Banja Luka – no comment, only pictures from Banja Luka, Hotel Bosna, people being searched by Plavsic’s police; HR Priniciple Deputy Klein leaving the hotel accompanied by IPTF and SFOR, Banja Luka people who gathered in front of the hotel shouting and cursing, throwing things (eggs and vegetables) on Krajisnik’s, Kalinic’s, Klickovic’s and Kijac’s guards who were taken over by SFOR and driven away in SFOR APC’s.
Respected viewers, good evening, though it is not good at all. The destiny of the high ranking leaders of the RS Krajisnik, Kalinic, Klickovic, and Kijac is still uncertain since last night when they were captured by Plavsic’s para-police at the Hotel Bosna in Banja Luka. According to foreign press, Plavsic’s para-police and IPTF entered the hotel last night. Plavsic should talk to them this evening.
Same shots from the beginning of the news.
5:00
Pale – In regard to the latest incidents and the holding of local elections, Vice-presidents of the RS Government, Buha and Ostojic, held a press conference. Ostojic said that blocking of the RS legal leadership at the hotel Bosna in Banja Luka, who were captured by the para-police of outlawed RS President and SFOR troops, is actually a scenario by which they attempted to impose protectorate over the RS. The situation reached its climax when a part of the IC went beyond its mandate and found the collaborator in outlawed Plavsic who undertakes unconstitutional and illegal acts. Buha said that the situation in the RS got worse after the Sintra Conference which ‘ordered’ an urgent implementation of certain deadlines in order to annul the RS sovereignty. Those papers (the Sintra Declaration) for the first time mentioned that BiH consists of ‘two multi-ethnic entities’. Before that the RS had been treated as the Serb country and OSCE had an additional mandate regarding the local elections. They were also ordered to take care of the implementation of the election results, which OSCE used to extend its already established election rules, such as to arrest people on sealed indictments list, to decide who will take this or that function after the local elections, etc. According to Buha, the crisis in the RS worsened after the meeting between Plavsic and Albright, after which Plavsic quit all the contacts with the rest of the leadership. Buha also said that irregularities at the voters’ lists and changing the OSCE rules prove that the IC wants to control the elections and bring to power some minor and quisling parties. Both of them concluded that conditions for the holding of elections have not been met, which will be mentioned by the Government before the Parliament.
5:00
Pale – Buha and Ostojic met the EU Ambassador and the representative of the OSCE mission in Vienna, and discussed the local elections and the political situation in the RS.
General Colic said that Plavsic succeeded to separate Serbs which was also proved by yesterday’s and today’s incidents. Such incidents will not bring any good to the people, so they must give the final opinion on them. He confirmed that forces which protected Banski Dvor last night were a part of the regular VRS units.
In regard to the current situation, students of the University in Serb Sarajevo invited the most responsible people in the RS to do as much as they can in order to regain the stability of the country. Students underlined that they want to have unity of all Serbs, adding that they laid down their lives in the RS for that.
A lot of time will pass to forgive and forget blocking of the people who took part at the SDS rally on their way to Banja Luka (pictures of buses and people blocked by the police, lots of SFOR vehicles). SFOR troops are responsible for this ugly overture. The real drama occurred 15 km from Banja Luka when Plavsic’s police stopped the convoy. Minister of Religion, Topalcevic, said that his car was surrounded by the police they were waiting for the police to withdraw. The police beaten up the Mayor, Sarovic and his MUP Minister from Sarajevo, as well as some ordinary people from buses. The police did not even show mercy towards women, mothers of soldiers who died in war.
President of the SDS in FRY, Kojicic said that he was stopped by an armed group of people, Plavsic’s police, 16 km from Banja Luka, and after a detailed search of their cars and themselves, the police ordered them to return to the FRY. They were also stopped by SFOR troops several times, whose check points were set up at every 30 to 40 km down the road. He underlined that it is absolutely clear that some parts of the IC, especially from the US, are engaged to split the RS apart. The first stage would be cantonisation of Banja Luka, to make the same zone like in the States – a reservation where the obedient Serbs would live, like they have done it for their Indians. But the people realised what are the real intentions of the IC, and stood up to protect the RS unity, primarily the RS media.
5:00
Bijeljina – the SDS rally – the rally should give an example of how the only one and unified RS breathes. The rally is also a protest to all that attempted to ban Serbs from coming to Banja Luka yesterday. The Bijeljina studio switched on live to Bijeljina rally which started at about 19:30. There were several thousands of people who were carrying many Karadzic’s posters. The President of SDS Bijeljina, Nikic said that ‘democracy’ came with SFOR tanks which were ordered by outlawed RS President.
4:00
FRY President Milosevic will meet HR Westendorp and Principle Deputy Klein in Belgrade tomorrow, and discuss the situation in the RS.
Flash news:
EuroNews reported Krajisnik’s message to Plavsic to run at the presidential elections and check if she still enjoys the people’s trust. European TV stations reported that the IC took Plavsic’s side without any control, proving that with pictures from Banja Luka which were showing British troops protecting Plavsic with their armoured vehicles. Italian news agency ANSA reported that the IC must stop with their biased policy of protecting Plavsic because the crisis in the RS can have the long-term consequences.
3:00
SRT received an information that Krajisnik was released from the Bosna hotel in Banja Luka just before 7 p.m., but Klickovic and Kijac were kept at the hotel. Plavsic’s police banned TV cameras to shoot 20 minutes before the release took place, so that the only pictures available were from the Banja Luka separated studio. SRT played 10 min. of Banja Luka TV programme – Krajisnik leaving the hotel, his car being hit by eggs, people pushing the car, shouting and cursing; the programme was commented by Banja Luka journalist who used words such as ‘Krajisnik should be ashamed of himself’, ‘they got what they deserved’, etc. SRT played the whole programme without any changes.
10:00
HR Westendorp sent another letter to SRT General Manager Toholj as a reply to Toholj’s letter from yesterday. (SRT read the whole letter) However, Toholj replied that they accepted an invitation to attend a meeting on the support to the media, and suggested the HR to postpone the meeting since Toholj and Vukovic were very busy today. They also suggested that the meeting should be held in Pale since no-one can guarantee to protect them from Muslims, as well as from SFOR troops.
3:00
Biljana Plavsic addressed the Banja Luka people who gathered in front of the Banski Dvor congratulating them on the well done job. Now Banja Luka can have peaceful dreams, she said. The Pale leadership learned a lesson and now you should let them leave Banja Luka as soon as possible so to think about what happen to them. She thinks that Banja Luka should be proud of itself because yesterday’s and today’s events are in the RS interests.
News at 20:00 SDS Vice-president, Arsenovic confirmed that the rest of the RS high officials who had been captured at the hotel Bosna were released this evening as well.
Summary SRT TV News Banja Luka
Banja Luka is from the early morning hours in the epicenter of the political and media attention. Let us remember what was going on:The Center for the Public Security in Banja Luka surrounded the Hotel “Bosna” this morning in order to secure citizens. In the announcement given by the Center for Public Security it was said that this kind of security measure has been conducted to create a condition in which to conduct the investigation procedures against a number of persons who are inside the Hotel. The Center for Public Security emphasizes that all of the people who were in this Hotel, including the members of the state leadership for the RS and journalists have been free to leave the building in the aim of conducting the successful investigation and finding the remaining members of the armed group.
The comments of the SRT reporter on yesterday’s event in front of the Hotel “Bosna”
These are the pictures from the 19:00 hrs. You are watching the leadership from Pale leaving. As you can see, they left the Hotel “Bosna”, they left Banja Luka in a very shameful way: Krajisnik, S.Paleksic, new Minister of Internal Affairs appointed by Dragan Kijac. It was horrible watching those pictures…. Krajisnik and all the others did not deserve anything better.While I am reporting this, Kijac is still in the hotel, and you won’t believe me Boro Drljaca is there also. The situation in the “Bosna” is calm at the moment
(after 19:00 hours)
The situation is still uncertain. Klein is still inside the hotel trying after numerous attempts to negotiate with replaced Minister Kijac. For everything that was achieved in a peaceful way, without any incidents, we should thank first of all President Plavsic, who had the situation in control, together with the members of the special police under the command of Dragan Lukac.
You are watching now the events from 11:00 this morning
The journalists of the international agencies, who were blocked from last night in the Hotel are going out now.They didn’t eat, they didn’t drink, they had only a few cigarettes on them. There were also the members of the basketball team present who had been guests in Banja Luka yesterday. But there were also those who were taking care of the people from Pale, Krajisnik, Kijac, Paleksic, a naturalized Serb Zametica with weapons, and of course who were trying to cause disorder and to fulfill Krajisnik’s plan for bloodshed in Banja Luka, creating incidents over night, after which, the IC would accuse the RS and Banja Luka.But, fortunately nothing happened.
The role of Jacques Klein was also significant.He offered to Krajisnik 12 different options for leaving Banja Luka, when everything was safe.In one moment he offered him to leave together with Zametica who left by the back door.
There were a lot of journalists, approximately 70, from the country and abroad.
The people from Banja Luka did not allow for bloodshed to occur, they did not let them carry out what they were planning, for what they came for in the first place, and what they managed to do in Brcko and Bijeljina.
One man from the crowd Stankovic addressed the people inside the Hotel with the following words: “Throw away the weapons, and come out, we have another accommodation for you, another hotel called “Tunjice”.” When it comes to the crowd those present for the most part were members of the RS Army and war invalids who were deprived of invalid checks and who are unemployed due to the dishonest activities of the leadership from Pale.
Now we can see the SFOR convoy approaching. They will transport around 50 people, disarmed by SFOR. The group is coming out…The bodyguards of the President of the National Assembly were crying. It was pitiful to watch those people in a miserable state, people who unfortunately lead our country. It seems that after all, the smartest move was taken by , who else but the president of the Government Gojko Klickovic, who escaped from the Hotel last night around 11:00 p.m. Senators are going out… Those are the one’s whose people are starving in the eastern parts, and they came to save Banja Luka. Fortunately, there was not bloodshed.
Let’s listen to the conversation I had with Lukac, after he had talked with President Plavsic: At this moment, people cannot leave.What are your predictions, how is this going to end up? “I think that we will be able to find some solution convenient for everybody.I will talk with the President now.She will probably contact Krajisnik.I think that we will reach an agreement.” What are his demands? “He has no demands, he just doesn’t want to come out.There are too many people outside bitter because of him.” According to you, is his security ready to perform the worst? “I don’t think so.They are aware that if they start shooting and killing they will also be shot and killed.I don’t know why Ambassador Klein and General Ramsey left , as if they want us to complete this on our own.
Biljana Plavsic talked with Carlos Westendorp
Addressing the journalists after her meeting with Westendorp, Plavsic commented on yesterday’s talk with Krajisnik which Patriarch Pavle attended: ” I tried to reach an agreement with Krajisnik on calming down the situation before the parliamentary elections.That is the responsibility of both of us.But of course this is impossible to carry out if it comes from only one side.I suggested to Krajisnik then that we should start with the media, that this was the best way for calming down the situation. I suggested to him that SRT Banja Luka should transmit the program one day, and SRT from Studio Pale the next day, and so on.I even consider this healthy competition which would influence the quality of the program.”
Reactions of the parties on current events in Banja Luka
SPS
The RS is not the country that her best sons fought and gave their lives for. The way out from the crisis are the forthcoming elections.
SNSD
SDS showed with yesterday’s rally that it has terrorist intentions in Banja Luka, and that they want to destabilize the RS by bringing in 1 500 mercenaries.
SNS
The illegal SDS rally and the intent to try and manipulate the Serb people in order to defend the political positions of certain individuals have definitely taken off the masks and shown that those who are declaring verbally for the unity of the RS are taking steps only for keeping the power at any costs.
SPF (Vojo Kupresanin)
The real reason for SDS leadership coming here wasn’t the rally, but to cause disorder in Banja Luka in order to destroy the legally chosen authorities.
SDS sent a letter today to all the citizens of Banja Luka and its members, inviting them to release the leadership from Pale detained in the Hotel “Bosna”.It is said in the letter: ” We are asking you to set free the bearers of the highest legal functions in the RS”.