25.12.2005

OHR BiH Media Round-up, 25/12/2005

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RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA

(18,00 hrs)

TV PINK

(18,00 hrs)

BHT 1

(19,00 hrs)

Christmas Eve in BiH

Net around Mladic revealed

Misuse of donated money

Christmas messages to BiH Catholics

HR on failure to arrest war criminals

HR on his work in BIH

Orthodox Church Xmas message

VAT- postponed or not?

Dodik to form new Government

DNZ, HSS send Christmas message

Tourism in BiH- new capacities

Tihic on const. talks re Presidency

NTV Hayat

(19,00 hrs)

FTV

(19,30 hrs)

RTRS

(19,30 hrs)

Story on Sejma Boundellaa

Dodik to remove RS Government

RS politicians on crisis of RS Gov

Christmas congratulations

Price of gas to increase

Paravac on BiH charges against SCG

Tihic on President agreement

Coal mine to produce more coal

HR on Karadzic and Mladic

Dodik on RS Government

USC adopts budget for 2006

Matijasevic on ICTY indictees

 

Oslobodjenje

Such the Sarajevo is not capital (story on legal status of Sarajevo)

Dnevni Avaz

Rafi Gregorian: Entities handing military facilities over to civilians

Nezavisne Novine

Cardinal Puljic’s Christmas message

 

 

Political Developments/Reforms

Ashdown pleased with his results in BiH but frustrated by fact Karadzic and Mladic are still at large

 

RHB, Pink, BHT, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘Frustrated over Karadizc, Mladic’, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘It is a miracle how BiH went so far in a short time’  – The outgoing High Representative Paddy Ashdown stated for BBC that he is pleased with the accomplished work in BIH adding that he is also frustrated by the fact that war crime indictees Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic are still at large. Ashdown stated that there is no lasting peace without justice. He also said that BIH is not functional state with 13 Prime Ministers and three Presidents.

Dodik to form new RS government in January

 

BHT Zoran Sarenac – SNSD Leader Milorad Dodik publicly announced what BHT 1 speculated earlier, namely that it will take over RS Government with the support of PDP as of January 2006. 48 delegates will not vote for budget for 2006 and they will vote for removal of current RS Government upon the initiative of SNSD. “It is correct to say that certain political parties have accepted our initiative and we have the National Assembly’s majority for no-confidence vote on the current Government. Now, we only wait to see the further actions taken by the party that supports the current Government after the rejection of the budget proposal. We also wait for the reactions of RS President” said Dodik. Reporter stated that RS President Dragan Cavic promised to appoint new prime minister designate if budget proposal is rejected. “I don’t see why budget shouldn’t be adopted. Budget should not be tied with the political situation because citizens will be directly hit if the budget is not adopted” said RS Prime Minister Pero Bukejlovic. Dodik denied Bukejlovic’s statement. Leader of SP Petar Djokic confirmed that his party will support the initiative for removal of current Government.

RHB, Hayat, FTV, Dnevni Avaz pg 8, mentioned on cover ‘RS will get new government in January’ also carried Dodik’s statement.

RTRS: RS politicians on crisis of RS Government, constitutional changes

 

RTRS Nada Arlov – SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said that RS will have new government and new budget in January. Dodik said “At this moment  there is already a majority that would give a Government a vote of non-confidence,” adding that they will first wait to see what would SDS and its leader Dragan Cavic do regarding this crisis. Reporter comments that RSNA representatives do not look worried by the fact that RS still has no budget for the coming year. Cavic said: “I think that PDP that denied its support to the Government has a capacity to start the procedure, because, since they have initiated the crisis, they have to find the way out if it, or their aim is the crisis.” PDP said that the initiative for giving a vote of confidence to this government can only do the ones who have intentions to form a new one. Reporter comments that PDP would not give its vote to the budget that anticipates raise of pensions by 5% while the expected inflation would be 10%. PDP leader Mladen Ivanic: “I think that the story by which RS is in so called ‘jeopardy’ and the problems budget users could meet, in the matter of fact SDS is trying to keep their authority, that’s all.” Reporter comments that SPRS would also not give its vote to support the budget, and its leader Petar Djokic said: “The best solution is for Prime Minister to resign and by doing so automatically to open a procedure of forming a new government.” SRS thinks that the budget could be adopted with few changes, which would lead to stabilisation of RS authority. Reporter comments that the authority crisis in RS has down attention from the constitutional changes, that should continue on January 3, adding that SDA leader Sulejman Tihic has still not avoid his ideas of BiH inner changes and erasing the entities when political situation would be more appropriate. Dodik strongly opposed this, saying that it is impossible for BiH to change its structure without the consensus, and at this moment, there is no consensus. Coordination centre of six NGOs, SPONA has met in Brcko on Saturday, stating that they will oppose the unitary structured BiH. SPONA’s Branislav Dukic said: “We cannot allow it in the name of 24000 dead, over 140000 disabled persons and over hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons.” SPONA says that the citizens should vote at the referendum on constitutional changes.

Gregorian: Entities handing military facilities over to civilians

 

Dnevni Avaz cover page, pg 2 ‘Entities handing military facilities over to civilians’ – Entities are trying to use defense reform and gain the major profit for themselves, claims Rafi Gregorian, an American expert and official of NATO headquarters in BiH. “The consequences of incautious moves will disallow Defense Ministry and Armed Forces to chose the best facilities and equipment necessary for accession to NATO,” said Gregorian. Gregorian refers to certain Entity Government’s decisions handing some iimportant military facilities over to civilians.     

 

 

Economic/Social  Issues

Pink: VAT introduction will be postponed or not?

 

Pink Ljubisa Davidovic– Even though less then seven days remain till introduction of VAT, no one is certain will this happen or the VAT application will be postponed. While BiH authorities emphasise that postponement is inevitable, being that Entities’ Budgets haven’t been passed jet, representatives of the International Community stressed that everything is set and there is no time for changes. Reporter stressed that unlike FBiH, chances for passing of RS Budget are equal to zero, being that RS Government doesn’t have the majority in RSNA and being that some of oppositional representatives have already announced that they will vote against the Budget. Reporter emphasised that according to Law on VAT, VAT can not be introduced if any of Entities’ Budgets isn’t passed, because without Budgets there are no social programs which are predicted by the Law. Chairman of Council of Ministers Adnan Terzic stated that if RS Budget is not passed till end of year, BiH Parliament should meet and change the Law on VAT, postponing its introduction. British Ambassador to BiH, Mathew Rycroft stressed that IC stance is that VAT must be introduced on January 1, with or without passing of Entities’ Budgets by the time. “Everything has been set up for that and it is too late for any change”, said Rycroft. On the other side, Director of Indirect Taxation Administration Kemal Causevic stressed that this is a matter of politics, explaining that ITA is fully prepared for instalment.

Hayat: Face to Face- CoM’s Hurtic vs. Trade Union’s Biber on VAT

 

Hayat Senad Hadzifejzovic– Guests of tonight’s Face to Face were Zlatko Hurtic– Economic Advisor of Chairman of CoM and Edhem Biber– Chairman of BiH Independent Unions, who talked about VAT and its effects on people.

Even though the issue of this interview was the effects that VAT will have on peoples’ standards, most of the interview passed in Biber’s accusations that this Government is working by directions of International Community and has no courage to act on its own. As proof for this, Biber stressed that Chairman of CoM Adnan Terzic was afraid to submit the proposal on amendments to Law on VAT, because ITA Steering Board member Jolly Dickson, stressing that CoM has accepted this Law in the same text that IC has gave them. Hurtic explained that Terzic wasn’t able to submit the proposal because the Law says that every change of the Law has to be approved by ITA Steering Board, stressing that they are not working under the command of the IC and that they have rejected the proposal for Law on VAT that was given by IMF.

Biber stressed that VAT instalment will be dramatic because BiH is not competent nor it has mechanisms to protect citizens and because social programs are inadequate and should be at least 50% of predicted VAT effect. Hurtic stressed that he doesn’t agree, just as he didn’t agree with the High Representative Paddy Ashdown who expressed similar doubts, stressing that State is fully prepared for VAT and that Director Kemal Causevic and his associates should be praised for their work, adding that all neutral pointers have show that BiH is fully prepared and that this is not a dramatic phase, but very significant reform, which should have been carried out much sooner, being that BiH is the last country that is carrying out this reform. Hurtic stressed that CoM and Entities’ Governments have explained that VAT is being installed with singular rate, but with social programs that will compensate all possible damage for endangered citizens. Hurtic stressed that this Law is better because it will give the authorities a chance to deal with organized crime, grey economy and black market, stressing that this will bring less crime, less administration, but higher salaries and pensions.

BiH Finance Minister Ljerka Maric: ‘It would be very dangerous to postpone VAT introduction

 

Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘It would be very dangerous to postpone VAT introduction’ – In an interview with the daily, BiH Finance and Treasury Minister Ljerka Maric said that the entities had to pass 2006 Budgets by January 15 at the latest in order for VAT to be introduced as planned. Otherwise the VAT introduction will have to be postponed and that would not be good, it will be very dangerous for the country, according to Maric.