Sarajevo – The State Presidency convened for nearly six hours in Lukavica, behind closed doors, today. Haris Silajdzic, CoM Co-Chair attended the meeting in the name of the President, Alija Izetbegovic. It was a preparatory meeting for the PIC Steering Board session scheduled for 30 May in Sintra. There was no information available on the subject discussed at the meeting.
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The BiH CoM will convene tomorrow in an attempt to continue their work on harmonizing the controversial questions relating to the QSP laws.
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Bihac – A new mass grave has been discovered in the region of the Una-Sana Canton on the mountain Hrga rising over Bihac. 171 bodies of Bosniaks and Croats were found in an 80 m deep cave. It is being presumed that 300 civilian victims brutally killed by Serb extremists, were thrown here, some of them whilst still alive.
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Sarajevo – The fifth anniversary of civilians massacre in Vase Miskina street (Ferhadija) when 17 people were killed and 111 wounded while waiting in a queue to buy bread, will be marked today. Follows a touching description of the citizens’ hope that somebody would help them at that time. Instead of that, there followed continued mass killings at: Markthalle, the playground in Dobrinja and Butmir, in front of the school at Alipasino Polje, while children were sledging, in the queues for water by Pivara and Dobrinja and in every street and every courtyard – all together 10.700 Sarajevans fell as witnesses of Chetnik’s evil.
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Paris – The main priority of the new American initiative regarding BiH is bringing war criminals to justice, Madeleine Albright reiterated on the occasion of her visit to Paris today. During her talks with the highest representatives of France and Russia, she will demand a strengthening of the peace efforts in BiH. Before the end of this week talks on the establishing of special military units for pursuing war criminals may be held.
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The talks of Mme. Albright with De Charette and Primakov in Paris will encompass a discussion on HR’ Carl Bildt’s successor.
Sarajevo – BiH is asking that Ambassador Steiner remain here, after Carl Bildt has gone, a presenter began a lengthy story on Carl Bildt’s successor underlining that BiH has neither the time nor the nerves to wait until every new politician gets acquainted with the situation in the country prior to starting work. Pointing out all Steiner’s qualities (no-one invested more efforts and passion, professional skills and honesty in BiH problems than Steiner, etc.), the media (BiH TV, TV IN and Studio 99’s initiative) invited citizens to put their signatures on a letter which will be sent to Klaus Kinkel, German Foreign Minister, just before meeting in Sintra begins, in attempt to keep Steiner in BiH.
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Mostar – A central discussion of the regular weekly meetings between Mostar Mayor and his Deputy, Ivan Prskalo and Safet Orucevic, with Sir Martin Garrod, Chief of the Regional OHR, dealt again with the Municipal Statute. In order not to block the constituting of six city municipalities, Prskalo suggested accepting the Statute and omitting the part related to the vital interest of all peoples (religion, education and culture) upon which HDZ and SDA had not agreed. Safet Orucevic pointed out that the Bosniak side suggested the Sarajevo model for Mostar.
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Sarajevo – IPTF will start joint patrolling today with the aim of removing all illegal check points, Alex Ivanko told a news conference. The patrols will mostly act in the separation zones. During the weekend IPTF discovered 6 checkpoints in RS and one in the Federation.
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Sarajevo – At its meeting on May 22, the PEC accepted 7 and turned down 2 coalitions for the local elections in BiH, the representatives of OSCE told today. At tomorrow’s meeting PEC will discuss the application of the Joint list of 1997 coalition.
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Summary SRT News
Pale – 8th session of the RS National Assembly was held today. MP’s discussed and adopted the RS Government Report on its work between December last year and May this year and the report on further proposals for the basis of the RS economic policy for 1997, but the Privatisation Law was changed as it was suggested by all political parties. In his opening speech regarding the work of the RS Government, Prime Minister Klickovic underlined the main Government activities in the last five months such as defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the RS, organised settlement of the population to the boundary municipalities, reconstruction of the economic system, etc. The RS territory and integrity was defended during the war. Now, the RS is recognised and respected within its borders. The RS is a complete country and its economy and industry will fully satisfy the needs of its citizens within a year. The RS will develop open trade with countries that won’t violate the territorial and economic integrity of the Republic.5:00
Serb Sarajevo – 18th BiH Presidency session – RS President in the BiH Presidency Krajisnik said that the Presidency discussed the preparations for the Steering Board session in Portugal. There are ‘still some issues’ which need to be agreed with the international community representatives (Bildt and Gelbard) and Members of the Presidency.
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Pale – The RS Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation presented the Strategic Programme of the RS Health System Reform from 1997 to 2000. The basis of the Programme is the long-term preparation and establishment of the RS Health System. Local and foreign health protection organisations support the Programme, and one of the results of that is that the World Bank approved a $ 3,8 million credit.
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Doboj – The RS and Federation experts for finding the missing persons held a meeting to discuss further exhumations of mass graves in the RS and the Federation. Although the RS side was fully co-operative, the Muslim side didn’t want to tell where they had moved the RS soldiers killed at Ozren mountain. Muslims insisted on extension of their visit to the Kravice site, offering the Serb side either to stay in Banja Luka or to go to sites where the RS side wouldn’t find anything. The two sides succeeded to agree on the next meeting to be held in 10 days.
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Teslic – Last night, unidentified persons wrote Muslim fundamentalist graffiti [in green and with a crescent and star by each slogan: “we will hang all chetniks”; “here we come”; “Serb women, prepare yourselves for the harems”; “the US and Europe are on our side”; “Serbs should be expelled from BiH”] on outside walls of the main authority buildings. SDS Teslic leadership and authorities said that this act was the most severe violation of the freedom of movement and demanded from the international representatives to find and punish those who are guilty of it.
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World news:
Associated Press reported that the members of the international community didn’t accept the re-establishment of the Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna in Neum on May 24.
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