The Federation Parliament appointed Ejup Ganic and Ivo Andric-Luzanski President and Vice President of the BH Federation at its today’s session in Sarajevo. Edhem Bicakcic was named Premier Designate. TV BiH’s cameras captured the moment when Ganic and Luzanski took their solemn oaths, while the reporter labelled it as “dignified”, but “imposing duties”. Ganic and Luzanski will rotate their positions on January 1. While Ganic addressed the House of Peoples, repeating his appeal that the decision on Brcko be just, that refugees return home, and country’s economy be reconstructed, Luzanski pledged his intentions to affirm democracy and human rights in BH by “protecting the rights of the Croat population in BH… and by taking the fact that Bosniak people have the same rights into consideration…”. The reporter continued by presenting short biographies of the two. However, the report concluded that prior to the election of new Federation senior officials, outgoing President and Vice President should have submitted their report “on their work up until today, as well as the programme of their future work”. Followed a live report from the Parliament building. TV BiH expected that the formation of the new Government, following the smooth appointment of Bicakcic, would proceed. The reporter presented an unofficial list of eventual ministers. Most names did not change. However, the name of Sulejman Garib appeared as the name of the candidate for the Minister for Social Policy and DPs. According to this list, Davor Cordas might be named Garib’s deputy.
5:20
Two-way return to Mostar “finally started giving concrete results” -is how TV BiH opened the next report, the report on the return of 300 Bosniaks to Rastani, in the Mostar-West municipality. Mayor Prskalo and Deputy Mayor Orucevic addressed the cameras, expressing their optimism concerning the return. A vox populi, conducted among some of the returnees, disclosed their optimism, as well, all reiterating their willingness to stay in Rastani. TV BiH’s cameras showed that SFOR was present at the return site.
1:20
Based on today’s international organisations’ press briefing, TV BiH reported that the head of police in Stolac had submitted his resignation to the Hercegovina-Neretva Canton Minister of Interior, Dragan Mandic. The resignation followed two incidents in the town, both related to the IPTF-lead inspection of a police station, during which SFOR confiscated illegal weapons and ammunition. The confiscation was followed by an immediate attack by “a hostile crowd of Croats” on IPTF. IPTF were escorted to Mostar by SFOR.
1:30
The trial of the Srebrenica men known as the “Zvornik
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ended before the Bijeljina regional court today. The verdict will be announced tomorrow. According to the defendants’ lawyer, “the evidence” concerning illegal possession of weapons “were framed… not with particular skill.”
1:00
Kuwaiti Consulting and Investment Company signed a frame agreement on joint venture with Zenica Steelworks. In the first phase of joint investment in Kuwaiti-BH Steel Company 12 million US dollars will be invested by the end of this year. The remaining 48 million will be inested in revival of production, within a period of six months.
1:00
CoM signed a MoU, defining relations between BH authorities and the International Fund for De-Mining and Aid to Mine Victims organisation, with the Slovenian Government. BH Foreign Minister Prlic and his Slovene counterpart Boris Frlec signed the MoU – according to Prlic, the goal of the Fund is to collect funds for de-mining projects and co-ordination of the realisation of demining projects.
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Donors’ Conference for RS ended in Banja Luka today. At the closing of the Conference, Dodik addressed the gathered donors, and said that the RS co-operation with donors up until today was “satisfactory”.
0:40
TV BiH followed up on the revision of military credit books, which should have been completed today. The revised list should be sent to the Federal Privatisation Agency and the Institute for Payment Exchange by December 15. According to this report, the privatisation for military in BH should “in practice” begin next week. Edhem Bicakcic gave an actuality sound, saying that he had ordered that “complete lists of soldiers, name by name, with accompanying sums, be made public and submitted to the associations of soldiers, who will then have a chance to present certain objections for those individuals they believe have undeservedly been given credit books”. Zaim Backovic of JOB then said that the control is being carried out “through the Secretariat of the Ministry of Defense, on the level of municipalities”. The report then moved on to say that “whether the Croat side participate” in the process “is not yet known”, because Croats “still object to Carlos Westendorp’s decision on the 1:3.2 ration”. “Be it as it may, BH Army members will not be impeded”, the report continued, adding that TV BiH’s off the record information say that about 20,000 members of the BH Army will be left without credit books.
5:00
BH Embassy in Zagreb issued a press release, stating that Minister Granic told Ambassador Muratovic that he “regrets Izetbegovic’s decision to condition the continuation of negotiations on border issues on the withdrawal of Croat police from Martinbrod”. On behalf of Croatia, Granic asked the BH Presidency for their official position on this issue.
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The two-day inter-entity Conference of journalists, organised by the OSCE Media Office started in Sarajevo today. Approximately 300 attendants of the Conference agreed that no quality polemics presently exist in BH.
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Party activities bloc: In the light of the preparations for Madrid, SDP requested that Sarajevo District be defined; GDS BiH announced re-examination of their relationship toward its coalition partners (in KCD BiH); according to the letter of the Sarajevo HDZ branch, Sarajevo does not function yet. “The city is today less multi-ethnic than it was a year ago”, the letter warned, and tossed the ball back to the IC by saying that “it was about time that the International Community finally points their attention to Sarajevo”.