| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Covic on 5c corridor | OSCE on education | Trafficking in Federation | Oil import in RS |
| Masic homicide | Rasevic before ICTY | Arrest of Nihad Rasic | Nihad Masic arrested |
| Lake pollution | Nihad Masic arrested | Rasevic for postponement | SC session on Kosovo |
| Water reduction | Strikes in Una-Sana | Education reform | World news |
| Oslobodjenje | ‘Riverina’ gardens closing Sarajevo airport?; Paravac’s mandate cancelled; Investigation on explosions – Kajevic went to the police; |
| Dnevni Avaz | The military service will last only four months; Brankovic – government’s decision have to be implemented; Suspect in the murder case of Safija Masic arrested in Sarajevo |
| Dnevni List | Vitez – decision on unified schools today; Explosive device thrown near Hotel ‘Neretva’; President of the HDZ caucus Jadranko Lovric – it is still uncertain whether $7 million will go to Mostar or Bijeljina |
| Vecernji List | Politicians in BiH are indifferent; Sarajevo hopes that Sultan will send an invitation; Authority without real opposition |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Features Croatia related headlines |
| Glas Srpski | Fires raging in East Herzegovina – Bileca villages saved |
| Nezavisne Novine | Workers of Bihac ‘Zitoprerada’ on hunger strike for two weeks – ER personnel examine 40 strikers on a daily basis; The Hague Tribunal – Mitar Rasevic refused to enter a plea; Beriz Belkic – members of the Party for BiH are ready to leave the authority |
| Blic | Ministers’ thrones are shaking; Route of 5c corridor through BiH still unknown; Gojko Savanovic – all secondary school pupils will be enrolled |
Political Affairs | |
| Paravac – Wnendt
| Avaz pg. 2 ‘European integration political priority for BiH’ – Presidency member, Borislav Paravac, met on Monday with the new SDHR Werner Wnendt. During the talks, Paravac emphasized that a special place amongst the priorities in BiH political issues was given to finding the way of joining the European integration, as well as developing the regional cooperation. They both pointed out the importance of BiH joining the Partnership for Peace. Dnevni List pg. 4 ‘Finding faster way for joining European integration’ – Paravac and Wnendt agreed that they would work together on the resolving of disputable issues in the implementation of the current reforms. Dnevni List pg. 4 ‘Finding of faster way for joining European integration’. |
| SDS
| Avaz pg. 3 ‘Stojicic: the SDS will reconsider its position on the participation of the SDA in the authority’ – at yesterday’s press conf, SDS Spokesperson Dusan Stojicic announced the party would consider their position on the participation of the SDA in the government if the aggressive attitude by some Bosniak politicians towards the RS persisted. As for Tihic’s statement when he visited Crni Vrh, Stojicic said the SDS was surprised and worried by the fact that the IC did not react to such anti-Dayton statements. As for Cavic’s statement on terrorism, he said it triggered unnecessary hysteria amongst Bosniak politicians in the FBiH. Added the SDS would request, via the RS NA and BiH Parliament, a discussion on the subject of terrorism in BiH. Nezavisne Novine pg. 6 ‘The SDS supports Cavic’s initiative’ – Stojicic expressed full support of the SDS to an initiative by Republika Srpska President Cavic regarding the summoning of a meeting of parties, which make the majority at the Republika Srpska National Assembly. Blic pg. 2 ‘Against the Dayton’, Vecernje Novosti pg. 6 ‘Calm down Tihic’ – He called on all Serb political parties to protect the RS as an equal entity in BiH and its national interests. When asked to comment on the Partner Marketing Agency’s poll according to which 65% of RS citizens think that in case Kosovo becomes independent then the RS should unite with Serbia and Montenegro, Stojicic said what else one could expect in a situation when a Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency gave statements full of hatred for the RS. |
| UNDP report on BiH society | Vecernji List pg. 1 and 2 – excerpts from a UNDP’s report on the BiH society that is to be published in 20 days. According to the report, the politics in BiH is dominated by indifference and changes that the country needs to carry out are too slow. The report, among other things, reads as follows. “Does the High Representative need to be the only force of change in BiH, or the local authorities and citizens will assume responsibility for the success and failures”. According to VL, the authors of the report gets a feeling that the High Representative is to an extent indifferent and not interested in remedying the anti-constitutional situation although that should be his priority task. Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘Indifference rules’ – the report says that the BiH political sphere is ruled by indifference and almost giving because there are so few attempts on the construction of a normal, democratic and trade ambient in BiH. The report further reads that the social state of affairs is particularly sombre, as incomes are not improving, the working market is a grave subject, reforms are mainly stagnating, and the refugee return is mainly down to the return of property. “Simply, the standard of most BiH citizens is below of what is considered to be the poverty line in the rest of Europe.” |
| VL editorial on Mostar | Vecernji List pg. 6 by Radoslav Dodik ‘Imperial statute for Mostar’ – concluding that all efforts exerted in making of the new statute of the City of Mostar were in vain, the author presents his idea on how to organize Mostar. Namely, Dodik says that the document called ‘Municipal order with electoral order for city of Mostar’, published in 1907 during the Austro-Hungarian times, should be used as the new statute for Mostar. According to Dodik, the Austro-Hungarian Empire knew what they were doing and the said document had provisions that described the municipal set-up, election of councilors, rights and duties of head of municipality etc. “Simply wonderful! Finally I would like to add that the municipal statute of city of Mostar was signed by the Emperor Franjo Josip himself,” concluded the author. |
| SBiH reps ready to leave the authority? | Nezavisne Novine pg. 1 and 6 ‘Members of the Party for BiH are ready to leave the authority’ – Beriz Belkic, a member of the SBiH Presidency, stated that all bearers of authority from the Party for BiH are ready to leave the authority, unless the situation changes in the near future in regard to the implementation of reforms, mainly customs and tax. Belkic accused ‘certain interest groups’, that are infiltrated in the BiH society, for the deterioration of security situation in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a series of bomb attacks in Sarajevo. |
| Gligoric on SDS | Glas Srpske pg. 2 ‘SDA should be removed from authority’, Nezavisne Novine pg. 6 ‘Gligoric accuses SDS of political hypocrisy’ – Tihomir Gligoric, a delegate at the BiH House of Representatives, accused the SDS of the political hypocrisy. He also called on the SDS to talk with its coalition partner, the SDA, and prevent further destructive statements by Sulejman Tihic. Blic pg. 2 ‘SDA to leave the authority’ – “The SDS has obviously forgotten that its coalition partner in the government is not the international community, but the SDA and that the SDS has, in this case, the mandate to respond to destructive SDA statements by removing them from power in the RS,” Gligoric said commenting on the SDS’s statement that the silence and lack of any reaction by representatives of the international community in BiH to tackle destructive anti-Dayton statements by high-ranking BiH officials, which exude hatred towards the RS, was unacceptable. Gligoric considers that the raising of ethnic tensions and incitement of hatred was ‘a smoke screen’ used by the ruling parties to cover up other problems in the country. |
| RTRS on reactions to Tihic’s statement | RTRS at 19:30 hrs by Daliborka Predragovic – in its press release, the RS Association of Inmates says that the attacks against RS, which is recognized by the Dayton Peace Agreement, recently became more frequent. They stressed that the attacks and insults came from the top leaders of Bosniak political parties, especially the SDA and Party for BiH. The Association of Inmates requested from RS President Dragan Cavic to, together with all Serb political leaders, reach a consensus in defence of the RS and to stop further ‘erosion of the RS’. The press release reads that the RS Association of Inmates together with all RS citizens, will never allow for RS to be in the new concentration camp for Serb people which would be called, as Association says, unitary BiH. Commenting statements of a Bosniak member of BiH Presidency Sulejman Tihic directed against Serb people, Spokesperson for SDS Dusan Stojicic said that this was rough and unserious revision attempt, which damaged the RS. Tihomir Gligoric, delegate in the BiH House of Representatives, accused SDS of the political hypocrisy and invited them to direct their reactions on Tihic’s statements to their coalition partner SDA, instead to the international community. |
| Serbian press on RS govt | Blic pg. 7 ‘Ministers’ thrones are shaking’ – RS President Dragan Cavic should hold a meeting with leaders of political parties within the RSNA and the government’s representatives soon in order to have a clear answer whether the current parliamentary majority and the RS government could function. Commenting on speculations that RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic will be removed, Cavic said he was a pessimist that the reconstruction of a political stage was possible at the moment, but if they agreed about that, then a solution for ‘better future’ would be found. The public also speculates that Mikerevic will be replaced by Interior Minister Zoran Djeric, which Mikerevic has denied, saying he will be the Prime Minister as long as he has a vision for solving the problems. According to some information, the reconstruction of the Government, i.e of six ministries, may happen in September. PDP leader Mladen Ivanic recently said that the reconstruction of the government might be expected. Spokesman of the SDS, Dusan Stojicic, says the SDS endorses the initiative by Cavic to convene a joint meeting of parties constituting the majority in the RSNA and considers it an attempt to improve the work of the government and the majority in the Parliament. Stojicic has stressed that the SDS supports the RS government and that it does not see this initiative as an expression of the lack of confidence in the government. Head of the PDP caucus, Nevenka Trifkovic, says that the current parliamentary majority could function. On the other side, the opposition thinks that early elections are the only solution for emerging from the crisis in RS. President of the SNSD Executive Board, Nebojsa Radmanovic, claims that the parliamentary majority SDS-SDA-PDP cannot function in the practice. The results of the work of the parliamentary majority and the government are catastrophic, due to which Cavic should offer a solution, and provide a way for creating a new government. According to Radmanovic, the whole concept of the government should be changed, due to which they asked for early elections. Vice-President of the SPRS, Miroslav Mikes, says the government does not function, while the parliamentary majority is hybrid and heterogeneous, because its representatives have different interests and aims. He says that the government is incompetent, although there are ministers that do their job properly, but they are in minority. Mikes says SPRS deputies in the RSNA will support the initiative of Families of Killed and Missing Soldiers for Mikerevic’s removal. |
| NN editorial | Nezavisne Novine editorial by Slavko Jovicic Vice President of the Republika Srpska Association of Former Prisoners, ‘Crime within authority’ – in order to put an end to the biggest evil, which threatens to demolish the Republika Srpska, it is necessary that four laws are enacted at the Republika Srpska National Assembly, which would enable a thorough and decisive institutional fight against crime and corruption, as well as the disclosure of all affairs from 1991 to 2003. Those four laws are as follows: law on property cards of all citizens of Republika Srpska – property acquired in the time period between 1991 to 2003; law on establishment of anti-corruption team; law on the establishment of special prosecutor and special department of the Criminal Court for fight against crime and corruption; and law on privatisation audit. The economic revival and development of the Republika Srpska is not possible unless the robbed property is returned to their original owners – the people and citizens of the Republika Srpska. It is illusionary to expect that foreign investments will come in the Republika Srpska, bearing in mind the current chaotic situation here – the situation of anarchy, which mainly suits criminals who continue with their process of getting richer and richer by looting their own people and the state. Only the functioning of a legal state would ensure creation of all pre-requisites necessary for a better life of people and citizens of the Republika Srpska. The word ‘reform’ is such a shabby phrase that it represents a nightmare for the hungry and sad people. Wrapping the form into reform is an additional blunder of the people. People want to see an essence, which would bring a better life to them. However, such better life does not exist at all. Judging from all the facts, there will not be a better life either. On the contrary – we can expect that things will get even worse and life will be unbearable and will come down to pure biological survival of a large percentage of the Republika Srpska population. The reputation of all political leaders, especially those from the very top of the Republika Srpska and BiH authorities, is constantly scaling down. The public attention is diverted towards social and economic issues such as: large unemployment rate, small salaries, crime, corruption, always actual refugee problems etc. The era of constant patriotism (on which we cannot live) is breaking into pieces. The enormously rich war and post-war criminals, tycoons and thieves are eyesore to the tormented, looted and miserable people. The inevitability of evil reflected through crime, corruption and thievery depends on approach that political elite and current authority have towards these issues. If honest and expert people, who want to contribute to the general benefit of all citizens, assume the responsible positions in authority, then the level of crime and corruption is at the low level. If people inclined to misuses, who want to make personal gains and benefits, assume the positions – and they certainly do – then the crime and corruption actually represents a state project. This is how the situation is created when institutions, which should be leading ‘fight against crime and corruption’ represents the biggest centre of criminals and are placed in the function of logistic support to smuggling and criminal activities. Therefore, the solution lays in enactment (or should be say imposition by OHR) of these laws. Also, the solution is in the implementation of these laws in the practise. Otherwise, there is no hope for us! |
| Mostar waste dump | With regard to the Mostar waste dump and a World Bank loan for the program, which has been brought into question, Dnevni List on pg. 1 and 13 carries President of the HDZ caucus in the Mostar City Council, Jadranko Lovric. Commenting on the possible result of a session that should take place on Thursday or Friday, Lovric said the following. “If we judge by the number of councilors, where the number of Croat Councilors is smaller, unfortunately, I believe that the result will be negative and thus it will not be in favor of the City of Mostar. ” Talking about the OHR’s work, Lovric says that he does not expect taking of some concrete steps. “Viewing the crises in the cantonal authority during the last eight months and knowing as to who obstructed functioning of the bodies of the cantonal authority, the OHR only kept expressing passivity and concern, and none of their statements inspire confidence.” |
| DL commentary | Dnevni List pg. 6 by Slavo Kukic ‘Life standards take one path and the real life completely another’ – the author complains that the norms in BiH, the Constitution, the law and by-laws, are being breached on mass-scale in BiH, citing many examples to support his claim. Namely, Kukic says the Serbs and the ‘others’ cannot materialise their rights in the FBiH House of Peoples, that Bosniaks and Croats have taken leading roles in the FBiH companies, that Bosniaks have assumed three leading positions in the FBiH although its should have been two etc. According to Kukic, the situation could be best explained by one of the popular proverbs, according to which the life standards are going one way while the real life is on a completely different one. |
| VL commentary on opposition | Vecernji List pg. 1, 4 and 5 ‘Authority without real opposition’ and ‘There is no real opposition in BiH today’ by Robert Bubalo – the author argues that there is no real opposition in BiH today saying that the recent events, such as the signing of a bilateral agreement on non-extradition of US citizens to the ICC and fires in BiH, simply ‘flew past’ the opposition and they did not even blink. In this context, the author believes that the opposition is silent and unrecognisable in the Parliament, whilst their reactions are pure demagogy failing to provide anything concrete. VL, however, believes that Milorad Dodik of SNSD and Mladen Ivankovic-Lijanovic of Working for Progress are, to an extent, active members of the opposition. |
Economic Affairs | |
| Minister Brankovic
| Avaz pg. 1 and 5 – Federation Minister of Traffic and Communication, Nedzad Brankovic, said a tender for the construction of the Sarajevo-Zenica highway section to Podlugovi would be issued immediately after the FBiH govt decision was printed in the Official Gazette. Minister said they would do their best to reduce the deadlines and make up for the lost time in the segment of expropriation of land. As for the ‘Bosmal’s’ recent letter to the FBiH govt, Brankovic said such remarks could not influence the realization of the project, as ‘these were decisions made by the FBiH govt’. |
| 5c corridor | Avaz pg. 2 ‘Croatia will soon submit their proposal for the 5c corridor’ – referring to a FENA source, the daily reported that the Croatian government still had not submitted a proposal to the BiH CoM for the construction of the 5c corridor. However, according to the same source, the CRO govt is intensively working on the devising of the same and it can be expected for the proposal to be submitted to the CoM soon. VL pg. 19 ‘Croatia sends advice’ – learns from the Croatian Embassy to BiH that the Croatian government is finishing the making of a model and program for the construction of the corridor. Unofficially, the model is not about a concrete offer, but about Croatian opinion how to approach the construction of the first highway in BiH on the basis of Croatia’s experience in the field. Vjesnik front page – the daily unofficially learns that the official Zagreb should send this week a letter of intention to Sarajevo, the details of which should be discussed by Croatian PM, Ivica Racan, and competent ministers on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Also, unofficially, the Croatian government believes that the complete documentation and the cost of the land that should be used for the route should be between $150 and $200 million, which is some $100 million cheaper than the ‘Bosmal’s’ bid. |
| Covic on 5c | Dnevni List pg. 7 ‘Covic requests tender for corridor 5c’ and Vecernji List pg. 19 ‘Covic for tender, Bosmal already building’ – Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Dragan Covic, in an interview for the Sarajevo-based ‘Jutarnje Novine’ strongly advocated that the job for the construction of the 5c corridor be awarded through a public tender and not through a direct deal with a private company. Covic reportedly assessed that despite intentions of the BiH Council of Ministers to give the job to ‘Bosmal’, a tender is the only right approach. VL notes that ‘Bosmal’ is behaving as if it has already been given the job by starting a public campaign with an aim to convince the public that the construction is about to start and that the project is to renew the country. Also reported in Jutarnji List pg. 4 ‘Corridor 5c: Covic for tender, Bosmal behaves as if it got the job’. CRHB at 18:00 hrs – In the statement published by ‘Jutarnje novine’ newspapers on Monday Covic stressed that, regardless of the fact that BiH Council of Ministers (CoM) has made a certain deal with the ‘Bosmal’ company, announcing the tender would be the only right solution in the matter. “This way we could avoid any speculations on the matter, or possible regrets we might have in three or four years,” said Covic. |
| Mihajlovic on 5c | Blic pg. 6 ‘Road is far away’ – Both politicians and experts agree that the problem of constructing the 5c corridor through BiH has been politicised, since it is still unknown what the route would be, nor who and when will prepare the project material, not to mention when the construction will start. A member of the BiH Expert Team for Constructing Highways, Dragan Mihajlovic, says that the construction of corridor was agreed in Helsinki in 1997, when all European countries signed the convention on new corridors that would improve connections between eastern and southern Europe with other EU countries. It was foreseen that a part of the corridor called 5c (which goes through Budapest, Osijek, Sarajevo and Polce) should go through BiH. Croatia had prepared the whole documentation about the part that should pass through its territory and it had been defined that the route from Croatia enters BiH in Svilaj, near Odzak. The route in BiH will go through valleys of Bosna and Neretva rivers, but the details will be known when documentation and feasibility study are prepared. Mihajlovic confirms that ‘Bosmal’ has offered to collect 300 million Euros for financing the feasibility study, preparation of documentation and purchase of land, but nothing has been promised, because ‘no one’s offer could be accepted or rejected without serious consideration’. He adds that BiH does not have the money for building the corridor, adding that the options are concession or commercial credits. BiH Minister of Traffic and Communication, Branko Dokic, says that apart from Bosmal no one else has given an offer yet and that there is no an secret agreement with ‘Bosmal’. He adds that in September the Concessions Commission, which will consider all possible offers, will be formed. Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic, says it is not true that ‘Bosmal’ was given green light for preparing the feasibility study. |
| Bulldozer Commission | RTRS at 19:30 hrs by Zeljka Dragicevic – before a meeting of the main Bulldozer Commission to be held on Tuesday, regional coordinators met in Banja Luka on Monday to harmonize their priority proposals on the joint level. The focus of the discussion was the price of electricity, transport of excise goods and urbanism. BiH entrepreneurs made most objections against the electricity prices, adding that its harmonization with the European standards was not realistic in comparison with the BiH standard. Coordinator of the Bulldozer Commission for the South-West BiH, Admir Felic, said that the ‘entire tariff system, especially when it comes to electricity prices for the industry, must undergo significant decreases.’ Disapprovals were also expressed in regard to the urbanism and technical agreements. President of the RS Chamber of Commerce, Mladen Micic, said: “We agreed that on the BiH level we will go with the preliminary session where we will come up with an exact definition in regard to the decision on how to follow the procedure from the request for the building permit to the technical inspection of the facility. There are many illogical things about it.” Micic also stressed that it was important not to lose the pace of the previously agreed reforms. |
Education Reforms | |
| Reforms
| Avaz pg. 8 ‘The changes in schools will be implemented gradually’ – Severin Montina, Deputy Federation Minister of Education, said that soon they would hold meetings with professors who teach ‘national subjects’ in order to be instructed and explained the implementation of the new teaching basics. He added that it seems there is a bit of chaos as everything was done so fast, and explained that the Western Europe countries such reforms take years. Vedran Persic, OHR Spokesperson, said that it was certainly not in anyone’s interest to have a divided education system in BiH when the entire Europe is uniting. Persic said it was expected from the education ministers to respect their obligations towards the BiH citizens and introduce the reforms at the beginning of the new school year. |
| ‘Fra Dominik Mandic’ grammar school | Avaz pg. 8 ‘Professors at the Fra Dominik Mandic grammar school set up new conditions’ – after the School Board of the ‘Fra Dominik Mandic’ grammar school rejected the possibility of uniting with the First Mostar grammar school, professors of the Fra Dominik supported such position. Djurdjica Kordic, President of the School Board, said they concluded it was currently unacceptable the joining of a Bosniaka nd Croat school. She further said they concluded that by the deadline set by the IC (September 1) it was not possible to implement the decision because previously the grammar school building had to be reconstructed. Also, they request that the Fra Grga Martic grammar school also be joined to the two grammar schools in order to balance the ratio of Bosniak and Croat students. Also, added that parents should declare their stand on the issue before the joining. According to Kordic, they do want the joining of the schools, but unless their conditions were met it would never happen not even if the IC imposed it. DL pg. 15 ‘Employees support unification of Grammar Schools Fra Dominik Mandic and Fra Grga Martic’ and Vecernji List pg. 5 ‘Parents are waiting for ‘sign’ from Ministry’ also reported on the issue. |
| CRO press on unification | Dnevni List pg. 1 and 5 – Croat cantonal ministers of education and the HDZ leadership yesterday talked with OSCE and OHR representatives in Sarajevo about problems caused by the decision on unification of ‘two schools under one roof’. DL says that due to this decision Croats are being deprived of the right to their mother tongue. According to DL, the HDZ top will meet with Croat cantonal ministers of education this afternoon in Vitez. DL says that according to their information, in case ministers of education in the Central Bosnia and Herzegovina-Neretva cantons do not act according to the given instructions for the unification of ‘two schools under one roof’ the OHR will pass its decision on this issue by the end of the week. DL also says that the statements given by some representatives of the IC regard to this issue show that this is not about modernization and reform of education, but about something completely different. In addition DL (‘Croatian language cannot be brought into question’, not signed) carries a representative in the BiH Parliament Ivo Miro Jovic who says that the aforementioned problems do not exist in the Republika Srpska because there is only one, Serb curriculum and the Serb language at schools. Jovic added that the situation was similar in most of the cities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Croat schools simply did not exist. “However, there is an attempt to do something else in Mostar. If the Croat proposals are not respected, the system of the Croat education in BiH will be endangered, and due to it the right to the mother tongue in this country,” said Jovic. |
| Beecroft
| BHTV at 19:00 hrs by Gvozden Sarac – in Central-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Neretva Cantons there are 52 schools which function on the ‘two schools under one roof’ principle. This practice will, at least formally, be abolished as of September following the decision by the OSCE Mission to BiH. “That is why I said to my colleagues today: I am not here to negotiate with you. That is already agreed,” stated Ambassador Robert Beecroft, Chief OSCE, following his meeting with education ministers of above-mentioned cantons who refused to talk to journalists. Announced reforms envisage the merging of two administrations, appointment of a director and the school board. This will contribute to saving significant financial means. These measures, according to Beecroft, are of concern for Croats in the two cantons. “It is clear that the current situation of two schools under one roof cannot be continued, but we want to make people realize that this will not threat their cultural identity,” added Beecroft. FTV at 19:30 hrs by Eldar Sarajlic – BiH Minister for Civil Affairs Safet Halilović reminded all sides: “There is an explicit obligation to annul this kind of segregation”. The OSCE and OHR held a meeting to discuss how to resolve an issue of merging schools in next 15 days. OSCE Mission Chief Robert Beecroft stated after the meeting: ”I will be very clear in demanding to implement the agreement…I understand that deadlines are very short, but there is a will to do it”. |
| FTV reports | FTV at 19:30 hrs by Ibrahim Muratovic – all schools should start with new unified core curricula as of September. Following post-accession conditions of the Council of Europe BiH must make reforms on unification of school systems. Textbooks used should be identical and a tender for printing need to be issued. Part of reforms are cancellation of principle two schools under one roof, so segregation of children would be stopped and elimination of massive administration would reduce the cost of education. Relevant laws at the Canton level should be prepared by January 2004. |
Police Affairs | |
| HR and EUPM Commissioner write to Terzic
| Vecernji List pg. 7 ‘The EUPM unhappy with reform of police in BiH’ – the High Representative for BiH and EUPM Commissioner sent to Chair of BiH Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic, an official letter requesting the establishment of a group that would be in charge of the implementation of the rule of law. The said group should reportedly start a discussion on the extension of authorities to the BiH Agency for Protection and Information (SIPA). Reportedly, the HR and EUPM Commissioner want SIPA fighting organized crime, people and drug trafficking and terrorism. The daily also reads that the EUPM requests entity and state authorities to downsize the number of police officers in BiH, asking that BiH gets smaller, but more effective police. |
| VL commentary | Vecernji List pg. 2 by Zeljka Mihaljevic ‘Heating up of passions’ – the author argues that the recent bomb attacks in Sarajevo and nationalistic incidents in both BiH entities are making the already difficult situation in BiH even more difficult. The author also cites Professor Slavo Kukic, who compared the situation in 1990 with the current situation and who said that, personally, the present times are more charged with radicalism. “Why? All the inter-national intolerance that we had then are being re-activated, and everything that happens between Tihic-Paravac and vice versa, or between Cavic-Tihic, is just heating up the passions that we had back then,” Mihaljevic cited Kukic. |