TV news broadcast on
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | TV PINK (18,00 hrs) | BHT 1 (19,00 hrs) |
| Ljajic on Karadzic and Mladic | Police searches for Celo | |
| DNZ on Cazinska Krajina events | Cavic on police reform | Ljajic on Karadzic and Mladic |
| Selman on legal property agreement | | Omarska camp closure anniversary |
| World news | Ljajic on Karadzic | Liberation day in Cazinska Krajina |
| NTV Hayat (19,00 hrs) | FTV (19,30 hrs) | RTRS (19,30 hrs) |
| World News | World news | Appointment of SBS Director |
| Interview with Amor Masovic | Shooting in | Ljajic on Karadzic and Mladic |
| | Update on oil affair in Brcko District | |
| BIH farmers update | Liberation day in Cazinska Krajina | Police searching for Ramiz Delalic |
| Oslobodjenje | What’s August 7 to Bosniaks of Bosanska Krajina: Freedom of exodus for 40.000 people?! |
| Dnevni Avaz | Sulejman Tihic for Avaz: Our responses are not important to Ashdown |
| Dnevni List | Interview with T. K., a homosexual from Mostar: |
| Vecernji List | Showdown in |
| Nezavisne Novine | |
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| War Crimes |
| SCG’s Ljajic on Karadzic and Mladic arrest; The Times on Karadzic arrest
| RHB – SCG Minister for human and minority rights, Rasim Ljajic, stated in an interview for Nezavisne Novine (see OHR Media Round-up, |
| Marking of 13th anniversary of closing down of Omarska camp
| BHT – – More than 2000 former concentration camp inmates and family members of murdered victims gathered on Saturday in Omarska to mark the 13th anniversary of closure of Omarska camp. The ICTY sentenced 12 Serbs for war crimes committed in Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje camps, all in Prijedor area. Featured former inmates talked about their experiences while detained in those camps. (also reported by Oslobodjenje, pg 3 ‘Open up hidden tombs’, by Besima Kahrimanovic, Dnevni Avaz, pg 3 ‘Sivac: Omarska was criminal enterprise that functioned in well planned manner’, mentioned on front ‘Crimes in Omarska were well though out’, by M. Zgon, Nezavisne Novine, pg 3, mentioned on front ‘Remembering 900 innocent victims’, by D. Kovacevic |
| Masovic on establishment of BiH Commission for Missing Persons
| Hayat – FBiH Commission for Missing Persons President, Amor Masovic, commented in his interview for Hayat Central News the recent BIH Council of Minister’s decision to establish the central BIH Commission for Missing Persons. With the establishment of the BIH commission, the entity commissions will stop working. He stated that the BIH commission would search for missing persons regardless of the ethnicity, which is very important for BIH and the truth about the war. The Associations of the families of missing persons will be institutionalised and directly involved in the work of the commission. Masovic stated that BIH is the first country to have the law on the missing persons and now the Commission. He said that the BIH Commission for missing persons would prevent the politicisation of the victims and the manipulation of the truth because all information will be gathered at the same centre. Masovic also commented his recent request for the law on refutation of the legally verified historical facts on genocide. He stated that he was provoked by the statements of politicians that publicly denied the genocides on these parts while attending one of those allegedly round tables for reconciliation on these parts. He also explained the current work of Commission for Missing Persons. |
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| Political Developments/Reforms |
| RS President Cavic on DPA: Existence of RS not questionable
| Pink – – RS President Dragan Cavic stated that the 10th anniversary of Dayton Peace Accord would be pompously marked but on that occasion the IC intends to announce whether the DPA has proved to be successful or not. In order for the DPA to be evaluated as successful, the police reform has to be adopted by November. The obstacles on BIH path toward Euro-Atlantic integration, apart from police reform, are the defence reform and capturing of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Cavic stated that the failure of police and defence reform can impose sanctions on RS but the existence of RS is unquestionable. “DPA has ensured the stability on this region and if they change |
| Analyst Barasanin on DPA
| Pink – Military analyst Ostoja Barisanin claims that organisation of BIH appears to resemble BIH from 1992. He said that RS has already transferred many institutions to the state level so according to Barisanin the DPA has been changed. “By the 10th anniversary of DPA, RS will struggle for cultural preservation in BIH. They will struggle to preserve the autonomy in the language and culture and not to preserve political and military autonomy” added Barisanin. |
| Update to appointment of SBS director
| BHT, Hayat – Vahid Alagic and Vinko Dumancic are the most serious candidates for the position of State Border Service (SBS) Director, writes Dnevni Avaz. The final word on this will be given, most likely, by the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown. DA speculates that the HR could use his powers again if local authorities, presidency at first place, don’t solve this issue as soon as possible. RTRS – – BIH authorities cannot agree on the appointment of SBS Director. HR Ashdown warned that he would appoint SBS Director if BIH politicians did not agree. Reporter comments that the problem is as always the political agreement on distribution of key positions in security agencies according to national key. Advisor to Council of Ministers Chairman, Bojan Filipovic-Zec, reminds that Adnan Terzic pointed out this problem before and added that concrete solution was not found. Zec stated that BIH Justice Ministry completed the legal procedure regarding the appointment and added that CoM is waiting for the opinion from BIH Presidency. Reporter stated that they couldn’t get any comment from BIH Presidency and added that according to national key, the SBS Director should be a Croat. Media speculates that the most serous candidates are Vinko Dumancic and Vahid Alagic. Ostoja Barasanin, a political analyst, stated that there are no estimates when the appointment will be made. He also stated that the announced measures by HR on the issue are undermining BIH authorities. Reporter concludes that it remains to be seen until when SBS will function without a Director. |
| Tihic on appointment of SBS, SIPA director: Novic appointment was HR Ashdown’s mistake
| Dnevni Avaz, front pg splash ‘Our responses are not important to Ashdown’ and pg 5 ‘Appointment of SIPA director was High Representative’s mistake’, by A. Malagic – Carries an interview with the Bosniak member of BiH Presidency and President of SDA, Sulejman Tihic, in which, whilst responding to the HR, Paddy Ashdown’s, warning that Sredoje Novic’s appointment to SIPA was legal, says the BiH Presidency will not interfere into the issue or remove the SIPA director because it is not in the Presidency’s jurisdiction. “…I came out with my opinion. When it comes to that appointment, I think the HR’s decision was legal, however it is of provisional nature. Also, it is one of his (HR’s) mistakes, because he made the appointment without abiding by the national representation, which had to be taken care of. Moreover, there was a person from the line of the Croat people on the list of successful candidates who was as successful”, says Tihic and goes on to criticize the Novic appointment, questioning his wartime and post-war reputation, saying it is not good that such people lead a new agency that has to show professionalism and dedication in arrest of war criminals. Furthermore, Tihic says that he will not be taking part in possible new talks about distribution of key posts among the three peoples in BiH, arguing that it would appear that the HR and the IC do not seem to find it important. Tihic says the national representation must be observed in order not to have a situation that a BiH people is not represented in key posts at all. Inset entitled ‘Ashdown was most successful until December’ carries Tihic commenting his statement about lack of decisiveness by HR Ashdown. He says the statement does not include only the HR, but the whole IC as well, arguing that HR Ashdown was the best HR until last December. |
| DL op-ed on appointment of SBS director: What are BiH politicians getting paid for?
| Dnevni List, pg 2 ‘Ashdown in action again’, by Tanja Dragic – Comments on the situation pertaining to appointment of SBS director. Dragic writes: “One has to ask the question what our politicians are doing to get paid the astronomic salaries when someone else is doing their job”. |
| HJPC President Peric on reform to judiciary, salaries of judges and prosecutors
| Nezavisne Novine, pgs 8-9, mentioned on front ‘Reform to misdemeanour court will improve their efficiency and reduce costs’, by Rubina Cengic – Carries an interview with the President of High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, Branko Peric, in which he talks about the reform to judiciary. Among other things, Peric says the proposed reform to misdemeanour court, which proposes joining of these courts to regular courts, would cut costs. Peric underlines that the number of unsolved cases remains to be the biggest burden of the BiH judiciary, and goes on to say that it is not true that salaries of judges and prosecutors are extremely high. In that context, Peric says the salaries range between 2400 an 4500 KMs, stressing that the judges at same levels are paid differently, for example that the judges of the FBiH Supreme Court are best paid in BiH, not the judges of the |
| British judge leaves
| Nezavisne Novine, pg 3 ‘British judge not interested in organized crime’, by CIN – A UK lawyer, Paul Richard Garlic, after spending less than 5 months in the BiH Court as a judge with the War Crimes Chamber, resigned from the BiH Court after he was transferred without explanation or consultation to the Organized Crime Department. In an interview for ‘Centre for investigative journalism’ (CIN), Garlic says he came to BiH to become a war crimes judge because he could have dealt with cases of organized crime in the |
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| Economy |
| Bakic on talks between farmers and BiH authorities
| Pink – Chair of BiH Farmers Association, Ranko Bakic, stated that BIH farmers were not satisfied with the fact that the BIH Minister on Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Dragan Doko, will chair the meeting (between BiH authorities and BiH farmers) but they (farmers) will not boycott it. “The yesterday’s (Friday) CoM decision to appoint the commission that will meet with us is cynical since Minister Doko has to take 15 days for his vacation and than to meet with us. His vacation is more important than the needs of the farmers” stated Bakic. He added that they were not going to abandon their requests, since they were supported by International Community representatives. (Dnevni List, pg 5 ‘Whilst Dragan Doko is resting, we are warming up for negotiations under tents’, by E. Placic – Bakic statement Hayat – Hayat polled citizens on their opinion regarding the farmers’ issues and all polled citizens expressed support. BIH farmers announced the peaceful protests in |
| Unemployment percentage in BiH reaches 44%
| BHT, Hayat – According to Entities’ and Brcko District Employment Bureaus, there are 640.000 employed persons registered in first half of this year, of 1,1 million of persons that able to work in BiH. Unemployment rate reaches 44,5%, which is the highest unemployment rate in |
| Prices of petrol in BiH to rise
| Pink – Prices of petrol in BIH will be stable for another 10 days and than will rise up to almost 2 KM, announced the petrol distributors. The increase of petrol prices is due to petrol crises on the world market. |
| ATV report on VAT: Apartments and houses to become more expensive | Hayat – Report by ATV Banja Luka – ATV did a report on VAT stating that it will dramatically change already poor social situation in BIH. According to economic analysts, the VAT will cause the increase of prices of apartments and houses. So, ATV advises BIH citizens to invest in real estate before |
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| Miscellaneous |
| Reports warn of war in
| FTV – FTV reports that suspect from Friday’s shooting in |
| FTV on disappearance of pounded goods from Brcko police
| FTV – Responsible persons for disappearance of 100 tons of smuggled oil, seized and handed over to Brcko District police for guarding, are still unknown. There are speculations in the District that local powerful persons put police under pressure to cover up this case. Delegates in the Brcko District Assembly reacted sharply to this case, as well as to the case of missing communication device, also under police safeguarding. “These are hard criminal acts committed in front of the eyes of those in charge for guarding. I hope that those who were responsible for guarding will now at least find out who stole this from them,” said District Assembly Co-Chair, Ivan Krndelj. Silence about this case lasts for too long, considers Chair of the District Assembly Commission for public safety and control over police work, Ratko Stjepanovic. “I have sent a letter to the independent board asking them to make certain analyses of police functioning in Brcko District,” said Brcko Mayor, Mirsad Djapo. |
| Janja: Reconstructed mosque re-opened
| BHT, Hayat, Oslobodjenje, pg 2, mentioned on front ‘Reis Ceric at Janja: House must not be sold’, by V. Duric, Dnevni Avaz, pg 4 ‘Eff. Ceric: You have shown that you know what homeland and faith are’, by E. Musli, Nezavisne Novine, pg 3 ‘Reconstruction of Dzedid mosque completed’, by Z. K.– Reconstructed Dzedid mosque in Janja was reopened on Saturday. Besides Janja returnees, opening ceremony was attended by Reis Mustafa effendi Ceric. This mosque was destroyed in April 1993. This is the second reconstructed mosque in Janja. About 90% of Bosniaks, pre-war residents of Janja, retuned to this town. |
| DNZ says August 7 should not be celebrated as day of liberation of Velika Kladusa
| RHB – DNZ feels that 7th of August (the day when BiH Army entered Velika Kladusa, expelling troops loyal to Fikret Abdic) should not be celebrated as liberation day in Cazinska Krajina since 40 000 citizens left that area 10 years ago. DNZ stated that a time has come for scientific determination of events that took place in Cazinska Krajina. Oslobodjenje, front pg splash and pgs 4-5 ‘Freedom of exodus for 40.000 people?!’, by Asaf Becirovic – Carries the DNZ’s statement from above, noting that the same event is perceived differently by members of the former BiH Army and the DNZ. For DNZ, it was exodus of 40.000 people, whilst for the BiH Army, it was liberation of the area. |