija’s favourite commander Musan Topalovic Caco, says Mikerevic. Blic pg. 7 ‘Crimes should not be forgotten’; Vecernje Novosti pg. 6 ‘BiH Supreme Court – former torture chamber’ and pg. 13 ‘Memory of torture chamber bothers’ also covered the issue. |
| BiH Parliamentarians Forum opposes plans to place commemorative plaque in former Viktor Bubanj barracks | Oslobodjenje pg. 6 ‘False camp inmates’, FENA – The BiH Parliamentarians’ Forum views the decision of the RS Association of Prison Camp Inmates to put up a commemorative plague for fictitious Serb detainees allegedly killed in the Viktor Bubanj camp between 1992 and 1995 as an inappropriate attack by irresponsible RS institutions on values and suffering of those whose remains are being recovered every day from mass graves throughout the RS, the BiH Parliamentarians’ Forum stated. The Forum stated that they cannot accept plans of any institution, including the RS Association of Prison Camp Detainees, to put up a commemorative symbol at a place of a fictitious crime against “Serb detainees” without a single valid argument, either confirmed or in the form of uncovered mass graves, or through direct testimony in a public judicial process. The Forum demands relevant Novi Grad Municipality, Sarajevo Canton and FBiH authorities to prevent or postpone the putting up of the commemorative plaque in the “Viktor Bubanj” barracks until the RS Association of Prison Camp Detainees presents valid evidence instead of fictitious ones. |
| Demand that Croatian President apologizes for war in BiH | With regard to the exchanged apologies between Croatian President, Stjepan Mesic, and President of Serbia and Montenegro, Svetozar Marovic, the SDA Secretary General, Sefik Dzaferovic, demanded from President Mesic the same apology for the war in BiH. As a reaction to this demand, Vecernji List (page 13, “President’s Office: Mesic did apologize”, by J.P..Z.J.) carries that the Office of the Croatian President responded to this demand quoting Mesic’s apology in Belgrade, when he said that he apologizes to all those upon whom Croatian citizens inflicted pain or damaged them acting against law or by abusing their positions. The reaction coming from the President’s Office also says that from this apology it can be seen that the apology refers to all those upon whom pain and sufferings were inflicted and who want and who will accept the apology, including the Bosniaks. |
Economic/social issues | |
| Zdravko Tomac blames BiH for failure to ratify accord on Ploce
| Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘BiH should be blamed for delay in resolving problem of Ploce Port use’, BHTV – During the recent visit by Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan to our country, it was said that the issues of the port Ploce and refugees and displaced persons, would be resolved soon. However, this has not happened to date. Croatian Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Zdravko Tomac, on visit to Sarajevo at the helm of a parliamentary delegation, said on Wedensday that the BiH side alone should be blamed for the delay in resolving the final status of the port of Ploce. Even though Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said during his visit to our country in July that the Croatian parliament would ratify the agreement on the port of Ploce in the next two months, this did not happen. The moot point was the council, which would manage the port. Croatia wanted the exclusion of an international representative from the council. “Our two governments agreed on the protocol and the way to bring this matter to a completion. A meeting of the two prime ministers was already scheduled in Kostajnica. Unfortunately, for reasons which we cannot understand the BiH side delayed this until further notice,” Tomac emphasized. Tomac said that it was unrealistic to expect the issue to be resolved now, on the eve of the elections in Croatia. |
| Dispute over use of privatisation vouchers/certificates | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 5, ‘OHR leaves certificates to Courts’ By P. Klincov – The problems related to banning the citizens who obtained privatisation vouchers in Republika Srpska from purchasing/using privatisation certificates in Federation of BiH is a matter for entity agencies and courts, not OHR, said OHR Spokesperson Vedran Persic. On June 2 this year, the FBiH Privatisation Agency made such a decision to prevent double claims on the same basis in the both BiH Entities (meaning that the same citizens posses privatisation certificates in the both entities at the same time). Afterwards the citizens currently living in RS but who have right to purchase/privatise their pre-war apartment in the Federation addressed RS authorities and OHR asking them to urge FBiH Privatisation Agency to abolish its decision. In the meantime, according to the newspaper, Mark Bowen, a senior OHR official in Mostar, advised concerned citizens to give up on their rights to use vouchers in RS, in order for their right to use certificates in the Federation to be de-blocked. However, according to some citizens, even such a recommendation cannot be applied in practice. (Note that the entire article is confusing with very imprecise definition of who has the right to do what and whose right to what has been allegedly abused) |
| BL airport to be closed | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 2, ‘Banjaluka Airport to be closed’ – The City Administration will withdraw the firemen unit from the Banjaluka Airport, which will automatically lead to its closure. According to Dragoljub Davidovic, Banjaluka Mayor, the airport will be closed unless Republika Srpska Ministry of Traffic and Communication take over obligation to pay the Firemen unit, whose presence is necessary at every airport, owing to great possibility of accidents. |
| New Directors of BL Clinical Centre, RS PIO selected but not appointed | Glas Srpske, pg. 3, ‘Directors still waiting’ – Although the Commission for selection and appointment of directors of Banjaluka Clinical Centre and Republika Srpska Pension and Disability Fund, the Republika Srpska Government has not still appointed new Directors. |
| Dokic on BOSMAL, Vc corridor | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 2, ‘Dokic: Bosmal has no guarantee’ – Branko Dokic, BiH Minister of Traffic and Communication, yesterday reiterated that “Bosmal” did not deliver bank guarantees of EURO 300 million, which is a pre-requisite for commencement of negotiations on allocation of concession for highway construction. In most of BiH dailies yesterday, “Bosmal” released an invitation to bids, calling on all firms interested to take part in the highway construction. |
| SD says enthusiasm on Bosmal building Corridor Vc is decreasing | Slobodna Dalmacija (page 17, “’Bosmal’ promises officials travel to Las Vegas”, by Zlatko Tulic) – says the initial enthusiasm and euphoria of current BiH authorities on “Bosmal” building the Corridor Vc through BiH has decreased, especially after the reports that the company did not secure the banking guarantee for 300 million Euros but a letter of intention which in reality does not give any firm guarantees. The daily also notes that “Bosmal” published a public invitation in Sarajevo-based dailies, inviting domestic construction companies to show interest in building of the Corridor Vc. The invitation also says that “Bosmal d.o.o.” will take every registered/interested company to Las Vegas to the biggest world fair of construction equipment so the companies could get better informed about new equipment. In this context, SD says the invitation does not say who is going to pay for the travel since “Bosmal” has not paid its employees, working on construction of the skyscraper in Sarajevo, in the last three months. |
| VL on sale of Hercegovacka Bank | Vecernji List (page 2, “Hercegovacka bank to buyer from BiH?”, by Zoran Kresic) – reports that “interested groups close to former owners of the bank have started an initiative to sell the Hercegovacka bank to a domestic financial group”, as learned from an anonymous source close to the aforementioned groups. The same source says the Provisional Administrator for Hercegovacka bank, Toby Robinson, has ordered the bank’s management to animate potential domestic buyers. According to that plan, the Hercegovacka bank would keep the name and return to the market. However, the source is of opinion that a possibility of domestic buyer taking over the bank is slim, since an international tender for purchase of the bank will be invited soon. |
| Union of BiH railroad workers want equal salaries | Vecernji List (front and page 5, “They try to half salaries to Croat railroad workers”, by Milan Sutalo) – the Union of BiH Railroads (Bosniak predominant) workers has sent the FBiH Ministry of Traffic and Communications, the Steering Board and General Manager of FBiH Railroads a request to abolish the “protection” of salaries to employees of the former “Herceg Bosna Railroads” (Croat predominant). Namely, before the merger into one, FBiH Railroads, the employees of the “BiH Railroads” had an average salary of some 300 KMs, whilst their colleagues in the “Herceg Bosna Railroads” were getting between 600 and 700 KMs. Now, after failing to have their salaries increased to the level of “Herceg Bosna Railroads”, the Union of BiH Railroads decided to try and request a decrease to the salaries of employees of “Herceg Bosna Railroads”. This caused a reaction of Union of Railroad workers in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton which has sent a letter to the same addressees stressing that the Union forbids the President of “so-called Union of non-existing BiH Railroads”, Munir Spahic, to request the decrease of salaries on behalf of Croat employees. According to VL, the problem in this sector is a surplus of workers. Namely, out of 3700 employees in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3300 are employees of the former BiH Railroads, and the daily sees the remedy in laying off around 1000 Bosniak and 60 Croat workers. (Slobodna Dalmacija, page 16, “Union manages to – decrease salaries!?”, by Zoran Zekic) |
Political developments | |
| Terzic, Ivanic and Topcagic visit Brussels
| BHTV, FTV, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Javier Solana is an honest/undoubted friend of BiH’, Oslobodjenje back page ‘Support to the process of reforms in BiH’, Dnevni List page 5, “Solana expresses satisfaction with implementation of reforms in BiH”, by De. L. FENA – BiH Council of Ministers Chairman Adnan Terzic, Foreign Affairs Minister Mladen Ivanic and Directorate for European Integration Director Osman Topcagic held talks with EU Foreign Policy and Security Commissioner Javier Solana in Brussels on Wednesday. They informed Solana about ongoing reforms in BiH and activities on completing the development of the feasibility study on accession of BiH to the EU, the BiH Council of Ministers stated. Terzic stressed that talks held so far on the development of the feasibility study provided a unique insight into the situation in BiH, but also highlighted certain weaknesses in the administrative practice. In order to successfully remove them these weaknesses will be added to the action plan of reforms, which is currently being implemented, Terzic said. Javier Solana praised what has been done so far on carrying out reforms in BiH and stressed the need for strengthening and continuing positive results, and to ensure that the process does not start going backwards. Solana also promised that he would soon visit BiH. In the early evening hours Terzic also addressed members and guests of the prestigious and respectable Centre for European Policy talking about results of economic reforms in BiH and the process of moving BiH closer to the EU. |
| Round-table on national minorities | Croat Radio Herceg Bosna, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Parliament accepts dialogue on minorities’, Oslobodjenje pgs. 4-5 ‘One people must not dominated in BiH’, FENA – The BiH Parliamentary Assembly, the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples will gladly accept talks on every initiative of non-governmental organizations and representatives of the national minorities aimed at improvement of the minorities’ status in the country as well as on the initiatives for possible amending the recently adopted Law on Protection of Rights of National Minorities in BiH, which was passed in urgent procedure. This is the conclusion of delegations of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and the Croatian Parliament, as well as of representatives of NGOs from BiH and Croatia, which participated in Wednesday’s roundtable on the rights of national minorities in BiH. This is part of regional project “Legislation and Citizens”, and the roundtable was organised by the Centres of Civil Initiatives (CCI). |
| Croatian delegation visiting BiH
| Dnevni List (front and page 3, “Tomac: Blame for non-adoption of agreement on Ploce is on BiH”, by Renata Radic) – a delegation of Republic of Croatia, led by the Deputy Speaker of Croatian Parliament, Zdravko Tomac, is paying a two-day visit to BiH. Following yesterday’s meeting with Speaker of BiH Parliament’s House of Representatives, Nikola Spiric, Tomac is carried as saying that “the Croatian road to Brussels goes via Sarajevo” and that BiH is strategically important to Croatia. Tomac also said that Croatian position was that BiH should be a modern, organized country of equal citizens and peoples and that Croatian could offer help to achieve that, stressing that the best aid would be “good relations, not interference into internal BiH affairs”. Tomac also regrets there has not been a final solution for the status of Ploce port stressing that the sole responsibility lies with BiH. He also notes the protocol that deals with disputable issues regarding the port had been agreed upon, the protocol which was never signed. In this context, Tomac says he does not understand why BiH postponed the solution to the issue adding that the ratification of the Agreement on Ploce port in the Croatian Parliament is unlikely prior to the autumn elections in Croatia. (Vecernji List, front “Tomac: Croatia goes to EU via Sarajevo” and page 3 “Tomac: Croatia goes to EU via Sarajevo too”, by Dejan Jazvic, Slobodna Dalmacija, back page, “It is interest of BiH that Croatia enters EU”, Jutarnji List, page 6, “Tomac: BiH guilty for Ploce”, by H) |
| Cavic met with Council of Europe Monitoring Team reps
| RTRS, Blic pg. 7 ‘BiH is progressing towards Europe’ – BiH has made significant progress in a number of fields since it became a Council of Europe member, but it still needs to pass entity education laws based on the BiH framework law, improve the return of property to pre-war owners and intensify the respect of human rights in accordance with European standards. This was stated today during talks between RS President Dragan Cavic and the Council of Europe Monitoring Team led by Jean Louis Laurens. Cavic told journalists that they concluded that BiH made significant progress on implementing commitments stemming from Council of Europe conventions and that this could lead to conclusion of activities by the Monitoring Team in the upcoming period. Cavic said that he informed the CE representatives about ongoing reforms of the defence sector, as well as the position of some 40 thousand Serb refugees from Croatia currently living in the RS. He stressed that they lack basic human and civic rights defined by international conventions and that this problems should be highlighted in the Monitoring Team’s report. Laurens said that BiH still needs to adopt the Convention on Minorities and Minority Languages, as well as relevant document concerning the fight against crime and terrorism. He stressed that activities on arresting indicted war criminals and returning refuges and displaced persons to their homes need to be intensified. |
| PDP on Dodik
| Glas Srpske, pg. 2, ‘Dodik lost his compass’; Nezavisne Novine, pg. 5, ‘PDP: There will be no early elections’ – According to press release issued by PDP, “PDP is of the view that the most recent statements by the SNSD leader, Milorad Dodik, speak the best of consistency and persistence of his policy and point at complete disorientation of the SNSD and his entire opposition block”. The release further says that: “Aware of the fact that there will be no early elections, Dodik no longer knows himself whom and why he is attacking and accusing for.” |
| NN editorial on political situation in FBiH | Nezavisne Novine editorial by Almedin Sisic, pg. 7, ‘Authority crisis’ – The author speaks about the current political situation in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He starts the article by comparing the two entities in BiH, saying that Republika Srpska has always been criticised to great extent for numerous affairs etc, whilst the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was considered as an entity, where no crime corruption and no single affair existed. According to him, the latest development prove the opposite. Regarding the split within SDA-HDZ coalition, he writes in his conclusion the following: “The current authority recently caused the opposition of attempting to create riots and confusion, whose final aim would be holding of early elections. Being dazzled with their nationalistic views, the tycoons of SDA and HDZ will do this by themselves.” |
| Croat Ministers returning to FBiH Government | Dnevni List (front and page 5, “Croat Ministers returning to Government”, by Miso Relota) – the daily learns from the Government of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) that the Croat Ministers of the said Government will be attending today’s session of it. Reportedly, the inter-party discussions between the HDZ and SDA resulted in an agreement that the Croat Ministers return to the Government under certain conditions. According to DL’s information, the Draft Law on Rights of Defenders and other items from the agenda of last session of the FBiH Government will be sent back to the procedure, and it has been also agreed that there would not be outvoting of Croat Ministers in the future. (Vecernji List, page 2, “Government of Federation of BiH unified again”, by Eldina Medunjanin) |
| OHR on changes of Dayton Peace Accord | Jutarnji List (page 8, “OHR: New conference on BiH is out of question”, by Snjezana Pavic) – carries an OHR spokesperson, Mario Brkic, as saying: “It is true the Dayton Peace Accord must be changed, but any new international conference is out of question. Change to Dayton agreement and internal organization of BiH is a matter for agreement of all political forces in BiH and consensus of all three peoples”. The article also carries Professor Slavo Kukic, who believes the current organizational set-up, with entities in BiH, is a problem that could lead to BiH ending up as a geographic term. Kukic believes the only way out is to eliminate the entities. |
Defence reform | |
| VL says there will be BiH Ministry of Defence
| Vecernji List (front and page 3, “Two armies in same uniform” , by Dejan Jazvic) – says the Commission in charge of military reforms in BiH (Defence Reform Commission), which is chaired by James Locher, will in the next few days present the agreed solutions for the future set-up of armed forces and defence system in BiH. According to VL, the solution should give BiH realistic chance to join the Partnership for peace programme. Apparently, there will still be two entity armies, the RS and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina armies, but a lot of competence will be shifted to the state of BiH and its institution. Moreover, there will be a state Ministry of Defence with strong competence and the military budget at state level. Reportedly, the role of the BiH Presidency is getting stronger too. The Presidency will be appointing senior officers to both components. Furthermore, VL says there will be a joint HQ at the state level which will be controlling all the troops and have sole responsibility for special units, like peace operations abroad. Finally, VL says the troops will be wearing identical uniforms with state, not entity insignia. |
| OHR on defense reform | FTV, RTRS, Glas Srpske, pg. 3, ‘Work to be completed soon’ – The OHR Spokesperson, Oleg Milisic, confirmed to SRNA news agency that the High Representative to BiH, Paddy Ashdown, understood that the Defence Reform Commission is in the final phase of its work, adding that the report on findings and results will be handed sometime next week. Milisic did not want to make any comment onto yesterday’s meeting of the Defence Reform Commission, nor on statements given by HiRep before Circle ’99. |
Security matters/investigations | |
| Comment on Draft intelligence Law
| Glas Srpske, pg. 5, ‘Agents to go to Employment Institute’ – Dragan Mektic, BiH Deputy Minister of Security, yesterday confirmed to GS that the draft law on BiH intelligence agency reflects the constitutional order of BiH. He added that the BiH Council of Ministers is to set a final version of the law, which will then be forwarded for parliament procedure. He expressed belief that the draft law will be amended to some extent. According to him, the merging of intelligence agencies of Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina into one agency would result in reduction of manpower surplus and their registration at Employment Institutes. |
| Dnevni Avaz interview with Frederiksen | Dnevni Avaz front page, pg. 5 ‘Security situation in BiH is very good’ – Interview with the EUPM Commissioner Sven Frederiksen. “The average level of crime in BiH is lower than in the most of European countries,” said Frederiksen. |
| SFOR found illegal arms | Blic pg. 7 ‘Ten tons of arms found’ – Members of the Multinational Brigade Northwest have discovered four important secret caches of arms and ammunition, two of them in caves, around 20 kilometres northwest of Prijedor. “Inappropriate storage of these arms often makes them unstable and completely unpredictable,” Brigadier Ben Barry, Brigade’s commander, told a press conference. Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 3, ‘Ten tons of shells found in a cave’ – In the village of Strigovo on Tuesday evening, SFOR members found ten tons of artillery ammunition, most probably remnant from the past war. Major Chris Bremner, stated yesterday that: “The ammunition found are mainly shells. The ammunition was hidden in a cave. Owing to inaccessibility of the area, the action of transferring the ammunition lasted the whole day yesterday. |
| VL on SFOR activities | Vecernji List (page 2, by Milo Jukic) – the author notes that SFOR, almost every week, executes operations directed against people who obstruct the Dayton Peace Accord, and goes on to say if SFOR really wanted to prevent those who go against the DPA, it should start with its operations in the OHR and building of FBiH Government. VL reckons that the OHR in many segments of life simply ignores the DPA, which is most evident in the education. According to VL, the FBiH Ministry of Education is issuing textbooks that suit one people only because the OHR consciously ignores the fact that education is in competence of cantons. |
| Police confiscating documents at Telekom Srpske
| Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 3, ‘Republika Srpska police is confiscating documents from Telekom’ – Milorad Jelisavac, Head of Republika Srpska Crime Police at Interior Ministry, stated that the Ministry received an order from the District Public Prosecutor Banjaluka to exclude documentation from Telekom Srpske in which order a thorough review of papers will be carried out. The process of confiscating documents is ongoing. The order also requested the Republika Srpska police to conduct other investigative acts in order to establish eventual irregularities in the management of Telekom Srpske. |
| Update to Babic affair
| Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 5, ‘SDS delegate threatened me’ – Dr. Slavko Nedic, former director of Doboj hospital, claims that Olivera Babic, SDS delegate at RS NA who was recently convicted of forgery, threatened him with liquidation. He claims that: “When I started checking her diploma on the eve of Christmas last year, I started receiving threatening messages by the phone, saying that my family will celebrate “black Christmas”, that my kids will be slaughtered…” Nedic reported this to police, that established during a six month investigation that the phone card, from which the calls were made to Nedic, belongs to Olivera Babic and her un-wedded companion. |
| Audit into Glas Srpske operations | Glas Srpske, cover page story, ‘Audit at GS’ – Boro Luburic, General Manager of “Glas Srpske”, confirmed that the Special Auditor of OHR will commence with audit into management of “GS” today. The auditor announced the team would come at 10:00 hrs today, without saying the time period the audit should cover. |
| Update to Orao affair trial | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 2, ‘General Radoslav Pandizc questioned’ – During the 3rd day of trial for Orao affair before the Bijeljina Basic Court, the following people took the stand: Radoslal Pandzic, retired general, Vukasin Lale, former Head of AirForce Administration, assistant to Director at Orao centre for economic affairs, a couple of customs officers and members of the Republika Srpska Defence Ministry Commission, who worked on the compilation of Orao report. Both defendants, Pandzic and Lale, denied any knowledge of UN SC Resolution at the time quoted in the indictment. |
| VL says Nikola Grabovac will sue HR Ashdown | Vecernji List (page 4, by Z. Jurilj, “Grabovac will sue Ashdown after all”) – reports that the BiH Human Rights chamber rejected former FBiH Finance Minister, Nikola Grabovac’s, motion to discuss his removal, the removal which was passed by the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, adding that Grabovac announced he would file a lawsuit against HR Ashdown with the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg. In an open letter to the BiH Human Rights Chamber, Grabovac criticizes the members of the Chamber saying they did not dare to rule in his favour because that would mean they would be at odds with the HR Ashdown which in turn means they would lose hefty salaries and other expenses. “You state that the High Representative is not a part of the legal system in BiH and Federation of BiH. That’s not true. How could he remove me if he is not part of institutions of BiH, because I was not removed by either Government or Parliament of BiH”, reads Grabovac’s letter. |
Education | |
| Strike of HNC teachers
| Dnevni List (page 13, “Laus: We shall not give up our demands”, not signed) and Slobodna Dalmacija (page 19, “Nevertheless, strike of teachers is not being called off”, by Z. Zekic) carry President of Trade Union of primary schools’ teachers (Croats) Slavko Laus as saying: “The decision of the Herzegovina-Neretva Cantonal Government to adopt basis for July salaries amounting to 120 KM is a positive one because the Government offered some solution in this way, however, we shall not give up our demands.” Laus added that the session of the (Teachers’) Council will take place on September 19 and then there will be more information whether the strike will be called off or not. |
| Bishop Komarica meets OSCE’s Beecroft / HDZ Capljina on education reform | Dnevni List (page 11, “To build state in which law will rule and not right of stronger one”, not signed) and Vecernji List (page 2, “Beecroft with Komarica on Reform”, by Fena) carry that the Banja Luka Bishop, Franjo Komarica, received the Head of OSCE Mission to BiH, Robert Beecroft. On this occasion, Beecroft and Komarica talked about the statement of BiH Bishops’ Conference regarding the implementation of the Annex 7 and the education reform. The dailies say that Beecroft interpreted the document “Reform of Education” and stressed that the education reform does not have for its goal to root out identity of young Croat people. DL says that Bishop Komarica expressed regret over the fact that the document “Reform of Education” was not handed over to BiH Bishops’ Conference at all and that it was not interpreted enough to those who are concerned about it. According to DL, Beecroft agreed with the Bishop’s claim that the issue of the Croat people in BiH has not been resolved yet and added that there is no BiH without Croats. Dnevni List (page 7, “HDZ: Abolish decision on unification of schools“, by Fena) carries that the HDZ Municipal Board of Capljina demands implementation of all decisions passed at the session of the HDZ Main Board from September 6, 2003, and the first step, according to HDZ Capljina, should be withdrawal of the instruction on administrative unification of “two schools under one roof”. |
Other issues | |
| BiH Federation RTV sets up editorial standards council
| Oslobodjenje pg. 9, Dnevni Avaz pg. 9,ONASA – General Director of the BiH Federation Radio-Television Jasmin Durakovic passed a decision on Wednesday on the formation of a council for improvement of editorial standards, aimed at analysing, monitoring and suggesting the editorial policy. Members of the Council are academic Muhamed Filipovic, friar Luka Markesic and journalist Vlastimir Mijovic. The Council will have an exclusive counselling role, aiming at protecting public and subscribers’ interests. It will report to the General Director. |
| Helicopter crash anniversary
| BHTV, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘The best memorial is if BiH continues moving towards Europe’, Oslobodjenje pg. 6 ‘Tributes to the brave ones’, Dnevni List page 4, “Ashdown: These people gave lives believing in victory of peace”, by E. Mackic – At the Prokosko Lake near Fojnica, the sixth anniversary was marked on Wednesday of a helicopter crash in which seven UN and five OHR officials died. The tributes to the late international officials were paid by the ambassadors of their countries, High Representative Paddy Ashdown and representatives of the local authorities headed by FBiH President Niko Lozancic. |