Headlines
- Serb delegation on return from Luxembourg – dissatisfaction with the manner in which the meeting was convened and also with the text of the final document
- West continues to consider all aspects of a possible settlement to the Kosovo crisis
- Moscow and Bejing continue to refrain from a military solution
- The RS military receives a new generation of military conscripts
- World football championship began in France
A meeting of the PIC Steering Board ended in Luxembourg today. Two of the three members of the Serb delegation, Milorad Dodik and Dragoljub Mirjanic, held a press conference in Banja Luka. Mirjanic told the press that the conference mainly focused on the return of refugees, and also made it clear that this process would not be possible without the more active involvement of Croatia. While we had several remarks regarding the final document, particularly its Article 101 which warns the FRY not to undermine the progress in the RS by provoking a new destabilisation of situation here, we were told that it was going to be adopted by the SB. Dodik added that the document reached participants in the form of a final document which is why it was impossible to react. “I just want to make clear that the RS Government does not want to transfer any of its responsibilities from the level of this entity to the level of common bodies. Secondly, we think that common bodies should play no role in the privatisation process, and that the process should rather be regulated at entities’ level and through entities’ laws.”
3:05
The third member of the Serb delegation, Momcilo Krajisnik, also expressed dissatisfaction with the Luxembourg conference. The method of imposing solutions and documents from Sintra and Bonn was again applied in Luxembourg. This was a new attempt to revise the DA. The declaration set up new deadlines in terms of the implementation of the DA, with the emphasis on the return process, police reconstruction, the judiciary, and economic integration. The conference stressed that one of the priorities was also to insist on the establishment of a joint border police force, to make sure that all of the common bodies are based in the federal part of Sarajevo etc, which is all in violation of the DA. Particularly antagonistic was the attempt to create a unified education system, also against the spirit of the DA.
2:28
NATO member states are making urgent diplomatic preparations in order to resolve the Kosovo crisis in a peaceful way, However, the announcement of a possible NATO involvement seem to be becoming more and more likely. Russia and China, along with some European countries, have opposed such a solution. This will be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels.
0:32
The six member states of the Contact Group for the FRY today adopted a package of measures needed to resolve the ongoing Kosovo crisis. The package will be made public this Friday. The chairman of the meeting in Paris stressed that Belgrade was going to face new repressive measures, including the military option, unless the proposal was accepted.
0:46
According to sources close to NATO, NATO experts have designed a draft study on possible military action in Kosovo, including four possible NATO interventions in the area.
0:45
Changing of the IEBL today continued in the area of the village of Koprivna, in the municipality of Serb Sanski Most. The IEBL was thus again moved further towards Sanski Most for another 200 metres.
1:35
The leader of the Serb Radicals, Vojislav Seselj, and the President of the SRS in the RS, Nikola Poplasen, today visited Loznica where they met with Momcilo Krajsinik and Dragan Kalinic. The meeting discussed a possible coalition of the SRS and the SDS at the forthcoming elections.
0:36
The RS SP today held a press conference. The conference stressed that the SP, at the upcoming session of the RS NA, was going to insist on an inter-party agreement on the leadership of the NA in order to avoid any blockages of the work of the Parliament. On the privatisation process, the SP stressed that they wanted to see this process conducted through transparent methods and with the support of the IC.
1:51
The RS Minister of Information, Rajko Vasic, today stated that Sarajevo TV had again released false information on the so-called BH TV Corporation. In an interview to SRNA, Vasic stated that the view of the OHR on the matter was in line with the DA and also similar to the Serb position. Commenting on a possible merging of link systems, Vasic specified that this only implied that information would be forwarded to the BH TV when necessary, but not the establishment of a joint broadcasting space. At this moment, the RS has no interest in having a joint BH TV station, Vasic stressed. Our priority now is to establish an open and professional TV station in the RS.
1:54
The High Representative, Carlos Westendorp, today addressed a letter to Alija Izetbegovic. The letter welcomes the agreement on the restructuring of the BH RTV, and also announces that an international administrator will be appointed to offer professional and technical support for the establishment of the management and technical structure of the RTV. The IA shall have the authority to implement decisions and give recommendations that will also have to be approved by the RTV Managing Board and its Director, whereas Westendorp shall have the right to arbitrate personally in cases of major disagreements.
0:51