Sarajevo – The BiH Federation HoR Deputies accepted at today’s session their own Parliamentary Working Program as well as a Government Working Program for this year. Discussion on the Housing Law Draft took a couple of hours, as there were many amendments to the draft. One of the issues raised was the question whether the refugees and DPs when taking a citizenship of another country, should lose the right of buying an apartment. A Draft Law on Abandoned Apartments has been finally accepted. The information on the Brcko Arbitration as well as the Declaration of the HoR on the actual situation in Kosovo were also put on the agenda.
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Washington – Ejup Ganic and Husein Zivalj are paying a several day visit to US. They visited Robert Gelbard, Special US President’s Envoy for the DPA implementation, yesterday. Their talks focused on the situation in the Federation. It has been caused by the lack of communications between the two partners but also by the Croats’ attitude towards Bosnia, Gelbard said. They have still not decided whether they are citizens of BiH or Croatia. We are also worried that the institutions as Herceg Bosna and some other on the Bosnian side, have still not been dissolved, he concluded
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Robin Cook, British Foreign Minister is to visit Sarajevo tomorrow. He will separately talk with Alija Izetbegovic, Kresimir Zubak and Momcilo Krajisnik. It is expected that he will hold a Press Conference after his protocol visits before his departure for Banja Luka.
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The Deputies of the Club for the United and Democratic BiH issued a Statement related to the forthcoming RS National Assembly which will address Robin Cook. The Statement consists of some questions to which they would like to put the Assembly, but will not have the opportunity to ask publicly. They are: For how long the RS Government will consist of one nation, and for how long certain persons responsible for war crimes will continue to be members; when the new RS Government will dismiss the Constitution regulations which prevent the handing over of war criminals; when the new RS Government and Assembly will change a discriminatory Law on the privatisation, in which the ownership in RS is recognised only to the Serbs; when the RS Government will give information about missing persons, especially those from Srebrenica; when is the Prime Minister going to submit to the RS Government and Assembly a plan for the return of 70.000 non-Serb refugees; what was the significance of the comment of Biljana Plavsic that the war crimes indictees Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic are the symbols of the justified fight of the Serb people; Does all this represent democracy and pluralism which should be a good example for others? The statement concludes that Minister Cook will give the best contribution to the Dayton Peace Agreement if he demands answers to these questions.
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The members of the Parliamentary Commission for the incorrect use of donations for the BiH Federation will pay a four day visit to Great Britain between 4 and 8 March. Charles Crawford, British Ambassador to BiH talked with the Commission members today. During its visit the Commission will be shown how the British political system includes checking and balancing examinations in order to avoid misuse of the public funds. Ambassador Crawford expressed his hope that the same Commission will soon be formed also in RS.
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Bosnian Common Institutions should be placed in the former BiH Republic Assembly building, writes ONASA. Alija Izetbegovic and Kresimir Zubak agreed already on this. According to the BiH Presidency the OHR will participate in working out the details for the accommodation of BiH common institutions.
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The Hague Tribunal will on Thursday sentence Drazen Erdemovic , BiH Croat who together with the Serb militaries participated in the mass killings of Srebrenica citizens.
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Brusssels – Milorad Dodik thanked EU today for unblocking assistance for RS. I can assure you that this help will not be misused, he told the news.
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Representatives of the social democratic parties of both BiH entities started late afternoon a meeting with the HR Carlos Westendorp and his Deputy Ambassador Hanns Schumacher.
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Brcko – The HR Carlos Westendorp paid a visit to the leaders of the multi-ethnic authorities in Brcko, today. The HR expressed his satisfaction about the positive changes which took place here since his last visit to Brcko. There are less political topics and more economic ones, he stated adding that the new RS Government promised implementation of the DPA and IC promised the money which has been partly allocated. The HR further promised to do his part in helping find funding for the projects planned for Brcko reconstruction.
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Jacques Klein, HR Principal Deputy visited a region near Jajce where 21 bodies from a mass grave of Serb victims were exhumed yesterday. It is thought that the mass grave contains around 100 bodies.
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