Headlines
- 20 casualties and blockade of almost all communications – results of snow storms across Europe
- Head of the Brcko Public Security Office – the first RS witness before the Arbitration Tribunal in Vienna
- FRY delegation prepared to sign 10 principles proposed by the Contact Group – Vuk Draskovic claims in Paris
- Agreement on regular monthly meetings of the CoM with entities’ Prime Ministers
A report on snow storms and road conditions in the RS
6:50
The Greek Foreign Minister, Theodopulos Pangalos, during his two-day visit to the FRY, stressed in Podgorica that President Poplasen should nominate Dodik as the new RS PM and stop making proposals that could not go through the RS NA. Pangalos announced that he was going to invite Poplasen to visit Greece.
0:36
The Brcko Arbitration Tribunal today resumed its sitting in Vienna. Lawyers from the RS and the BiH Federation today addressed the Tribunal members. Nikola Kostic, the RS lawyer, presented the main RS arguments which are its territorial integrity and the fact that Brcko should territorially remain part of the RS as it is a result of the 51:49 division of BiH. In his introductory speech, Kostic also announced that he was planning to raise the issue of the Gorazde Corridor and refer to the indivisibility of RS territory. The Federation Lawyer claimed that Brcko should not remain part of the RS territory as it was under the influence of Belgrade and also that the BiH Federation must have access to the North which would be impossible with the town of Brcko being part of the RS. The first three RS witnesses today appeared before the Arbitration Tribunal, the Head of the Brcko Public Security Office, the Head of Customs and the local Commissioner for refugees.
1:19
In a statement given after his testimony, Teodor Galic, the Head of the Brcko PSO and the first RS witness, stated that the multi-ethnic police station that he was running had been successfully operating for over one year. Most importantly, Galic stressed, the multi-ethnic police managed to strengthen the security of everybody’s property, to improve the FoM, and to create conditions for the affirmation of all citizens’ rights and liberties.
2:35
Kosovo-related news
04:08
The RS President, Nikola Poplasen, met with representatives of the RS Association of Veterans in Banja Luka today, the meeting focused on the current difficult financial ad social situation of RS veterans.
0:30
The BiH CoM held its constituent session in Sarajevo today and agreed on its future work. According to a Co-chairman of the CoM, Svetozar Mihajlovic, the CoM will, in the future, try to avoid inclusion of extraordinary items into its sessions’ agendas and will have regular monthly meetings with entities’ Prime Ministers. Mihajlovic went on to say that it had also been agreed that a budget proposal would be prepared to be considered at the next session of this common body.
1:32
A Co-chairman of the BiH CoM, Svetozar Mihajlovic, also met with the Turkish Ambassador in BiH, Ahmet Kamil Erozan, in Sarajevo today. While this was more a courtesy meeting, Mihajlovic said, they discussed a loan worth DM 102 million that Turkey approved to support the RS economy over two years ago but which has still not been allocated.
0:50
Equipment worth U.S. $ 80,000 needed for the training of police officers in handling side arms has been donated to the RS police by the U.S. Ministry of Justice.
1:36
Reconstruction of houses in Kozarusa is continuing in spite of bad weather. Kozarusa is a settlement in the vicinity of Prijedor where houses are being repaired for minority returns. Reconstruction work is being conducted by an Austrian implementing agency of Hilswerk. 14 of the planned 50 houses have, so far, been repaired. The same agency is planning to remain involved in rehabilitation activities in the area which will mainly depend on donors’ resources.
1:41
The President of the FRY Committee for collecting data on crimes against humanity and international law, Zoran Stojanovic, in a statement to Tanjug today, stated that the Deputy Main Prosecutor for the Hague Tribunal, Graham Blewitt, had admitted that the acquital in the case of prime culprit in the Celebici case, Delalic, was a mistake.
0:44
Federation-related news
3:20
The SDS Presidency met in Pale today to discuss the current political situation in the RS and the programme of measures needed to strengthen the party. A statement has been released from the session saying that the SDS Presidency deemed that the political situation in the RS was currently affected by the uncertainty of the Brcko arbitration outcome, uncertainty of the outcome of international negotiations on the future of Kosovo, unprincipled pressure on the RS President on the nominsation of PM designate and the economic policy pursued by the current Government.
0:41