Headlines
- Vice- President Sarovic and Deputy PM Kremenovic met with the Head of the OSCE mission, Ambassador Barry, during a break in Vienna
- Zivko Radisic met with the Envoy of the German Government, Hanns Kochnick, on problems faced by refugees and DPs
- The RS Constitutional Court met
- State of natural disaster proclaimed in Banja Luka
- President Milutinovic of Serbia – direct talks with the Kosovo Albanians
The Brcko Arbitration Tribunal today continued to sit in Vienna. New witnesses from the RS appeared before the Tribunal today, including the Head of the Association of Refugees and DPs in the town and the Head of the local Department for Social Care. Unexpectedly, the Head of the OSCE mission, Ambassador Barry showed up at the hotel where the arbitration was ongoing and met with RS Vice-President Sarovic and Deputy PM Kremenovic. No details, however, have been released as to what was discussed at the meeting.
0:45
The RS Ministry of Information has released a statement denying claims by the SDS that the current PM, Milorad Dodik, has offered to the IC a special status of Brcko as a solution of this matter where Brcko would no longer be controlled by the RS territorially or politically. The statement went on to say that SDS’s statements saying that the RS Government should resign and that RS representatives should withdraw from all BiH common institutions in the event of the final arbitration decision being in contravention with what was written down in the DA, spoke in favour of the fact that the SDS wished to place the RS in conflict with the rest of the world again.
01:09
The RS PM, Milorad Dodik, met with Juan Jose Fernandez Mansola, the Deputy Director of the European Department of the IMF, in BL today. Describing the meeting as successful, Mansola expressed optimism as to the capability of the RS Government to fulfil its obligations in the best interests of all RS citizens.
0:39
Zivko Radisic, the President of the BiH Presidency, met with the Envoy of the German Government for refugees and DPs, Hanns Koschnik. The meeting discussed the current economic situation in the RS and concluded that solutions of major economic and social problems were the main condition for faster solutions of problems currently faced by refugees and DPs.
1:36
Hanns Koschnik also met with the RS Minister for Refugees and DPs, Miladin Dragicevic, today. After the meeting, Dragicevic stated that: “Our common goal is to ensure returns of refugees and to identify appropriate accommodation for this category of population”. Kochnick, on his part, said that the return process was going to continue this year too and that it was going to be supported by the IC.
0:35
The President of the Serb Sarajevo District Court, Sretko Crnjak, in a statement given to SRNA today, said that the main hearing of suspects in the case of the murder of Srdjan Knezevic would start on 9 March and last until 12 March 1999.
0:25
A regular session of the RS Constitutional Court took place in BL today. The Court considered the constitutionality and legality of about 15 legal and sub-legal acts that have already been decided on by RS MPs and members of the Government. Those, amongst others, include the Law on the Cessation of Application of the Law on Abandoned Property. The Court also started an initiative to judge the constitutionality of part of the current Law on Public Revenue and a decision by the RS Government imposing a special tax on certain goods.
1:30
The Banja Luka Municipal Executive Board, at its extraordinary session today, made a decision proclaiming a state of natural disaster in the territory of the town and establishing a special centre to work to remove consequences of strong snow.
0:38
Report on weather and road conditions throughout the RS
5:46
Kosovo-related-news
7:26
The establishment of a foreign trade regime between the RS and the FRY has led to new rules and regulations applicable in trade activities between the two countries. The RS customs Administration have, therefore, released a statement explaining the procedure and documents now required in the trade of goods and money operations. According to the new rules and regulations, in addition to the usually required customs documents, a person exporting goods from the RS into the FRY will, in the future, have to present a certification on the origin of goods exported and the international consignment note. Importers from the FRY will have to present a report on a foreign trade arrangement by the FRY National Bank. As for goods to be imported by the RS, exporters from the FRY will have to go through a customs procedure and register the goods with the FRY National Bank. On the RS side, on goods imported from the FRY the procedure has remained the same. Starting 15 February 1999, packages mailed from the FRY to the RS and vice versa will be liable to the same procedure as that applicable on goods falling under the regime of foreign trade.
2:14
A regular international press conference took place in BL today. According to Wendy Rappaport, the UNHCR Spokesperson, refugees from Croatia who are in the possession of Croatian documents will have until 14 March this year to apply for the reconstruction of their pre war homes. For those who are yet to be issued Croatian documents, this deadline has been prolonged for another three months. On the police reconstruction process, Alun Roberts, the IPTF Spokesperson, said that IPTF had in the past few weeks been involved in consultations with potential candidates for multi-ethnic police forces in both entities. The role of IPTF in this process, Roberts explained, is to offer their expert support.
2:37
The Banja Luka-based Office of the High Representative today released a public statement welcoming the signing of an agreement between the Banja-Luka based Elektrokrajina Company and the Austrian humanitarian agency of Hilswerk on the reconstruction of an electric power supply system in Kozarac.
0:24
The BiH Federation Prime Minister, Adhem Bicackic, in a statement given to the press today stated that the BiH CoM or its relevant ministry should issue precise instructions on whether customs fees should be applicable on goods imported from the Republic of Croatia, after which the federal customs bodies would know what steps to take in that regard.
0:35
Federation-related news
1:24