Headlines in Print Media |
Dnevni Avaz: Reactions to the negations of the crime in Srebrenica – Ashdown astonished as well by the RS Government’s report; Tokic requests opening of the secret dossiers of the election candidates
Jutarnje Novine: Tokic sends letter to the Federation, RS intelligence services heads – Open all secret dossiers; Donations for Srebrenica in the pockets of state officials; The high Representatives condemns the RS Government’s report on Srebrenica – False and inflammatory report
Dnevni List: Former HVO members blocks Heliodrom military barracks; An ecological bomb near Mostar
Vecernji List: An ecological scandal – tons of medicines decomposing in Mostar; Mostar – Soldiers from sick leave “occupy” the military barracks
Glas Srpski: RS Department for Preventing Suspicious Financial Transactions – The carriers carry millions; Visegrad – A school without electricity
Nezavisne Novine: World Summit in Johannesburg – Struggle for clean energy; What has been found by the RS chief auditor in the Ministry of Trade and Tourism – deficit of a half a million of KM hidden
Blic: The Government has sent the documents on Dobrovoljacka street to The Hague; Polemics on the number of casualties in Srebrenica
Srebrenica report |
“There is a shadow of doubt over the lists of the victims and the missing. The way in which they were killed and by whom are unknown,” Miletic told a press conference in Banja Luka on Tuesday. Sinisa Djordjevic, adviser on relations with the Hague tribunal to the RS prime minister, said the intention was to show that the figures on the Bosniaks who were killed in Srebrenica in the summer of 1995 were exaggerated. “We are not disputing the fact that the crime was committed in Srebrenica. But haggling over the number of the victims – whether there were six, eight or 10,000 thousand – does absolutely nothing for reconciliation,” Djordjevic said. (BH Radio 1, Oslobodjenje, pages 4-5, announced on the front page, Dnevni Avaz, p 4, Glas Srpski, front page and p 3, Nezavisne Novine, p 3)
The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, on Tuesday condemned a report issued by the RS Government Coordination Bureau with the ICTY.“Srebrenica was not the only massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995 but it was Europe’s worst massacre since the Second World War,” the High Representative said. “Pretending it didn’t happen is an insult to people of all ethnic groups in BiH. If the accounts given in the media are correct, the report published today is so far from the truth as to be almost not worth dignifying with a response. It is tendentious, preposterous and inflammatory, and I would hope no responsible politician would allow their name to be associated with it, particularly in advance of an election that should be about BiH’s future, not about rewriting its past.“ (Dnevni Avaz, front page, p 4, Oslobodjenje, p 5, Jutarnje Novine, p 6, Glas Srpski, p 3, Nezavisne Novine, p 3)
Dnevni List (page 5) carries statement of OHR Spokesperson Mario Brkic on the Republika Srpska Government’s report on Srebrenica that is down-playing the human cost of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. “This appears to be, as we see it, a callous and irresponsible attempt to misguide voters and exploit the trauma of those who survived or were bereaved by the massacre. (…) History cannot be rewritten in this way”, Brkic said.
Glas Srpski carries (p 3) a press release, issued by the RS Government, which states that the RS Government is of the view that the OHR’s reaction to the Srebrenica report is premature. The statement says that the statement, which OHR Spokesman Mario Brkic made at yesterday’s news conference in Sarajevo contains some mistakes. “The two studies, which the RS Government’s Bureau for Cooperation with the ICTY compiled, are not made by the RS Government. They are part of the report that the RS Government’s Bureau for Cooperation with the ICTY submits to the RS Government every three months. The fact that the Srebrenica report had been condemned by the OHR before the Bureau’s news conference was held comes as a surprise. The Bureau representatives clearly said at the news conference that the both reports are to be submitted to the RS Government, which tells us that the OHR based its condemnation on news reports from the BiH Federation media, which said that the Bureau reports are RS Government’s report. It also comes as a surprise the fact that the OHR representatives commented on a document, which they have not read. This is another confirmation that the OHR gives in to the pressures coming from the Sarajevo media and that the OHR creates its views by using their (the Sarajevo media) information and press releases, thus bringing its own (the OHR’s ) impartiality in question”, reads the RS Government’s press release.
Glas Srpski carries (p 3) a press release, issued by the RS Socialist Party (SPRS), which states that the SPRS condemns any sort of manipulation with war victims as well as any sort of speculation about numbers of victims. The press release reminds of the W.W.II Jasenovac Concentration Camp, which some parties and politicians exploit for their political campaigns even 60 years after the W.W.II. “SPRS is against any crime and insists that perpetrators are brought to justice. It would be good that the RS Government presents this report about Srebrenica as well as the report about crimes committed against Serbs in Bratunac, Skelani and Srebrenica. However, the question that crops up is why this report was not of any use to General Krstic during his trial”, reads the press release.
Sejfudin Tokic, deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, has described the report of the RS government on events in Srebrenica in July 1995 as the “basest political pamphlet aimed at securing votes cheaply”. “The report which puts the number of Bosniak victims in Srebrenica at a little over 2,000 and says mass executions were allegedly the result of unfamiliarity with international wartime law, and which was produced seven years after the planetary crime and at the time the Hague tribunal had already dealt with a small number of people responsible for the Srebrenica Golgotha, can hardly fool anyone in the world. It only removes the reformist and democratic mask from the political face of Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic,” Tokic said. (Oslobodjenje, p 4, Dnevni Avaz, p 4, Jutarnje Novine, p 6, Glas Srpski, p 3)
“The RS Government and Prime Minister Ivanic should be held fully responsible both by the domestic and international public due to the shameful and unacceptable manipulations with the (war crime) victims, particularly having in mind a fact the report was published as a part of the pre-election campaign and it confirms a persistent sticking to the nationalistic political concept,” the RS Helsinki Committee for Human Rights said in a press release. (Oslobodjenje, p 4) “An obvious intention was to cover up, minimize and justify the crime, and, in a way, to rehabilitate the war criminals,” the President of the Committee, Branko Todorovic, told Dnevni Avaz, p 4)
“When I see such the reports, they make me more assure it is very important to be persistent in bringing all the war crime indictees before the Hague Tribunal, and that we must not give up the lawsuit against FRY. People in RS, which is more than clear, are still not ready to face the truth. I think it would be good for the RS that they face the truth regardless of how painful it could be,” the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Beriz Belkic, told Dnevni Avaz, p 4)
“If the RS Government wants to deal with the Srebrenica problem seriously, without any politicization,they should show us where are both primary and secondary graves. They know very well in which mass graves the killed Bosniaks were buried, as they know Karadzic and Mladic’s whereabouts,” the Srebrenica Mayor, Sefket Hafizovic, told Oslobodjenje, p 5.
Amor Masovic, the President of the BiH Federation Commission for Missing Persons, is inviting Mrko Sarovic, Mladen Ivanic, Zivko Radisic, Dragan Kalinic…to come to the morgues in Visoko and Tuzla where, in the white plastic bags, “the innocent human lives are placed.” “They should come and look the truth in the eyes,” Masovic told Dnevni Avaz, p 4.
The Party for BiH has described the RS government report on Srebrenica as “yet another attempt by the RS authorities in an unscrupulous and brutal way to negate what probably is the worst crime in Europe after WW2”. In a public statement, the Party said Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic and the government – ignoring the fact that competent institutions, such as the Red Cross and the Hague tribunal, have already voiced their judgment – “are trying to reduce the number of civilian victims, thus showing their true face”. The Party for BiH also sees as “unscrupulous the status which war criminal Ratko Mladic enjoys in the document. He is mentioned in the context of the evacuation of civilians and of calling on soldiers of the BiH Army to surrender”. (Dnevni Avaz, p 4, SRNA)
Oslobodjenje, p 4, quotes the Sarajevo-based Hague Tribunal spokesperson, Refik Hodzic, as describing the media-reported allegations from the RS Government’s Srebrenica report shameful. “I cannot comment the report itself since I have still not looked into it. But on the basis of media reports, we can say that such the allegation (negating the mass executions) are simply shameful,” Hodzic said.
Glas Srpski carries (p 3) a press release, issued by the Zvornik-Podrinje SDA Regional Board, which states that with the Srebrenica report, which is aimed at down-playing the Srebrenica massacre, the RS Government showed its true face and stuck with the policy of its predecessors who are responsible for war crimes in BiH and Srebrenica.
Nezavisne Novine quotes (p 3) the Chairwoman of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Association, Munira Subasic, as saying that according to data, released in 2001, around 12, 000 people were killed in Srebrenica. “If the RS Government states that only 2,000 people were killed in Srebrenica, this means that the rest of them (10,000) are alive but in prison. If what they say is really true, we ask them to release these people. We have believed so far that the Prime Minister Ivanic is the Prime Minister of all RS citizens. Now we think that by denying the genocide, which happened in Srebrenica, Ivanic sided himself with Karadzic and Mladic”, said Subasic. (Oslobodjenje, pages 4-5, Dnevni Avaz, p 4, also carry reactions by the “astonished” Srebrenica citizens)
“In fact, a counter-effect will follow, which will make damage to the RS,” Antonio Prlenda wrote in an Oslobodjenje second page editorial on the Srebrenica report.
OHR activities |
“I believe the OHR made a right decision. He (Stojcinovic) should have never been appointed acting mayor, since he has been the person who had been making all the moves related to the illegal construction in Trni,” Hamzalija Becic, a member of the Kotorsko Local Community Council, told Dnevni Avaz, p 9. Stojcinovic did not want to comment on the HR’s decision.
BiH-related news |
Under a title “A Bosniak proposed for a Croat post in the Agency”, Vecernji List (front and page 2, by Dejan Jazvic) speculates with names of candidates for the leading posts in the newly founded BiH Agency for Information and Protection, “an embryo of the state intelligence service”, as VL puts it. Jazvic says that Serb candidate is most likely Sredoje Novic, a former RS Minister of Interior during Miodrag Dodig’s tenure, that Bosniak candidates are Fehim Durakovic and Emir Bijedic and finally that Croat candidates are Dragan Vikic and Dragan Lukac, the current Director of Federation Police. VL says that there is a special story with Zlatko Miletic, who has a strong backing from Zlatko Lagumdzija who wants to see Miletic at the post allocated to Croats. In that context, VL claims to be in possession of a document that shows that Miletic declared himself a Bosniak.
The deputy chairman of the BiH House of Peoples, Sejfudin Tokic, sent on Tuesday an open letter to the head of the BiH Federation and RS intelligence services, Munir Alibabic and Risto Zaric, requesting that all secret dossiers related to the candidates at the October elections are made available to the public. (Oslobodjenje, p 3, Dnevni Avaz, p 3, Jutarnje Novine, p 4, announced on the front page, Vecernji List, p 2)
Federation affairs |
Vecernji List (front and page 3, by Zdenko Jurilj) reads some 20 days ago an unknown quantity of barrels containing old medicines and dangerous chemicals were unloaded into a big pond in the Mostar district of Rudnik as reported by a small number of eyewitnesses. “The information is correct. Our team has gone on the ground and is intensively checking what’s it all about. We are all looking to find what has been unloaded and who did it with a help of the police”, said a competent inspector of Mostar’s Municipality West, Goran Delic. VL speculates that the deed was done by “the pharmaceutical Mafia” which does these kinds of jobs i.e. the people who are hired by local authorities to illegally get rid of dangerous materials.
Oslobodjenje reports on the front page (continued on p 3) that the Mostar Prosecutor, Mustafa Resulovic, requested the BiH Federation Financial Police to investigate into the sale of the Eronet shares to the private companies Hercegovina Osiguranje, Croherc and Alpina Komerc from Siroki Brijeg by the HPT Mostar two years ago.
Slobodna Dalmacija (page 13, by Zlatko Tulic) carries a report from a process “against six alleged murderers of former Federation Deputy Minister of Interior Jozo Leutar” that was continued yesterday. SD reports that an investigative judge Vladimir Spoljaric presented records on hearing of protected witnesses number 30 and 31 whose depositions were in the protected part of the case-file and unavailable to the defence teams and goes on to say that the wider public for the first time learned what Merim Galijatovic said during the hearings. Tulic says that anyone who listened closely to the reading of the depositions could witness a lot of contradictoryclaims and cites an example that Galijatovic could not tell Jadranko Lucic from Jedinko Bajkusa. “In other words, his testimony is a basis for a fantastic theory of a political plot whose victim was the former Deputy Minister of Interior (…) It is obvious today that the indictment has been completely rigged and that the testimonies of the protected witness were adjusted to the indictment”, reads Slobodna Dalmacija.
Vecernji List (page 2) and Dnevni List (page 4) carry statement of Management of Mostar “Derby Games” and “Bet Shop” betting shops that the accusations of illegal business coming from Federation Ministry of Finances and Tax Administration are untrue. Representatives of the two Mostar shops stated that they have written approval from the Federation Finance Ministry allowing them to hold short-term bets during sports events. The representatives also claim they have demanded a prolongation of their approvals since the adoption of the new Law on games of luck, but have received no reply as of yet. The dailies read that the two shops in the past 18 months paid over 2,8 million-KM of taxes. Slobodna Dalmacija (page 13) carries statement of Toni Pehar, spokesperson of “Intersport”, company in which all bigger betting shops are working, who stated that in the following days 2,500 workers from sport betting shops will come and protest before building of Ministry of Finances in Sarajevo. “We will work in alarming the international community, primarily OHR and Ombudsmen Office, because our right to work were denied with a rigorous measure. Is it really first and the last solution to seal the door and throw 2,500 people out in the street?”, Pehar asked. He added that Dinko Slezak and other owners are not willing to pay six million KM, as the Tax Administration is allegedly asking from them.
Slobodna Dalmacija (page 13, by Miroslav Landeka) carries statement of Bozo Misura, removed Acting Head of Federation Pension and Disability Fund, who denied writings of some media that reported that Misura handed-over duty to newly appointed manager of Federation Pension and Disability Fund Marko Matic. “I don’t know what should I hand-over to Mr. Matic because nothing was handed-over to me. The 61 million KM that we left on Fund’s account is already spent for pension pay out. (…) it is obvious that appetite of Prime Minister Alija Behmen has grown to put this profitable public fund under control, because, in Behmen’s opinion, it can be a source for buying the electoral body, by recognizing the years of service which are not covered with pension taxes”, Misura said.
Dnevni List (page 3, by Zoran Vidic) speculates that former Mayor of Mostar Safet Orucevic had to know about mortar rounds hidden in Mostar Tobacco Factory because, as the daily proves with a facsimile of the document, Orucevic appointed Steering Board of the Tobacco Factory in May 2000 although he was not entitled to do so. DL learned from a well-informed source that the Management and Steering Board of the Tobacco Factory informed Orucevic about everything that was going on in this factory. The daily accuses Orucevic for participating in sale of the Factory to his close business associate Marko Milosevic, son of ex Yugoslav dictator Slobodan, and his phantom company that was named after famous cigarette producers from Japan.
RS developments |
Headlines in Electronic Media |
- The RS government Report on a number of killed Srebrenica residents triggered severe reactions from the Hague Tribunal and the OHR
- Peaceful protests of former members of the Croatian components of the FBiH Army took place in Mostar
- Brussels: No mentioning of BiH joining the Partnership for Peace
FTV 1 (1930)
- The RS Government study questions the list of missing and killed person and claims that it is not known when, how and who committed genocide in Srebrenica.
- New mass grave is discovered near Foca
RTRS (1930)
- Ganic and Kljuic primarily accused for war crime in Dobrovoljacka Street
- RS Government Bureau presented new documents on Srebrenica
- OHR: report on Srebrenica is attempt of delusion of voters
- Proceeding against accused in the Ferhadija case continues
- Ashdown removed Acting Mayor of Doboj Municipality Mirko Stojcinovic