OHR BiH Media Round-up, 4/9/2005

RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs)

TV PINK (18,00 hrs)

BHT 1 (19,00 hrs)

NGO’s & Bukejlovic on police reform

Increase of oil prices

World News

Commemoration mass in Kamisnica

Bukejlovic on abolishing of RS MoI

Fuel prices go up

Regional news

World News

Ivanic on BIH Ambassador to CRO

Regional news

TI on UN’s Convention on corruption

Bukejlovic on police reform

NTV Hayat (19,00 hrs)

FTV  (19,30 hrs)

RTRS (19,30 hrs)

Football game in Zenica

Feature on Soko housing Association

Dutch candidate for HR

EUFOR revealed 14 sawmills

EUFOR accused of robbery in  Livno 

Feature on Soko housing cooperative

Absurd of Sarajevo Firemen

Feature of Bosnagraf protest

Feature on water quality in Visegrad

Donation for mine detection

Feature on food production in BIH

Oslobodjenje on Terzic

Oslobodjenje

Regions Tuzla-Bijeljina, Gorazde-Foca and Sarajevo would be crossing inter-entity line

Dnevni Avaz

We are willing to organize protests because of VAT’

Dnevni List

Army gets role of peacemaker

Vecernji List

Hollywood in Orasje

Nezavisne Novine

Arsen Tesic leads attacks from Elektroprivreda RS

Reforms/Political developments

Osl. brings details of BiH CoM and RS proposals on police reform

Oslobodjenje cover pg splash and pgs 4 and 5 ‘Regions Tuzla-Bijeljina, Gorazde-Foca and Sarajevo would be crossing inter-entity line’ by A. Kalamujic – Osl. learns that the BiH Council of Ministers’ proposal of the agreement on the police reform has hardly manage to receive a green light of the EC, while the RS proposal is not acceptable for the EC representatives. The article also says that the first item of the BiH CoM’s proposal says that BiH would have a unified police structure, organized at the state and local levels under exclusive supervision of one or more state Ministries. The RS proposal does not say who would have the supervision over the police and it is not clear on how many levels the police would be organized. According to the article, the RS also avoids defining of the local police regions and their proposal says that they would be functional and defined on the ground of technical and professional criteria. Osl. goes on to say that the same formulation is present in the BiH CoM’s proposal, however this proposal also explains that functionality of the police regions implies that the regions Tuzla-Bijeljina, Gorazde-Foca and Sarajevo must cross the inter-entity line.

Bukejlovic: Current model of police regions’ division not acceptable for RS

RHB, BHT 1, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pgs 4 and 5, mentioned on cover ‘Bukejlovic demands help of EU’ not signed, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Bukejlovic: We shall not accept abolishment of entity Ministries of Interior’ not signed, Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘Government will not agree with abolishment of RS MoI’ by S.G. – RS Prime Minister Pero Bukejlovic stated at BNTV that representatives of entity Governments and BiH Council of Ministers must reach a quality agreement on the police reform since BiH cannot approach Europe without this agreement. Bukejlovic reiterated that the RS Government would not accept solutions, which envisage abolishment of entity Ministries of Interior, and added that a model of the police reform that representatives of the political parties discussed on Vlasic, cannot get support of the RSNA. According to Bukejlovic, the current model of the police regions’ division is also not acceptable for the RS. He also stated the EU representatives must involve more considerably in the negotiations on the police reform. Bukejlovic stressed that representatives of the FBiH Government and BiH CoM should be more tolerant towards the RS Government’s stands in continuation of negotiations on the police reform.

DA op-ed on Bukejlovic’s initiative that EU be more involved on police reform talks

Dnevni Avaz p 3 ‘Cynicism of protectors of Karadzic’s achievement’ by S. Turcalo comments on the Pero Bukejlovic’s initiative that EU representatives be more involved in the police reform talks. The author says that Bukejlovic launched such initiative on purpose since he is aware that sooner or later he would have to support the police reform and then he would justify this support as a result of the pressure that the International Community exerted against him.

Biber: We are willing to organize protests because of VAT

Dnevni Avaz cover pg splash and pg 2 ‘We are willing to organize protests because of VAT’ by S. Turcalo – President of the BiH Trade Union Edhem Biber stated that the BiH Trade Union would take all measures in order to prevent introduction of a value added tax (VAT) on bread, medicines, newspapers etc. He added: ‘If the BiH Council of Ministers does not show understanding for this issue, we are willing to organize protests and demonstrations.’ Biber also announced that the BiH Trade Union would demand an urgent meeting with Chairman of the BiH CoM Adnan Terzic in order to present him their proposals and demand urgent solutions. 

Reactions on SDP proposal on VAT

Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Dzaferovic: Law on VAT must be implemented with unified rate’ by H. Orahovac – Commenting on the SDP proposal on changes and amendments to the Law on Value Added Tax, SDA representative Sefik Dzaferovic stated that the Law on VAT implies a unified rate and it should be implemented as such. Vinko Zoric from HDZ said that HDZ has not discussed the SDP proposal yet and therefore he could not state the HDZ stand on this issue. Ljiljana Mijatovic from SDS stated that they would state their opinion on the proposal when they get it officially. She added that the whole SDP idea is a bit strange to her now when we are so close to introduction of the VAT.

DL: BiH to abolish conscripts

Dnevni List cover pg splash ‘Army gets role of peace-maker’ and pg 3 ‘Army gets humanitarian and peace-making role’ by I. Glibusic – DL says that adopting of the defence reform and abolishment of entity Armies has resulted in the fact that almost all political parties in BiH support establishment of a professional army. DL also says that over 70 % of BiH citizens support abolishment of conscripts justifying this support with the fact that financial situation within entity Armies is very difficult. According to DL, it has been expected that the issue of abolishment of conscripts will be at the agenda of the BiH Parliament by the end of the year.

11 RS non-gov. organizations to question constitutionality of RSNA decision to transfer authorities in area of defence at state level

RHB, BHT 1, NTV Hayat, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Judging of constitutionality or referendum’ not signed, Dnevni List pg 4 ‘Organizing of referendum possible’ by A.B. – The Coordination Centre of 11 RS non-government organizations announced on Saturday that they will soon submit a proposal for judging constitutionality of the RSNA decision to transfer authorities in the area of defence at the BiH level. They will also seriously consider a possibility to organize referendum at which citizens would say whether they agree with this decision. 

Ivanic: BiH Ambassador in Croatia to be appointed next week

BHT 1, Hayat, BHT 1, RTRS, Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘Appointment of BiH Ambassador in Croatia next week’ by Onasa, Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Appointment of BiH Ambassador in Croatia next week’ by Onasa, Dnevni List pg 4 ‘Appointment of BiH Ambassador in Croatia next week’ not signed – BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Mladen Ivanic stated in Bosanska Gradiska two days ago that consultations on the appointment of the BiH Ambassador to Croatia have been underway and that this issue would be resolved next week.

Secretary of FBiH HoP on Lozancic’s stand on Law on Inspections in FBiH

Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘Lozancic abuses authority’ by H. Orahovac – Commenting on the fact that FBiH President Niko Lozancic refused to sign a decree on declaring Law on Inspections in the FBiH, Secretary of the FBiH House of Peoples Izmir Hadziavdic stated that everything with regard to passing the aforementioned law was done in accordance with an adequate procedure on adoption of the laws in the FBiH Parliament. Hadziavdic says that what Lozancic did can be defined as abuse of authority. Hadziavdic explained that the FBiH President is not the one who is in charge of judging constitutionality or procedure for adoption of the law and he added that the FBiH Constitutional Court only can do it.

Judicial issues/War crimes

M. Mandic transferred to Central Prison

Dnevni Avaz pg 8, mentioned on cover ‘Momcilo Mandic returned to Central Prison in Sarajevo’ by S.T. – According to the decision of the BiH Court, Momcilo Mandic charged with the economic crime was transferred on Friday night from prison Kula to Central Prison in Sarajevo. Mandic’s lawyer Dusko Tomic gave this information to DA and added that he does not know which are the reasons for Mandic’s transfer.

Prce’s family reacts agst OHR’s statement on Prce’s pardon

Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Scandalous statement of OHR spokesperson’ not signed carries a reaction of a family of former FBiH Defence Minister Mirolsav Prce against the statement on the Prce’s pardon that the OHR’s spokesperson Sanela Tunovic gave at the press conference in Mostar last week. The reaction says that the OHR’s statement was tendentious and full of untruths.

Ivanic: BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not received yet official confirmation reg. Zelenovic’s arrest

Hayat, RTRS – BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mladen Ivanic stated on Saturday in Banja Luka that this Ministry still did not receive official confirmation from Moscow, regarding the arrest of ICTY indictee Dragan Zelenovic. Ivanic stated that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that a person had been arrested, but that his identity is still under confirmation process, and that this person owns SCG passport, but that they cannot confirm anything at this time.

Miscellaneous

B. Ceko: Arsen Tesic leads attacks from Elektroprivreda RS

Nezavisne Novine cover pg splash ‘Arsen Tesic leads attacks from Elektroprivreda RS’ by P. Klincov carries an interview with Chief RS Auditor Bosko Ceko. Ceko says that Executive Director for Financial and Economic Issues of ‘Elektroprivreda RS’ Arsen Tesic stands behind a part of the management in this company, which launched numerous accusations against the RS Chief Auditor’s Office. Ceko believes that these accusations are a product of few significant items from the auditor’s report, which are related to the work and department that Tesic is in charge of.  Ceko added: ‘This is about huge funds which were spent for construction of a football stadium in Ugljevik, payments made towards one company and some other items.’