Headlines
- President Plavsic and representatives of the American and Russian diplomatic service talked about further steps regarding the implementation of the DA and formation of the governmental institutions in the RS
- Tonight, celebration of the orthodox New Year’s Eve
- Moslems, during the war years, committed numerous crimes against Croats
The special American envoy for the Balkans, Robert Gelbard, and the Deputy Minister of Russian Diplomacy talked with Madam Plavsic in BL about the need for overcoming the political crisis and about the constituting of the new political institutions after the recently held parliamentary elections.
By forming the new Government, the conditions for more intensive co-operation of the RS with the Russian Federation would be gained”, said the Deputy Minister of Russian diplomacy.
2:49
Robert Gelbard criticised the members of the presidency of BiH today for not reaching an agreement on common currency and he announced he would ask the HR to make a decision on that.
“If they don’t reach an agreement today, I shall recommend to the HR of BiH to use his authority and impose the decision on the common currency, which would be temporary and named KUPA”, said Gelbard.
1:00
The RS vice-president, Mirjanic, today received a high official of the Ministry of Defence of the French government in charge of economic relations with BiH. They talked about the possibility of including economic, scientific and research organisations from RS in the big international project Eramus, and especially in the part relating to geological-mining research. Both interlocutors stressed the importance and the need for opening the French cultural centre in BL and gave support to all those working on the realisation of that idea.
0:50
Leaders of the Independent Social Democrats party assessed yesterday’s session of the RS National Assembly at today’s press conference: The president of the party, Dodik, emphasised that SDS and the radicals were making the work of the assembly difficult, i.e., he couldn’t express satisfaction with the election of the assembly leadership. According to him, the functions were assigned on the basis of party determinations, it was only a compromise solution. The policy of SDS and the radicals is being reflected through the fact that the Mandatary Ivanic didn’t address the parliament. Dodik emphasised that the new Government had to be formed on January 17th without further delays, because without it the RS could not function. The Party of Independent Social Democrats supports the concept of the Mandatary Ivanic on the government of national unity.
1:51
At yesterday’s constitutive session of the RS National Assembly, some information was presented regarding the coverage of the RS territory by the SRT TV signal.
“Over 30 % of the RS territory does not have the SRT TV signal. The Government is not saying this just like that. The RS Government checked on the existing signal over the entire territory of the RS in the SRT department of technical services in Pale, and established that, considering that the transmitter Zep doesn’t function, there was some damage to the transmitter Leotar, as well as on Udrigovo, and that the transmitter Kmur has limited possibilities; the entire south-east part of the RS is disconnected,” said Velibor Ostojic at the assembly session.
The SRT reporter from Bijeljina reported that people from Serb Herzegovina, that is from Bilece, Trebinje, Ljubinje, Gacko and Nevesinje, have a perfect signal and were able to follow the direct broadcast of the assembly session. In terms of technical quality, the signal is even better than it used to be.
2:20
Madam Plavsic and Dragan Kalinic sent greeting cards to the Head of the RS Army General Staff, General Pero Colic, wishing happy holidays.
0:20
Representatives of international organisations held a press conference in BL today and informed those present of their activities. The spokesman for OSCE disclosed that the bus line BL-Sarajevo would be re-established, due to the interest of passengers, on January 16th 1998. The spokesman for UNHCR informed journalists that the municipality of Sipovo had been proclaimed an open city since yesterday.
1:35