18.01.2000

OHR RTRS News Summary, 18 January 2000

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News Headlines

  • Order of political parties for municipal elections determined
  • Japanese Government donates 23 buses to Banja Luka transport company Autoprevoz
  • Pensions paid
  • Delivery of aid package for pensioners
  • BiH House of Representatives and Council of Europe delegation hold meeting to discuss budget, permanent election law, property laws, pre-conditions for BiH membership to the Council
  • Petritsch and Barry request Bicakcic to revoke law on defamation
  • Law on state border service in accordance with BiH Constitution – OHR spokesperson Ferguson
  • International organizations hold press conference
  • SNS holds press conference on BiH Border Service Law
  • SNSD holds press conference on BiH Border Service Law, privatization and lifting embargo on weapons import to BiH
  • BiH Council of Ministers holds session
  • Dodik meets with Head of USAID Mission in BiH Craig Buck
  • Radisic, Dodik and RS Chamber of Commerce President Suzic meet with Chinese provincial delegation to discuss economic cooperation
  • Brcko district police to be presented on 20 January
  • Bicakcic and OSCE delegation discuss security, reform of justice system and police, and anti-corruption operations
  • 4,056 Croats, 954 Bosniaks and 210 Serbs have returned to Bugojno
  • 40 Bosniak families return in Doboj
  • Return of BiH Roma (Gypsies) to Tuzla
  • Zenica Ombudsmen has resolved 40% of complaints
  • Employees of BH Steel Company and Zenica iron mill hold protest meeting
  • Flu in Zenica-Doboj Canton
  • Four persons arrested in Kosovo
  • Bomb thrown in apartment in Djakovica
  • Identity given of three Serbs that were murdered earlier
  • Level of violence unacceptable – Kouchner
  • Issuing IDs in Kosovo
  • 297 judges and 237 judges-returnees to be appointed in Kosovo
  • Session on Balkan reconstruction held in Solun, Greece
  • Jelavic on newly-elected Croatian leadership
  • Croatian Serb refugees to vote for Croatian presidential elections on 24 January in Yugoslavia
  • World news
  • RS privatization
  • Report on GMT Herzegovina-Trebinje Company embezzlement
  • Police arrested Silvije Sobot and Dario Barisic on 14 January due to attack on Music family house
  • Sports and weather
  • International organizations hold press conference in Banja Luka
  • EU, US officials and Serbian opposition politicians discuss petrol deliveries to certain Serbian cities and reconstruction of Serbia
  • Religion announcement

News Summary

Petritsch and Barry request Bicakcic to revoke law on defamation

High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch and Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Robert Barry requested BiH Federation Prime Minister Edhem Bicakcic to revoke the draft law on defamation. The draft law has already been sent into the parliamentary procedure. According to OSCE Banja Luka spokesman Piers McCorley, disputed were provisions that define the existence of categories of defamation, larger fines for journalists charged with abuse, and the right of elected officials to raise charges against journalists that have insulted them.

00:40

International organizations hold press conference

IC representatives held a press conference on Tuesday in Sarajevo. OHR spokesperson James Ferguson spoke of the compatibility of the BiH Constitution and the Law on the BiH Border Service. Ferguson stated that Serb representatives in the BiH Parliament House of Peoples rejected the law because they were not ready to take action against smuggling, crime and illegal immigration. They instead wanted to protect their own personal interests. Ferguson added that High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch has called for the establishment of a higher education council. The aims of that Council would be advising and monitoring academic standards and the promotion of strategic thought as well as leadership in higher education. Commenting on certain statements of RS Government representatives and RS Information Minister Rajko Vasic on the IMC, Ferguson said that these statements were unacceptable. The IMC has been working in the accordance to Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement. National staff members should take over the IMC operation by July 2000. In the meantime, OSCE spokesperson Tanya Domi stated that the OSCE has been “supporting the IMC and its role in granting frequencies.” She added that the deadline for lodging complaints to the Provisional Election Commission was 17 January.

Jelavic on newly-elected Croatian leadership

Member of the BiH Presidency and HDZ President Ante Jelavic considers that the newly elected Croatian leadership will complicate or deteriorate the position of Croats in BiH. Jelavic hopes that the base for cooperation between BiH Croats and the new Croatian leadership will be one of partnership.

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