Travnik – The meeting of the Working Group for Refugee Return in Jajce, was held today. Croat authorities representatives were also present, and it was agreed to start with organised refugee return by the Aug.16. Both sides agreed to provide all necessary conditions for safe return of about 400 expellees. SFOR and IPTF will also co-operate with local police in the action.
3’00”
Washington – As reported by the Financial Times, the RS President, Plavsic claims that US Secretary of State, Albright has offered a political asylum to Karadzic in the “third world countries”. Plavsic also said that she was asked by Albright to make a statement which would say that Karadzic left RS. Pale authorities strongly refused Albright’s proposition, while Plavsic said that she is against Karadzic’s extradition. According to Plavsic, this was Karadzic’s last chance, since a similar offer was not repeated during Holbrooke’s visit to RS. US Embassy in Sarajevo refuted this option, pointing out that US Government did not change the attitude on this matter. Another of US media, CNN and ABC News, reported that the arrest of Karadzic has been silently prepared during the past year, by British, US and French commandos. Pentagon refuted this possibility whatsoever, saying that the arrest of war criminals is a task for those who signed the DPA.
5’00”
Kuala Lumpur – At the end of the official visit to Malaysia by the BiH delegation, the CoM co-chairman, Silajdzic said that the key point for Malaysia is the economic aid to BiH. At the press conference of Malaysian officials, the need for the DPA implementation was pointed out, as well as the support for the IC to proceed with it.
3’00”
Sarajevo – At the press conference of BiH Social-Democratic party, co-president Gojer commented the agreement on BiH ambassadors allocation. Gojer said that leading BiH parties are proceeding with further disintegration of BiH society. This is because each of the parties have chosen their ambassadors for the countries with similar national or religious structure.
2’00”
Sarajevo/Brcko – The Coalition for United and Democratic BiH considers that the OSCE has made too many concessions for Serbs in Brcko. Therefore, the Coalition asks from the OSCE representatives to enable people of Brcko to vote in their town. Thus the OSCE may show it’s real support for the refugee return.
2’00”
Mostar – Mostar Mayor deputy, Orucevic addressed a letter to OSCE Ambassador Frowick. The letter says that a change of any election rule, after the registration process was finished, would represent the fixing of the elections, which is opposite from principles of free and democratic elections. In his letter, Orucevic also says that any change of rules would be a concession to the HDZ party.
1’30’
Sarajevo -After the RS President Plavsic appealed to OSCE to supervise the pre-elections, OSCE accepted in general the possibility of participation in those elections. The final OSCE decision, may be expected after the RS Constitutional Court decision.
2’00”
Pale/Brcko – RS Constitutional Court have not made any decisions yet. The session and voting proceeds behind the closed doors.
The Brcko OSCE supervisor Farrand made a statement, saying that the Bosniak refugees from Brcko will have the Federation ID’s, since the Serb authorities refused to give them the RS ID’s. Those ID’s are supposed to be valid within the election term.
Pale authorities are against Plavsic’s appeal to OSCE to supervise pre-elections. The reason for this is an opinion that OSCE does not do the preparations for the elections in accordance with the DPA.
3’30”
Sarajevo – BiH Presidency member, Zubak made a statement, saying that indicted war criminal Kordic will give himself up voluntarily to the ICTY. Kordic said that his only condition to give up is to start with the trial within the schedule.
1’00”
Summary SRT TV News
The CC continued deliberation behind closed doors on the final decision regarding Plavsic’s decision to dissolve the Parliament and schedule pre-term elections.Prime Minister Klickovic visited municipalities of Sehovici and Osmaci, located in the ZOS, and discussed the current political and economic situation with the local leadership. He said that the Government and SDS are obliged to help these villages since they gave so many Serb sons who died for their fatherland.
2:00
Bocac near Banja Luka – Minister of Agriculture, Arsenovic met the local leadership of this little village and gave them aid in live stock (kows and pigs) and construction material, donated by the Government and SDS.
2:00
Sokolac – Defence Minister Ninkovic visited a military hospital in Sokolac and met the hospital staff. They discussed the importance of the hospital and gathering of financial aid.
2:00
The CoM Co-chair Bosic said in Kuala Lumpur today that SFOR should stay in the RS and Federation after their mandate expires in summer 1998, adding that SFOR withdrawal would risk much more than the future of the former BiH. The CoM discussed possible financial aid from Malaysia.
Pale – NATO Commander for Europe, Wesley Clark held a press conference discussing inspection of SFOR troops, control and reorganisation of special police forces in the RS, implementation of the DPA, and, of course, indicted for alleged war crimes. He said that the reason why special police forces are treated as military forces is their inherited military structure and special tasks they carry out. This will be the way to facilitate their training and reorganisation into civil police forces. On a question why only now SFOR acts like this and if they aim to make RS police forces weaker which is not in line with the peacekeeping mandate, and international organisation which intensively continue to train and equip the Federation army, Clark said that their intention is to improve and not to weaken the RS police, and they act in accordance with Annex 1 of the DPA. He criticised RS media which allegedly did not reported the true story of the Prijedor incident, i.e. that SFOR fired back in self-defence. He called for implementation and reconciliation and, as was the practice so far, he asked the alleged war criminals to surrender to the Hague themselves.
3:00
Pale – regular IC press conference – Again the IC represented in public a number of groundless ‘qualifications’ on account of the Serb people. Representatives of some international organisations who are involved with the implementation of the DPA showed once again their true face and, by their statements, confirmed that they do not respect the official RS institutions, as well as our state that is officially recognised by the Peace Agreement. How to interpret their position today, while the CC is having the public hearing, that Plavsic’s decision to dissolve the Parliament is legal and constitutional. How to interpret the position of the spokesmen that the Parliament’s mandate ended on July 3, so it does not exist anymore, but as a severe pressure on the judges of the CC. This is nothing else but a pressure on the independent judiciary in the RS, on supreme legal institution which neutrally listened the position of both sides in the constitutional conflict yesterday. The pressure in not in line with the western democracy which is sworn to independent judiciary. This pressure is a sign that they took a side in the conflict, as many times so far, in order to achieve their goals, and that they are actually not interested in the CC decision itself. They only recognise what the Venice Commission said, the international legal institution which carries out politics of the day. Which is even more irritating is that their policy finds a fertile soil in the RS which can be seen from Plavsic’s recent decisions with regard to OSCE mandate. Unfortunately, SRT concludes that such policy leads only to lawlessness and chaos which is obviously her aim in order to preserve the power. Therefore, we should not be surprised that various envoys make their money by their direct involvement with RS. They want to be judges over the CC judges, to choose negotiators for different meetings, to control the state media. We would like to believe that this is not the position of the entire IC, that they will implement the DPA and reality on the ground, and that position which was communicated by their spokesmen is not the same official position of the IC. Otherwise, such policy would turn back against its creators soon.
5:00
Brcko – Farrand said that the Federation authorities will issue their IDs for Muslim returnees until the RS MUP changes their mind. He also said that the RS police chiefs are obliged to be present at the meetings organised by OHR, otherwise their non-attendance would be understood as the non-compliance with the Award. The IC keeps on imposing pressure against the RS.
2:00