23 November 97, 19:30
At exactly 1600 hours the polling stations closed today, except those in Brcko, due to the large voters queues. This ended the two day extraordinary parliamentary elections in RS. Due to very low voters interest, a prolongation was requested for the polling station working hours. OSCE rejected it. An hour after the polling stations closed, Robert Frowick, OSCE Chief of Mission, told the media the respective facts relating to the elections. He pointed out that elections were valid since more than 50 per cent of voters appeared at the ballots; they were held without disorder and they were very expensive. The official election results will be officially announced on 12 December. Asked if he expects problems with the implementation of the election results, Frowick answered in the negative. Everybody agreed on the rules and regulations for the election and we are going to ask everybody just to accept the results and move forward. There follows a special corespondents’ report from several BiH towns on the election.
12:00
Pale – Media agencies noted that Mirjana Karadzic-Zelen voted in Pale. In her interview for the daily El Pais, President Biljana Plavsic named, Karadzic’s wife as well as Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, Momcilo Krajisnik, Aleksa Buha and Slobodan Milosevic as the main culprits for the suffering of the Serb people and poor situation in RS. Mirjana Karadzic as one of the owners of the publishing house Javnost, along with Miroslav Toholj, Director of SRT, Pale branch, is accused of corruption and misuse of money meant for Javnost. Plavsic further assessed that compliance with the DPA means defence of the BiH Serb interests.
3:00
Sarajevo – Relating to the gentleman’s agreement concluded between Jadranko Prlic, BiH and Milan Milutinovic, FRY Foreign Ministers announced by Prlic on 24 November on an exchange of ambassadors, Haris Silajdzic, CoM Co-Chair, was the first to challenge Prlic’s right to do so. Today, also Mirza Hajric, political Advisor for Alija Izetbegovic, commented on the issue assessing that the Presidency did not give any instructions to Prlic to act in this direction. Further, no protocol of any kind has been signed on those diplomatic relations. We are bound to establish such relations by the Sintra Agreement, in two steps: establishing of relations and exchange of ambassadors. We sent a letter to the HR Westendorp pointing out that it is necessary to sign an agreement on diplomatic relations. I talked with Ambassador Klein about it and learned that he has a full understanding of the issue. Finally we speak of a legal thing, of a legal acknowledgement of these ambassadors.
2:30
Vienna – Concluding two days work of the Sub-regional Consultative Commission, which was held under auspices of the OSCE, the participants gave very positive judgements of the DPA implementation level in the region.
1:30
Jajce – In Podmilacje, near Jajce, a festive celebration of the Year of Jesus Christ was held. Addressing the attendees, Cardinal Puljic pleaded with moving words, for understanding among the BiH and all other people.
2:00