Sarajevo – London – The BiH CoM, headed by Co-chairs Silajdzic and Bosic, went to London to meet the London Club of Creditors for the purpose of reprogramming of BiH foreign debts and receiving new credits. After the dissolution of former FRY, BiH inherited $ 2,1 billion of foreign debt. Silajdzic said that they will also try to write off the current debt because it will be very hard to implement the DPA and establish a democratic society without any financial resources.
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Flash news on human rights and refugee return:
Kresevo – Late last night, two armed men attacked the Hodzic family, Bosniak refugees who returned to Kresevo four months ago.
Stolac – Of four Bosniak families that were supposed to return to Stolac today, only one returned after yesterday’s incident when the Croat police prevented one Bosniak family from returning to their home.
Busovaca – The Busovaca IMA held a session and announced that this town will be open for return of all people who want to do so.
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Sessions of the Herzegovina-Neretva and Sarajevo Canton Assemblies: The 6th Herzegovina-Neretva Cantonal session didn’t yield results, since the MP’s failed to agree on the amendments to the Constitution. Therefore, the President of the Canton, Bender stopped the session, which was not the right decision to make according to Vice-president Cevra, who said that the session was stopped one-sidedly. HR Deputy Steiner also attended the session, openly expressing his disappointment with the situation. ‘I tell you that these amendments will be adopted. I have talked with the Foreign Minister Granic who shares this view and who told me that he speaks here in the name of President Tudjman. This morning I have talked to Mr. Greguric who had expected that the Cantonal Assembly would go smoothly,’ Steiner said, adding that he will talk to President Tudjman tomorrow. Holding of the Sarajevo Cantonal Assembly session depended on the results of the Neretva-Herzegovina Cantonal Assembly session. Therefore, when the MP’s heard that the session in Mostar didn’t yield any results, they asked for a 15-minute break so as to have consultations within their Deputy Clubs. At about that time, HR Deputy Steiner arrived from Mostar. However, the session couldn’t have been continued since the majority of the Clubs abandoned the session. Steiner said that HDZ was not to be blamed as a whole, but only those individuals who work against the interests of their own people.
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Strasbourg – The Council of Europe will discuss the situation in BiH, implementation of the DPA, and human rights issues tomorrow. The BiH delegation, which consisted of all three constituent peoples in BiH, was supposed to attend the session but the two representatives from the RS will not come since the French Embassy in Sarajevo refused to issue travel visas in their FRY passports. BiH TV learns that the RS members were offered to be issued BiH passports in 30 minutes, but they didn’t accept that. According to the same source, the RS wanted to include in the delegation the so-called RS Foreign Minister Buha, who is not even a member of BiH Parliament.
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The NATO Supreme Commander for Europe, General Joulwan and HR Westendorp expressed their concern with regard to the US Congress’s recent decision to withdraw the NATO troops from BiH by mid-summer of 1998. ‘I am always against dates and deadlines because it is not only important to see the end of something which can also be artificial, but to work from now on and during this year for the purpose of making the right decisions at the right time,’ Westendorp said.
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BiH Press reported that there are rumours that Croatia is planning to hand over another war criminal, Dario Kordic, who was indicted for war crimes [November 10, 1995] together with Blaskic. However, it seems more likely that Croatia is planning to send Kordic to Australia and hide him from the Hague.
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Summary SRT News
Jahorina – The ninth session of the RS National Assembly will take place tomorrow. The proposed agenda comprises 26 issues, amongst which are a set of draft laws on the Interior Ministry, PTT, public works, strikes, refugees and DPs. Reports on crude oil industry and agricultural policies will also be presented to deputies.1’00”
Pale – Prior to tomorrow’s session of the RS Assembly, the RS Government held a session today. The Government decided to forward a draft on housing to be reviewed before the Assembly, while a draft on information systems was withdrawn from the regular parliamentary procedure.
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The Club of the SDS deputies, at its session today, supported the motion to return a draft on housing to the regular parliamentary procedure, instead of its adoption on an emergency basis. The SDS club also proposed that an open debate, allowing deputies to pose questions on various issues, be put on the top on the agenda for parliamentary session tomorrow.
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St. Vitus Day – RS Defense Minister Milan Ninkovic has sent congratulated on St. Vitus Day, the Baptismal Day of the VRS Army, to all professional solders and army’s conscripts.
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Registration of voters – The media carried an extensive report on registration of voters in Bijeljina, Gacko, Ugljevik and Lopare appealing to voters to register. The report underlined that the registration of voters was important in terms of political implications which may arise from the failure to do so.
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Brcko – Three RS policemen were brutally beaten by SFOR soldiers on 21 June. The report carried in detail an account of events on that day. The three policemen were on duty when surrounded, brutally beaten and humiliated by SFOR soldiers, maintained the report. RS Minister of Interior Dragan Kijac protested in a letter to SFOR Commander Gen.Crouch and reasserted that such behavior of SFOR troops will not make RS policemen withdraw and let SFOR assume responsibilities in the RS.
In strong words of criticisms, alluding to SFOR as an alien occupational force, the report alleged that SFOR troops have seriously violated the DPA which does not envisage that SFOR should interfere with the work of the RS police.
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