Sarajevo – A hand grenade was detonated in the Sarajevo municipality of Novi Grad last night. Nobody was hurt, only several parked cars were damaged. The investigation is under way.
1:00
Due to the latest explosions in Central Bosnia Canton, the US Ambassador to BiH Richard Kauzlarich met the BH Presidency member Kresimir Zubak. Kauzlarich expressed extreme concern over the events in the canton that followed the death of policeman Ante Valjan. The US will ask for a specially thorough investigation, with Croat policemen included.
0:50
The return of Croat policemen to the police station in Travnik might be expected tomorrow, since the SFOR commander, US General Eric Shinseki had spent more than three hours in Travnik, discussing the issue behind closed doors with the highest officials of the canton, municipality, cantonal MUP and Travnik police station. Here follows a chronology of the events that took place after Valjan’s death. Canton Governor Adnan Terzic is quoted as saying that the Croat policemen might return to the station tomorrow. TV BiH comments that “it was about time, not only in Travnik… that policemen start doing their jobs professionally… for at the moment, the terrorist acts… serve only the pre-election campaign of individuals”.
2:30
Tomorrow at 10 a meeting between the highest officials of MUP and IPTF representatives with the Croat policemen from Travnik will take place in Nova Bila. Their return to the office will be discussed.
0:30
The State Commission for Tracing of Missing Persons presented the results of exhumation of nine mass and five individual graves in the area of Prijedor which ended today. 69 bodies were exhumed, 66 of which were identified. A list of exhumed and identified follows. “This is how their final return to their own at least ended for these people”, TV BiH commented.
3:20
The German government representative for refugee return, Dietmar Schlee, met with Kresimir Zubak today. Following their meeting, Schlee said that he would ask SFOR to provide reinforced protection of returnees, especially in the RS.
0:50
Tuzla – The UN Special Envoy for BiH, Elisabeth Rehn gave a press conference following her visits to the Tuzla-Podrinje canton. Rehn also met with Tuzla Mayor Selim Beslagic and the TPK President Sead Jamakosmanovic, and discussed the difficulties in providing shelter for the new wave of returnees to TPK, primarily from Germany. Rehn will also visit Klisa tomorrow, where returnees are waiting to return to, in tents near Sapna.
1:00
Sarajevo canton MUP issued a press release, stating that the MUP is successfully realising the demands put before them by the Sarajevo Declaration. MUP also said that the IPTF took an active part in the provision of support.
1:00
Information office of the Sarajevo canton denied media reports on alleged illegal and unjustified evictions from apartments in the city, especially of the victims of the war. The office said that it strictly complies with the law regulating the issue, but that its decisions are sometimes wrongly interpreted and subject to manipulation. The canton said that it would do everything in its power to respect the Sarajevo Declaration articles.
1:10
The next session of the HoP of the Federal Parliament is scheduled for August 19, with the HoR session that will take place on the day before. The Ze-Do Canton Assembly adopted the Draft Law on Public Information and Local Self-Management, despite the HDZ opposition. There follow reports from the political parties’ press conferences: Party for BiH condemns all forms of terrorism and phantom para-states; CSD BiH deputy in the RS Parliament, Nedzad Sasivarevic criticised the RS government for not having adopted a programme of refugee return during its seven months in office; SDP is not happy with the current functioning of joint institutions, with Carlos Westendorp practically passing all decisions of importance. The party said that the national parties and their programmes were to blame for this.