Mostar – In a modest and dignified way, the fifth anniversary of the establishing of the 1. Mostar Brigade was marked in the presence of representatives of the political, religious and cultural life of N-H Canton. Colonel Serif Spaga, the Brigade’s Commander addressed the gathered crowd. He said that only well educated and trained soldiers and units could fulfil all the tasks set before them.
1’30”
Prijedor – In a lengthy story Nusret Sivac, a prisoner who survived the tortures of Omarska prison, was shown talking about Simo Drljaca and Milan Kovacevic. Sivac’s book Unforgotten Observations was a valid source of evidences for the accusations against the Serb war criminals of Prijedor. We thought that there would never be something undertaken against the real killers of more than 15.000 Prijedor people. The NATO action was successfully carried out, Sivac said clearly satisfied.
3’30”
Prijedor – With greatest honour reserved for high ranking officials, and with attendance of more than 1.000 Bosnian Serbs, Simo Drljaca, killed by NATO troops, was buried today. The funeral procession was also attended by Momcilo Krajisnik, member of BiH Presidency, Dragan Kalinic, President of the dismissed RS Parliament, as well as some ministers in the RS Government. Posters of Radovan Karadzic were shown being carried by the people.
1’30”
Stockholm – Carl Bildt, former International Community High Representative in BiH, criticised the SFOR action in the east Bosnia. He told New York Times that the operation was carried out in a slipshod way and has resulted in only partial success. Carl Bildt said also that during his office in BiH, he demanded the arrest of Radovan Karadzic and Dario Kordic and now NATO has arrested only two less important persons. They have only made more difficult the arrest of those really wanted for war crimes by the Hague, Bildt concluded.
1’30”
The Hague – The sentence against Dusko Tadic for crimes committed during the aggression on BiH, is expected to be announced tomorrow. His defence tried to present Tadic as an innocent, friendly person. The Hague Judge MacDonald, chairman of the Court Council, was the only one of a group of three judges who pronounced Tadic responsible for accusations related to crimes committed against the Geneva Convention. He was found guilty on 7 May of only 11 of the 34 counts.
2’30”
Brcko – Maglaj – On the territory of the municipalities Brcko and Maglaj, refugee return is going ahead successfully. Though the living conditions are awful for those refugees who are counting every hour before arriving to their own homes. More and more improvised houses are growing over night in the ZOS.
2’30”
Neum – OSCE supported by the BiH intellectuals of Circle 99 organised a three day seminar dubbed The role of the intellectuals in the post war BiH.
1’30”
Summary SRT TV News
The RS state delegation, headed by the President from RS in the BIH Presidency, Momcilo Krajisnik, is visiting Banja Luka for the second day. The delegation is trying to find a solution to overcome the constitutional crisis in our country. The meeting between Plavsic and Krajisnik scheduled to take place today in Slatina near Banja Luka did not take place.Momcilo Krajisnik: “Yesterday, I had two meetings with Plavsic. The most important was the meeting we held last night, where Buha and Mirjanic were present as well. We told each other how we see the current crisis. My proposal to overcome the crisis was to withdraw the decision about dissolution of the parliament, to withdraw the initiative about recalling the President, to explain to our people that there is no division among the Serb people. In the future, when the situation calms down, we will discuss all the issues that caused the crisis. Professor Plavsic in a way accepted this, she wasn’t against it. She only said she will wait till morning to finalise this proposal. We agreed to meet at this place at 11.00 a.m. (Krajisnik speaking on camera, behind him nature, trees…) Unfortunately, we were told this morning that she is ill and can not come. I had several meetings scheduled for tomorrow in Sarajevo, but I had postponed them in order to use this final chance to meet with her. After I leave, Mr. Buha and Mr. Kalinic will stay behind in Banja Luka so that negotiations can proceed if she can not meet me tomorrow morning. I must say, without doubting in her illness, that we must find a solution. This policy is only making things worse. It gives possibilities to those foreign factors who want to interfere in our discussion about RS. We are independent, we must learn to make decisions on our own. If the meeting tomorrow do not take place than we are facing alarming situation, the only reason for that being the inability to meet, to communicate. Professor Plavsic said she can not come to Bijeljina, can not come to Sarajevo, that she can only meet me in Banja Luka. I will be very disappointed if we do not meet tomorrow.”
6 min
Speaker of the RS Assembly, Dragan Kalinic, also made a public statement with regard to the constitutional crisis: “All dilemmas about the continuance of the RS Assembly vanished after the RS Constitutional Court announced its decision. The RS Assembly exists and is continuing with its work. Preparations for the next session are ongoing. Our Government is working in the field of its competency and is preparing proposals for the Assembly. This time again Mrs. Plavsic will be invited to attend the session. We should await the final decision of our Constitutional Court which we all have to abide to. The latest events in Prijedor come as a warning. We should see a connection between the constitutional crisis, which was provoked with a unreasonable decision to dissolve the Parliament, and the murder and arrests in Prijedor. The goal is to create chaos and destabilisation in RS. After that, we foresee only the dissolution of RS and protectorate over us. At the moment, the climate is such that everyone that took up arms or was fighting for RS in a defensive war is made to feel insecure. Each Serb patriot should, according to this logic, feel insecure because the hunting season has just started. We will not allow that and we will find ways to protect our people. Those who think that solution for our problems can be found with foreign help are mistaken. Our people demand to solve the crisis among ourselves. The hand of the foreigner can not clean our house. The same hand can not give us mercy and kill us. Since the murder, our people are well aware of the situation and where it could lead us. Our people gave a dignified answer to that by attending the funeral of Simo Drljaca.”
5 min
OHR provided today the information of the Venice Commission, giving answers to some disputable issues that caused the Constitutional Crisis in RS. At the press conference in Banja Luka, the legal adviser to President Plavsic, presented the opinion of this commission, which was sought for by Plavsic. Report: According to the opinion of the Venice Commission, President of RS can dissolve the Parliament after receiving the opinion from the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Assembly. Answering the second question, the Commission concluded that the mandate of the Government ends at the same time as the Parliament is dissolved. According to Article 114, the Government is not authorised to suspend a decision on dissolution of the Parliament, taken by the President.
3 min
In Banja Luka, the funeral of Simo Drljaca took place today. The name of Simo Drljaca will be written in gold letters among all other dignities of the Serb people that won freedom for RS.
Report: A huge crowd gathered at the Sveti Pantelija grave yard to accompany this great son of RS to his final destination. Momcilo Krajisnik, Dragan Kalinic, Sima’s war time friends and many others present. Simo Drljaca was born in 1947 in the village of Ivansko near Banja Luka. He was among the first ones who stood in defence of the Serb people against our centuries-old enemy. For the shown heroism, he received a medal, the Karadjordjevic’s star. On the 10th of July he was brutally killed in front of his son by SFOR in the village of Gradina. He was shot in the back because he was defending his people from genocide, said Miljenko Karisik, deputy Minister of Interior. (Follows long speeches, all praising Drljeca and condemning the IC. Also, camera showed many posters of Radovan Karadzic in the gathered crowd)
10 min
The regional board of the Romanija Serb Radical Party sent a protest note to SFOR. For the second time, SFOR tried to arrest Slavko Aleksic, commander of the new-Sarajevo Chetnicks platoon and one of the true fighters in the past war. Aleksic is on the same list as Drljaca was. We strongly condemn this act, says the protest note, which is also calling upon people to avoid any contacts with SFOR members.
2 min