| CROAT RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Busek on BiH and SP | War against Iraq | US about to attack | War against Iraq |
| Strike in RS | Djindjic’s assassination | Mihajlovic’s trial | SFOR continues mandate |
| BiH Foreign Trade | Strike in Banja Luka | BiH – import depending | Entity interior ministries |
| Poverty reduction strategy | Retarded and employment |
| RS PM with media reps |
| Oslobodjenje | RS breached embargo – Sarovic, Covic and Tihic to answer for it; Land owners won got ‘Arizona’; Pope’s arrival to BiH confirmed; Repovci case – international investigators looking for killers; Boug – US remains in BiH and the region |
| Dnevni Avaz | Invasion on Iraq; Boug – BiH will lose military help unless it signs the agreement with the US; Ministry for Refugees – criminal action that weigh 14,5 million KM; |
| Dnevni List | Criminal activities revealed in the Ministry for Refugees and DPs – 14 million KM overspent, Nevertheless, Djindjic’s murderers in Herzegovina?; The US will continue to help BiH |
| Vecernji List | Breakthrough in Iraq; Head of diplomacy Tarik Aziz killed? |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Because of ‘Audi’ with a Belgrade license plate, villages from Ljubuski area under police siege; Newly appointed Mostar Deputy Mayor Ljubo Beslic – it is hard to expect that Mostar will be the Federation capital |
| Glas Srpski | Infective agent discovered; Zemun clan on the arrest warrant; Deputy Public Prosecutor arrested |
| Nezavisne Novine | An ultimatum given to Saddam Hussein expired; Faculties and cultural institutions of the RS on strike for the first time; Mark Wheeler, Head of ICG – the RS authorities will be punished over the ‘Orao’ affair; New investigation details on Enam Arnaut – the Federation police disclosed the letter of Osama bin Laden |
| FRY Nacional | Republic Deputy Prosecutor arrested; Over 1,200 arrested; Death comes from Zemun; The Serbian Assembly on judicial laws and retirements of judges – all incompetent should go |
| Blic | Ambassador Clifford Bond – unfold the Karadzic support net; Michael Humphries – the Constitution is not an obstacle to reforms in BiH |
Orao Affair | |
| ‘Orao’ affair
| Oslobodjenje pg. 1 and 7 – the OHR refused to comment on speculations of possible removal of Mirko Sarovic and did not want to say whether they were satisfied with the latest report. According to OHR Spokesperson, Vedran Persic, it is the BiH authorities that will answer before the UN Security Council for the breach of UN embargo. Following accusations by RS officials that certain companies from the Federation, particularly those dealing with military industry, Director of ‘Vitezit’, Pero Djepina, stated the breach of the UN embargo only turned into affair after an attempt to connect military industries from Croatia, BiH, Serbia and Macedonia. The daily further carries a statement by Milorad Dodik. “If Sarovic was to be removed, and there were no sanctions against Ivanic or myself, that would then be labelled as an attack against the SDS.” He said he did not know whether Sarovic actually knew of the illegal arms sales, but that he was politically responsible. As for Ivanic, Dodik stated that he did not know whether he was responsible, but stated the fact remained that it was Ivanic who established a commission that wrote in the initial report that there was no violation of sanctions. |
| Behmen | Avaz pg. 4 ‘Three inspections in Bratstvo and Vitez showed nothing suspicious’ – Alija Bhemen’s reaction to Dragan Cavic’s accusations on the involvement of companies in the Federation in the ‘Orao’ affair. Behmen yesterday stated that while he was Federation PM three inspections of military production firms were conducted. “That included the ‘BNT’ and ‘Vitezit’. The last results, which were ready just before the hand over of authority to the new government, showed that everything was checked and there was not a single case of goods being delivered to Iraq.” He added that the last results were forwarded to SFOR and OHR. Dnevni List pg. 5 by Fena, ‘Three inspections of companies for military production carried out’ – “According to instruction of the Federation government during the time when I was the Prime Minister, three inspections of all companies for military production including the ‘BNT’ and ‘Vitezit’ were carried out.” Behmen added that the last analyses (made before the authority hand over) showed that everything was checked and there was not a single case of weapons being delivered to Iraq. |
| Mark Wheeler | Nezavisne Novine pg. 1 and 3 – Marc Wheeler, Head of the ICG (International Crisis Group), yesterday told the daily that the RS authority would surely be punished over the ‘Orao’ affair. He thinks HR Paddy Ashdown has already made decisions on whom and how will be penalised. He presumed that Mirko Sarovic might likely be the one left ‘holding the baby’. The ICG Head is of the view that the public should be informed of results of the investigation conducted in the Federation, in regard to potential violation of the UN sanctions against Iraq. According to an NN inset, Saban Rizvic, Director General at the ‘Bratstvo’ firm from Travnik, and Pero Djepina, Director of the ‘Vitezit’ from Vitez, yesterday denied claims by RS President Dragan Cavic. “The statement by Cavic is inaccurate and without any ground. It is interesting to note that Cavic is much better familiarised with dealings of some Serbian firms than with the dealings of the RS firms.” Djepina told Fena news agency that Cavic obviously wants to water down the problems related to the ‘Orao’ affair. |
| SNSD | Blic pg. 7 – The SNSD is surprised with a statement of RS President Dragan Cavic, which was an attempt to blame former Prime Minister Milorad Dodik for the ‘Orao’ affair. The party believes that Cavic is trying to protect carriers of power from his party and coalition partners by pointing at everyone else, from the Federation to Dodik and his government. “The truth is that the current and former authority of the same coalition partners – the SDS and PDP – had first attempted to cover up the facts in relation with the ‘Orao’ affair, and then sought for culprits everywhere else but in their own house,” the SNSD party claims. |
| ‘Vitezit’ | Following a statement by RS President, Dragan Cavic, that even some Federation-based companies were breaching the UN-imposed embargo on the export of military equipment to Iraq, Vecernji List (pg. 9 by Srecko Stipkovic ’Iraqi fuel still sitting in Vitezit’) went to visit the ‘Vitezit’ company from Vitez, which was labeled by Cavic as one of the companies that breached the embargo. The manager of the company, Nikola Krizanovic, even permitted the journalist to take a photo of the so-called gunpowder charges for long-range missiles, some 800 of them that were originally prepared in 1990 to be exported to Iraq. According to Krizanovic, the charges were never shipped to Iraq because of the war in BiH and due to unsuitable storage. Hence, the quality of charges does not meet the criteria and needs to be disposed of. |
Political Affairs | |
| Boug
| Avaz pg. 1 and 2 – Deputy Assistant of the US State Secretary for Europe, Janet Boug, yesterday said the US would halt all their military help to BiH unless they signed an agreement on the exclusion of the US citizens in BiH from the International crime Court (ICC). Clifford Bond, US Ambassador in BiH, said the US military help in BiH amounted to $10 million, which is used for training, military exchange and the strengthening of the role of the Permanent Committee for Military Issues. An insert ‘Prevent possible arrival of terrorists to BiH territory’ – a meeting between Adnan Terzic and Boug yesterday. She stated the US wanted to help BiH join the Partnership for Peace, NATO and Euro-Atlantic integration ASAP. Vecernji List pg. 9 ‘BiH could be left without US military aid’ – Bogue said the key message she conveyed to BiH authorities was the US would still be engaged in BiH and the region despite the Iraqi crisis. Dnevni List pg. 1 and 6 – says Bogue met with BiH Foreign Minister, Mladen Ivanic. “BiH is still considering the issue…The final decision will not be reached in the next month or a month and a half,” said Ivanic on the issue of the ICC. Bogue also met with BiH Presidency members. The Presidency thanked the US for the country’s help during the war and stressed that they were interested in keeping SFOR forces in BiH |
| Busek | Avaz pg. 2 ‘It was necessary to explain to BiH authorities the real meaning of the Pact’ – Erhard Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact in southeast Europe, stated at yesterday’s press conference, that it was necessary for him to visit BiH in order to explain the role of the Pact to BiH authorities, as well as BiH’s role in the Pact. He also said he thought there was still possibility to organize projects relating to BiH infrastructure, as there had only been four so far. Oslobodjenje pg. 3 – said the Pact was ready to move the HQ of the pact Secretariat for Fight Against Crime to Sarajevo. With regard to the visit that the Special Coordinator of Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, Erhard Busek, paid to BiH, Vecernji List pg. 8 ‘Busek for bigger engagement in BiH’ and Dnevni List pg. 9 ‘I am delighted over enthusiasm and pro-active approach’ – Busek called on the BiH authorities to participate actively in the work of the Stability Pact and use possibilities the Pact offers. DL carries that Busek also paid visit to the UNDP’s Office in Sarajevo. |
| Ivanic addresses the European Parliament | Avaz pg. 2 ‘The implementation of reforms could be a painful process’ – BiH Foreign Minister, Mladen Ivanic, held in Brussels a speech before members of the European Parliament and the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Human Rights and Joint Security and Defence Policy. The BiH Foreign Ministry issued a press release saying that Ivanic assessed as the priority of the BiH foreign policy, the process of joining the EU structures and listed a number of necessary reforms. Glas Srpski pg. 3 ‘Co-operation with everybody’ – Chief of BiH diplomacy also regarded as important the preparations for the upcoming summit in Solun and the intensifying of co-operation in the region through exchanging of opinions, finding of mutual interests and resolving of issues. |
| Schroembgens | Avaz pg. 4 ‘A significant project of discovering the truth’ – SDHR Enver Schroembgens yesterday visited premises of the Podrinje Project Identification and a DNK laboratory of the ICMP Center for the Identification in Tuzla. The SDHR met with the project Chief Rifat Kesetovic and Chief of the identification team Adnan Rizvic. Schroembgens stated that what he saw was very powerful, and that the project was extremely important for the entire country and for uncovering the truth. The SDHR yesterday also met with Doboj municipality heads. Oslobodjenje pg. 6 ‘The centre holds the truth’ – also reported on SDHR’s visit to the lab and identification centre. |
| Federation Ministry for Refugees | Avaz pg. 4 ‘Budget damaged in the amount of 14, 5 million KM’ by A. Pilav – a special audit that was conducted by international financial experts established the Federation Ministry for refugees and DPs damaged the Federation budget for 14,5 million KM. The report shows serious mismanagement, potential criminal and embezzlements that former Minister Mijat Tuka and his closest associates are responsible for. The daily source says the audit was conducted on an urgent procedure because the IC was concerned the Ministry was producing poor results in reconstructing refugees’ houses even though it received significant financial means. HR Ashdown will announce the audit results today at the OHR HQ. Dnevni List pg. 1 and 5 ‘An audit of Federation Ministry of Refugees and DPs’ – a special auditor has completed an audit of the Federation Ministry of Refugees and DPs and the same detected bad management and embezzlements of finances that were originally allocated to refugees and displaced persons. The audit report also shows illegalities related to ignoring of tender-related processes and awarding of contracts to some contractors, which charged the Ministry too much for services they provided. The audit reportedly recommends an investigation into these tenders. DL notes that former Deputy Minister for Refugees and DPs Tuka to made things even worse by awarding himself three extra salaries from the Ministry funds. |
| Bercot on the appointment of Beslic | Avaz pg. 10 ‘Bercot expects that Beslic would be a rep of all citizens’ – yesterday’s press conf in Mostar where Avis Benes, OHR Spokesperson, voiced the opinion of Head of the OHR South, Jean Pierre Bercot, who welcomed the appointment of the new Mostar Deputy Mayor Ljubo Beslic. At the same time, Bercot thanked Neven Tomic on his excellent work in the past as the Deputy Mayor. Dnevni List pg. 12 ‘Bercot welcomes appointment of Deputy Mayor’ – Benes stated that Bercot welcomed the appointment of the new Deputy Mayor of Mostar. Said he hoped Beslic would be a true representative of all citizens of Mostar and their interests. “Ambassador Bercot expects that Deputy Mayor Beslic will, together with Mayor Jahic, intensify efforts in the process of constructing of Mostar as a normal and stable environment. The remaining time of the mandate for both leading officials in Mostar will be of special significance, since it is clear that the present situation in Mostar is a reason behind numerous problems in the City and measures for solving it have to be undertaken. It is very important that people who will be leading the process in Mostar display a significant level of responsibility and vision,” stated Benes. Also reported in Vecernji List pg. 8 ‘Bercot’s support to Beslic’ and Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 20 ‘Benes: Mostar must become normal and stable environment’. |
| Interview with Beslic | Slobodna Dalmacija pg. 1 and 19 – an interview with the newly appointed Deputy Mayor of Mostar, Ljubo Beslic. Among other things, he talked about the idea of Mostar becoming the Federation capital. Beslic says it would be a good thing and Mostar would benefit from it, but added it would not be easy to achieve it. In that context, Beslic reportedly says the decision lies with others. Deputy Mayor also warns of a difficult financial situation the city is in, advocating that a true and systematic solution ought to be reached. |
| VL editorial on Mostar | Vecernji List pg. 12 by Professor Ante Markotic – an editorial where the author criticizes the current organizational set-up of Mostar seeing the remedy in returning the city to the region and region to the city as before. He also recommends a lot less politics and a lot more entrepreneurship, citing examples of ‘Aluminij’, ‘Lijanovici’ and ‘Grafotisak’, in order to improve things and says that the current BiH as well as Mostar have been defined by foreigners so the foreigners now feel at home in BiH. “Modern development means the centralisation of most necessary institutions and decentralisation of the society. The world (and BiH citizenry) is being governed from modern offices and not from capital cities. So, let (the unified) Mostar become the capital of (Federation) Herzegovina,” says Markotic. |
| SDHR in Bijeljina | Glas Srpski pg. 2 ‘Municipal authority criticised’, Nezavisnr Novine pg. 7 ‘Gerhardt Schrombgens met Dragomir Ljubojevic’ – SDHR Gerhardt Schrombgens yesterday told Bijeljina municipal officials that international organisations do not have time to wait any longer to see the returnee issues and problems resolved. He made a reference to a letter he sent to Bijeljina Mayor, Dragomir Ljubojevic, dated 25 February, in which he requested that the security and social situation be improved in the municipality, and to raise the number of non-Serb employees at municipal administration and management. |
| OHR on SDA threats | Nezavisne Novine pg. 7 ‘The SDA stories for daily-political use’ – neither the OHR nor other political parties seriously took the SDA warning that it would withdraw from executive authority owing to the interference of international organisations in economic and security policy of the state. Sonja Pastuovic, OHR Banja Luka Spokesperson, stated that during the pre-election campaign all political parties supported the programme called ‘Work and Justice’, which is the main platform of the entity and state governments. She explained that the OHR remains faithful to position taken by HR Paddy Ashdown who said that ‘BiH has a clear choice: to joint Europe or to return to old work methods, within which politicians were allowed to steal from the people’. |
| SDP press conf | Dnevni List pg. 9 ‘To continue intensively with started reforms’ – yesterday’s SDP press conference.”We support a statement of HR Paddy Ashdown about a greater efficiency with regard to the issue of reforms, and we make the local authorities responsible, as they took over responsibility for the state and the execution of the process of reforms. There is no political stability without legal security and economic sustainability of BiH,” SDP Vice President, Alija Behmen, stated. |
Economic Affairs | |
| Reps from RS, FBiH and Brcko District to meet
| Avaz pg. 8 ‘Paddy Ashdown waiting for conclusions of BiH parliament reps’ – reps from all BiH parliaments and governments are to meet on 25 March at the National Theatre in Sarajevo with Bulldozer Commission reps. This will be the first meeting of legal and executive authority of BiH, Federation, RS and Brcko district. Muhamed Ibrahimovic, Cairman at the Federation HoR, stated that, as far as he knew, the meeting conclusions were to be forwarded to HR Ashdown. IC reps and around 100 businessmen from the entire BiH will also attend the meeting. Glas Srpski pg. 2 ‘Meeting of MP’s’ – at yesterday’s press conference in Banja Luka, Sonja Pastuovic, OHR Spokesperson for Banja Luka, announced the meeting between repres of three parliaments (RS, BiH Federation and BiH) and Bulldozer Commission members would take place on 25 March in Sarajevo. The meeting is to discuss the implementation of 50 recommendations of the Commission related to processes of accelerating the urgent economic reforms. |
| EFT | Avaz pg. 11 ‘The reason behind the success at the market are the best offers, not monopoly’ – members of the EFT, mentioned in each report on elektroprivreda companies as the main electricity buyer, yesterday handed over to the OHR proof of their transparent business dealings. Thus expecting to be cleared of wrong accusations. Vuk Hamovic, a member of the EFT Main Board, stated the OHR only viewed their business dealings from one segment, which led to wrong conclusions. He also stated that their profits were not as high as thought, and connecting them with political parties was ridiculous. |
| Kragulj on VAT | Nezavisne Novine pg. 6 ‘VAT important for BiH’ – Nikola Kragulj, SNSD senior official and delegate at the BiH House of Representatives, is of the view that the story on VAT is over exaggerated. He thinks that through the VAT politicians regard statehood, including the political and fiscal independence. SNSD official stated that the VAT introduction would result in opening of new perspectives for Gradiska region. |
| Humphreys | Blic pg. 6 ‘Acts are more important than words and promises’- an interview with Michael Humphries, Head of the European Commission delegation, who said that there were many conditions BiH needed to meet prior to the admission to the EU. Among others it needs to introduce a single VAT and customs. Humphries further stated that BiH must develop its institutions, primarily the political ones. He claims that arresting Radovan Karadzic is one of the indirect conditions. “I doubt someone would say that first Radovan Karadzic should be arrested and only after this to be able to talk about the European integration. However, it is completely impossible to have the country approaching Europe while Karadzic is free,” he stated. |
| Hercegovacka Bank | Globus pg. 32 and 33 by Vedran Kukavica ‘Carla Del Ponte in wrong bank: The Hague on wrong trail’ – regarding last week’s reports in Croatian dailies that Chief ICTY Prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, has requested from the Croatian government to provide documentation on the business operations between the ‘Privredna Bank’ Zagreb and ‘Hercegovacka Bank’ in the period between April of 1992 and April of 1994. It says the whole deal cannot be connected to the ‘Hercegovacka Bank’ because the bank was established in 1997. Globus says what ICTY Prosecution is actually interested in documentation of the ‘Hrvatska Bank’ Mostar, which is now called the ‘Zagrebacka Bank’ BH because the ‘Zagrebacka Bank’ of Croatia bought ‘Hrvatska Bank’ Mostar in 1999. The rest of the article speaks about money transfers from Croatia to Herzegovina that went through the ‘Hrvatska Bank’ Mostar during 1992, 1993 and 1994. It is worth to note that according to Globus’ estimates some 1,5 billion DEM were transferred during the period of 17 months. |
Judicial Affairs | |
| Charges against Buljubasic and Anic | Dnevni List pg. 7 ‘Investigation against Anic and Buljubasic requested’ – as reported yesterday in the Federation papers (see yesterday’s Round-Up), the Sarajevo cantonal Prosecutor’s Office demanded an investigation against former Federation Minister of Defense, Mijo Anic, and his Deputy, Ferid Buljubasic, and manager of the Sarajevo company ‘In Trade’, Nihad Spahalic. They are all suspected of illegal sale of guns to a purchaser from the US. Also, it has been suspected that 60% less tax was paid for two deliveries of the guns. Asked to comment on this information, Anic denied that he participated in this affair and said that he only signed an approval for transport but only after he saw that SFOR had already given its consent. “I do not know why there is an attempt to place me in the background of this case. It is truly unfair and what makes me even more surprised is the fact that Prosecutor is completely familiar with the whole process… I do not see the reason why they do not launch the investigation against SFOR Commander as well.” |
Education Affairs | |
| Strike in the RS | Blic pg. 7, Vecernje Novosti pg. 19 – all universities and cultural institutions in the RS went on strike yesterday. According to Ranka Misic, President of the RS Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture, the strike will be called off after employees receive their salaries for December and after the RS government holds a session to resolve the issue. |