Sarajevo – 16th session of the Presidency – The session commenced at 14:00 today and was held behind closed doors. The topics for discussion were the agreement on parallel special relations of the RS with FRY, membership of BiH in SECI, establishment of the Central Bank, and the Standing Council on Military Matters.
2:00
Sarajevo – Vice-President of the Federation, Ganic met Ambassador Steiner and his assistant, Christian Clages. They discussed the Vienna conference on implementation of the Brcko arbitration, recent incidents in the ZOS and the overall inter-Entity relations, as well as the current situation in the Federation.
2:00
Sarajevo – Federation Parliament members met today, prior to the Parliament session to be held on March 18. The agenda for the session was discussed, and one of the items will be the election of the President and the Vice-President of the Federation. HDZ also attended the meeting, and its representative, Mate Franjcevic, said that HDZ never boycotted the joint institutions of the Federation and its representatives will be present at the next session.
3:00
Mostar – A month after the incident on the second day of Bajram, Cantonal Minister of Interior Coric and his Deputy Dziho held a meeting behind closed doors today at the OHR office in Mostar. The BiH side did not accept the Croat position that the sleeping policemen should be removed because their opinion is that this is an irrelevant issue at this point. However, they agreed with the Croats that the joint police force should be established within 24 hours.
3:00
SFOR spokesman Tony White denied and condemned MUP spokesman Arnautovic, and local media accusations that SFOR hid the criminal Dumont at the Ilidza base. He said that the local media continued spreading an anti-SFOR propaganda by using unconfirmed information. However, Arnautovic said that there was a terrible misunderstanding since Minister Zilic [MUP] has never accused SFOR of hiding anybody, and was only conducting the investigation using the motto ‘suspect until you get confirmed information.’
3:00
Bosniaks will not be able to live in Jusici, Gajevi, Mahala and Dugi Dio villages which are under the RS control, if they do not get the RS documents [IDs] by next Monday, the RS Minister of Interior, Kijac, said.
361 people, originally from Rjecica village [under RS control], are still not allowed to return, although both sides signed an agreement on mutual return last year. An implementing the agreement, about 600 Serbs returned to Federation territory in the Maglaj region, but RS suddenly abandoned the agreement not allowing Bosniaks to return to their village too.
2:00
Sarajevo – CoM Minister of Foreign Trade Communication, Muratovic met a Saudi Arabia delegation to discuss implementation of $ 30 million credit given by the Saudi Government for reconstruction of the country.
2:00
Sarajevo – World Bank representatives met Federation representatives to discuss priorities that must be supported by the donors. The WB representatives will also visit Pale and Banja Luka for the same reasons. Both Entities will meet next week with regard to economic reconstruction of the entire country.
2:00
Hague – the Tribunal conducted a trial against three Bosniaks who allegedly committed massive murders and tortured Serbs in a military barracks Celebic.
2:00
Summary SRT News
In Sarajevo, a session of the BIH presidency is in progress. Main items on the agenda are the Central Bank and diplomatic-consular representative offices in RS and in the Federation. The President from RS in the Presidency of BIH, Momcilo Krajisnik, will introduce the agreement between the RS and FRY to other members of the Presidency. The participation of sportsmen from RS and the Federation at the International championships will also be discussed.2 min
In Pale, the SDS Club of Representatives is holding a session. Again, the agreement on special parallel relations between the RS and FRY is being contemplated. President Vojislav Maksimovic presented an evaluation made by the SDS representatives. “The agreement contributes to the Serb unification, rapprochement, therefore we will vote for its ratification,” explained Maksimovic.
4 min
The Serbian Government prepared a declaration with regard to the above mentioned agreement which will be discussed in detail at the next session of the Assembly on 17 March. In the proposal, the Serbian Government calls upon the Assembly to ratify the agreement.
2 min
Coming full tilt towards a civil war, BIH is definitively falling apart. Though being aware of this fact, the International Community is unsuccessfully trying to find a formula for building a unitary and centralized Bosnia. Legal proceedings at the Hague Tribunal are proving that in the former central Republic of BIH common life is impossible. The process against three Muslims and one Croat, indicted of committing crimes against Serb prisoners in Celebici camp, continued today. However, proceedings were suspended due to a bomb threat.
4 min
US Secretary of Defence, William Cohen, returned home from his first tour of Europe. He said that European allies might leave BIH at the same time as American troops. Cohen reiterated in an interview to NBC that Americans will for sure not stay beyond June of 1998.
1 min
The Herzeg-Bosna Commission for Prisoners Exchange released an information to the seventh corps of the VRS that 11 members of the former JNA, born in Montenegro and sought for since 1992, are not alive. The Croatian side provided this information in Nevesinje.
3 min
Jacques Klein will announce tomorrow the exact date for holding the elections in the Baranja, Eastern Slavonija and Srem region. Speaker of the Assembly, Borivoj Zivanovic, said that Serbian people will participate in elections only if a referendum for unity of this region is respected.
1 min