Sarajevo – SDA, Party for BiH, LBO and GDS signed an official document on the establishment of a coalition ‘For the Unified and Democratic BiH’. The newly established Coalition registered at the OSCE for the upcoming elections. The Coalition will hold its first press conference on May 17.
Sarajevo – BiH President Izetbegovic met Nuncio Monterisi, who conveyed the Pope’s greetings to Bosnians and his satisfaction with regard to the visit to Sarajevo this April. The Vatican is ready to help BiH, especially with regard to return of refugees.
Sarajevo – Izetbegovic and Vice-president of the Federation, Ganic, held separate meetings with the representatives of the International Crisis Group and discussed the implementation of the DPA.
Sarajevo – 4th session of the Federation HoP – MP’s should have discussed and adopted the Law on Municipalities by consensus. However, today’s session was similar to the HoR session held the day before. SDA and HDZ MP’s just argued about the disputable Usora Municipality instead of trying to solve the problem. HDZ MP’s said that the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina should be called ‘so-called Republic of BiH’, since the same term is used for Herceg-Bosna. HDZ MP Ivan Bender asked for the report on the Djedovic case, claiming that his arrest was unconstitutional and demanding punishment for those ordered it. The Federation Government held its session during the three-and-a-half-hour recess of the work of the HoP, on which it decided to appoint working groups which will be tasked with reaching an agreement on the Law on Municipalities by May 24, until when the HoP session was postponed.
4:00
Sarajevo – Ejup Ganic talked with the PEC Deputy Chairman, Robinson about the Brcko elections, modalities of the election rules which should create conditions for a multi-ethnic society after the elections, and strengthening of democracy in the spirit of the arbitration decision and the DPA.
Brcko – International Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the RS and FRY is concerned about the Brcko elections. They think that the elections should include the whole of the pre-war Brcko Municipality, saying that the OSCE decision could definitely destroy the multi-ethnicity which the town used to have.
2:00
Sarajevo – SDA delegation from Croatia met the SDA Main Board, and discussed the status of Bosniaks in Croatia. They concluded that their MP’s must be included in the Croatian Parliament, and the Croatian Government must accept several changes with regard to the Bosniak minority there, such as changing the officially used name ‘Muslims’ into ‘Bosniaks’, allowing education in Bosnian for Bosniak children, holding of theology lessons in schools etc. Croatian SDA and BiH SDA also discussed the future economic co-operation and the possibilities of mutual trade.
3:00
Sarajevo – At the extraordinary panel discussion of the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals, the members of the Council talked about the BiH position in the world and the DPA, stressing that the Serbs got their part of the land and the Bosniaks verified that, believing that all peoples would return to their places of origin and live and move throughout BiH freely. However none of that was fulfilled. The main obligation of Sarajevans and BiH citizens is to constantly remind the world about the tragedy that occurred here and appeal to its sense of morality to help them.
2:00
Summary SRT News
Pale – Chaired by Deputy PM Velibor Ostojic, the RS Government held a session today to review a set of drafts and measures to boost the RS industries. Concrete measures were agreed in the mining and construction industries.2’50”
Banja Luka – RS Vice President Dragoljub Mirjanic and Deputy PM Djuradj Banjac received a Chinese economic delegation. The collocutors discussed how to establish economic relations between the two countries. The Chinese guests briefed the RS officials on economic reforms in China.
2’00”
Pale – Ljubisa Vladusic, RS Minister for Refugees met separately with Head of the Department for Refugees and Humanitarian Issues at the OHR, Dirk Hasselman and with Political Advisor at the Czech Embassy, Martin Klepek. Minister Vladusic informed Mr. Hasselman on the RS legislature related to the issues of refugees and DPs. According to Vladusic, the newly adopted laws on this issue provide protection of refugees’ rights and their property. The report mentioned that the collocutors touched upon the subject of programs for return of refugees to Modrica and Rogatica, but Vladusic declined to comment on that.
Minister Vladusic discussed the problem of RS refugees in the Czech Republic with Mr. Martin Klepek. The Czech diplomat informed that 4000-5000 refugees from the RS were currently residing in this country.
3’50”
Bijeljina – VRS Chief of Staff Gen. Pero Colic held talks with Gen. Christiansen, OSCE Chief for Regional Stabilization on confidence building measures between the RS and FBiH Armies and regional armament control.
The report highlighted that Gen. Colic brought to his collocutor’s attention the fact of increasing the arming of the FbiH Army.
3’00”
Pale – High ranking US military officials met Col. Pandurevic and Deputy Defense Minister Dragan Kapetina to discuss the implementation of the DPA, organization of the VRS Army and the program Train and Equip.
Minister Kapetina made a statement to the effect that the American guests wanted to be briefed on the military situation in BiH as perceived by RS military officials and that the RS was offered to participate in a program similar to the Train and Equip.
Col. Pandurevic reminded that during SFOR inspections, hidden quantities of weapons had been often found in the FBiH and warned that such practice could seriously endanger the peace process.
3’00”
Sarajevo – UN SRSG Kai Eide has announced today that the UN wished to provide FOM in the RS and FBiH. This will be done by SFOR’s assistance and by the introduction of strict rules for local police in both entities, said Eide. He announced that control check points would re reduced or removed altogether.
1’00”