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| Meeting of Export Credit Agencies | HR Ashdown on judicial salaries | SEE meeting on security, defence |
| FBiH Government in session | FBiH Govt in session | Matijasevic on Njegus |
| Judicial reform in BiH | Update to Ukrainian elections | Landmines issue |
TV news broadcast on
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| HSP BIH session | Disabled persons issue | Karadzic and Mladic arrest | Experts on Karadzic/Mladic |
| Coric to visit parents | High expectations for IGA | Alkalaj on BiH path to PfP | Alkalaj on BiH path to EU |
| ICTY prisoner LJubicic | Karadzic and Mladic arrest | Circle 99 held session | Production in Refinery |
| Sudar on religious freed. | SFOR carries our Harvest | 1 woman in Brcko Assem. | Story on Kozara company |
| Oslobodjenje | Decertified policemen before Venice Commission |
| Dnevni Avaz | SDU’s Lazovic: Review will not be strike on successful companies |
| Dnevni List | Zrinjski are autumn champion |
| Vecernji List | Trade: Dragan Doko: We will change agreements with |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Features |
| Glas Srpske | Why decision on the constitutionality of peoples has not still been impelemtned in F BiH?: Barely the Constitution |
| Nezavisne Novine | F BiH House of Peoples still functioning without Serb Caucus: F BiH Parliament has been violating the Constitution for two years now; East Sarajevo Prosecutor’s Office: Tribunal demands additional evidence; Ian Cliff: Arrest of war crime suspects is responsibility of RS MoI; Changes at RS MoI top soon: Matijasevic demands removal of RS Police Director |
| Blic | Americans prevented the arrest of Karadzic; Links of Al Q’Aeda in the Balkans: Bin Laden’s associate got BiH passport |
| Vecernje Novosti | New authorities at RS municipalities: Ethnic key again? |
| Nacional | Nine lives of Karadzic and Mladic |
LATEST NEWS OF TODAY | |
| Ashdown on judicial salaries | BH Radio 1 – The High Representative Paddy Ashdown today announced reductions of judicial salaries for approximately 16%. Ashdown explained that the reason for such decision is the effect high salaries of justices have on the work of other services in judiciary. |
| FBiH Govt in session
| BH Radio 1 – The FBiH Government has started the session today, whose agenda will include discussion of the draft laws related to sale of apartments and information on the draft law on social welfare. All ministers attend the session, including those from Party for BiH. |
Althea/cooperation with ICTY/PfP | |
| AFP: Experts on apprehension of Karadzic, Mladic
| BHT, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Karadzic and Mladic have evaded apprehension for nine times’ by Sense, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘They could have caught criminal Karadzic but they did not have permission to act’, Dnevni List, pg 9 ‘American admiral prevented arrest of Karadzic’, by De. L., EuroBlic cover and pg 11 ‘Americans prevented the arrest of Karadzic’; Nacional cover and pg 3 ‘Nine lives of Karadzic and Mladic’; Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Ramp from Washington’; Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘Karadzic and Mladic evaded arrests for nine times’ by AFP,AFP – Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb political and military leaders sought for warcrimes, have evaded NATO’s net for nine years with the aid of sophisticated support networks, coupled with the incompetence or reluctance of countries to help catch them, experts say. The arrest of Mladic, 62, and Karadzic, 59, will be one of the major challenges facing the European Union when on December 2 it takes over the reins from the NATO-led SFOR force helping maintain stability in the former Yugoslav country. “Every day we received information about Karadzic. We filmed his movements. It was easy to arrest him. But we never got the green light to act,” said a former official of a European country’s secret services who was in |
| EUFOR Commander on Althea
| Oslobodjenje pg 8 ‘EUFOR will speed up BiH’s admission to EU’, mentioned on cover, by Mile Lasic – Daily carries the excerpts from the interview EUFOR Commander David Leakey gave to Germany Sunday newspapers Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntaszeitung in which he explained the EUFOR role in BiH. He did not hide that here were some problems at the beginning of EUFOR, however added that at the end “NATO was determined to support EU in preparing Althea operation.” As for difficulties, Leakey spoke about the fact that not all soldiers are equally trained, that some of them have problems with English and that some have less military experience. Leakey believes EUFOR will make sure to keep BiH stabile and secure country. |
| NN interview with British Ambassador Cliff
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 4 ‘Arrest of war crime suspects is responsibility of RS MoI’ by R. Cengic – In a brief interview to NN, Ian Cliff, British Ambassador to BiH, says that the arrest of war crime sus0ects is the responsibility of the BiH authorities, especially the RS Interior Ministry. He warns that the Hague indictees spending time in BiH have been mainly located in RS. He expresses his belief that there will be no attempts of arrests by EUFOR, NATO and Darko Matiajsevic, RS MoI. British Ambassador reminds that |
| BiH Ambassador Alkalaj on cooperation with ICTY, PfP
| BHT, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘BiH is held hostage by non-cooperation with the Tribunal’ by Fena, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘US supports BiH admission into PfP’, Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘Slight chances for BiH admission into NATO’ by N.N., FENA – It would be very important for BiH to insure its presence at the Euro-Atlantic Council’s ministerial meeting, which will take place in Brussels on December 9, the BiH Ambassador to Belgium and NATO, Sven Alkalaj, told BiH journalists. The Euro-Atlantic Council gathers 26 member-states of NATO and 20 partner countries, and the Balkans will be one of the main topics on the agenda so that it is important for BiH to make a contribution, especially because of its aspirations to join the Partnership for Peace. If BiH was to take part, its representatives could only participate in the segment that refers to BiH, because we have not signed an agreement on exchange of confidential information with NATO, according to Alkalaj. Ambassador Alkalaj declared that this agreement should be concluded before joining PfP. According to him, BiH could already be participating in activities that have the character of the Partnership for Peace and that the issue of (non)cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is the main barrier on this road. “We do not wish to lose pace in defence reform and stay behind all the other countries from the PfP that have already appeared as candidates for NATO because of this one obstacle”, stressed Alkalaj. “BiH does not have any chance of joining PfP before demonstrating the cooperation with the Tribunal and brining the persons indicted for war crimes to justice”, said Ambassador Alkalaj, adding that “BiH is the hostage of non-cooperation with the Hague”. |
| Update to processing of war crimes before local courts
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘East Sarajevo Prosecutor’s Office: Tribunal demands additional evidence’ by M. Cubro – East Sarajevo District Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed to NN that the Hague Prosecutor’s Office ahs demanded additional information and evidence, in order to ensure the processing war crimes cases against 13 war-time commanders of Army and Interior Ministry of R BiH (Republic of BiH). According to Ranka Misic, Prosecutor with District PO, said that: “We have so far received responses to only few files we have sent to NN further brings names of persons, against whom East Sarajevo PO has filed cases with the Hague Tribunal: Ismet Hadzic Mutaveli, Kerim Lucarevic, Osman Dzamalija, Malik Krivic, Reuf Jahic, Refik Skolar, Besim Muderizovic, Ramiz Avdovic, Hasan Efendic, Jerko Doko, Dragan Vikic. |
| NN op-ed on arrest of war crime suspects
| Nezavisne Novine op-ed pg 7 ‘Hiding the crime’ by Branko Todorovic – The article is about arrests of war crime suspects. The author strongly expresses his view that the RS authorities have not – even slightly – diverted from their original path on (non)cooperation with the ICTY, noting that RS authorities are incapable of facing with the truth and taking over the responsibility. |
Political affairs/human rights/reforms | |
| Decertified policemen before Venice Commission
| Oslobodjenje cover splash, pg 3 ‘Decertified police officers before Venice Commission’ by V. Zivak – The Chair of the BiH Council of Minister Adnan Terzic has confirmed for daily that he will sent a letter to the Venice Commission this week asking its members to take a stance the case of decertified police officers in BiH. “It is questionable whether the human right were respected in the process of de-certification of police officers,” said Terzic stressing that the CoM will respect any decision that Venice Commission might bring. If the Commission estimates that human rights were breached, Terzic said that the de-certification of the police officers will be put under the review. Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘I will ask Venice Commission to interpret issue of decertified police officers’, mentioned on cover, by Faruk Cardzic – In an interview to DA, Terzic adds on this issue that a decision to refer to Venice Commission for an assistance in the issue doesn’t mean that he stands against former IPTF [who carried out certification process within UN Mission in BiH] and UN. He concludes that it is also not acceptable that some police officers possess valid certification for the work while being on the A list of the ICTY [about 10 persons]. |
| SDP slams HR Ashdown over Law on Pardon
| Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘False Ashdown’s reformers’, Dnevni List, pg 6 ‘SDP appalled with impudence of High Representative’, by NINA, Vecernji List, pg 3 ‘SDP BiH embittered’, by ibc, Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘SDP of BiH did not vote on Law on Pardon’ by N.N. – As a reaction to the decision by the High Representative for BiH to annul the Law on Pardon, SDP BiH issued a press release yesterday (Sunday) in which it stated that the party was appalled with the impudence of the High Representative for BiH, claiming that Ashdown is trying to save “remains of his failed strategy about reformed nationalists and those who can lead BiH into European integration”. SDP claims that HR Ashdown started accusing everyone in order to save his favourites and save himself too, after the very top of ”his reformists”, embodied in the BiH Presidency, used the Law on Pardon to take a decision in a completely undemocratic manner. SDP claims that the law was made in a “workshop” of the BiH Council of Ministers in cooperation with the people from the OHR. Finally, SDP notes it was inappropriate from HR Ashdown to accuse the media and opposition of playing with justice. |
| Jukic (HDZ) on Law on Pardon: Annulling the law was not the best solution
| Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘There was no need to annul Law on Pardon’, by Ivica Glibusic – Deputy Speaker of the BiH Parliament’s House of Peoples, Velimir Jukic (HDZ), commented on the recent decision of the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, to annul the Law on Pardon by saying the HR has the right to both enact and abolish the law, however Jukic says the HR is obliged to observe the current laws in BiH. “I think it was not the best way, especially having in mind the fact that the law is only a few months old and that the law is really important. Maybe the High Representative should have ordered the re-examining of certain provisions of the law and see whether some of them are not in harmony with standards in the EU countries (…) One had to see whether there was a need to change or amend some provisions of the law, the law should not have been declared invalid in its entirety”, says Jukic. |
| Oslobodjenje op-ed on Law on Pardons
| Oslobodjenje pg 9 ‘Debacle’ op-ed by Ibrahim Prohic – Commenting to the decision of the HR Paddy Ashdown to repeal the Law on Pardons, editorials says it was a slam in the face of all officials structures in BiH and “a defence of public interests and public moral.” Author further says that the scandal exposes extreme neglect in work of the Parliamentarians. “The more and more frequent advocating for the international factor to withdraw and domestic forces to oversee BiH structuring… is too early and missed. This society is not yet ready for political autonomy. Unfortunately!… with all weaknesses of the OHR, without them here it would be worse,” concludes the op-ed. |
| Statement of Day: Sulejman Tihic | Dnevni List, pg 2 carries in its ‘Statement of Day’, the Bosniak member of BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic, as saying: “The High Representative can annul a law, but this time he was not right”. |
| FBiH Government to hold session today: Hadzipasic expects all Ministers to come
| Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Hadzipasic expects arrival of all ministers’, mentioned on cover ‘Hadzipasic expects all ministers at the session’ by A. Hadziarapovic – DA brings that FBiH Prime Minister Ahmet Hadzipasic has scheduled a session of the FBiH Government for today which should show whether the crisis in the FBiH executive authorities has been solved. The session agenda, among other things, includes the discussion on the measures to accelerate implementation of the Program of FBIH Government workings, which was the main reason for inter-party disputes. DA also says that Hadzipasic expects arrival of all ministers at the session, adding that he was given assurances by HDZ and Party for BiH. |
| Bishop Sudar on position of Catholics in BiH
| Dnevni List pg 2 ‘Equality of Catholics in BiH is right and not grace’, mentioned on front, by |
| Member of PRC Hadzic on future organization of Police forces in BiH
| Dnevni List, pg 4 ‘One will not and must not give in to requests of Republika Srpska’, by Arijana Beus – According to DL, when it comes to the future organization of Police forces in BiH, majority of members of the Police Reform Commission (PRC) are in favour of organization of Police structure in five regions: Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Tuzla and Zenica. DL carries Damir Hadzic, a PRC member, as saying that the future single Police structure will be organized at two levels. Namely, there will be a State level with the SIPA and State Border Service, and the second, regional level, at which there will be efforts to identify the best solution in order to have a functional Police forces. “The best way to organize Police is at the level of regions, by which BiH will finally get the State Minister, commissioners who are directly responsible to citizens for the job they are doing and Police that will answer the challenges, which is to decrease the level of crimes in BiH to minimum”, says Hadzic. Commenting on the position of the RS Interior Minister, Darko Matijasevic, who insists that the entity MoIs should remain in the future, Hadzic says: “Requests by politicians from the RS and the politicisation coming from the RS are completely unjustified and unrealistic, and one will not and must not give in to them”. |
| Rifts between Matijasevic and Njegus
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 2 ‘Matijasevic demands removal of RS Police Director‘ by P. Klincov – NN has learnt at the top leadership of the RS MoI that Darko Mtijasevic, RS Interior Minister, on Saturday evening officially demanded removal of Radomir Njegus, RS Police Director, from Dragan Mikerevic, RS Premier. According to NN source, Matijasevic cited several reasons for this demand, including insufficient support to activities related to arrests of war crime suspects. Source further claims that the RS NA Board for election and surveillance over police director will hold session Monday. As most serious candidate to replace Njegus is Dragomir Andan, currently Head of East Sarajevo PSC. |
| Violations of Constitution in FBiH
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 2 ‘F BiH Parliament has been violating the Constitution for two years now’ by V. Popovic – Velimir Kunic, delegate at the F BiH House of Representatives, says that the failure to constitute the House of Peoples at the F BiH Parliament for two years now represents a violation of the F BiH Constitution, which disables one of three constitutive peoples, Serb, to achieve their rights. According to 22 Amendment to the F BiH Constitution, which HR declared on 19 April 2002, 17 delegate are to represent each of three constitutive peoples, while only 11 delegates have been appointed at the Serb Caucus, noting there is no political will to see the F BiH House of Peoples established. Glas Srpske cover page story ‘Barely the Constitution’ by N. Z. – GS also writes about “the most drastic violation of the decision of |
Economic/social issues | |
| SDU’s Lazovic on review of privatization
| Dnevni Avaz cover page ‘SDU’s Lazovic: Review will not be strike on successful companies’, pg 4 ‘Review is a natural act and it has been carried out twice in the process of housing fund privatization’ by F.C., Oslobodjenje pg 6 ‘State must not lose Elektroprivreda and BH Telecom’ by I. Trepalovac, FENA – The BiH Social Democratic Union (SDU) does not support the complete privatization of the capital in the state companies such as BiH Elektroprivreda, BH Telecom, and certain banks, because the State should remain major owner in these strategic companies, it was stated on Sunday at the Party’s press conference. SDU President Miro Lazovic said that with the profits of these capital companies, the state would be able to affirm and stimulate development projects and privatization. Otherwise, he added, BiH would become not only economically, but also politically dependent on certain countries or strong private lobbies that would be engaged in creating the overall processes in BiH – political, economic and social. Lazovic said that SDU plans to organize several public debates on the subject “What BiH must not sell!” in coming days. Regarding the review of privatization, SDU declares that it is necessary to conduct it. However, the companies and individuals that have conducted the privatization in accordance with the law have no reason to be afraid of anything. Lazovic said that privatization must be audited in order to sanction the irregularities for the benefit of the state and the workers. |
| Minister Doko on free trade agreements
| Vecernji List, front pg splash and pg 5 ‘Trade: Dragan Doko: We will change agreements with Zagreb and Belgrade’, by Zoran Kresic – Amid announcements of protests and blockades of border crossings by farmers in BiH, who are unhappy with the free trade agreements with the neighbouring countries, VL carries an interview with the BiH Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Dragan Doko, who says the farmers should not be blocking border crossings because it is not the right thing to do, however Doko admits that farmers do have reasons to be unhappy. Questioned as to what the BiH Council of Ministers had done to protect farmers in BiH, Doko says: “In talks with countries we signed the (free trade) contracts with, we will try to solve problems. If we do not get the understanding, one cannot rule out other measures”. Furthermore, Minister Doko says the solution to the problem is subsidies to the farmers (in BiH), since subsidies in BiH and in neighbouring countries are at different levels, because the subsidies in BiH are as much as ten times lower. Finally, Doko says closing of BiH borders to foreign products as a solution is out of question. |
| DL: MOL and INA interested in becoming strategic partners to Energopetrol?
| Dnevni List, pg 3, mentioned on front ‘INA and MOL buying Energopetrol together?’, by Jurislav Petrovic – According to a report of the Zagreb-based ‘Dnevnik’ business daily, the Hungarian ‘MOL’ and Croatian ‘INA’ (oil companies) are planning to become strategic partners to ‘Energopetrol’ Company of Sarajevo and eventually become the majority owners. Apparently, MOL and INA forwarded a joint bid to the FBiH Government, which owns 67% of Energopetrol. The FBiH Minister of Energy and Industry, Izet Zigic, does not know whether MOL and INA submitted a joint or separate bid(s), because all bids were to be submitted to the FBiH Privatization Agency until November 26. Zigic also notes the whole process is not about sale or privatization of the company, it is in fact about finding a strategic company, which will help consolidate the Energopetrol. Apparently, the whole process should end by |
| Update to ITA employment process
| Glas Srpske pg 5 ‘Add, subtract – there is a lack of Serbs’ by D. Vrhovac – Mihajlovic – The article claims that, out of 36 of the most important positions in ITA in Banja Luka, Bosniaks got 20, while Serbs and Croats got 8 each. The article claims, as in accordance with 1991 census and the Law on Ministries and other bodies of BiH administration, there should have been 16 Bosniaks, 11 Serbs, 6 Croats and 3 employees of other nationalities. GS claims it had not managed to get a comment on this issue from ITA Director Kemal Causevic. A source close to ITA claims some employees of ITA seat were given jobs without a vacancy notice. |
Miscellaneous | |
| Oslobodjenje on CIPS
| Oslobodjenje pgs 4-5 ‘Local print houses cheaper and faster’, mentioned on cover, by Edina Kamenica – Daily brings that CIPS spokesperson, Sanela Turkovic, denies claims of the “very credible source” who said that CIPS project has been faced again with misuses. However, daily says, Turkovic doesn’t deny that the audit of the CIPS documents has started on t26 October. “We carry out constant checks, and this one refers to two risk groups: about 7500 adults who were issued with the new ID and secondly 16463 persons who were given the ID outside of BiH,” explains Turkovic. The first audit of CIPS project was carried out in 2002 at the demand of BiH Graphic Workers Trade Union who still claim that state suffers a damage of the CIPS project printing outside of BiH, adding that local print houses are much cheaper and faster. |
| Zrinjski FC of Mostar leads BiH Football Premier League at half-way stage | Dnevni List, front pg splash and sports pull-out pages on pg 3 ‘Zrinjski are autumn champion’, by Jasmin Smajic – After managing to draw away at East Sarajevo against ‘Slavija’ football club, ‘Zrinjski’ football club of Mostar secured the first place on the table after completion of the first (autumn) part of the 2004/2005 campaign in the BiH Premier Football League. |
| Bin Laden’s associate got BiH passport
| EuroBlic cover ’Bin Laden’s associate got BiH passport’ and RSpg 3 ‘A BiH passport for an associate of Bin Laden’ by M. J. – The latest issue of Washington paper “Defence and Foreign Affairs” claims it holdes evidence on connection of one of Al Q’Aeda leaders – Kalid Sheikh Mohamad – and Islamic groups in BiH. Mohamad was a member of “El Mudzahid” unit in BiH and got a confirmation on BiH citizenship by a decision of |