HR Westendorp, NATO Commander for Europe, Clark, and SFOR Commander, Shinseki visited Drvar today. As reported by AP, the purpose of the visit is to declare the diplomatic war to local Croats, responsible for last week’s tragic events. HR Westendorp said that the IC is determined to go on with the fundamental right of the people to return to their homes of origin. Westendorp also announced serials of measures that will be carried out, and also announced his another visit to Drvar early next week.
3:00
1 May was celebrated throughout BiH. BiH TV brought coverage of May 1st celebration from several BiH towns.
5:00
The SDP President Lagumdzija met with Croatian Social Democratic Party delegation at the bridge in Brcko. Lagumdzija said that life is coming back to Brcko, and that this meeting was a symbolical gesture of opening of this town towards European integration. The meeting went on without incidents, but the joint police was also present. Representatives of international organisations from Brcko were also present.
2:00
BiH President Izetbegovic visited Una/Sana Canton. Upon his arrival to Bihac, Izetbegovic held discussion with Bihac municipality representatives. Izetbegovic also said that the main aim of the war in Bosnia was ethnic cleansing, and the purpose of peace must be ethnic reintegration. The cause of war was to conduct ethnic cleansing in BiH. That is why the war has begun. This was not a consequence, this was the aim, the motif of the war and of those who imposed this war. Our aim is to reintegrate BiH and to return the people to their homes. If we achieve this, we shall have a new nature of the Federation. And also a new nature of the RS. This is not going to be that Republic of Srpska as it is today, for you should know that almost half the population was non-Serb at the territory where the RS is encircled with these lines of so-called Republic of Srpska. All friends of Bosnia support this return and all enemies obstruct it.
2:30
HDZ of Herzegovina/Neretva Canton will candidate the current President of the City Board of Mostar for the new President of the HDZ BiH at the elections Congress of the Party that will be held in Mostar on May 16. (BiH TV news comment: As you will hear, on today’s meeting, you could hear some standpoints that were not very characteristic for the HDZ so far.) BiH FA Minister, Prlic said that situation is very sensitive and that HDZ must answer to many challenges, and that Croat side in BiH achieved the most of auto-goals. Prlic added that Balkans-like attitude leads to the East and not to the West, and he also objected because there were no BiH flags displayed at the conference room. Prlic also supported condemnation of the recent events in Drvar and prevention of the similar in the future.
2:00
The US Congress approved the revenues for financing the US troops in BiH. The amount $497 million was approved. The US Senate yesterday formally approved expansion of NATO.
1:30
Argentina police arrested former Commander of the Jasenovac death camp, Dinko Sakic, upon the warrant for extradition issued by the Croatian Government. 76 years old Sakic gave an interview at the beginning of this month titled “Nothing Happened in Jasenovac”, in which he says that this was a working camp and that no Jews were killed. All deaths were of natural causes and there were no crematoriums. Sakic also said that he met with Croatian President Tudjman in 1994, during his visit to Buenos Aires.
1:00