Lukavica – CoM session – prior to the session, Ministers met WB and OHR representatives to discuss adoption of the QSP Laws. HR Bildt sent a letter, warning that the donor conference will not be postponed anymore. This is the last chance for the donors conference to be held, many laws haven’t yet been adopted, and there will not be no more concession. Co-chair Silajdzic was negatively surprised by the letter because ‘he [HR Bildt] wants to blame the CoM for all the setbacks in their work, and that is not good.’ Bosic said that HR Bildt’s decision was made too soon. The CoM ministers discussed the Budget for 1997, reconstruction of the country and implementation of the joint institutions, but none of the QSP Laws were adopted today.
3:00
Sarajevo – Federation Forum – the meeting was held at the US Embassy. Members of the Forum headed by Minister of Justice Tadic and his deputy Pasic, discussed a package of different measures adopted at the last session held on Feb. 3. The Ministry of Justice will prepare proposal of the decision for the establishing of the Council of Implementation of the Federation which will be discussed at the next Federation Government session. The Special Media Group consisting of Bosniak, Croat and OHR representatives should have prepared report about media development in BiH. However, an OHR representative of this Group said that it was impossible to prepare, since the Group had met only once so far.
2:00
Sarajevo – Head of the OSCE mission to BiH, Ambassador Frowick, said that there won’t be any further postponing of the local elections.
Sarajevo – The most important BiH body, the BiH Parliament, held only one session for the last 6 months. BiH Parliament MPs sent two letters to the OHR within the last month, but there was no reply. However, MP Campara himself sent a second letter to HR Bildt, which bore some fruit. MPs and OHR representatives held a meeting yesterday. The discussion was focused on holding sessions of both Houses which should take place by March 25. HR Bildt said that the Presidency session will be held tomorrow together with the CoM. HR Bildt and MPs also discussed the Agenda of the Parliament sessions, which will consist different issues already discussed by the Presidency and CoM.
3:00
The RS assembly will discuss ratification of the Agreement on Special Parallel Relations Between FRY and the RS at its session on Saturday. Therefore, HR Bildt has sent a letter to the European Union to support his request for co-ordinating the Agreement with the BiH Constitution. The letter said that some parts of the Agreement are not even in accordance with the share of duties between Entities and State institutions. BiH Presidency will also discuss this Agreement, as well as all other agreements which have been made since 1992.
3:00
Sarajevo – Media advisor to President Izetbegovic, Mirza Hajric said that Standing Committee on Military Matters, which was adopted at the latest Presidency session, was the best move towards stabilisation of the BiH situation. It is in full accordance with the BiH Constitution and protects both Entities from possible aggression. This co-operation will be a guarantee to NATO to accept BiH as a member. Members of the Committee are Izetbegovic, Krajisnik, and Zubak as civil commanders of the armed forces in BiH. Also included are Defence Ministers Jelavic [Federation], and Ninkovic [RS], and Generals Delic [Federation], and Colic [RS]. This Body will be supervised by the SFOR command and OHR.
3:00
Summary SRT News
It more and more looks like massive return of refugees will not take place. Only those who are prepared to recognize the RS and its laws will make a decision to return. The RS President Biljana Plavsic met today with State Department official, William Montgomery, and expressed the necessity to respect Serb laws in that regard and to exclude any pressure on refugees to return if they don’t want to. Plavsic highlighted the fact that the return cannot take place without economic assistance. “Brcko can be a model for the implementation of the DPA. Brcko is in fact a mini-Dayton with an accelerated implementation. There is good will for that on our side but we lack means. We have our own problems with refugees and so far couldn’t solve them satisfactorily,” said Plavsic. Montgomery said this meeting was useful and added that DPA provisions with regard to the return of refugees should be implemented gradually.4 min
President from RS in the Presidency of BIH, Momcilo Krajisnik, and Vice President, Dragoljub Mirjanic, visited Montenegro. The RS delegation was hosted by Momir Bulatovic, President of Montenegro. The discussion focused on the implementation of the agreement signed between the RS and FRY. “We both expressed the need for the quickest possible implementation of what we have agreed upon. Our parliament is going to decide on the ratification of the document on Saturday. In the past we faced huge pressure from part of the International Community trying to isolate us and to impose unjustified solutions on the Serb people in BIH. We are the ones that are due to implement the will of the people, to unify people, if the RS and FRY cannot do that. We want to improve the economic situation and to gain considerable benefit from the agreement. Certain objections from the Muslim side exist. In fact, this agreement is not against them. It is in accordance with the DPA. We would like that the Federation establish such links with FRY as well. We also want the RS open to co-operation with other countries of the former Yugoslavia, we do not want to be isolated,” said Krajisnik. Bulatovic announced a forthcoming meeting between the RS and the Montenegrin Government.
6 min
In Lukavica, a meeting of the CoM of BIH took place. Ministers tried to agree upon the QSP, consisting of ten laws, among them the most important ones on customs and monetary policy, budget and Foreign Trade. Some corrections were made in the draft law on Foreign debt and will be now forwarded to the Parliamentary Assembly. Special and parallel relations within the Law on Foreign Trade remain disputable. The text on custom policy was not agreed. Prior to the meeting, members of the CoM talked to the Chief of the World Bank, Christian Wallich. Preparations for the Donor conference in Brussels was also discussed.
3 min
In BIH, the war is only frozen and in each step you take in the country you can see deep roots of mistrust among three peoples. Despite huge efforts being made, the International Community only succeeded in making a long and tense cease-fire, writes Philip Remark in the Netherlands “Volkskrant”.