| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | TV PINK (18,00 hrs) | BHT 1 (19,00 hrs) |
| Traffic in BIH | The World Bank credit | Snow problems in Nevesinje area |
| Snow problems in Drvar | Defence Reform Commission | Report on flood in |
| Snow problems in | Decertified police officers | The World Bank on reforms in BiH |
| Football championship postponed | Novic on police reform | Construction of 5C corridor |
| NTV Hayat (19,00 hrs) | FTV (19,30 hrs) | RTRS (19,30 hrs) |
| Severe weather conditions in BiH | Traffic in BIH | Novic on police reform |
| Issue of Vc corridor | Snow problems in Drvar | BIH could lose WB loan |
| Issue of airport in Visoko | Snow problems in | Snow problems in |
| Issue of BiH citizenship | Snow problems in | Snow problems in |
| Oslobodjenje | Snow problems throughout BiH; Ashdown: I am expecting attacks from all sides |
| Dnevni Avaz | Meddzida Kreso: Mejakic and the others can be tried only in |
| Dnevni List | Status of some 30,000 pensioners brought under question |
| Vecernji List | Confession by an exorcist; Ashdown: If there is no Rule of Law, majority will be ruling over Croats |
| Nezavisne Novine | Depleted uranium quietly kills citizens; Ashdown: No one was removed by mistake |
Political developments | |
| Ashdown: No official was removed by mistake | Oslobodjenje pg 7, mentioned on cover ‘I am expecting attacks from all sides’ – In an interview for Oslobodjenje following his announcement to review some decisions on removals of officials in BiH, High Representative Paddy Ashdown explained that he had no intention to allow return to BiH political scene to those who still might represent a threat for the country’s stability. Ashdown emphasized that the possible annulment of the decisions on removals did not mean that they had been made by mistake. The HR also underlined that he had not violate any human right laws by making such the decisions in the past. Nezavisne Novine pg 2, mentioned on cover ‘No one was removed by mistake’ also carried, Vecernji List pg 5, mentioned on cover ‘If there is no Rule of Law, majority will be ruling over Croats’ interviews with HR Paddy Ashdown on review of the removal of certain officials. In an interview for VL, Ashdown also asked about the case of Croat member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Covic. “As a politician, Covic has always put the interest of those who elected him and the state on the first place. I expect him to continue doing so,” said Ashdown. He emphasized that the Rule of Law establishment was especially in the interest of the Croat people in BiH otherwise the majority would be ruling over them. |
Economic/social issues | |
| BIH risks losing WB loans due to lateness in implementation of reforms
| TV Pink Aida Hasanbegovic – BIH risks losing millions of dollars due to extremely slow implementation of the reforms in the area of economy, health, social protection and education. Credit for structural adjustment to business environment, BAC, ends by the end of March and it might be suspended unless the entity politicians implement laws through the parliamentary procedure that will regulate registration and inspections of traders. “How can I go to my board to ask for 100 millions $ when they haven’t met conditions that they were supposed to fulfill four years ago.” said Orsalia Kalantzopulos, the director of the World Bank to BIH. Credit of 53 millions $ for structural adaptation of social sector will not be given unless the Federal Government regulates the aid for the War Veterans and continues with the reforms of the pension fund. The lack of cooperation will result in losing credits for next three years. The World Bank informed that BiH could loose $ 102 millions of funds because of slow implementation of the most important reforms in economy and social welfare fields. BHT, FTV, RTRS, Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘BiH risks to lose 102 million dollars over disputed reforms’, Nezavisne Novine pg 3, mentioned on cover ‘BiH to lose 108 million dollars over disputed reforms’, Dnevni List pg 2, mentioned on cover, Vecernji List pg 3 ‘Loans brought into question’ also covered the issue. |
| Status of some 30,000 pensioners brought under question
| Dnevni List cover page, pg 3 ‘Status of some 30,000 pensioners brought under question’ Marko Karacic – At a meeting held in Sarajevo on Friday, RS Labour/Social Welfare Minister Miodrag Deretic, his Federation colleague Radovan Vignjevic and representatives of the Entities’ pension-disability funds agreed on for a platform that will serve as the basis for resolution of all the problems in this sector to be drafted by the end of this month. The main issue burdening relations between the Entities’ pension funds is the of some 20-30,000 retired persons who obtained right to pension in one entity and who receive pension in the other entity. |
War crime processing in BiH | |
| BiH Court President Medzida Kreso: Mejakic and the others can be tried only in | Dnevni Avaz cover page, pg 5 ‘Mejakic and the others can be tried only in Sarajevo’ – In a statement for the daily given following the Status Conference in The Hague (on possible transfer of some ICTY cases to BiH), BiH Court President Medzida Kreso emphasized that trials in all the cases transferred to BiH would be held in a fair and honest atmosphere. “The |
Defence/Police Reforms | |
| Members of the Defense Reform Commission reach no consensus
| Svjetlana Todorovic – The proposal made by the RS members for abolishment of the regular military service and recruitment comes to opposite attitudes within the Defense Reform Commission (DRC). The reform will not only include abolishment of military service but the complete restructuring i.e. abolishment of the current Ministries. The Entity Ministries will be abolished and all authorities will be transferred to the BIH Ministry of Defense. The consensus on professional military service must be reached by the beginning of July in order to be able to write the law that will regulate this area said OHR. “The DRC did not reach consensus on what defense reform means but it will be discussed in future” said Nikola Radovanovic the Co-Chairman of the DRC. “We are going to argue for the abolishment of the military service and recruitment as well as the reserve forces” said Milovan Stankovic RS member of the DRC. “ We have to take into account everything that happened in BIH, genocide, tribulations, the Dayton Peace Agreement which looks on regional safety not just in BIH but in Croatia and Serbia and all the regulations should be in agreement with the regulations in neighboring countries” said Sulejman Tihic, member of the BiH Presidency. RS NA announced dealing with these regulations during this year. |
| SIPA Director Novic says police reform in BiH the biggest and the most painful issue
| TV Pink – Sredoje Novic, SIPA Director statedthat police reform in BiH was the biggest and the most painful issue. “It goes to all spheres of the community and it will cross the entity borders. If we want to become the part of International Community we have to have united data bank especially for police structure, united administration system, precise controlling system and disabled political influence over the police forces. The whole BIH, not just RS, will regret if the police reform is not completed” (quoted by the presenter) stated Sredoje Novic for Saturady’s Dnevni Avaz. BHT, FTV, RTRS also carried the statement. |