Sarajevo – Alija Izetbegovic, BiH Presidency Chairman received the new HR Carlos Westendorp in an inauguratory visit. Although an agency reporting on the visit did not mention any other details, it is sure that the two discussed a number of questions related to the implementation of the DPA and the actual events in the country.
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Mostar – As was expected, the leaders of N-H Canton representing the Bosniak and Croatian people, did not sign the document on the final establishment of the Cantonal police, although the deadline for it, according to the Sarajevo Agreement, expired yesterday. As we have learned, the Croatian side was ready to sign the main agreement, but not an annex which stipulates establishment of the police powers on the basis of the 1991census.
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Sarajevo – The BiH peace accord, which was described by former HR Carl Bildt, immediately after the signing as a good agreement, which turned out to be difficult to implement, is being discussed at the third Forum of the friends of the agreement and its implementation. The meeting is being attended by the highest level of BiH officials, excluding the RS, who were invited but did not appear, as well as known international politicians and representatives of international organizations in BiH. Supporting the lasting peace in BiH, its integration and democratization, the participants of the Forum expressed their concerns about the arrest of the war crime indicted, security perspectives of the country, refugee return, forthcoming elections, the Brcko problem, destiny of missing persons. The importance of obtaining constituency of all three people in the whole BiH was accentuated.
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Sarajevo – Today at the National Museum NATO Supreme Commander for Europe, General Joulwan met high ranking BiH officials in the course of his farewell visit. He thanked them for their good co-operation and said that it is possible to establish a stable peace in BiH and obtain the necessary conditions for BiH acceptance in the Partners for Peace. Gen. Joulwan said that the mandate of SFOR had not changed regarding arrests of the war crime indicted. William Crouch, former SFOR Commander attended the meeting.
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Sarajevo – Kresimir Zubak, Presidency member, as well as Haris Silajdzic, CoM Co-Chair received Michael Parmley, Deputy Chief of the US Embassy in separate farewell visit and thanked him for his personal engagement in stabilizing the situation in the country.
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Simon Haselock, Foley, Riley and Ivanko presented their organizations standpoint on the situation in RS at today’s Press Conference. The OHR supports the Constitutional principle and peace agreement regulations and not any of the sides in the present political dispute in the RS, Westendorp’s spokesman said. He said that the meeting taking place in Jahorina, did not represent the National Assembly’s session and that decisions of this gathering could not have any worth. Spokesmen of OSCE and UN reiterated the same standpoints.
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Madrid – The war crime indicted in BiH present an obstacle for a peace in this region and they must be arrested, US General John Shalikashvili said arriving in Spain for a two day NATO summit. He refused to tell how the war criminals will be arrested and if NATO is going to take part in that action. He also did not wish to comment Sunday’s reports that CIA and the American army are preparing a plan for arrests. But according to the information BiH Press received today from the UN sources in Zagreb, the preparations for arrests are under way. The elite commando troops serving in SFOR in BiH are being trained for this task in the Austrian mountains.
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Summary SRT News
Sarajevo – The European NATO General Joulwan paid a farewell visit to the BiH Presidency members at the National Museum, and discussed the implementation of the DPA. The RS President in the BiH Presidency, Krajisnik said that the RS respects relations with NATO which is in favour of implementation of DPA and peace, regardless of what NATO did to Serbs before Dayton. He said that NATO is the strongest force which really implements peace and reconciliation between the three sides, and good relations will continue despite some irrelevant problems which have currently developed.3:00
Commenting on the current situation in the RS and Plavsic’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly, the National Assembly Speaker, Kalinic sent a letter to the RS President saying that he sent an official request to MPs with regard to the holding of the 10th session before Plavsic’s decision on dissolving of the parliament. They then held the session and adopted different issues on the basis of the majority required for holding a session, and decided to hold a continuous session until the current crisis was resolved, i.e. until the Constitutional Court makes its decision on the issue. He invited Plavsic to calmly wait for the Court decision together with the rest of the leadership. Kalinic also said that Plavsic was officially asked to attend the 10th session by the letter sent on July 1, as he did each time prior to previous sessions of the Assembly. At least 10 MPs also sent their requests to Plavsic to attend the session, but there was no reply. However, according to Kalinic, Plavsic in return publicly dissolved the National Assembly and in that way admitted that the RS Constitution did not exist for her and that she intends to rule without it. The RS President, according to the constitution, cannot take responsibility for the parliament and make decisions on behalf of it. The RS President is allowed to make decisions on behalf of MPs only in the state of war or immediate war danger. In making her decisions, Plavsic does not have in mind implementation and respect for the RS Constitution, but is breaking it, although it was recognised by the DPA. Ending the letter, Kalinic kindly asked Plavsic to carry out those duties she is obliged to and to stop confronting the National Assembly in order to overcome the present crisis as soon as possible.
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Pale – The Government session – among other laws, the RS Government adopted the Law on servicing of the RS debt which is a part of the entire BiH debt, and the Law on a network of universities and high schools in the RS. Klickovic also commented on the current situation in the RS and the conflict with the RS President. He said that Plavsic gave a naive explanation for not attending a meeting with Krajisnik because, as he said, the current conflict could not be a good enough reason to be afraid of travelling from one place to the other, and he is not afraid to go anywhere. Klickovic didn’t know the answer regarding the possibility of convening another such meeting. Asked to comment on rumours about the establishment of a new government Klickovic said that ‘this is ridiculous, because every normal person in the RS would not understand the reasons for establishment of a new government if we already have the legal government now.’
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Comments on the current situation in the RS:
The RS SRS [Serb Radical Party] said that the RS is the legal state where the laws and constitution must be respected. The RS became legal after the national elections and the outer enemy are circling around the country like predators, waiting for conflict in the country itself before they attack. SRS from FRY calls for the RS President to resign in order to prevent further conflicts and stop political division of the country. Plavsic was deceived by Kinkel and Nicholas Burns who already proved their inclinations towards the RS by bombing it.
The RS Senator Kalajic said that Plavsic has taken a path that leads to hell by socialising with already proven Serb enemies.
Dutch media reported that criminal background is not the result of the current conflict in the RS but different views of implementation of the DPA. Plavsic has been trying to extricate the RS from the current isolation by her flexibility and contacts with the international community, reminding that she showed a totally opposite side of her character after the September elections.
The OHR Spokesman Haselock said that Plavsic dissolved the RS Parliament which was her constitutional right. He called the National Assembly unconstitutional although the National Assembly didn’t accept Plavsic’s decision.
The OSCE Spokesman Foley said that OSCE will take into consideration Plavsic’s request of calling for the pre-term elections on September 1, 1997.
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Banja Luka – Plavsic’s press conference – Plavsic said that she didn’t have the intention to involve the VRS in politics. However, the VRS HQ openly took side as of yesterday after she received a letter from the HQ Commander Colic which is, as she said, shameless. She confirmed that there are no grounds for panic because the international community provided peace by establishment of the DPA and it would do anything to prevent new conflicts. Commenting on her decision to dissolve the National Assembly, Plavsic said that she did respect the RS Constitution when made this decision. She also said that by refusing to accept her decision, the National Assembly members who attended the 10th session attempted to carry out a coup. Explaining her reasons for not coming to the meeting with Krajisnik, Plavsic said that her security informed her that a terrorist group of amateurs was sneaked in order to attack her.
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Pale – The RS Government and assembly representatives (Kalinic, Ostojic and others) held a meeting for the purpose of convening the 11th session of the National Assembly. They discussed the agenda and concluded that it will contain 11 laws and 6 draft laws to be adopted, such as the law on refugees and displaced persons, POWs’ commission, implementation of the DPA and others.
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