News Headlines
- BiH Presidency reaches agreement on structure of Council of Ministers
- Citizens of Buzim protest over announced opening of DNZ office in that town
- The Hague Tribunal Appeal Chamber approves widening of indictment against Zlatko Aleksovski
- SFOR blocks building of HB Cantonal Interior Ministry in Livno
- BiH needs to fulfill conditions to join European institutions – Westendorp
- RS National Assembly discusses RS Information Ministry report on government activities in past 24 months
- Sarajevo Canton officials ask SFOR to implement IEBL in Sarajevo suburbs of Dobrinja I and IV
- Deadline for companies in BiH Federation to prepare projects for small-scale privatization this Thursday – BiH Federation Privatization Agency
- 10 International companies vie to privatize Cement Factory in Kakanj
- World Association of Syndicates General Secretary Bill Jordan meets with Bicakcic
- World news
- Ivica Racan informs Croatian Parliament on Government program for period up to 2004
- Tuzla-Podrinje Canton Labor, Social Welfare and Refugee Ministry to be divided into two separate ministries
- OHR, OSCE, and IPTF in Mostar welcome democratic changes in Croatia
- BiH Federation Defense Ministry functions well but problem remains reintegration of Federation Army components – Defense Minister Miroslav Prce
- Association of Families of Fallen Soldier and War Invalids calls on BiH Federation Parliament not to reduce budget for this category
- SDP BiH submits initiative on amendments to BiH Federation Constitution to BiH Federation Parliament
- Institute for Constitutional and International Law at Sarajevo Law Faculty holds roundtable on draft BiH Election Law
- Pero Madzar and Dzevad Mlaco removed as deputies in the Central Bosnian Cantonal Assembly
- SDA Presidency replaces SDA Una-Sana Cantonal Board
- Ivica Rozic named Head of Mostar Municipality-Southwest
- Alternative Council of Ministers present common curricula for BiH schools
- Sports
- Weather
- Impossible to meet deadline set by The Hague Tribunal to deliver documents – Prce
- Izetbegovic meets with Westendorp for talks on BiH common institutions and BiH admission to Council of Europe
- Brcko Municipal Assembly Speaker Mirsad Djapo and Deputy Speaker Bogdan Salija ask Farrand to remove obstructions to refugee return
- NUPN discontent over decision of EC and High Representative on media financing in BiH
- Man killed in Sarajevo suburb Brijesce
- Croatian Parliament accepts new government’s work program
- Egyptian Government finances construction of Children’s Home in Mostar
- 18-city Art Exhibition – 18 artists open joint exhibition in Sarajevo in framework of Sarajevo Winter Festival
News Summary
Citizens of Buzim protest over announced opening of DNZ office in that town
The citizens of Buzim staged a peaceful street protest on Wednesday over the announced opening of an office of the Democratic National Union (DNZ) in their town. Protesters said the DNZ was a “separatist and treacherous” organization and that “DNZ President Fikret Abdic was a war criminal.” Buzim citizens warned local and international officials in BiH that they would never allow the DNZ to open its office in Buzim. DNZ spokesman Admil Mulalic stated that they had to open an office in Buzim because of the 200 or so DNZ members that lived in that town.
02:05
SFOR blocks building of HB Cantonal Interior Ministry in Livno
In the course of a routine control of weapons, SFOR troops blocked the building of HB Canton Interior Ministry in Livno from 10:00 a.m. to 14:30 p.m. on Wednesday. HB Canton Interior Minister Ante Barisic stated that Wednesday’s action did not seem to be a routine weapons inspection because a much larger force was used in this operation than in previous ones. SFOR focused the attention of the operation on the (former) offices of the State Security Service, confiscating documents and equipment relevant to their investigation.
01:20
BiH needs to fulfill conditions to join European institutions – Westendorp
BiH has made some progress in the past period but it is not sufficient, former High Representative and current Chairman of European Parliament Commission for External Industry Trade Development and Energy Carlos Westendorp told a press conference in Sarajevo on Wednesday. Westendorp said that that BiH needs to hurry up and meet fundamental conditions for admittance to the Council of Europe because lack of progress could cause this international institution to focus its attention to other regions. At the same press conference, European Commission Head of Mission to BiH Hansjorg Kretschmer commented on the results of elections in Croatia, saying they were positive because BiH Croats would now have to develop a more constructive attitude toward the future of BiH.
01:53
Sarajevo Canton officials ask SFOR to implement IEBL in Sarajevo suburbs of Dobrinja I and IV
Sarajevo Canton officials addressed a request to SFOR Command to implement the Dayton Agreement decision on the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) in the Sarajevo suburbs of Dobrinja I and Dobrinja IV. According to the Dayton Peace Agreement, these suburbs are part of the BiH Federation even if they are still under the control of RS authorities. About 650 Sarajevo families are awaiting a solution so they can return to their homes. A recent joint meeting of Sarajevo Canton and Serb Sarajevo officials ended without result. According to Sarajevo Canton Premier Beriz Belkic, the meeting ended in that manner because “this was not the level at which to discuss an issue of such importance.”
01:47
Impossible to meet deadline set by The Hague Tribunal to deliver documents – Prce
BiH Federation Defense Minister Miroslav Prce gave an interview to TV BiH following a request of The Hague Tribunal for him and the BiH Federation Ministers of Justice and Interior to deliver documents needed in Kordic-Cerkez case within 28 days. Minister Prce assessed that he found it impossible to meet the deadline because of the sheer mass of documents requested by the ICTY, saying that a team of experts would need one year to examine them all. The Hague Tribunal requested so many documents, mostly irrelevant to the Kordic-Cerkez case, in order to make a selection of evidence regarding the nature of the conflict in BiH. Commenting on the issue of Croatian Government financing of the HVO, especially in light of recent elections, Prce said that he did not see any problem with this. Any help given to the BiH Federation Army is welcome because of significant budgetary shortages. Prce thinks that this problem might be resolved through an agreement between Croatia, the BiH Federation and International Community that would regulate HVO financing in a one- to two-year transition period until the BiH Federation is capable of financing the Federation Army on its own.
07:00
NUPN discontent over decision of EC and High Representative on media financing in BiH
The BiH Independent Union of Professional Journalists (NUPN) is discontent over a decision of the European Commission and High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch on the financing of media in BiH. The NUPN said the EC decision, to only finance RTV BiH, TV OBN and the IMC from this year’s budget, was discriminatory. NUPN also protested the Petritsch decision to ban political advertising on electronic media in BiH, including private stations, starting on Thursday.
00:42