| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Herzeg-Bosnia anniversary | Step towards EU | Feasibility study approved | EC on BiH |
| EC on BiH | Tax controls in Mostar | Comment by Terzic | Indictment against Babic |
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| Indictment against Babic | Strike in Zenica continues |
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| Bush visits London |
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| Oslobodjenje | New conditions for BiH’s admission into EU |
| Dnevni Avaz | Interview with Chris Patten – EU opening g doors |
| Dnevni List | “Vrankic: I have been attacked from ‘Center for running the crises’ “; “Aluminij is paying the most expensive electricity when world aluminum industry is in question” |
| Vecernji List | “Negotiations on BiH joining EU begin in 2004”; “The Hague is issuing bill of indictment against Ejup Ganic” |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | “Municipality Stari Grad sold hotel that does not belong to them”; “Special unit selling ammunition” |
| Glas Srpske | Branislav Dukic claims: Three people under investigation |
| Nezavisne Novine | Chris Patten writes for NN: Progress achieved, but still many work to be done; EC accepted feasibility study on BiH admission to EU: Negotiations on BiH admission to EU next year; Frano Maroevic: No progress reached on salary and pension increase |
| Blic | RS authority ignores camp inmates; Dragan Cavic: ‘To resolve problems of refugees’ |
BiH/EU relations | |
| European Commission approves Feasibility Study
| BHTV, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje front page, pg. 7 ‘New conditions for BiH’s admission into EU’, Dnevni Avaz front page, pg. 5 ‘Interview with Chris Patten – EU opening g doors’ and pg. 2 ‘The first step towards EU’, Dnevni List front and page 3, “Self-sustainable state basic condition”, Vecernji List front page, “Negotiations on BiH joining EU begin in 2004”, and page 3, “On issue of BiH joining EU next summer”, by E. Medunjanin, Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 3, ‘Negotiations on BiH admission to EU next year’ – The European Commission has approved a Feasibility Study assessing the readiness of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to take its next steps towards European Integration, by opening negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). The Commission concludes that it hopes to be able to recommend the opening of SAA negotiations next year – on the condition that BiH makes significant progress in a number of areas identified as priorities for action: compliance with existing conditionality and international obligations; more effective governance; more effective public administration; European integration; effective human rights provisions; effective judiciary; tackling crime, especially organised crime; managing asylum and migration; customs and taxation reform; budget legislation; budget practice; reliable statistics; consistent trade policy; integrated energy market; BiH single economic space and public broadcasting. The Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten welcomed the finding of the Feasibility Study: “It would give me great pleasure to be able, next year, to recommend to Member States that we should start SAA negotiations with BiH. I will only be able to do so if BiH makes significant and rapid progress in the areas that we have identified. Given sufficient political will, there is no reason why BiH should not meet this target”. The Feasibility Study finds that BiH has made important progress since the dark days of the 1990s, but still suffers from significant weaknesses. Among its achievements are: establishing democratic procedures, improving the rule of law, a stabilised macro-economic situation and sectoral reforms which are beginning to bring BiH closer to European standards. Nevertheless, BiH still needs to undertake many fundamental reforms. It needs to show that it can assume full responsibility for government. Economic reform needs to be consolidated, and the country’s technical and administrative capacities need further upgrading. BiH’s core challenge remains that of building a self-sustaining state able to integrate further into EU structures. |
| Chris Patten on BiH for Nezavisne Novine, Dnevni Avaz | Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 7, ‘Progress achieved, but still many work to be done’ – This is actually an opinion editorial by Chris Patten, EC envoy for foreign affairs. He says that yesterday was a big day for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for its relations with the European Union. He claims that BiH has made a progress eight years after war atrocities, noting that many things are still left to be done. He stresses that depending upon implementation of reforms (including establishment of a single Indirect Tax Administration), the talks of Stability and Admission Agreement between EU and BiH would commence sometime in second half of 2004. He emphasises that public poll has proved that people of BiH want to be admitted into EU. And yesterday’s acceptance of feasibility study has given a chance to BiH to achieve this. He concludes the op-ed. by saying that it is up to BiH political leaders whether they would ensure BiH gets its seat within EU. Dnevni Avaz front page, pg. 5 ‘Study opens doors for BiH to join EU under certain conditions’ – Patten presents his views re BiH chances to accede EU in the for of interview. |
| Terzic says EC’s adoption of Feasibility Study “great success” for BiH
| BHTV, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg. 7 ‘Yet 16 additional tasks’, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Great success for the BiH government and the international community’, Dnevni List page 3, “ Feasibility Study is positive”, by E.M. – Adnan Terzic, Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, welcomed the adoption of the Feasibility Study by the European Commission (EC) on Tesday and said that this was a great success for the BiH government and representatives of the international community. Terzic told a news conference in Sarajevo that great progress has been made over the past 10 months with regard to the adoption of the strategy for BiH’s accession to EU and assessed this period as the most fruitful since the Dayton Agreement signing. He said that the EC has recognized the strong steering of the BiH government on its way towards Europe and that this has been awarded a positive mark which was presented today in Brussels. “The BiH authorities are now to face new conditions contained in 16 bullet-points which refer to the strengthening of the BiH institutions, the implementation of the reforms which are currently under way and numerous other issues,” Terzic said. He said that the BiH government will soon start negotiations on the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and said that he expected the agreement to be signed by the end of next year. |
| OHR welcomes adoption of BiH’s Feasibility Study | Croat Radio Herceg Bosna, RTRS, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Implementation of reforms must continue’ – The adoption of the Feasibility Study by the European Commission is a tremendous success for BiH, especially in that it has been achieved in only eight years following the war, OHR Spokesman Mario Brkic has said. He said that this was a historic opportunity for BiH and that Europe “has extended its hand and BiH must reach out and grasp it”. Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Implementation of reforms must continue’, Oslobodjenje pg. 7 ‘Laws for Europe and against it’, Dnevni List page 2, “BiH can join EU only through implementation of reforms”, by Fena – “One thing is clear: BiH will only get into the EU if it reforms,” OHR spokesperson Oleg Milisic told a press conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday. |
Political developments | |
| Session of Commission for Mostar Statute
| Dnevni Avaz pg. 8 ‘All political parties offer different solutions’ By F. Vele – At its tenth session held in Mostar on Tuesday, the Commission for Mostar Statute did not accept proposals made by Maria Rodrigues McKey, a Council of Europe’s expert in the field of election legislation. At an initiative of the Commission’s Chairman, Norbert Vinterstein, she proposed that Mostar is made of seven electoral units, and that the City Council has a total of 30 members out of whom 16 would be appointed through electoral units as 14 would be selected through elections at the level of the town. Dnevni List (page 9, “Party HQs to talk about key issues pertaining to Mostar restructuring”, by Z. Jukic) – claiming that the Chairman of the Mostar Commission, Norbert Winterstein, will soon declare a successful end to the work of the Commission, the author notes that the OHR cannot afford another “fiasco” in the work of the second Commission. DL claims that the current Commission cannot reach an agreement on issues pertaining to internal organizational set-up of the city and elections rules, so the OHR came up with an idea to declare the current level of consensus within the Commission on single budget and single City administration as a successful solution and to transfer the key issues, on which there is no agreement, to the higher party levels. Namely, DL claims the OHR plans that an agreement be reached by party pinnacles. |
| SDU on Mostar restructuring | Osloboodjenje pg. 5 ‘SDA and HDZ’s double standards’, Dnevni Avaz pg. 8 ‘Komsic: There will be no unification with ethnic municipalities’, FENA – The BiH Social Democratic Union (SDU) says that certain political parties, primarily the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) are expressing hypocrisy and policy of double standards when it comes to restructuring the City of Mostar. SDU Vice-president Sejfudin Tokic said at press conference on Tuesday that the ruling parties in this city have created an atmosphere of pressures and exclusion. Mostar is also the proof on the certain parties’ position towards unification of the entire country, said another SDU Vice-president Ivo Komsic. SDU stresses that Mostar must be reordered in line with principle: single city administration – single budget, and that it is necessary to abolish the municipal administrations. National representation in the future assembly should be in compliance with the 1991 census. |
| ‘Statement of Day’: FBiH President Niko Lozancic | Dnevni List (page 2) carries in its ‘Statement of Day’ President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Niko Lozancic as saying: “We demand that the agenda of the FBiH Government sessions is defined through consensus.” |
| Round Table of former inmates boycotted | Glas Srpske, pg. 3, ‘Following the opposition recipe’; Nezavisne Novine, pg. 6, ‘Authority boycotts the gathering of Republika Srpska Association of former inmates’ – The representatives of political parties, that make a parliament majority in Republika Srpska (SDS, PDP, DPS, SRS and Serb Patriotic Party) will not attend today’s Round Table, which was organised by the Republika Srpska Association of former inmates. They find that goals of this Table are to turn over of the current authority. The representatives of parliament majority parties at yesterday’s press conference stressed that even some municipal Associations of former inmates, for example from Prijedor, Derventa, Lakrtasi, Prnjavor, Doboj disassociate from these activities claiming they take no part. Blic, p 15, ‘To truth without help’, Vecernje Novosti, p 21, ‘The authority refused to participate’ also covered the issue. Blic also quotes the President of the Association of Camp Inmates, Branislav Dukic, as saying: ‘If pressures against RS are continued to be applied, the camp inmates will request a referendum on separation of RS from BiH to be signed out. This will be done exclusively for those who had given their lives or had become invalids for this entity’. |
| SNSD critical of Kalinic
| Glas Srpske, pg. 2, ‘Authority beyond the people’ – SNSD yesterday released a press release, in which this party condemned yesterday’s statement by Dragan Kalinic, Republika Srpska Parliament Speaker,, by which he “disdained the families of the killed and missing soldiers, as well as former inmates”. According to press release, Kalinic does not like any person, who does not think or speak like SDS officials, and also who decide to criticise the incompetent authority in Republika Srpska. |
| Paravac on Brcko Mayor issue | Glas Srpske, pg. 2, ‘Brcko at test’ – Borislav Paravac, Serb member to BiH Presidency, stated that the position of the Brcko Mayor should belong to Serb official, because any violation of equal national representation could have serious consequences upon District. He also postponed his visit to Brcko in November, owing to latest developments in this city. Oslobodjenje pg. 4 also covered the issue. |
| SDA demands resignation of Prijedor Mayor | Glas Srpske, pg. 2, ‘Resignation is the only way-out’; Nezavisne Novine, pg. 5, ‘SDA will demand resignation of Nade Sevo’ – Sead Cirkin, member of SDA Chair Board and President of SDA Municipal Board in Prijedor, yesterday accused the Prijedor Mayor, Nada Sevo, of catastrophic situation at the municipal budget, whose deficit has reached the amount of KM 3 million. At the press conference, he stressed that the only way-out from the current crisis is resignation of Prijedor Mayor. Cirkin also announced he would inform Republika Srpska Chief Auditor of this affair, as well as international organisations in BiH. |
| Mikerevic in Trebinje | Glas Srpske, pg. 3, ‘The youth is treasure’ – Yesterday in Trebinje, RS Prime Minister, Dragan Mikerevic, announced that the amount of BAM 50 thousand will soon be allocated to Arts Academy in this city. He announced that the budget for next year would include planning of resources for Trebinje high education facilities. |
| 12th anniversary of establishment of Croat Community of Herceg Bosnia marked | Dnevni List (front and page 5, “Colak: BiH would not exist as independent state without Croat people”, by V. Kljajic) carries that marking the 12th anniversary of the establishment of the Croat Community of Herceg Bosnia numerous HDZ delegations and delegations of the Associations resulting from Homeland War laid wreaths at the grave of the first President of CCHB Mate Boban. On this occasion HDZ President Barisa Colak stated the struggle of the Croat people for freedom and equal position is still on because the Croat issue in BiH has not been resolved. Colak added: “The biggest part of the International Community did not want to recognise our legitimate demands for more just organisation of BiH. We are witnesses of political condemnations, persecutions, election engineering, disrespecting of the election will and reducing of our rights to the rights of the national minority.” Vecernji List (page 2, “Strong political response of Croats”, by D. Ravic, M. Banozic), Slobodna Dalmacija (front and page 16, “Anniversary of Herceg Bosna”, by V. Bogut), Sarajevo media also covered this anniversary. |
| Session of BiH Council of Ministers
| Vecernji List (front and page 2, “Starting January, to Croatia with personal identity card only”, by D. Jazvic, M. Bosnjak) – the BiH Council of Ministers, at its session held in Sarajevo yesterday, determined a proposal of basis for talks with the Republic of Croatia on liberalization of border crossing regime, which is in other words an introduction of talks the result of which should enable citizens of the two countries to get across the state border with personal identity cards only, i.e. without a passport. VL also announces that the Croatian President, Stjepan Mesic, will be visiting BiH on December 5, 2003, and the daily expects that the two countries could sign an agreement on border crossing regime with the ID only at a session of the BiH-Croatia Interstate Council. Dnevni List (page 3, “5 decisions on ban of export”, by E. Mackic), Sarajevo media also covered this session. |
Economic/social issues | |
| RS Minister says IMF expected to accept RS Government plan
| RTRS, Blic, p 13 ’30 million KM by the end of the year’ – IMF positively evaluated the plan from the Government about increasing the lowest price of work from KM68 to KM82, said Minister of Finance of RS Banko Krsmanovic. The Government now waits for the official response from IMF according to which the Government will act. He said that the Government would get the response and that they knew RS Government plan was evaluated by IMF like a high- quality proposal. |
| EC’s Maroevic on RS salaries, pensions issue | Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 5, ‘No progress reached on salary and pension increase’ – Frane Maroevic, Spokesperson of the European Commission in BiH, on Tuesday in Sarajevo stated that no progress has been achieved on the issue of minimal labour wage and pension increase. He stressed that EC delegation sticks to its initial position. On the other hand, Branko Krsmanovic, Republika Srpska Finance Minister, stated that a significant progress has been achieved in talks on this issue. He said that documents, which the Republika Srpska Government handed to EC officials, are of great quality, exact and in detail. |
| Increase of pensions in FBiH possible | Glas Srpske, pg. 5, ‘Taking advantage of’ – GS reports that Esad Sarajlic, President of the Steering Board of the PIO Fund in BiH, told federal media that the 6% increase in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is possible. He claims that the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is able to pay out this increase (in accordance with resources inflow), while Republika Srpska is not able to cover this increase. GS also raises the question as to why no official of the international community has responded to this announcement. Rade Rakulj, President of the Republika Srpska Association of Pensioners, stated that: “the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina pensioners can behave in this manner, because the High Representative to BiH, Paddy Ashdown took their side. We will be able to achieve something only when HiRep leaves.” He also called on international organisations to ensure that the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities comply with decision of Human Rights Chamber, regarding the payment of pensions from the entity where they were earned. |
| Interview with FBiH Minister of Finances Dragan Vrankic | Dnevni List (front and page 5, “Vrankic: I have been attacked from ‘Management crisis Centre’“, by M. Relota) carries an interview with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finances, Dragan Vrankic. With regard to the issue of the Chief inspector of the Financial Police Zulfer Dervisevic and his Deputy Miroslav Vidovic, Vrankic says that requested from members of the FBiH Government to suspend not remove the two, as it was interpreted by media, claiming that the document he had presented to the FBiH Government, the Information on situation in Financial Police, shows irregularities and illegalities in the work of the Financial Police. Vrankic also claims that he has been under attacks which are being conducted from the “Management crisis Centre”, which gives orders to the Financial Police to undertake investigations against him as a Minister and areas with the Croat majority. “Is all started when I referred at a Government’s session to an unequal position of Croats in the FBiH (…) This is another confirmation that private investigations against me and other Ministers coming from the line of the Croat people are being conducted by my subordinates, and I am not allowed to execute the duty of the Minister, in other words to be the Minister to the Financial Police too”, says Vrankic. |
| Issue of restitution | Vecernji List (page 2, “‘Spiric’s restitution’ – threat to stability”, by eme) – reports that despite opposition coming from the OHR, a proposal of law on restitution, the proponent of which is the Speaker of the BiH Parliament’s House of Representatives, Nikola Spiric, remains in the procedure. Apparently, the proposal, together with amendments, will be forwarded to the BiH Council of Ministers for their declaration and then on to the further procedure. VL also reports that the Principal Deputy High Representative, Donald Hays, stated that around 18.000 users would be affected by this, because they have to be moved and because the State would have to pay the compensations which would financially destabilize BiH. Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Wrong restitution model’ – “Restitution is a complex and highly important issue that could seriously damage if not destroy the prospects for economic recovery and prosperity in BiH if the wrong model is adopted. Parliament should think long and hard before proceeding further with the current draft law without expert international advice,” said OHR Spokesman Oleg Milisic at a press conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday. |
| Indirect Taxation | Dnevni Avaz pg. 4 ‘A BiH national may also be appointed chairmsn of ITA Steering Board’ – The Commission for Finances and Budget of the BiH House of Representativbes adopted at its session held on Monday an amendments to the draft law of indirect taxation foreseeing possibility that a BiH nationaql may also be appointed the first chairman of the ITA steering board. |
| Youth in Mostar get premises from City administration
| Dnevni List (page 16, “Youth in Mostar get their premises”, by D. Kozina) – the City administration of Mostar and representatives of the “Abrasevic” Youth centre of Mostar signed a lease contract yesterday by which the “Abrasevic” got premises that will help its future work. Deputy Mayor of Mostar, Ljubo Beslic, expressed hope that the premises of “Abrasevic” would become a place where all the youth of Mostar would gather at. It is worth noting that the City administration of Mostar is so far a sole donator to the “Abrasevic” (15.000 KMs for making of the project documentation). |
| Krsmanovic with bankers | Glas Srpske, pg. 2, ‘Sift for bankers’; Nezavisne Novine, pg. 4, ‘Almost all banks were violating the law’ – According to GS, Branko Krsmanovic, Republika Srpska Finance Minister, assessed that yesterday’s meeting with bank representatives and Banking Agency was a chance for both sides to point at their problems and gaps in mutual co-operation. Mira Strazivuk, Republika Srpska Finance Minister Assistant for fiscal affairs, said that the goal of this meeting was to improve payment turnovers. Speaking of tax evasions, Minister Krsmanovic said that one of measures, which could remove this problem, was to link the banks, Vault, Tax Administration and Republika Srpska Customs Administration. According to NN, Krsmanovic said that almost all the banks were violating the law by keeping at their accounts (a couple or more days) public incomes payments. Not s single banks has been penalised because of this, according to Minister. Bankers agreed that they would reinforce internal bank controls, in order to ensure that this does not happen ever again. |
| President of People’s Front Association claims: Telekom officials will sell firm on 1st January | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 4, ‘Telekom officials waiting for January to sell the firm’ – Dragomir Babic, President of the Association “People’s Front” accused the leadership opf Telekom Srpske of deliberate delays in scheduling the session of the Shareholders. In the meantime, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) would undertake a part of shares of this firm (namely 20%). He also claims that Mladen Ivanic, PDP President and BiH Foreign Minister, is also involved in this. |
| Military apartments | Blic, p 12 ‘Hope in the Constitutional Court’ – The Chairman of the Home of Representatives of BiH Parliament, Nikola Spiric, yesterday at a press conference appealed to the RS authority to annul discriminatory provisions of the Law on Annulling the Law on Abandoned Property, which disables tenancy rights returns and registering of purchased military apartments. The President of the Association of Army Pensioners, Jovo Vukobrat, stated: “The proof that the authority is discriminating us is the fact that nobody in RS is interested in our issues, while in the Federation of BiH there are teams of people who are preventing us from being reinstated to our apartments”, and he expressed his hope that the BiH Constitutional Court would bring a positive decision and stop the discrimination of citizens in BiH. Glas Srpske, pg. 3, ‘Law locked the door’; Nezavisne Novine, pg. 13, ‘Ban on return of military apartments is discriminatory’ also covered the issue. |
| Sale of hotel ‘Neretva’ in Mostar | With regard to sale of hotel ‘Neretva’ in Mostar (see Weekend Cropress summary, Nov. 15/16), Dnevni List (page 19, “Skobic: Municipality Stari Grad creates parallel systems in privatization process”, by V. Leto) carries Head of the Department in charge of economy with the Mostar City Administration Andrija David Skobic. Among the other things Skobic says that relevant documents say that this hotel is not ownership of the Mostar Municipality Stari Grad. He added: “In the process of privatization the Municipality does not have right to implement a model of a tender sale because this is exclusively under competence of the Privatization Agency. The Municipality Stari Grad has started to create parallel systems in the privatization process, taking over competence of the Privatization Agency without authorization.” Slobodna Dalmacija (front and page 17, “Municipality Stari Grad sold hotel which is not its ownership”, by Z. Zekic) also covered this issue. |
| Tax administration’s action in Herzegovina | Vecernji List (front “Hunt for tax-evaders begins” and page “Tax administration seals ten facilities in Mostar shopping mall”, by Z. K.) – inspectors of the Tax Administration of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH TA) sealed ten shops in the shopping mall in west part of Mostar during an operation the aim of which is to detect tax evasions. Advisor to the Director of FBIH TA, Fuad Balta, notes that all ten shops were not issuing bills to their customers. This operation comes after numerous appeals of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Government regarding poor filling in of the HNC budget. Dnevni List (page 17, “FBiH Tax Administration closed about 10 boutiques in shopping center”, by S.B.), Slobodna Dalmacija (last page, “10 shops closed”, by E. Karamatic), Sarajevo-based media also covered this issue. |
Media | |
| Federation Radio-TV adopts financial report, rejects Durakovic’s resignation
| Dnevni Avaz pg. 9 ‘Jasmin Durakovic’s resignation rejected’, Dnevni List page 6, “Support given to Jasmin Durakovic”, by K.P. – The management board of BiH Federation Radio-TV on Tuesday adopted the financial report for the January-September period of this year, and gave its support to director Jasmin Durakovic in his future activities aimed at the development of RTV FBiH as a public broadcaster. After adopting the financial report, the management board of RTV FBiH expressed its satisfaction with the continuing positive trend in the management of this public broadcaster. |
| Op-ed in Novi Reporter by OHR’s Braithwaite on PBS | Novi Reporter pg. 11 op-ed by Julian Braithwaite, ‘Reform of public broadcasting system is inevitable’ – Braithwaite stresses the importance and need for the reform of public broadcasting system in BiH, noting that reform is inevitable. According to him, public broadcasting system of BiH needs to go through a thorough reform, if it wants to avoid financial collapse and meet pre-requisites for European integrations. He concludes the op-ed by saying that decision on this rests with the institutions of BiH, which can make a choice – whether to do it by themselves or with an assistance by the international community. In the final paragraph, Braithwaite says that: “There are indications BiH institutions have committed to reforms, but we all know very well that nice words, and sometimes even good intentions, do not count much. Finally, only deeds do count.” |
Security affairs | |
| Conflicts in the FBiH MoI’s special police unit
| Slobodna Dalmacija (front and page 17, “Special unit selling ammunition”, by Zlatko Tulic) – reports that after Zoran Cegar got removed from the command post in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Interior’s SWAT unit, there is a complete anarchy within the unit and the national intolerance is “boiling”. SD learns from sources close to the unit that there have been five to six serious quarrels and fights within the unit, and the last fight resulted in a Serb member getting beaten up by a Bosniak member with a message that “he can pack up and go to Trebinje, because there is no place for likes of him in the unit”. Moreover, SD reports that the acting commander of the unit, Mirsad Vilic, is in the command thanks to the SDA’s support, despite Vilic not passing the medical exams. The daily also claims that the unit has been selling ammunition to people from Sandzak, which has been kept under wraps. |
| Intelligence Law | Nezavisne Novine, pg. 5, ‘Ivanic is waiting for a green-light from Republika Srpska’ – The OHR Spokesperson, Oleg Milisic, yesterday confirmed that Mladen Ivanic, BiH Foreign Minister, has given up on inter-party and inter-national harmonisation of amendments to the proposed draft law on intelligence agency of BiH. BiH Foreign Minister is of the view that relevant entity institutions should first take a stance on this issue. |
War crimes | |
| Ganic, Delic, Silajdzic under ICTY investigation
| Glas Srpske, cover page story, ‘Three people udner investigation’; Nezavisne Novine, pg. 2, ‘Indictments against Ganic, Delic and Silajdzic soon’ – Branislav Dukic, President of the Republika Srpska Association of former inmates, claims that ICTY Prosecutor’s Office is conducting investigations against Rasim Delic, war-time commander of the BiH Army HQ, Ejup Ganic, member of the war-time BiH Presidency, and Haris Silajdzic, war-time Premier of BiH. He claims he received this information from Carla del Ponte, ICTY Chief Prosecutor. According to him, Del Ponte promised that indictments against these three people would be brought at the beginning of next year. Vecernji List (front “Tribunal in The Hague raises indictment against Ejup Ganic” and page 2 “Indictment from The Hague for Ganic too”, by f) also covered the issue. |
| Wartime leader of Serbs in Croatia indicted for war crimes | Nezavisne Novine, cover and pg. 2, ‘Indictment against Milan Babic pressed’ – The Hague Tribunal has publicised the indictment against the former president of RS Krajina, Milan Babic. He has been charged with crimes against humanity and violation of laws and customs of war. In five counts, an indictment charges Babic for having committed crimes against Croatian civilian population in several villages in Krajina from 1 August 1991 to 15 February 1992. Babic was the witness of the prosecution in the trial against Slobodan Milosevic. Vjesnik (front and page 2, “The Hague charged Milan Babic with ethnic cleansing and murders of Croats and other non-Serb population in Croatia”, by Hina), Slobodna Dalmacija (page 2, “Bill of indictment issued against Milan Babic”, by T. Klauski) and Jutarnji List (front and page 5, “The Hague: Milan Babic charged with war crime”, by S. Pavic) also covered this information. |
| VL: “Meron ICTY President again” | Vecernji List (page 18, by Hina) carries that US Judge Theodor Meron was re-elected the ICTY President. Vjesnik (front page, “Meron ICTY President again”, by Hina) also covered this information. |