Zagreb: Zdravko Tomac, one of the three candidates for today’s presidential elections in Croatia and an opponent of Franjo Tudjman, declared that between 8 and 10 per cent of Bosnian Croats will go to the booths in BiH today and vote. The Bosnian side disagreed with the Croatian decision to hold elections in their country. ONASA reported that BiH Ministry for Interior Affairs even demanded that the IPTF halt the organisation of the elections in BiH, but they went ahead in BiH, as well as in other countries with Croat population.
Sarajevo: The Croatian presidential elections were held at 19 booths in BiH. It has been reported that there were no problems at the voting booths.
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Sarajevo: There are more controversies relating to the holding of the Donors Conference for BiH. Nicolas Burns, a State Department Spokesman declared today that all internationally pledged money at the Conference, will go to the Federation if Momcilo Krajisnik, member of the BiH Presidency does not fulfil the Dayton provisions, AP reports. Still it is not clear what is really going to happen at the Conference. France Press has another news source from RS, as usual completely different. The RS is sure to receive international assistance at the Donors Conference, declared Dusan Prica, Chief of the President Biljana Plavsic’s Office, 10 days before the date scheduled for the Donors Conference. Prica said this after meeting between Madam Plavsic, a World Bank Vice President and a representative for BiH and added that 30 per cent of money pledged in Brussels will be given to RS and the rest to the BiH Federation..
The International Community sees the RS as increasingly co-operative, said Rajko Tomas, Biljana Plavsic’ Advisor for the economic affairs.
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Doboj: 200 Bosniak families expelled from the Doboj municipality had official permits to return to their homes in the villages of Plane and Miljkovac, south of Doboj. It appeared today, however, that some new conditions had to be fulfilled. Furthermore the Serbs in Doboj expressed their disagreement that the owners of the houses come back, by gatherings and stoning an SFOR patrol, said General Gunar Lundberg. The Bosniaks swore to fulfil all conditions in an orderly manner and return home as soon as possible
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Returns: The recent meeting of the project Open towns in the BiH Federation in Geneva proposed that 55.000 displaced persons should return into 25 open towns. Thus tens of thousands of Bosniaks and Croats could return to the Serb entity. The project has been particularly welcome in Zenica-Doboj Canton, where all nine municipalities were nominated for the project and three have been accepted. Though, this project will not work unless the RS accepts.
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Summary SRT News
Banja Luka – RS President Plavsic met the representatives of IMF, Scott Brown and his assistant, and the Governor of the Central Bank for BiH, Serge Robert, and discussed the upcoming donors’ conference and establishment of the Central bank of the RS and Federation. The visitors concluded that the RS showed good will to solve the problems and meet the conditions for holding of the donors’ conference. The RS expects from the BiH Parliament to verify the QSP laws, which is the key condition for the donors’ conference to be held.3:00
Banja Luka – Plavsic and other members of the RS leadership attended the holy mass held for the Serb Orthodox Celebration of the Holy Spirit and Holy Trinity. This religious festivity was celebrated throughout the RS and FRY.
Pale – The RS Assembly Speaker Kalinic and Prime Minister Klickovic received the delegation of the Germany company Siemens. Siemens is interested in co-operation and investment into the RS. The RS and the German delegations discussed different methods of financing various projects in the fields of medicine, industry, tourism etc.
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Teslic – Prime Minister Klickovic and the local leadership attended the ceremony of laying down the cornerstone of the Serb Orthodox church which will be built in memory of all soldiers killed in the liberation war. This church will stand as a cornerstone of freedom and liberation of the Serb religion.
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Kupresko Polje – Near the Serb church which was destroyed by Ustashas during the war, the 7th Kupres Brigade of the RS army celebrated its religious holiday and awarded families of 117 soldiers killed in the war with medals of honour.
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Flash news:
- Sarajevo court refused to renew the proceedings against Srecko Damjanovic. Damjanovic was sentenced to death on March 12, 1993, on the charge that he murdered the Belkic brothers, who were later found alive in Vogosca. According to Damjanovic’s lawyer Branko Maric, Damjanovic is also accused of murder of Ramiz Krso, although the Sarajevo prosecutors are using the Ramiz Krso case to accuse some other Serb prisoners of murder.
- A group of about 30 Muslims beat up a taxi driver, a Serb from Doboj, on the Sarajevo-Doboj road in the ZOS, the RS police from Doboj said. This is one of the many incidents that occurred on the so-called blue road, on the way from Zenica to Tuzla via Doboj. The incident occurred a few hundred meters from the SFOR check point.
- Prior to forced return of Muslims from Tesanj to the village Maljevac near Doboj, in the ZOS, the commander of the Norway and Polish SFOR battalion said that the SFOR will not guarantee safety to those persons who return to the RS by force.
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Commentary – Muslims are ignoring and violating every agreement, even when searching for mission persons and POW’s is concerned. The DPA implementation failed with regard to the issue above, otherwise about 950 Serb families would have their dearest ones back home. There are a lot of information from the Federation about secret prisons and mass graves, but the world doesn’t want to reveal the truth, and therefore doesn’t allow the Serb experts to do their job. The international community should have the key role regarding this issue, but it doesn’t want to make a single step towards reaching a solution.
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