OHR BiH TV News Summary, 11 August 1999

News Headlines

  • BiH astronomers in Hungary at total solar eclipse
  • In Sarajevo solar eclipse begins at 11:29
  • Solar eclipse observed throughout BiH
  • Serb Orthodox Church appeals to Milosevic to resign
  • Former laws in Kosovo will remain only if in accordance with international law – UN Mission to Kosovo
  • Next KFOR commander will be German General Klaus Reinhart
  • International news
  • The Hague Tribunal decides not to cover expenses of Croat indictees
  • ICTY requests Tuta’s extradition from Zagreb
  • OSCE Mission continues with promotion of draft of permanent election law
  • SDP considers new election law must ensure breaking of nationalistic chains in BiH
  • GDS and Democratic Pensioners Party representatives hold meeting
  • SPP warns against non-existence of any kind of economic development strategy
  • Sarovic unpleasantly surprised with Kelecevic nomination
  • IPTF to start supervising issuance of personal documents throughout BiH
  • OHR and OSCE regional offices in Mostar welcome opening of Ivanjica border crossing
  • Out of 100 Bosniaks, 15 decide to stay in RS village of Sotilj and start reconstruction of their homes
  • Serbs from Gornji Rakovac visit their homes
  • Pero Zivkovic dies in mine explosion in village of Kostac
  • Fire in SFOR camp still not extinguished
  • Bridge in Aleksin Han near Jablanica to open on Wednesday night
  • Jelavic office issues public release regarding 50th Anniversary of Geneva Convention (Radio Postaja Mostar)
  • Investigation into Srebrenica crimes continues
  • 406,000 unemployed in BiH – BiH Institute for Employment
  • RS Government stimulates agricultural production

News Summary

OSCE Mission continues with promotion of draft permanent election law

Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Ambassador Robert Barry, at a session of the consultative council of political parties from both BiH entities on Wednesday, presented the draft of the permanent election law. The draft is the result of the work of domestic and foreign experts and an intensive examination of public opinion and contains many innovations, and most importantly is the introduction of a system of open lists. Barry explained that this system means that voters will be able to vote for a political party and for some candidates on that party’s list. Ballots will contain names of the parties and candidates and if vote is only for that party, the party will decide on the priority between candidates. If a vote is for an individual candidate from the party list, then his vote will directly determine the order of the candidates on the list. Municipal elections in Brcko will be run under different rules and regulations defined in this law, because the arbitration decision requests that the Supervisor announces the decision on election procedures in Brcko. The Serb member of the BiH Presidency will continue to be elected by RS, while Croat and Bosniak members of the presidency by voters in the BiH Federation. Barry explained that this system of preferential voting means that a voter in an entity in which he is registered can decide to vote only for one candidate. This means that a voter registered in the BiH Federation can decide to vote only for one candidate for Croat or Bosniak member of the presidency, or he can decide to vote for all candidates for presidency members in accordance with his preferences. Barry stated that during the election campaign political parties can spend 2 KM per registered voter on political promotion but political advertising is forbidden on public media. Advertising on private media is permitted but the lowest commercial price must be negotiated. He added that the draft of the election law is still a working document and discussion on this law in the BiH Parliament Assembly is expected in the beginning of autumn.

02:58

Sarovic unpleasantly surprised with Kelecevic nomination

RS Vice-president Mirko Sarovic stated that he is unpleasantly surprised with the decision of the RS Government to nominate General Bosko Kelecevic as Director of the RS Intelligence Service. According to Sarovic, this decision is not in accordance with proper legal procedure, nor it received necessary approval of the RS President or Vice-president.

00:22

Investigation into Srebrenica crimes continues

Victims of the Srebrenica tragedy were also under the protection of the UN and the Geneva Convention (reaction to previous headline concerning Jelavic’s comments on 50th anniversary of Geneva Convention) but that fact did not help them, but the truth on missing persons will help the Srebrenica survivors. Pictures from the hills near Kravica and abundant photo-evidence were the basis for the work of the ICTY and the State Commission for Missing Persons. At the beginning of May, at a meeting with the Mothers of Srebrenica, head of the ICTY expert team Jean Rene Rovez stated that they will soon reach the stage where they will have enough of the elements necessary to support the investigation into this case. Families of the missing persons do not accept the fact that people can disappear and they request that all these people should be treated as prisoners of war. Sadik Selimovic stated that they requested this because, according to international laws on prisoners of war, somebody must be held responsible as opposed to missing (disappeared) people, for whom nobody has to take responsibility.

02:03