Headlines in Print Media |
Dnevni Avaz: A Lagumdzija’s headquarters plot – Plan for toppling Silajdzic and SDA
Dnevni List: Jablanica “stone” mafia raising its head – Maric with partners made judgment to Granit
Vecernji List: Milosevic managed the aggression; Forcible coalition of the Alliance and HDZ
Glas Srpski: Will the conditions for oil trade be harmonized – tax brings away millions
Nezavisne Novine: Mesic – Milosevic destroyed Yugoslavia; Court stopped sale of Kristal Bank
Blic: Gifts up to 50 KM; Oil traders ask the District to harmonise taxes with RS and Federation; The accused for “Pogorelica” case released; Ashdown: Serious reform or bankruptcy
Nacional: Indictment against Perisic on 13,000 pages; Mesic prepared himself for testifying against Milosevic in front of mirror
Vecernje Novosti: The second round threaten by boycott; Mirko Sarovic: Sarajevo town belongs to everyone
Pre-election news |
The pre-election campaign for this year’s general elections is followed by a behind-the-scene political engineering, Edina Sarac wrote in Dnevni Avaz front page story (continued on p 3). Creators of one of such plans have been thought out that Alija Behmen, the SDP BiH candidate for the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, gives up the candidacy in favor of Party for BiH nominee Haris Silajdzic. According to Avaz sources, SDP leader Zlatko Lagumdzija would in such way reach several goals. Firstly, he would minimize possible Silajdzic’s victory by saying it has been achieved in the political cabinets and not only by a free will of voters. Secondly, Lagumdzija would in exchange for Behmen’s give-up request the top ministerial post for himself.
“The High Representative is calling on all the political parties to say before the election whether or not they support reforms from brochure “Jobs and Justice”, which were agreed between local authorities and the IC’s representatives,” spokesman of OHR, Kevin Sullivan, told a press conference on Tuesday. Sullivan said that the next government of Bosnia and Herzegovina would have a mandate to implement the reforms, which mean foreign investments, new jobs and more efficient legal system. He said that the High Representative would make a televised address to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and call on them to vote. Sallivan reminded that “Bosnia and Herzegovina, is either going to move ahead towards Europe, or it is going to slip back towards bankruptcy”. “The same choice faces countries in the rest of the region. The High Representative believes that the more voters turn out in the elections, the better the chance of a momentous victory for reform,” Sallivan said. (Blic p 7)
At a Monday’s session in Brussels dedicated to the situation in the western Balkans, The European Union Council also sent a message to the BiH citizens ahead of the October 5 general elections in the country. “At the October 5 general elections you will face a crucial choice: you must decide whether you will or you will not vote for reforms, prosperity and the future that foresee yourself as a art of the European integration processes,” the Council said in the message. (Dnevni Avaz, p 2, Oslobodjenje, p 6)
With regard to the October elections, Vecernji List (front and page 8, by Dejan Jazvic) carries that the parties belonging to the Alliance might win 51% of votes at the coming elections, however, some analysts judge that the Executive authority will suffer certain changes after the elections. The article says that this conclusion especially refers to HDZ because in case that HDZ wins the same results, as it did at the last elections, it will be difficult to exclude it from the executive authority. VL says that reconciling tones arrive from international circles in Sarajevo, that do not exclude a possibility that HDZ returns to the executive authority. In that case HDZ would get most of Croat positions, including the position of the Federation Prime Minister and Minister of Finances and in that context names of Martin Raguz and Velimir Lovric are the ones that are most frequently mentioned. VL says that Lovric’s correct relations with international representatives might help HDZ to establish a co-operation with OHR and other international institutions. Also, according to VL, Barisa Colak, Niko Lozancic, Zeljko Obradovic, Bozo and Damir Ljubic might also find their place in the Federation and state Parliament. VL says that people from Silajdzic’s party should sit with them in both Governments. VL concludes: ‘Lagumdzija’s SDP might be against ‘a forced’ coalition since they keep telling that they do not want to share authority with national parties. It will be interesting to see whether international representatives will prevent again HDZ participation in the executive authority because of Lagumdzija’s principles.’
Slobodna Dalmacija (page 10, by Josip Jovic) carries an article with title “HDZ must not win“, in which the author allegedly discovers the scenario of international community for general elections in BiH. The author says that British and American ambassadors, together with domestic politicians, Lagumdzija (SDP), Belkic (SBiH), Ivanic (PDP), Zubak (NHI), Dodik (SNSD) and Kadic (Liberals), on a meeting held in August, agreed that ‘nationalist’ parties must not win and it is necessary to find solution for discrediting those parties (SDS, SDA, HDZ) through media. The International Community counts on modified ‘Alliance’ after the elections, the author says, and adds that Miro Grabovac Titan was tasked to weaken HDZ BiH, in partnership with Lijanovici (NSRZB). One of the conclusions of the meeting is defined like this: “An expert of NDI is addressed to the election HQ of ‘Working for Prosperity’ party to help in the pre-election campaign. In this election HQ are engaged people who were participating in presidential campaign of Stjepan Mesic“. At the end, the author wrote: “The High Representative himself, proofed faker of ‘Tudjman’s napkin’, commando who fought against Irish separatists, hater of every ‘nationalism’, mister Paddy Ashdown, in his last interview says that peace in BiH will be built upon justice, and not upon democracy“.
Dnevni List (page 6, couducted by Ivica Glibusic) carries interview with Mladen Ivankovic Lijanovic, candidate for BiH Presidency, who stated that “Paddy Ashdown and International Community are concerned (NB: over statement of people that they will not vote at the elections) most likely because they feel themselves also responsible for condition that BiH is in. It is not only domestic representatives in government who are responsible for process of progress of BiH but also international ones”.
The candidate of the RS Republican’s Alliance for the RS President, Miro Mladjenovic wrote the editorial in today’s issue of Nezavisne Novine, in a form of an open letter to the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown. Mladjenovic writes that essential problems of BiH are crime and corruption and that Ashdown identified those problems well. “However, voters in RS know very well those involved in corruption by name and they suppose that you know those names too. They also know that your action to assist in carrying out an efficient investigation and sanction those responsible for crime, failed in crucial moment. The voters are aware that corruption and crime are fully protected by the institutions which should represent foundation of the state.” According to Mladjenovic, the only solution for the BiH and RS is a symbiosis of all democratic forces, regardless of their different concepts. Those forces are: SDS and Serb Radical Party (without their current leadership – Mirko Sarovic excluded), SNSD led by Milorad Dodik, Mirko Banjac’s party of National Revival, People’s Party of Socialists with respected Zivko Radisic, Alliance of Communists – Movement for Yugoslavia and of course, Republican’s Alliance of RS.
HR’s activities |
“As in your country, the foreign investments amount 14 US dollars per capita, in Croatia they amount 229 dollars. In Slovenia, the opening of a new company takes three, and in BiH hundred days,” the High representative, Paddy Ashdown, said during his Tuesday visit to Zenica, where he was a guest in the local radio-station program. In the course of the day, Ashdown also visited the town’s company of Selecta, which employs 33 workers and export its products (PVC doors and windows) to Slovenia, Croatia and Germany. (Dnevni Avaz, p 2)
On Tuesday, the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, met with several successful businessmen in the Doboj Municipality who had after returning to their pre-war places of living launched small-scale businesses (production facilities) and employed a significant number of people. (Dnevni Avaz, p 2, Dnevni List, p 5)
RS developments |
Glas Srpski, p 2, also reported on the issue and carries the High Representative’s comments regarding his case, which he gave in an interview with the Radio Doboj on Tuesday. “Several minutes before the program on the Radio Doboj started a journalist had asked me whether I would protect the Bosniak property. My answer was no”, said Ashdown. He said he would protect everybody’s property, regardless of ethnic community to which some person belongs. When asked why the construction ban in Kotorsko has not been lifted, Ashdown said that the OHR discussed that problem very thoroughly, and added that now there is the law that regulates that matter. Ashdown said he was not interested in the past, but in the future, and reiterated that the only side he takes is the side of the law.
Glas Srpski reports on its front page that the RS Government announced the possibility of cancelling the additional oil tax in the RS The paper quotes the President of the RS Fuel Dealers’ Association, Vukasin Vojinovic, as saying that if the OHR does not introduce the oil tax in the Brcko District, then the RS Government will cancel the additional tax on oil and oil products in the RS. The paper claims that the RS Government’s promise made the fuel dealers in the RS change their mind and give up on the idea of blocking the main roads in the RS. The paper quotes the RS Finance Ministry Spokeswoman, Radmila Mihic, as saying that the RS Government has not dismissed a possibility of reducing the RS oil tax from 15 to 0,5 pfennings per litre. “Everything depends on the next moves of the OHR office in Brcko”, said Mihic. The RS Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic, said that the solution to this problem is in the hands of the IC. “If the IC institutions do not harmonize taxes in the Brcko District with those in the RS and the BiH Federation as soon as possible, then the RS Government will have to make certain moves”, said Ivanic. The RS Tax Administration Chief, Milica Bisic, also supported the requests of the RS Oil Dealers’ Association. “The non-existance of the additional tax in the Brcko District brings the Brcko District dealers in a more favourable position than those in the RS and BiH Federation”, said Bisic. The paper reports that the RS Finance Ministry sent a letter to the PDHR, Donald Hays, in which the Government warns the PDHR that the Ambassador Clarke’s Office informed the Finance Ministry that the IMF did not request that the Brcko District introduce the additional tax. “Given that Hays positevely responded to the RS Finance Ministry’s request – that the additional taxes have to be introduced in the District – we request that he (Hays) declares himself on the Clarke’s statement and takes a final stand on the issue”, says the letter. The paper says that due to this problem, the RS loses 70 million KM a year.
Glas Srpski reports on its front page that the RS Market Inspection banned the sale of “Bonaqua” mineral water in the RS. The “Bonaqua” mineral water is produced by ‘Coca Cola Beverages BiH d.o.o.” from Sarajevo. The paper reports that the RS Health Protection Institute analyzed the samples of the mineral water and established that they contain more chlorine, carbon dioxide and potassium than foreseen. The analysis also showed that the PH level of the Bonaqua mineral water is below 7,5. (Blic, p 7)
Glas Srpski reports (p 2) that the RS Government decided on its yesterday’s session that it is strictly against the Decision on setting up the BiH Public Health Directorate. The RS Health Minister, Milorad Balaban, informed the Government about the BiH joint institutions’ attempts to re-arrange the legal matter for which the entities are responsible. A press release, issued by the RS Government, states that the RS Government will not allow the responsibilities of the RS to be transferred to the BiH level. According to the DPA, Annex 4, Article 3, the entities are responsible for health sector in BiH. In April this year, the BiH House of Peoples adopted the Resolution on the BiH health policy, which was used a s a basis for the decision on establishment of the BiH Public Health Directorate. The RS Government finds unacceptable the way in which the RS representatives in the BiH HoP adopt the documents, which are then being used as a basis for the transfer of entity responsibilities.
RS Serb Posts public enterprise signed on Tuesday the agreement on cooperation and the agreement on servicing the CIPS project with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Treasury and the Agency for the implementation of CIPS project. Serb Posts stated that besides the agreement they also signed Annex 1 providing certain privileges to Serb Posts in joint investments into the CIPS project. (Blic, p 7, Oslobodjenje, p 3)
Nezavisne Novine reports (front page, p 3) that the Banja Luka Basic Court decided to halt the privatization of the Kristal Bank due to a number of irregularities, which occurred in the privatization process. Kristal Bank was sold to the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank for 1 KM.
Federation-related news |
Dnevni List (front and page 3, by Petar Radic) carries a story on “Granit” company from Jablanica, saying that Herzegovina-Neretva Cantonal Board of Party for BiH took control over this company with assistance of Cantonal Government. The organisation in which are Omer Macic, actual Cantonal Prime Minister, Zejnil Delalic and Mustafa Hondzo, businessmen, Muhamed Maric, the actual General Manager of “Granit” and Alija Tipura, Cantonal Minister of Finances, are known as “Stone Mafia”. The author says that they found their political protection in Party for BiH. The article says that this group is operating only on territories of Jablanica and Konjic municipalities, because they agreed that Safet Orucevic and his ‘gang’ will control Bosniak majority part of Mostar. However, both groups agreed to co-operate and help each other within the Party. The article says that role of Muhamed Maric, General Manager of “Granit” in torturing Croats from Jablanica is still not discovered in full. The author says that Maric served several political parties, from Communist Party, through former Yugoslav reformers, SDA, GDS and is now close to Party for BiH. The daily says that Maric abused his position in several business agreements, that he took a 700,000-KM loan to pay out salaries to workers, and buying in that way social peace in pre-election period. The article says that, although his six-month mandate as acting Manager of “Granit” expired, he still rules the company in autonomous way, with help of Zejnil Delalic, president of Steering Board of “Granit”, who was appointed by Cantonal Prime Minister Omer Macic.
(NB: The daily announced that the story continues tomorrow)
War crimes |
Nezavisne Novine (p 2) quotes the RS Prime Minister’s Advisor for Cooperation with the ICTY, Sinisa Djordjevic, as saying that Ljubomir Borovcanin, against whom the ICTY recently opened a sealed indictment, has directly contacted the ICTY office in Banja Luka in order to surrender voluntarily. “Borovcanin contacted the office of the ICTY in Banja Luka and spoke to a person who is not an employee of the RS Government but is authorized to hold such talks,” Djordjevic explained. He added that the RS Government knew about the negotiations, but did not participate in them directly. “Clearly the deal, for reasons unknown to me, was not carried through, and I am unfamiliar with the conditions requested,” Djordjevic said and added that the RS Government had offered to take part in the negotiations, but that was refused. He said that the RS authorities will issue the arrest warrant for Borovcaning in the next few days and that they will arrest Borovcanin if they find him at his address. (Vecernje Novosti, p 8)
Unclear goals of the Balkan Summit |
Headlines in Electronic Media |
- BiH in Karadordevo was divided by Milosevic and Tudman, confirmed Croatian President in Den Haag
- World Bank will approve credit to BiH in the amount of 180 million US$
- Preparations for elections, which will be monitored by 300 monitors, finished
- 9th ZEPS opened in Zenica
FTV 1 (1930)
- Stjepan Mesic first public witness of the prosecution in the process against Milosevic
- Three laws adopted which serve in implementation of the amendments to the Constitution of FBIH
- Elections in Serbia: Kostunica and Labus are going into the second round
RTRS (1930)
- Repeated dispute over Kristal Bank privatisation
- Police will secure forthcoming elections
- Police certificate has been removed from Jovan Oklopdzija from Srpski Sanski Most
- Oil dealers postponed blockade of roads