Friday
| RADIO HERCEG BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Mladen Ivanic inZagreb | Remains driven to Potocari | Remains driven to Potocari | Location of 8 mass-crypts |
| Action of SFOR in B. Luka | Tragedy in Trebinje | Convicted M.Rodic | Action of RS MoI |
| HDZ Delegation in Ravno | MoI RS arrested 2 persons | Session of SDA Presidency | Action of SFOR in B. Luka |
| Floods in | Search of SFOR in B.Luka | Action of SFOR in B.Luka | Statement of SDA |
Saturday
| RADIO HERCEG BOSNA (18,00 hrs) | BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs) | FED TV (19,30 hrs) | RT RS (19,30) |
| Traffic at borders | Two de-miners died | Preparations in Potocari | Packett on Karadzic |
| SFOR’s mandate extended | Preparations in Potocari | Two de-miners killed | Robbery in |
| Packett on Karadzic | Losses of BiH economy | HDZ on SFOR’s action | Tadic’s inauguration |
| HB on Cavic’s statements | Tomas Klestil buried | BiH Primary Education Law | Strike in |
Saturday
| Oslobodjenje | Del Ponte: Radovan Karadzic will soon be in |
| Dnevni Avaz | Remains of 338 Srebrenica victims transported to Potocari |
| Dnevni List | Pressures on Croat officials from central |
| Vecernji List | 4-year trials to Miroslav Kutle completed: Kutle gets 6,5 years in prison |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Croats are biggest victims of Bosnian ‘slaughter-house’ |
| Glas Srpske | SFOR action in B. Luka: They were looking for Dragan, searched Jovan; |
| Nezavisne Novine | Extraordinary session of the SDA Presidency: SDA threatens it would remove SDS and PDP Ministers at BiH COM; Upon order of |
| Blic | |
Sunday
| Oslobodjenje | 338 victims to be buried in Srebrenica today |
| Dnevni Avaz | Fatal tropical heats |
| Dnevni List | Traffic jams at BiH-Croatia borders: One hour to get across the border |
| Vecernji List | Mujahiddin scare Serbs of Bocinja |
War crimes | |
| Potocari funeral
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 4 ‘Funeral on Sunday’ – The procession of vehicles carrying human remains of 338 Srebrenica victims on Friday arrived to Potocari. All preparations for the fourth joint burial of those identified will be completed by Sunday, when funeral should take place. Saturday’s Oslobodjenje cover page, pg 3 and Dnevni Avaz cover page, pg 3 also reported on transport of remains of Srebrenica victims to Potocari. BHTV, FTV on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje cover page, pg 3, Dnevni Avaz pg 9 reported on the completion of preparations for the funeral in Potocari. |
| Ashdown’s letter to Mikerevic
| Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 4‘Srebrenica Commission has to unveil all the documentation’, Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘Ashdown might extend Srebrenica Commission deadline’ – On Friday, High Representative to BiH, Paddy Ashdown, has addressed a letter to Dragan Mikerevic, RS Prime Minister, in which he expresses his readiness to “consider the possibility of extending deadline to Srebrenica Commission”. Ashdown also called on Mikerevic, also Acting Interior Minister of RS,to perform through activities aimed at locating and providing all necessary information to Commission. |
| Ashdown on Srebrenica anniversary/cooperation with ICTY | Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg 9 ‘Srebrenica – a moral failure of the world’ – “BiH future, everyone agrees, lies within the European Union and NATO. Yet both have linked |
| Del Ponte interview for SENSE
| BHTV, RTRS on Friday, Saturday’s Oslobodjenje cover page, pg 7 ‘Radovan Karadzic will soon be in The Hague’, Sunday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Investigating team collecting information on fugit56ives’ – There are enough reasons to expect that Radovan Karadzic will be in The Hague very soon, said Carla del Ponte, the Chief ICTY Prosecutor, in the interview for SENSE News Agency.These expectations were and are based on theinformation that she was receiving from SFOR’s command in Sarajevo and from RS Government in Banja Luka as well as her own investigating team. But she did not want to give any details about the investigating team itself. Del Ponte also said that the ICTY Prosecutor’s Office in February this year delivered to SFOR precised location of a house in the village Zaovina, near Visegrad, in which Radovan Karadzic was hiding at the time, according to the information of her investigating team. But she added that SFOR did not react on that information at all, and that the government in Belgrade did not react on information about whereabouts of Ratko Mladic. |
| NN interview with SFOR Commander Packett
| Nezavisne Novine cover and pgs4 – 5 in NN supplement Revija ’If it were necessary I would personally take Radovan to The Hague’ – In an interview to NN, Virgil Packett, SFOR Commander, says that “when I find out and if I found out of Radovan Karadzic’s whereabouts, I would go to arrest him. I would help him decide how he would testify before the ICTYU. Speaking of current activities and cooperation between local and international organisations searching for Karadzic, Packett said: “There are some information Karadzic has some health problems and it is something he will have to resolve. Also, there are some information international courts would show understanding for this problem of his.” Speaking of fight against terrorism, SFOR commander expresses his belief there are no active members of Al Q’Aeda in BiH. Herceg Bosna Radio, FTV, RTRS on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘When I have learned where is Karadzic I will myself go to arrest him’, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 carried excerpts from the interview. |
| US’ Grossman on Mladic
| EuroBlic cover and pg 2 ‘USA: Mladic must go to The Hague in 60 days time’ – During his visit to Belgrade, Marc Grossman, US Deputy Secretary of State, told Serbian officials that the authorities of SiCG must arrest and extradite Ratko Mladic in 60 days time at latest, or to show evidence proving he is not in the state. Otherwise, USA would exert a strong pressure against SICG. |
| Del Ponte against pre-trial release for Valentin Coric
| Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, pg 2 ‘Del Ponte against setting Valentin Coric free’, mentioned on cover, by Lada Kalmeta – The ICTY Prosecution discussed an appeal submitted by Valentin Coric, who is seeking a pre-trial release, and according to SD, the Chief ICTY Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, resolutely opposed Coric’s appeal. In a letter to ICTY’s Panel of Judges, Prosecutor del Ponte stated: “We are not convinced Coric will appear at trials and that he will not pose a threat to victims and witnesses”. |
| SD claims Croats are biggest victims of war
| Slobodna Dalmacija, front and pg 16 ‘Croats are biggest victims of Bosnian ‘slaughter-house’’, by Dr. Tomo Vuksic – citing the absolute figures of number of refugees and DPs per every constituent people in BiH, admitting that in that category, the Bosniaks are the worst off, the author argues if you take the absolute figures and compare them with the percentage of number of the peoples in BiH, one has to conclude that the Croats, as an ethnic community, are the biggest victims of the war. |
| Cavic’s interview to VN
| Vecernje Novosti pg 2 ‘A great burden is upon us’ – In a brief interview to VN, Dragan Cavic, RS President, says that SDS has managed to consolidate its lines, noting he has established a SDS Political Council, a new party body. On international audit report on SDS he says “there are some information in this report regarding financial dealings at SDS which show mismanagement with assets. Anybody who did it will be held responsible.” He further explains what he meant by saying “if I were Karadzic, my decision would be dramatic”, noting he would either end his life or surrender. On the latest HiRep’s removals of 59 officials, he sys these decisions were more like measures on purge rather than pressure. Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Karadzic and Mladic should surrender or make a ruling on themselves by their own’ carried excerpts from the interview. |
| Statement of Day: Dragan Cavic | Dnevni List, Sun, pg 2, carries in its ‘Statement of Day’, the President of Republika Srpska, Dragan Cavic, as saying: “Karadzic and Mladic should turn themselves in or deliver sentence on themselves”. |
| SFOR action in B. Luka
| Herceg Bosna Radio, BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Friday, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 2 ‘SFOR soldiers were looking for General Dragan Lalovic’; Glas Srpske cover page story ‘They were looking for Dragan, but searched Jovan’; EuroBlic RSpg 2 ‘Apartments of RS Army officers searched’ mentioned on cover ‘Puruist’, Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pgs 4-5, mentioned on cover ‘SFOR raided Mladic’s cousin?’, Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘SFOR’s target was Dragan Lalovic, relative and associate of Ratko Mladic’ – On the Thursday night at 21:30 hrs, SFOR launched operation and searched the apartment of retired Colonel of RS Army, Jovan Lalovic, located in the Banja Luka settlement of Borik (Zivojin Misic Street)). After the search,SFOR took away some documentation from the apartment. SFOR also searched other three apartments in the Street of Zivojin Misic. They forcibly entered two apartments, since nobody was in. Apartments owned by Colonel Milovan Misic, Stanislav Vasic and one person of Bosniak nationality (named Hedija Jusic according to GS) were also searched. Marc Hope, SFOR Spokesperson, confirmed that SFOR completed action at 01:30 hrs on Friday morning and that nobody was detained. Radomir Njegus, RS Police Director, initially confirmed SFOR was actually in search of General Dragan Lalovic, whose name is on the US and EU black list. SFOR did not want to comment on this. According to some media, SFOR searched all the apartments in the Street Zivojin Misic #31. Dnevni List, Sat, pg 17 ‘Unsuccessful search for Mladic’s close relative Jovan Lalovic’, by NINA, Vecernji List, Sat, pg 3 ‘Jovan Lalovic targeted – officer from American black list’, by bj, h, Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, pg 15 ‘SFOR’s night chase after colonel Lalovic’, mentioned on front, by A. Macanovic also reported on the operation. |
| Update to trial of 11 Prijedor policemen
| Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘Komarica testified – The trial against 11 former Prijedor policemen, charged with illegal detention of civilian population, on Friday resumed before the Banja Luka District Court with the testimony of the Banja Luka Bishop Franjo Komarica. Komarica testified that on 25 August 1995, Priest Tomislav Matanovic from Prijedor was taken with his parents Bozana and Josip for interview at police station and later on kept in home detention. |
Political developments/statements | |
| VL: EU to support HR Ashdown and his measures on Monday
| Vecernji List, Sat, pg 2 ‘EU ministers will support Ashdown’, by f – Foreign Ministers of EU member countries will adopt conclusions about western Balkans at a regular meeting of Council of Ministers at Brussels on Monday, topics of which will be BiH, Serbia and Montenegro. A strong support to the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, and his recent removals in the RS is expected. |
| SDA Presidency on recent events: SDA against destabilization | BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Friday, Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg 9, mentioned on cover ’SDA will not seek for revenge’, Dnevni Avaz pg 2, mentioned on cover ‘Prevent removal of ministers by all means’, Dnevni List, Sat, pg 4 ‘SDA against early elections’, by Erna Mackic, Vecernji List, Sat, pg 2 ‘SDA against destabilization’, by D. Ja, Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, pg 7 ‘We will not be hitting back with same measures’, by B. Kristo, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘SDA threatens it would remove SDS and PDP Ministers at BiH COM’; Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Support to Ashdown’ – The SDA Presidency believes that the intention of the PDP and SDS to remove SDA ministers from the RS Government is an attempt to divert focus from reforms and obligations related to arrest of war criminals onto relations between the parties. Following a meeting of the SDA Presidency held on Friday, Vice President of SDA, Adnan Terzic, stated that the SDA would do everything to avoid destabilization of situation in BiH and early elections. “We ask the PDP and SDS to reconsider their decision. We call on other political parties, especially the ones in the RS, and the IC to prevent attempts of violation of the Constitution and law on equality of peoples. SDA is deeply and sincerely dedicated to reforms, therefore it will not do anything to destabilize the situation in the entity. We are against the early elections”, said Terzic. He went on to say that the SDA would use all the constitutional and legal means to prevent removals of SDA ministers from the RS Government, and ruled out a possibility that the crisis in the RS could transfer onto the legislative bodies of BiH. EuroBlic RSpg1 ‘SDA opposes to early elections carries statement by Adnan Terzic on the issue. |
| SDP BiH expresses concern about the situation in the country | FTV on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Ruling parties and OHR are playing games with citizens’, FENA – The Main Board of the BiH Social Democratic Party (SDP) expressed its concern over the situation in the country, as a statement issued by the party on Saturday says, because citizens have become hostages of conceptual and personal disagreements between the governing structures. “By putting partial and personal interests before the interests of this state’s citizens, the parties with a parliamentary majority – at all levels in BiH and with the active participation of the High Representative Paddy Ashdown – have not only jeopardizes the continuation of the reforms started during the time of the Alliance for Changes but they have also jeopardized the European future of the country,” was the stand of the SDP Main Board declared at Saturday’s session in Sarajevo. |
| Parliamentary majority in RS | EuroBlic RSpg1 ‘Serb parties claim they have majority at RS NA’ – Tarik Sadovic, Head of SDA Caucus at RS NA, yesterday said that decision of SDS Presidency to support PDP demand for removal of SDA Ministers from RS Government is a direct assault against constitutionality of people and it is logical thing that SDA ministers become opposition at RS NA. Nevenka Trifkovic, Head of PDP Caucus at RS NA, claims that “we have parliament majority without SDA Ministers.” Krstan Simic, Head of SNSD Caucus at RS NA, said: ‘The next parliament session would show who is with whom.” According to EuroBlic inset 1 ‘Mikes: Ministers of Bosniak nationality, but not mandatory form SDA’ – Miroslav Mikes, Co-Chair of the RS NA Council of Peoples, stated that: “If RS NA dismissed SDA Ministers from RS Government, the Bosniak delegates at RS CoP may raise the issue of vital national interest protection. But this would not pass, since the constitutionality stipulates Ministers must be of Bosniak nationality, but not exclusively from SDA.” Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘SDS has launched talks on establishment of a new parliamentary majority’, FENA – The SDS nominee for the RS National Assembly Speaker, Dusan Stojicic, confirmed that the SDS had started and intensified talks with the parliamentary political parties in RS on the establishment of a new parliamentary majority. Sunday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Constructive opposition until the early elections’ – SNSD Executive Board Chair Nebojsa Radmanovic confirmed on Saturday that the party would not participate in government and that it remained in opposition until the early general elections. |
| An SDS official on majority at BiH level | Nezavisne Novine pg 3 ‘A certain blockade of the work of state parliament’ – Momcilo Novakovic, Head of SDS Caucus at the BiH House of Representatives, on Friday stated that the parliamentary majority at BiH Parliament – following SDS decision not to vote as a part of majority – no longer exists. He stated: “We would vote for those legal projects, that are in accordance with our programme. Personnel composition of the BiH COM no longer enjoys our support. We will vote on Laws upon our instinct, not as a part of majority.” |
| SRS on RS Government | Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘New Government is the solution’; Nezavisne Novine pg 10 ‘New Government of RS needs to be elected’ – Milanko Mihajlica, President of RS Serb Radical Party, is of the view that the way-out from the current crisis in RS is to elect the new Government of RS or to do re-shuffle of current Government composition. He said: ‘There should be no place for SDA at new Government, because it violates RS Constitution by its anti-Dayton and anti-Serb initiatives.” |
| HDZ Presidency on current situation in authorities | Vecernji List, Sat, pg 3 They burst into houses of Croat officials’, by Zoran Kresic – The HDZ Presidency, which held a meeting at Ravno of Friday, discussed the current situation following removals of RS officials. The Presidency expects the removals will not destabilize situation in the State and FBiH bodies. Also, the HDZ is of opinion that the failure to join the Partnership for Peace and crisis within the authorities are pointing out to the need for new round of political negotiations on constitutional changes, which would lead to equality of all three constituent peoples in BiH. |
| Dnevni Avaz interview with HDZ BiH leader Colak | Sunday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘Now we have to leave aside partisan interests’, mentioned on cover ‘BiH is as the sate indisputable’ – Political crisis and disputes in BiH can be genuinely resolved only through constitutional-legal and administrative restructuring of the country honouring the fact that the three peoples live here, said HDZ BiH President Barisa Colak in an interview for the daily. He added that as the state BiH was indisputable and no one should bring the country’s survival into question. |
| SNS calls for meeting of all Serb parties | Dnevni List, Sun, pg 13 ‘Define national interests of Serb people in BiH’, not signed – the SNS (Srpski Narodni Savez) requests from the RS President, Dragan Cavic, to organize a meeting of all Serb parties in order to determine a joint platform of activities, devise national interests of the Serb people in BiH, protect national pride and dignity of the Serbs in BiH. SNS also support positions of the RS President regarding solving of the political crisis in the RS, “which has been imposed and caused by the High Representative for BiH Paddy Ashdown through his activities”. |
| VL argues crisis must not transfer onto State level | Vecernji List, Sat, pg 2 ‘State interest are more important than party ones’, by Dejan Jazvic – the author notes it is imperative that the crisis in the RS authorities does not have an affect of State bodies of BiH, because BiH, at the moment, finds itself in the most critical period when it comes to fulfilling of requirements for start of talks on Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). In that context, the author argues should the reforms stop now, for which the BiH Council of Ministers and State Parliament are responsible, doors to European integration would be shut to BiH. The author concludes that Terzic and Ivanic should leave the party interest aside, at least for a while. |
| DL on removals in RS, cooperation with ICTY | Dnevni List, Sat, pg 11 ‘New Dragans, excuse me, Cavics, being looked after for the love of High Representative’, by Zvonimir Jukic – commenting on recent removals of RS officials, the author argues that the removals have in fact shown the failure of the High Representative’s ‘pampering policy’ towards political parties that are not even close to reform course they claim to be on. Instead, these parties have not yet renounced either wartime past or war criminals. The author goes on to claim that the only thing that HR Ashdown did with the removals is that he enabled Dragan Cavic to assume full power in the RS and SDS, after which Cavic will probably promise a full cooperation in arrest of war criminals. The end result, according to Jukic, is that Cavic will, when it comes to arrest of war criminals, do as much as Mirko Sarovic and Dragan Kalinic, and in the end Cavic will be joining the two. |
| DL on announcement of referendum in RS | Dnevni List, Sat, pg 2 ‘Blind alley’, by Nermin Bise – amid recent political events and announcement of ‘Together to Truth’ Association that it will organize a referendum on separation of the RS from BiH, the author notes that the two referendums from 1992 led the country into a bloodshed, the result of which is a situation that the IC does not want to gamble with referendums any more, as seen recently in Mostar. Instead of that, the author says the truth should be reached from all directions, since the citizenry have had enough of one-sided people and ‘drivers’ that lead BiH to the blind alley. |
| Canton 6 HDZ on imposition of education laws | Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, back pg ‘Croats denied of right to their schools’, by Z. Cilic – Cantonal Board of HDZ of Central Bosnia Canton issued a press release, commenting on the recent decision of the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, who enacted legislation in three cantons in the FBiH, harmonizing the cantonal education laws to the BiH education law. The Board is appalled and surprised that the HR is “abusing his authorities, by denying a right to a constitutional people to have own schools and Croatian language in classes”. |
| Minister Ivanic completes visit to Croatia | Herceg Bosna Radio, BHTV, FTV on Friday, Dnevni List, Sat, pg 7 ‘Highway to Dubrovnik goes through BiH in large part’, by Ivica Glibusic, Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Port of Ploce not a problem any more’ – BiH Foreign Minister, Mladen Ivanic, completed a 2-day visit to Croatia on Friday where he had separate meetings with the Croatian President, Stipe Mesic, Croatian Foreign Minister, Miomir Zuzul, and Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader. Main topics of talks were implementation of already agreed agreements and how to solve the pending issue between the two countries. Both Minister Ivanic and Zuzul agreed that the issue of Ploce Port should be solved in economic interest of both countries, noting that politics should be excluded from the issue as much as possible. When it comes to the issue of Neum and construction of highway to Dubrovnik through BiH, both the ministers agreed it would be important that the road goes by large part of it through BiH, thus solving the problem to the mutual economic interest. |
| HR Ashdown appoints new Head of OHR South | Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg 4 ‘Viktorov new head of OHR in Mostar’, Dnevni Avaz pg 8, Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, back pg ‘Head of OHR Mostar is Anatoly DmitriyevichViktorov’, by D. P., Dnevni List, Sat, ‘Russian diplomat heads OHR Mostar’, not signed – The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, has appointed Russian diplomat Anatoly DmitriyevichViktorov as Head of OHR Regional Office Mostar. Mr. Viktorov replaces Ambassador Jacques Andrieu. Until this appointment Mr. Viktorov was Deputy Head of OHR Regional Office Mostar.In his letter appointing Mr. Viktorov the High Representative, drew attention to Mr. Viktorov’s extensive experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the commitment he has shown to the people of BiH. |
| Covic attends funeral of late Austrian President Klestil | Vecernji List, Sun, pg 2 ‘Covic: We lost great friend’, mentioned on cover, by Meri Musa – a senior BiH delegation, led by the Croat member of BiH Presidency, Dragan Covic, attended a funeral of the late Austrian President, Thomas Klestil, in Vienna yesterday. On behalf of the BiH Presidency and people of BiH, Covic expressed condolences to the Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schussel. Covic also met with the new Austrian President, Heinz Fischer. |
Security/investigations/legal proceedings | |
| UN SC extends mandate to SFOR until end of year | Dnevni List, Sun, pg 3 ‘Mandate to Stabilization force in BiH extended’, not signed, Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘SFOR mandate extended ‘til end of this year’; Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Dayton without reserves’ – United Nations Security Council on Friday night unanimously adopted a resolution by which the mandate of SFOR, led by NATO, is being extended by additional six months, until end of December 2004. UN SC also welcomed the announcement of NATO from the Istanbul Summit that it would withdraw from the 9-year long mission in BiH and hand over the mission to the EU. Sarajevo media also reported on the issue. |
| Two arrested on charges of abuse of office and authority, money laundry | Vecernji List, Sat, pg 3 ‘Mandic and Popovic arrested because of organized crime’, by f, Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, back pg ‘Aleksandar Mandic and Dragoslav Popovic arrested by warrant of BiH Prosecution’, by F – Members of the RS Interior Ministry on Friday arrested Aleksandar Mandic in Zvornik and Dragoslav Popovic in Bijeljina because of suspicion that the two committed crimes related to abuse of office or authority, abuse of office in economy and money laundry. The arrests are results of an investigation launched by International Prosecutor of the BiH Prosecution’s Special Department for organized crime and corruption, Jonathan Ratel. The investigation is looking into business operations of Man Co Company and Privredna Bank of Serb Sarajevo. Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Son of Momcilo Mandic suspected of money laundering’ also covered the issue. |
| SFOR searches houses of two Croat officials in central Bosnia | Dnevni List, Sat, front and pg 3 ‘Pressures on Croat officials from central Bosnia enhanced’, by Miso Relota, Vecernji List, Sat, pg 3 They burst into houses of Croat officials’, mentioned on front, by Zoran Kresic, Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, back pg ‘HDZ condemns SFOR bursting into house of Ante Spajic’, by F – SFOR troops burst into several houses in the area of Central Bosnia Canton last Thursday and Friday, including houses of Croat officials Ante Spajic and Nikola Lovrinovic. VL notes that SFOR, looking for arms and ammunition, searched the house of the Canton 6 Education Minister, Nikola Lovrinovic, on the same day the High Representative for BiH, Paddy Ashdown, imposed the education laws in the said canton. The HDZ Presidency, commenting the SFOR’s operations, said that according to available information, SFOR was acting outside its mandate. In a statement for DL, Spajic said: “My opinion is that it is about pressure on us because of our position when it comes to reform to elementary education”. |
| HDZ slams SFOR raid on deputy chairman’s home | FTV on Saturday, Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg 8 ‘SFOR raid into house of Ante Spajic condemned’, FENA – The presidency of the BiH Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) most energetically condemns SFOR raid on the home of HDZ deputy chairman and House of People’s deputy Ante Spajic. Party spokesman Pero Pavlovic told FENA that SFOR had also recently raided the home of the minister of education, science, culture and sports of Central Bosnian Canton, Nikola Lovrinovic. “This is an unreasonable move by the representatives of the international community,” Pavlovic said. |
| ‘Pogorelica’ case to become topical again | Slobodna Dalmacija, Sat, pg 14 ‘Pogorelica in focus again’, by Zlatko Tulic – claims that the ‘Pogorelica’ case, in which former Interior Minister of Republic of BiH, Bakir Alispahic, as well as Irfan Ljevakovic, Enver Mujezinovic, Edhem Veladzic and Ejub Ikic are suspected of terrorism, could be made topical once more. SD notes that although the public perception has it that the case has been hushed up owing to pressures on the judiciary by the SDA pinnacle, the case has been worked on in last few months. According to unofficial information, the IC and certain diplomatic circles, are unhappy with the FBiH judiciary dealing with the case. SD notes that the FBiH Prosecutor, Zdravko Knezevic, confirmed the case is being intensively worked on, but he did not want to reveal any details. |
| VL: Serbs in Bocinja scared of mujahiddin | Vecernji List, Sun, front and pg 3 ‘Mujahiddin scare Serbs of Bocinja’, by Branka Stevandic – Serb returnees to the village of Bocinja near Maglaj will ask the OHR and international organizations in BiH to prevent settling of mujahiddin in the area because, allegedly, they are again gathering in the said area. According to a representative of the local community in Bocinja, Bosko Jovanovic, many mujahiddin and vehabijas (radical Islamists) gather at religious ceremonies at a big, newly constructed facility in Bocinja, for which domestic and international officials claimed it would be a business-residential building, which endangers the security of the Serb returnees and prevents future return. According to Jovanovic, many Serbs, originally from Bocinja, are losing interest in return. Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Vehabije in action’ also covered the issue. |
| Customs frauds | Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 5 ‘Denunciations against 222 persons’ – NN learnt from the source close to Prosecutor’s Office of BiH that during the course of this and last two years, the RS Customs Administration has filed 20 denunciations and 16 reports on crime acts against 22 persons. The same source claims that the denunciations and reports also include accusations against 27 customs officers. |
| Two Federation Army de-miners die in central Bosnia military plant | TV Hayat, BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg 6, mentioned on cover ‘Two FBiH Army members died’ – Nedzad Turudic from Kakanj and Nermin Babic from Travnik, two members of a Federation of BiH Army de-mining team, died on Saturday while clearing mines in Bratstvo Novi Travnik military plant in Sjemena near Travnik. Idriz Sejdic and Ahmet Delic were seriously injured and they were taken to the Sarajevo hospital centre by SFOR helicopters. |
Economic/social issues | |
| Tihic about State capital in ‘Aluminij’ of Mostar
| Vecernji List, Sat, pg 2 ‘State share in Aluminij’, by zvb – President of SDA and Chairman of BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic, speaking about strengthening of BiH economy, announced start of production at various companies in Tuzla, Zenica and ‘Agrokomerc’ of Velika Kladusa. “It turned out that almost 90% of capital in Agrokomerc is State owned. We are negotiating about Aluminij of Mostar too, where we could return the State capital”, stated Tihic. |
| Update to Eronet shares | Vecernji List, Sat, pg 2 ‘Mudrinic: Share in Eronet to HT Mostar’, by Zoran Kresic – The General Manager of HT Zagreb (Croatian telecommunications Zagreb), Ivica Mudrinic, on Thursday personally offered the FBiH Government a ‘deal’ to transfer ‘HT Zagreb’s’ share in ‘Eronet’ onto ‘HT Mostar’, and in exchange ‘HT Zagreb’ wants a corresponding share in ‘HT Mostar’. According to VL’s knowledge, the meeting was attended by Mudrinic, the FBIH Government Prime Minister, Ahmet Hadzipasic, Deputy PM, Dragan Vrankic, and Communications Minister, Nedzad Brankovic. VL also reports that Mudrinic hinted that ‘HT Zagreb’ is ready to exercise the right to pre-emption and buy ‘Eronet’ shares owned by ‘Hercegovina osiguranje’, ‘Alpine komerc’ and Municipality of Grude. |
| Funds for | Slobodna Dalmacija, Sun, pg 12 ‘Government pays in only 500.000 KMs’, by M. Landeka – Only after a resignation of the FBiH Deputy Prime Minister, Gavrilo Grahovac, from the office of President of Subcommittee for culture, and announcements of resignations from Organizational Committee for opening ceremony of Old Bridge by Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Mostar, the FBiH authorities started to pay in the earlier promised funds. Two days ago, the FBiH Government paid in 500.000 of 1.500.000 KMs that it had promised earlier, and according to Mayor Hamdija Jahic, he got assurances from the BiH Finance Minister, Ljerka Maric, that the BiH Council of Ministers would in the next few days pay in the amount of 2 million KMs. |