07.10.1997

OHR SRT News Summary, 07 Oct. 1997

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Banja Luka – RS President Plavsic talked with the French Ambassador to the RS and Federation about the political crisis in the RS, the Belgrade Agreement, concrete economic support, and the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Plavsic said that everybody was surprised because of the Belgrade Agreement, but she had only one goal in her mind – to calm the situation down until the parliamentary elections were over, and she is ready to fully implement it. The Ambassador underlined that the process of democratisation is inevitable, but it cannot be carried out without the IC support.
3:00

Prijedor – The RS Government delegation, headed by Prime Minister Klickovic, met the local leadership, and went to Kozarac. Klickovic said that today, Kozarac is inhabited by Serbs refugees from Croatia. The Government and legal institutions are inhabiting this area, because it is well known that Serbs who live here now are the same ones who were evicted from their homes in Croatia once, and as things are developing with the West, they will be no longer able to return. We are obliged to provide them with accommodation, and the Government guarantees to protect the people from this region and offer them a safer future, Klickovic said.
3:00

Trebinje – Several local police officers and officials, as well as the chief of the local police and the chief of the State Security branch in Trebinje were dismissed today because, according to Chief of the State Security Ceranic, they let three trucks load of various goods to cross over to the Federation without paying customs tax. This was really way too much because we have been pointing our finger against crime for months. The former chief of the local police had also engaged a smaller group of para-police to whom he had given RS police accreditations to operate for a group of people at the top. Therefore, the State Security appointed its new local chief, Savic, who is, according to Ceranic, a distinguished person, who did not come out of the war with a muddy face, and who will bring peace and safety to Serbs in that region.
3:00

A letter from the Association of Rogatica refugees – the letter addresses the RS leadership, especially Krajisnik, accusing him for giving false promises, and demanding from him to decide about the Law on Property, because there are 45 families who proved their patriotic duty and left Sarajevo in 1996, and yet they still live in a collective centre in Rogatica. On the other hand, there was no solution reached regarding 150 apartments that are part of the state property which should be given to refugees. They also noted several meetings held by Deputy Prime Minister Ostojic and respected Ministers in 1996 and 1997, but apart from the agreement on the issue, nothing has actually changed on the ground.
2:00

A short story on human rights issue – Tomo Janjic from Donji Bravic, RS, has been searching for two men, Sveto Mitrovic and Vladimir Semo, both from Banja Luka, who had taken 70,000 DM from Tomo promising him to find and bring back his son (who was a POW) alive, and then vanished. This happened two years ago. Tomo had given them money to find out that his son’s dead body was exchanged and buried during a POW exchange. The Banja Luka Court will raise charges against the two tomorrow, which is exactly what Tomo asked for: let me find justice, if I cannot find it I will stop seeking here and go to complain somewhere else, where justice does exist, he said.
3:00

Flash News:

Belgrade – Milosevic and Frowick held a meeting and concluded that the local election results in the RS and Federation should be announced as soon as possible in order to start the process of implementation. Banja Luka – the regular SFOR press conference – main issues discussed were: 10 Bosnian Croats who handed themselves over to the Hague, freedom of movement, and security situation in the region.
2:00

Banja Luka – the letter from the RS Journalist Association – bullet points – a large number of Governmental and independent institutions are functioning in a democratic way, which is encouraging since it means that the RS has finally taken the right path; one part of SRT, tabloids and newspapers did not realise that they have to give a chance to others to express their opinion. They only support the leading party, or rather a group of people in Pale and Bijeljina. The SFOR action on seizing the SRT transmitters further complicated the situation, because Pale TV did not comply with the Udrigovo Agreement. However, the Association kept on supporting Pale TV in order to get their transmitters back because of the Belgrade Agreement and a calming of down the situation. The Association absolutely agrees and demands replacement of the Pale TV General Manager, Toholj and the Editor in Chief, Vukovic. They ask for appointment of the new TV management that will support democratic process. All disagreements and negative tendencies against the IC must stop. They support the Banja Luka Studio which follows democratic ideas. The SRT Editorial Board, headed by Krajisnik, should also be replaced, whereas the Government should temporarily appoint new people until the parliamentary elections are over.
4:00