Latest radio news broadcast at 12.00 on 7 January
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (12,00 hrs) | BH Radio 1 (12,00 hrs) |
| BiH Prosecution receives cases | Orthodox Christmas celebration |
| IRWP on Karadzic Mladic | Lawsuits against Montenegrin police |
| On tsunami | World news: aid to tsunami victims |
TV news broadcast on 6 January
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Honouring tsunami victims | Annan calls on | Issue of pensions payout | Xmas eve in RS |
| FBIH HoR in session | Aid to tsunami victims | Strike in Unicofilter | HR met with Mikerevic |
| HR met with Mikerevic | Mikerevic met with HR | Strike in Agrokomerc | Djuric on his candidacy |
| Covic on CRO elections | Insulting graffiti in BL | Cigarettes’ prices increases | New electricity prices in RS |
| Oslobodjenje | Those responsible for war crimes must not be hidden; HR and RS: Names of criminals known, they must be arrested; FBiH HoR: Budget rebalance unblocked disability pensions; DRC: Single army as of this year? |
| Dnevni Avaz | War in tobacco industry starts in BiH?; Rebalance of FBiH budget: Disability pension after 15 January; Colak: It would be good to change BiH Constitution |
| Dnevni List | RS Army will not be abolished |
| Vecernji List | Features |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Croatian presidential elections in Capljina: Voters had 15 seconds to vote! |
| Nezavisne Novine | Orthodox believers today celebrate the day of Christ’s birth: Christmas – the holiday of peace; Paddy Ashdown met Dragan Mikerevic: Police reform postponed till summer time; Zlatko Lagumdzija: Ashdown and authorities should implement reforms or leave; RS still without designate: Nedjo Djuric: I will respect party stance; BiH Presidency: Three-minute silence in BiH tomorrow for victims of tsunami |
| Slobodna Bosna | Most notorious Milosevic’s financial investor: |
| Ljiljan | Capitalisation of Oslobodjenje: Whom and why Hadzipasic deceives? |
NOTE: Due to Orthodox Christmas, Glas Srpske, EuroBlic, Nacional and Vecernje Novosti were not published today.
LATEST NEWS OF TODAY | |
| BiH Prosecution receives court cases from ICTY Prosecution | RHB at 12.00 – The BiH Prosecution confirmed that they started to receive court cases on war crime suspects from the ICTY Prosecution. The first trials should start at the end of January or at the begging of February. |
| IRWP says non-arrest of Karadzic. Mladic is biggest failure of IC peace forces in BiH | RHB at 12.00 – The report of the |
| UHSP on MCC’s failure to adopt budget | FENA – Mostar City Council’s failure to adopt temporary budget will have negative impact on the work of city services and all users of the budget, says a statement issued by the United Croatian Party of Right (UHSP) BiH. |
War crimes/ Police and Defence reforms/ OSA | |
| Ashdown meets Mikerevic: ‘RS Govt must investigate on findings of Srebrenica Commission’ | Oslobodjenje cover splash, pg 3 ‘Those responsible for war crimes must not be hidden’ by news agencies, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘RS authorities must implement investigation on Srebrenica Commission’s findings’ by news agencies, Dnevni List, front pg splash and pg 5 ‘RS Army will not be abolished’, by NINA, Slobodna Dalmacija, back pg ‘War criminals must go to The Hague’, by F, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Police reform postponed till summer time’ by M.Cubro – The High Representative Paddy Ashdown met resigning RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic on Thursday in Sarajevo and expressed concern with the fact that the RS Government has still not formed a group to analyse documents submitted by the Srebrenica Commission and has not identified all officials, with the emphasis on those who are still working in RS institutions, whose names appear in confidential annexes. HR reminded Mikerevic that he expects this job to be done and report presented to the State Prosecutor and OHR by the end of February, OHR stated [as reported by Fena]. HR also informed Mikerevic about the pledge made by Serbian PM Vojislav Kostunica personally to him in Belgrade on Wednesday that he would do all he can to help the RS hand over all indicted war criminals to the ICTY. BHT 1, RHB, RTRS – also reported. |
| Daily on Srebrenica Comm findings: Names of criminals known; they just should be arrested
| Oslobodjenje pgs. 4-5 ‘Names of criminals known; they just should be arrested’ by Asaf Becirevic – Author focuses on the request by the HR Paddy Ashdown from RS PM in resignation Dragan Mikerevic to establish a group of people that will under the supervision of EUPM analyze the Srebrenica Commission’s documentation and identify those whose names are being linked with events of July 1995. The OHR says they do not know if the group has already established and how many people it includes. On the other side, the RS Government says that the group has still not been established but that the activities related to the issue are underway. The author however wonders why the group has to be established at all if the competent state bodies including the Prosecution, |
| Mikerevic supports police/defence reforms, but not abolishment of RS MoI or RS Army
| Oslobodjenje cover splash, pg 3 ‘Those responsible for war crimes must not be hidden’ by news agencies, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘RS authorities must implement investigation on Srebrenica Commission’s findings’ by news agencies, Dnevni List, front pg splash and pg 5 ‘RS Army will not be abolished’, by NINA, Slobodna Dalmacija, back pg ‘War criminals must go to The Hague’, by F, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Police reform postponed till summer time’ by M.Cubro – Srna news agency reports that resigning RS Prime Minister, Dragan Mikerevic, told HR Paddy Ashdown during their meeting on Thursday that he supported the police reform, but stressed that the RS cannot accept the termination of the RS Ministry of Interior: “I told Ashdown that the model of single police forces in BiH is unacceptable for RS political structure and I have repeated that there must be RS police.” Ashdown said he will discuss police reforms with representatives of all three constituent peoples in January. According to Mikerevic, Ashdown told that Defence Ministries in the entities have no function noting however that “there is a need to save RS Army, not the ministry”. The press release issued by Mikerevic’s cabinet reads that Ashdown also accepted Mikerevic’s invitation to explain his latest decisions to the public and the RS National Assembly. Mikerevic also stressed that the only possible solution for this or any other crisis in BiH is for domestic politicians, not the high representative, to solve it through an agreement. RHB, BHT1, RTRS – also covered. |
| Oslobodjenje speculates BiH could have only one army as of this year
| Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘As of this year, a single army in BiH?’, mentioned on cover, by Antonio Prlenda – The article reads that the Office of the High Representative on Thursday has not confirmed whether or not Defence Reform Commission would abolish the entities’ armed forces, as it will be the case with Defence Ministries. Author notes that while HR Paddy Ashdown in is measures of 16 December mentioned a necessity to abolish only MoDs, his decision extending DRC mandate reads that it is expected from the Commission to support dismissal of Commands of armed forces [i.e. RS Army HQ and Joint Command of FBiH Armed Forces]. |
| OHR says RS MoD Stankovic first accepts, now criticises defence reforms
| Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘He first supported it, now he criticises it’ by V.P. – OHR on Thursday issued a press statement, saying that by having criticised decision of HR regarding extension of mandate to Defence Reform Commission, Milovan Stankovic, RS Defence Minister, had neglected his own key role in the progress achieved in defence reform since 2003, as well as his support to further reform within the field of defence. The release notes that Stankovic is one of signatories of the Letter, which in September 2003 presented the task of DRC. The letter, inter alia reads that: “fulfilment of requirements for NATO membership would require further reforms”. |
| BHT 1 says political parties fighting over control in OSA departments
| BHT 1 by Boris Grubesic – The parliamentary Commission for control of the OSA work will have OSA officials held responsible if allegations of that those involved in the ‘coup d’état’ affair still work in the intelligence agency prove to be true. According to the previous Commission’s decision, all those who had participated in wire-tapping Zlatko Lagumdzija, Munir Alibabic and a number of other officials, had to be dismissed. Chair of the Commission Tomislav Limov comments to the new allegations: “I expect… the Commission will get the complete documentation, and after the investigation… we will be able to give our remarks.” Following the dismissals of about 500 workers of OSA on |
| Gligoric: OSA still employs staff involved in ‘coup d’état’ affair
| Dnevni List, pg 8 ‘Gligoric: Lists of dismissed intelligence officers were agreed upon in parties’ offices’, by Arijana Beus – Carries the President of the (BiH) parliamentary commission that was investigating into the ‘coup d’etat’ affair, Tihomir Gligoric, as saying that 307 intelligence officers, who were recently fired from the BiH intelligence-security service (OSA), were illegally fired. Gligoric notes that the SDA, SDS and HDZ kept their people in the OSA. “The Serb, Croat and Bosniak leaders said who is going to say and who is going to leave (…) By doing so they will just spy on each other to know what’s going on in the Bosniak-Croat-Serb camps”, said Gligoric, who did not spare the OHR too. “It would appear that the OHR cares only to report to its superiors that the reforms are formally being implemented, it does not matter in what manner”, concludes Gligoric. |
| NN op-ed calls OSA ‘the biggest factory of scandals in BiH’
| Nezavisne Novine op-ed pg 7 ‘OSA – the factory of scandals’ by Mirza Cubro – The author claims that OSA (Intelligence and Security Agency of BiH) is one of the biggest – if not the biggest itself – factory of scandals in the state. He claims that its creators and mentors, BiH COM and OHR, persistently try to implement the mechanical merging of the two entity services into one agency. The author stresses that in six months time since Agency has been established in BiH, many bad and scandalous issues were written about it, starting with the appointment of Almir Dzuvo and so on. The author further lists other “scandalous” affairs, over which Dzuvo would have been sacked a long time ago, if we were living in a normal state, according to Cubro. |
Economic issues | |
| FBiH HoR adopts the rebalance 2004 budget enabling payout of disability pensions
| RHB, BHT 1, Oslobodjenje pg 6 ‘Budget rebalance unblocked disability pensions’, mentioned on cover, by A. Terzic, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Disability pensions to be paid after 15 January’, mentioned on cover, by A.M., Dnevni List pg 4 ‘SBiH demands audit of budget’ by E. Mackic, Slobodna Dalmacija last pg ‘Proposal of budget revision for 2004 adopted’ by B. Kristo – The FBiH House of Representatives adopted the budget rebalance for 2004 in Sarajevo on Thursday. Upon the request of FBiH Prime Minister, Ahmet Hadzipasic, the rebalance was adopted in the same text previously endorsed by House of Peoples. The budget rebalance defines a budget cut from 1.25 million KM to 1.187 million KM, however also enables the pay out of the disability pensions [expect to start on 15 December]. FTV – Hadzipasic comment that unless the rebalance was adopted, that would be a problem for implementation of 2005 budget: “At the same time, it would bring the Government in the position of working illegally, and [it could be followed by] consequences such as criminal charges against Prime Minister or certain number of ministers,” said Hadzipasic. |
| Increase of cigarettes’ prices distresses the market
| Dnevni Avaz cover page, pg 8 ‘Is tobacco war starting in BiH?’ by F. Cardzic – The start of implementation of the Law on Excises in BiH is likely to cause real and major disturbances at the tobacco/cigarettes market in the country, according to the author. BHT 1, FTV, Vecernji List pg 4 ‘Shortage of cigarettes in shops – shopkeepers are waiting for new prices’ by D. Jazvic, Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘Prices of domestic cigarettes going up’ by R. Cengic – all media reported on the increase of the tobacco prices’ increase and disturbances at the market that followed it. |
| UNICOFILTER workers demand speed up of privatisation
| BHT 1, FTV, Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Half an hour of warning strike’ by M.B., Dnevni Avaz pg 17 ‘They will seek the help of anti-corruption unit’ by Muhamed Cabric – Some 430 workers of Tesanj-based UNICOFILTER company protested against FBiH Supreme Court ruling related to the privatisation of 51% of state capital in this company. Court returned the matter to the competent |
| Hadzipasic: Sate not mature enough to launch privatisation of telecomm and energy sectors
| Dnevni List, pg 3, mentioned on front ‘State is not mature enough for privatization of Elektroprivredas and Telecommunications’, by Danka Polovina-Mandic – DL carries an interview with the FBiH Prime Minister, Ahmet Hadzipasic, on objectives of the FBiH Government in 2005, which include a focus on the ongoing reforms and contribution to the BiH Council of Ministers in its effort to carry out the remaining reforms. “It means that most work will be for the Defence Ministry, Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry, whilst the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining will deal with improving conditions for privatisation, including restructuring of companies that are subject to privatisation and those that have already been privatised”. Asked to comment to the privatisation of telecommunications and energy sector, Hadzipasic says: “We did not distance ourselves [from it], it is simply that the time is not right for their privatisation. They too have to go through the restructuring through the action plan, which means there need to be restructuring of mines and modernisation of thermal-energy capacities,… investments in telecommunication sector, solving of property-related issues…. All this has to be discussed in the Govt and Parliament and I think the state is not mature enough to go into the privatisation in these sectors in the next two to three years”. |
| FTV says PIO pushes pensioners to receive pensions through banks
| FTV – FTV says that the campaign directed against the pensioners on the issue of receiving their pensions through banks instead of the post officers has been taking place in the last few days. FTV adds that paying the FBIH Pension Fund would benefit of paying the pensions through the bank accounts, as the costs of the delivery would be paid by the beneficiaries. Annual delivery costs has been estimated to 6,5 millions KM. According to the broadcaster, 71% of pension beneficiaries still want their pensions to be delivered through post offices and postmen. |
| VL: ‘McNair to process SDA’s plunder in SIMES’ | Vecernji List, pg 3, mentioned on front ‘McNair to process SDA’s plunder in SIMES’, by Zoran Kresic – Reports that former employees of the “pre-war giant”, namely ‘SIMES” Company (Sarajevo Meat Industry) have decided to reveal the plunder that took place in the company, which was carried out by the SDA pinnacle. VL reports that the former employees have forwarded the BiH Prosecution, namely its part that is run by foreign prosecutors, the entire documentation, because they do not trust the domestic judiciary. VL explains that SIMES used to employ some 1500 people, of which only 10 of them currently work, noting that one of three co-owners is Hasan Muratovic. |
Political issues | |
| SPRS doesn’t support Djuric’s nomination for PM-designate
| RTRS, RHB, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Socialist party against Nedjo Djuric’s candidacy’ by Onasa, Oslobodjenje pg 2 ‘Djuric not supported by SPRS’ by Fena, Dnevni List, pg 2 ‘N. Djuric has not support of socialists to become PM-designate’, by M. B., Nezavisne Novine cover ‘I will respect my party’ stance’ and pg 3 ‘Djuric would respect party’s stance’ by V. Popovic – Nedjo Djuric, the member of the RS Socialist Party, on Thursday stated that he would respect the stance of his party regarding the election of the new RS Government. Djuric said he respected the official stance of his party. However, responding to press question as to whether he would after all accept the candidature if Dragan Cavic offered it to him, Djuric said that this possibility had not been discussed as yet. |
| Lazovic: ‘RS crisis is a result of politicians wanting to strengthen their positions’
| Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘I am familiar with the methods Lagumdzija uses to preserve his position’, mentioned on cover, inset ‘RS crisis is the result of individual wishes to strengthen their positions’ by Edina Sarac – Asked to comment the current political situation in RS, the leader of the SDU, Miro Lazovic, says: “The crisis in RS is a result of the certain politicians who want to strengthen their positions, power and authority… Ruling and opposition parties in RS lead the politics as it is a game in which they cannot win unless someone in Federation losses… I expect that the High Representative will undertake some measures if obstructions continue.” |
| DL op-ed says ‘Serb unity’ not working | Dnevni List, pg 2 ‘Serb disunity’, by Arijana Beus – Carries an op-ed in which the author notes that, when it comes to the appointment of the new RS Government i.e. the new PM-designate, the famous Serb unity is not happening on this occasion since almost every party has terms of its own. The author reckons it will lead to the RS President, Dragan Cavic, appointing a new RS PM-designate on his own, which is likely to cause another disaster because the new PM-designate will not be able to appoint government members because of the disunity. |
| HDZ’s Colak: It would be good to change BiH Constitution this year | Dnevni Avaz pg 3, mentioned on cover ‘It would be good to change BiH Constitution this year’ by F. Vele – In a statement for the daily, HDZ BiH President Barisa Colak expressed his expectations that the talks on the constitutional changes in BiH would be intensified in 2005. “It would be good to make the changes to the Constitution this year as well otherwise our moving towards |
| Ashdown: DPA should be changed
| Dnevni List pg 5 ‘Ashdown: DPA should be changed’ by NINA – Upon his return from Belgrade, the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, stated that the RS should carry out police reform, if it wanted to join Europe. He also said that the Dayton Peace Accord should be changed if that would make possible functioning of the RS, however, the HR stressed that he couldn’t and that only entities could do it. |
| NN int with Lagumdzija: ‘Ashdown and authorities should implement reforms or leave’
| Nezavisne Novine cover ‘Ashdown and authorities should implement reforms or leave’ by V. Popovic – In a half-a-page interview to NN, Zlatko Lagumdzija, President of the SDP of BiH, expresses his view that the authority officials, together with Paddy Ashdown, HR, should implement reform or leave the power, saying: “My message to HR and his reformists – either you do the job or leave.” He is of the opinion that if the authority fails to implement reforms, early elections seems like the only solution. On this he adds: “The issue of early elections is not in the hands of Milorad Dodik or Zlatko Lagumdzija, but instead in the hands of Paddy Ashdown and his important reformists.. |
| Oslobodjenje op-ed on HR visit to
| Oslobodjenje pg 9 ‘Press releases’ In Focus column by Zija Dizdarevic – “Official press releases issued following HR Paddy Ashdown’s meetings with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and SCG Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic prove that the main purpose of the press releases and press conferences is wish to manipulate the public,” wrote Dizdarevic adding that all the actors had emphasized in their respective statements what was most suitable for them from the context of talks. |
| VL op-ed harshly criticises HR’s New Years message
| Vecernji List, pg 2 ‘Year with most crisis’, op-ed by Ilko Barbaric – Commenting on the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown’s, New Year’s message, which he called “the sermon”, the author, among other things says: “Only the naïve ones could think that Ashdown would resort to the abolishment of the RS, which is a product of the British policy in the Balkans. That’s why he is covering himself up with rhetorical-political exhibitions that the internal organization can only be agreed upon through the agreement of all three peoples, meaning never! That’s why the Christmas-New Year’s ‘sermon’ of the British Lord was more than grotesque”. |
| Mesic to BiH Croats: Development of economy, not assistance, is important; allegations on elections irregularities
| Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘Instead of promises, development of economy’ by Fena, Dnevni Avaz pg 3 ‘Croats in BiH do not need assistance from budget of Croatia, but strong economy’ by Fena – Croatian presidential candidate, Stipe Mesic, said for the Croaits in BiH that it is not enough to promise them only the assistance from Croatian budget, but it is more important to launch strong economy. Mesic stated this visiting Duga Resa, during his campaign for the second run of elections. Slobodna Dalmacija, front pg splash and pg 4 ‘Voters had 15 seconds to vote!’ by |