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| Ann. of JNA attack on MO | Shooting in | Shooting in | Law on RS Internal debt |
| Bus accident in | Elections in | Conflict over Jajce mine | New increase of oil price |
| Elections in | SCG generals to surrender | Norwegian delegat. in BiH | Gaspar on Dairy Factory |
| Armed forces in SCG | Busko lake affair | Elections in | Road Srbinje-Pljevlja |
| Oslobodjenje | Foca: Monument to criminals instead of victims |
| Dnevni Avaz | Sehagic to sue Mikerevic |
| Dnevni List | Norwegians interested in already invested funds |
| Vecernji List | |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Features |
| Glas Srpske | Serious car accident in |
| Nezavisne Novine | Black weekend on BiH roads: The toll is 10 dead; Rade Rakulj:L If they increased pensioners, there would be no protests |
| Blic | Dragan Cavic: There is no BiH without RS |
| Vecernje Novosti | Features Serbian related topics |
| Belgrade’s Nacional | Features Serbian related topics |
Political developments | |
| Dnevni Avaz: Sehagic to sue Mikerevic
| Dnevni Avaz cover page ‘Sehagic to sue Mikerevic’, pg 2 ‘Removed Minister Mensur Sehagic announcing: I will sue RS Government and Prime Minister Mikerevic’ – The removed RS Minister of Urban Planning, Mensur Sehagic, will this week launch a legal proceeding before the RS Supreme Court against the RS Government and Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic. According to Sehagic, the decision on his removal was illegal and based on not enough arguments. Sehagic told Dnevni Avaz that it would take only five minutes in the courtroom to prove he was right. |
| Ivanic on removal of Sehagic
| EuroBlic RSpg 4 ‘Ivanic: An emty shot’ by M. P. – Mladen Ivanic, PDP President and BiH Foreign Minister, stated during yesterday’s visit to Gradiska that removal of Mensur Sehagic from the position of RS Minister of Urban Planning and Ecology would not cause political rifts at BiH joint institutions, stressing that: “I guarantee nothing will happen and Adnan Terzic, BiH CoM Chair, will not succumb to pressures(for removal of Branko Dokic) , because the entire issue is not so simple and I would say possible. Dokic’s position is firm, and there is no chance anything can be changed in this regard. Agreement can be reached only at the entity level – however, it could also be an empty shot, since there are no Serbs in F BiH Government.” He also noted that removal of Mensur Sehagic represents the beginning of the process of RS Government re-shuffle. |
| SDU’s Tokic says current authorities lack program unity
| Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Current governments do not have program unity’, Dnevni Avaz pg 2, FENA – The political conflicts between SDA, SDS and PDP regarding the removal of Minister Mensur Sehagic from the RS Government, and the request by SDA on removing Minister Branko Dokic from the BiH Council of ministers are the best confirmation that the current governments of RS and BiH do not have programme unity, Deputy President of the Social Democratic Union (SDU), Sejfudin Tokic, said on Sunday. The press release states that the political parties participating in these executive bodies are of the same opinion exclusively when it comes to the distribution of ministerial posts. Tokic adds in his statement that the governments established in this manner have slowed down BiH’s progress towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, and deepened the overall economic crisis in the country, and as a result, have brought the citizens into a state of total poverty. SDU warns the public in BiH, before the local elections, that these facts are the best indicator that the current ruling parties at Entity and State levels understand power as a sum of posts that can be traded with, and not as a commitment to resolving numerous problems the citizens are facing every day. |
| Cavic: BiH cannot exist without RS
| Oslobodjenje pg 6 ‘According to Dayton BiH cannot exist without RS’, EuroBlic cover and RSpg 4 ‘Cavic: There is no BiH without RS’ by G. Dj., Dnevni List, pg 2, ‘Verification of Dayton-created RS’, not signed, FENA – RS President Dragan Cavic stated in Kotor Varos on Sunday that RS cannot be a collateral damage of BiH’s international integration. He stressed that the Dayton Agreement has verified the existence of RS, and that this document has definitely confirmed that BiH cannot exist without the RS. Cavic condemned the initiatives of certain parties from Federation BiH for restructuring BiH and abolishing the Entities, and added that the Serb people would never accept such initiatives. According to him, such initiatives can additionally destabilize BiH and cause radical moves in the sense of reassessing the further faith of RS within BiH. |
| SDS’ Stojicic says battle for RS not finished
| Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Battle for RS not finished’ – “Battle for RS has still not been finished and it is taking place not only at the level of BiH but also at the local level, and that is why the upcoming municipal elections are very important,” SDS Vice-president and RS National Assembly Speaker Dusan Stojicic said at a central SDS pre-election rally in Bratunac on Saturday. Serb member of the BiH Presidency and senior SDS official Borislav Paravac said for his part that SDS had survived all the strikes because it was arising directly from the people, which gave it a special strength. |
| DPS on initiatives for change to BiH Constitution
| EuroBlic RSpg 2 ‘DPS: Change of Constitution abolishes RS’; Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Same standard to all’ by S. Mi. – Darko Jotanovic, candidate of the DPS (Democratic Patriotic Party) for municipal councillor of Banja Luka, condemned initiative of Zlatkom Lagumdzija, SDP of BiH President, regarding the change of BiH Constitution, assessing that any sort of constitutional change – without prior assent given by all three peoples in BiH – “would result in unitariness of BiH and abolishment of RS.” |
| PDP demands audit into
| EuroBlic RSpg 2 ‘PDP: City budget on audit’ – Srdjan Suput, PDP candidate for the Banja Luka city councillor, stated that PDP is in favour of audit of Banja Luka City Budget over the past four years, because there is grounded suspicion that “budget resources were not spent in a rational manner”. |
| SDS’ Kragulj calls on BL Mayor to explain budget expenditures
| EuroBlic RSpg 2 ‘Kragulj accusing Davidovic’ – Ljubisa Kragulj, candidate of seven political parties in RS in the majorical run for Banja Luka, asked the current Banja Luka Mayor, Dragoljub Davidovic, “where actually the enormous money from the city budget was spent”. According to press statement issued by Free Serb Party, Davidovic “claims in his general report he had control over three times more money than previously recorded”. |
| NN op-ed on pre-election campaign
| Nezavisne Novine op-ed pg 7 ‘Pre-election mix’ by Almedin Sisic – The editorial is about the members of the Presidency, of whom Sisic is extremely critical regarding their work. He notes that even pensioners would know how to do their job (i.e. would know how to spend the money, dress a nice suit, speak up a word or so at meetings). The author is also suspecting that Fata Orlovic from Konjevic Polje and removal of SDA minister from RS Government was used for pre-election campaign. The conclusion is that the message political officials are sending out at rallies is that there would be fight and clash again unless “Mujo votes again for Suljo, Dragan for Boro and Jozo for Ante”. |
| Covic on Cardinal Puljic’s letter to Pope; says BiH to re-organize by end of 2004
| Vecernji List, pg 4 ‘Forum too as articulation of interests of Croats’, by Miso Relota – carries the Croat member of BiH Presidency, Dragan Covic, as commenting on the recent letter that Cardinal Vinko Puljic sent to the Pope John Paul II in which he asked for protection of BiH Croats. Covic says that Cardinal Puljic is not a part of pre-election campaign on any party with Croat prefix. “Cardinal was talking about issues in context of circumstances in BiH and what we are in for (in the future). Our reality is that activities on reconstruction of BiH will begin by end of the year. I am convinced that we will have a completely re-organized BiH by end of 2004”, explains Covic. He also calls for Croats’ unity in order to make BiH according to measures of all its citizens. |
| Professor Milardovic on position of BiH Croats | Vecernji List, pg 5 ‘Mass emigration of Croats from BiH as of year 2009’, mentioned on front, by Igor Zovko – carries an interview with professor Andjelko Milardovic, a political scientist and the founder of the Zagreb-based Centre for political research, who comments on latest warnings by Cardinal Vinko Puljic regarding position of Croats in BiH. Professor Milardovic notes that the IC in BiH has the role of a supreme, multi-national arbiter, the situation in which the political parties cannot truly represent interests of their voters because, if they dare to do so, the IC can always pin a charge on them. “By favouring one of other groups, the IC in administering conflicts”, argues Milardovic. Questioned as to how to prevent possible emigration of Croats from BiH in case |
| Statement of Day: Safet Halilovic | Dnevni List, pg 2, carries in its ‘Statement of Day’, the BiH Minister for Civil Affairs, Safet Halilovic, as saying: “BiH Croats, by searching for their mother country, are losing constitutionality in BiH”. |
| Tihic to address UN General Assembly on Wednesday
| Dnevni List, pg 4 ‘Tihic on current situation in BiH’, not signed – The Chairman of BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic is in the Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘BiH Diaspora mostly interested in the issue of dual citizenship’ reported on Tihic’s visit to US and his meetings with representatives of BiH Diaspora there. |
Economic/social issues | |
| Ashdown: The time has still not come for several VAT rates
| Dnevni Avaz pg 3, mentioned on cover ‘The has still not come for several VAT rates’ – In an interview for Dnevni Avaz, High Representative Paddy Ashdown said there was much misunderstanding in all the talks on number of VAT rates. He said that the draft VAT law makers (CoM) themselves proposed more than one VAT rate i.e. there would be a zero VAT rate for certain products and 17 percent rate for the other products. “The time will come for BiH to just like the other European states have several VAT rates. However, at this moment it is not possible to introduce several rates. Simply the time has still not come for this,” said Ashdown adding that the entire system would be additionally complicated with too many VAT rates. |
| Pensioners announce protests
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 5 ‘If they increased pensioners, there would be no protests’ by V. Popovic – In a brief interview to NN, Rade Rakulj, President of the RS Association of Pensioners, says that Dragan Mikerevic, RS Prime Minister, would not be able to halt pensioners’ protests, scheduled for 27 September, noting that “pensioners are fighting to achieve their rights and they are not anybody’s extended hand.” Commenting on RS PM, Dragan Mikerevic’s, statement that the announced protests do not contribute to resolvement of the problem, Rakulj says that Asked to comment the Prime Minister’s suggestion on organising the protest only after the elections are held, Rakulj said pensioners are not interested in elections and added: “If the Prime Minister does not find the protest to be suitable, then he should sign a protocol on increase of pensions for September and on changing the Law on taxes and contributions…” Rakulj emphasises that pensioners would give up from protests if the Government meets at least minimum of their demands. |
| Mikerevic on pensioners’ demands
| Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Keys in Federation’ by S. Puhalo – Dragan Mikerevic, RS Prime Minister, during the meeting with the Doboj Association of Pensioners, expressed his view that if pensioners held the announced protest, it could be interpreted ad a political gathering during this pre-election campaign. He noted: “If you are not satisfied and you want to express it with the protest, I do not have anything against it, but you should do it after elections.” He also noted that situation regarding pensions could improve if F BiH PIO Fund took over cases of those beneficiaries, who earned pensions in F BiH. |
| Update to ITA building in B. Luka
| Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Price exceeds BAM 14 million’ by P. Klincov – The RS Government Bureau for Public Affairs confirmed that RS Government will pay additional sum of approximately half a million BAM to Laktasi seated construction company “Vrbas”, intended to cover expenses for some additional construction works at the ITA building in Banja Luka. The total sum of resources used for construction of this building would then be BAM 14 million. |
| Update to RiTE “Gacko”
| Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘Contracts upon political and family ties’ by P. Klincov – NN sources c;laim that the former Director of the RiTE (Mine and Thermal Power Plant” “Gacko”, Radoslav Stanjevic, signed contracts over the past few years unfavourable for this company. The contracts were signed with the firms owned by SDS senior officials or family members of some leading officials of this company. NN further brings some unfavourable contracts. According to NN inset ‘International factor’, NN source suspects that a part of the international community in BiH is also involved in corruption at Gacko municipality, which is proved by the letter of the senior officials of the OHR and OSCE addressed to Gacko Municipal Speaker. |
| Speaker of Norwegian Parliament discusses investment opportunities with Mostar officials
| Dnevni List, front pg and pg 3 ‘Norwegians interested in already invested funds’, by Nermin Bise – The Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament, Jorgen Kosma, started his two-day tour of BiH in Mostar on Sunday, where he met with the Speaker of the BiH Parliament’s House of Representatives, Martin Raguz, and Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Mostar, Hamdija Jahic and Ljubo Beslic respectively. According to Kosma, the talks focused on ways how |
| VL update to Busko lake issue
| Vecernji List, front ‘Battle for Busko lake’ and pg 13 ‘HEP contract on use of Busko lake will be annulled’, by Drazen Mamic – reports that the land registry office in Livno has confirmed that all the infrastructure around the Busko lake, which are used to exploit the lake’s potential, such as buildings, machinery, channels etc have been registered in the name of the Croatian Elektroprivreda (HEP). VL goes on to say that regardless of results of investigation into the case by the Municipal Court in Livno, about who registered the infrastructure in the name of the HEP, the FBiH Urban Planning Minister, Ramiz Mehmedagic, announced that the contract with HEP (signed back in 1996) would be annulled as soon as there was an inter-state agreement between Croatia and BiH about property issues. |
| VL story on excise tax in BiH, single economic space
| Vecernji List, pg 5 ‘It’s easier to reach Germany than RS’, by Eldina Medunjanin – Announces that the State institutions of BiH should in the next month and a half adopt a law on excise taxes at level of BiH, which will finally create a single economic space in BiH. According to the Director of Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA), Kemal Causevic, this will improve the status of domestic producers, because until now, they were in inferior position when compared to foreign producers of high tariff goods. Causevic also explains that, when it comes to establishing of single economic space in BiH, it is absurd that goods from the FBiH are easier to sell in |
| Trade Unions send IMF open letter
| Vecernji List, pg 6 ‘Conflict between unions and IMF’, by Miso Relota – The President of BiH Unions, Edhem Biber, confirms that the Unions have sent the IMF an open letter in which they expressed concern because the IMF is allegedly conditioning signing of a new stand-by arrangement with limiting of workers’ rights in BiH. According to Biber, the IMF wants a drastic reduction of employees’ rights, such as decreasing of minimal wages by 40%, abolishment of meal allowances and reduction of other rights. Biber argues that the Unions will use all forms of struggle to protect rights of its members, calling on BiH authorities not to accept IMF’s ultimatums. |
Crime/security/legal proceedings/judiciary | |
| High Representative to visit SIPA today
| Oslobodjenje pg 7 ‘Ashdown to visit SIPA today’, Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘Visit to SIPA agency’, by NINA – The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, will meet with the Director of SIPA, Sredoje Novic, on Monday at SIPA Headquarters. The BiH Security Minister, Barisa Colak, and the EUPM Commissioner, Kevin Carty, will participate at the meeting, where they will discuss operational and functional issues related to the work of SIPA, according to a press release issued by OHR on Sunday. |
| Blic on CIPS project
| EuroBlic RSpg 5 ‘Forged passports for real criminals’ by J. D. – Ahmet Halebic, Prosecutor with the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, stated that PO is already conducting investigation against four persons regarding the case of issuance of documents within CIPS project, noting: “We have so far compiled information there are many falsified documents, around 100.” He claims that the entire case is built on documents related to notices of withdrawal and departure, issued at Interior Ministries of F BiH, RS and Brcko District, where they were given identification numbers of the dead persons. He stressed the entire case is not solely about falsified ID cards, but the fact that one person has two or more ID cars. According to inset ‘CIPS denies guilt’, Mirko Skrbic, Director of CIPS Project, claims that the change of ID documents in BiH is “absolutely impossible”. He denies claims of the President of NGO “Transparency International” that “documents are being falsified intendedly in order to have them changed again”. Skrbic stressed: “These documents are the most modern and protected in the world. There were forgeries, but not of CIPS documents, but of other documents on basis of which documents are issued.” |
| NN on salaries of judges, prosecutors
| Nezavisne Novine, pg. 4 ‘Mutapcic: Salaries up to 5,500 KM’ by B. Gagula – Dzemaludin Mutapcic, the Federation of BiH Assistant Minister of Justice, thinks that judges and prosecutors should be receiving salaries in the amount of approximately 5,500 KM in order to ensure their independence, objectivity and professionalism. RS Social Block (composed out of RS Trade Union Association, Association of Pensioners and RS Veterans’ Association), on the other hand, thinks the salaries should be harmonised with salaries paid out in economy and public sector. HJPC did not want to comment on the Law on salaries and explained that OHR is preparing the Law. OHR did not want to give any comments as well, and said this was the matter for domestic authorities. RS Ministry of Justice has stated it has not participated in the preparation of this Law and has no information on how the Law regulates salaries of judges, considering the fact that this Law will be applied on BiH level. |
| VL: Director of SBS not certified by IPTF
| Vecernji List, pg 4 ‘IPTF ‘forgot’ to check Rado Dostanic’, by Dejan Jazvic – The daily claims that the newly appointed Director of BiH State Border Service (SBS), Rado Dostanic, does not have the IPTF’s certificate, which is a pre-requisite if one wants to be a part of the Police force in BiH. VL explains that Dostanic was never subjected to the certification, despite the fact that he was the Chief of Operations in the SBS during the certification process. VL also carries a comment by an EUPM spokesman, Killian Wahl, who could not explain why Dostanic was not certified by the IPTF. “The certification was done by the IPTF, not the EUPM (…) It is EUPM’s position that we cannot comment how it happened that some Police officials were ‘overlooked’ during the certification’”, said Wahl. |
| DL on establishment of Registry Office with
| Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘Foreigners in charge of crime, corruption an war crimes’, mentioned on front, by Dario Pusic – carries an article dedicated to the establishment of the Registry Office with the BiH Court saying that an agreement on the establishment of the Registry between the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, and BiH, has not been signed because of technical difficulties. DL notes that according to some media reports, the BiH Presidency accepts, in general, provisions of the agreement between the HR and BiH authorities, but is still waiting for the BiH Council of Ministers to remove all uncertainties together with the OHR. According to spokesman of BiH CoM, Bojan Zec Filipovic, the BiH Presidency has gone through the text (of agreement) and now the BiH CoM has the task to contact the OHR, go through the text and prepare it in one week’s time. DL also carries an OHR spokesman, Vedran Persic, as saying that the OHR insists that the agreement should be signed as soon as possible, because it is the only way the BiH judiciary would be able to try war crimes cases in January 2005 on its own. |
Miscellaneous | |
| Oslobodjenje says Foca authorities erect monuments to criminals not victims
| Oslobodjenje cover page, pg 7 ‘Monument to criminals instead of to victims’ by Elma Kazagic – RS town of Foca is still under US Congress sanctions and judging by what is still going on in the town it is hard to believe that things will change to better. One of the clear examples, according to the author, is rejection by the Serb councillors in the municipal assembly to approve erection of a monument to raped Bosniak girls and women in the front of the Partizan sports hall where the crimes were being committed in 1992. At the same time, the monument was erected to the ‘Serb heroes’ some of whom were executors of the mentioned crimes in the Partizan hall, according to the Oslobodjenje correspondent. |
| Slavo Kukic on threats to FTV
| Dnevni List, pg 6, ‘Fascist-like ideology threatens to survival of FTV’, mentioned on front, by Ivica Glibusic, – in light of statements Bakir Izetbegovic delivered with regard to the FTV and the support he got for that from the Bosniak League “Movement for Equality” and its President Irfan Ajanovic, Slavo Kukic, the President of the Steering Board of FTV says that the FTV must be a public broadcaster in the service of all citizens of FBiH and its entire public. “When this Steering Board is removed based on some legal provisions or in some other way, they can then do what they like. I think BiH intellectuals should react in a stronger way since what Izetbegovic wants leads to a logic that is fascist-like: one people should live in one country and have one party and one leader (…) If Bosniaks primarily do not oppose this ideology, since this is about fascist-like philosophy within their ethnic group, BiH is threatened with a new cataclysm“, Kukic says. |
| US State Department on freedom of religions in BiH
| Vecernji List, pg 3, ‘Minorities in BiH are violently banned from practicing religion’, mentioned on cover ‘Religious rights of minorities jeopardized’, by D. J., – in its latest report on religious freedoms around the world, the US State Department notes that members of minority religions in BiH have limited right to practicing religion in ethnically pure environments, which is sometimes even limited in a violent way. Speaking of BiH, the Report says that the new state Law on Religious Freedoms ensures religious communities the legal status that did not have before. The Report goes on to say that majority of political parties still identify themselves with the religion that their ethnic group practices and one of the problems that remains is the atmosphere in which abuse or violation of religious freedoms is made possible. |
| VL on role of US 150 soldiers who remain in BiH
| Vecernji List, pg 2, ‘Orao Base – regional intelligence centre’, by Zdenko Jurilj – VL claims that it is only the US Embassy to BiH, few people from the BiH political leadership and a couple of selected and checked persons from OSA and SIPA who know that the 150 American soldiers, who will stay in BiH, will be just a cover for surveillance and other intelligence activities. The author claims that the agents of the mighty US National Security Agency (NSA) will be accommodated in a part of Eagle (Orao) military base near |