Headlines
- Prime-Minister designate Mladen Ivanic returned the mandate for the composition of a new government to President Plavsic
- A New Government has to be elected tomorrow, states the HR to Bosnia, Carlos Westendorp, after a meeting with Mrs Plavsic
- Second session of the NA in Bijeljina tomorrow
- Extraordinary parliamentary elections in Montenegro to be held by May 1998
The Prime-Minister designate returned the mandate for the composition of a new government to President Plavsic because he wasn’t able to gain an adequate assembly majority for the new government to be voted in, said the President’s Cabinet today.
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President Plavsic spoke with Carlos Westendorp and his Deputy, Hanns Schumacher, about the procedure for constituting the new republic government in BL today. Tomorrow’s session of the republic parliament was the main subject of the meeting , ie, the problems which occurred after Ivanic returned the mandate, deepening the constitutional-political crisis in the RS. After the meeting, lasting almost one hour, Westendorp stated to journalists that the most important task in Bijeljina would be the forming of a new government. “Some members of the Parliament tried to use delaying tactics at the last session. That tactic will not be tolerated tomorrow” said Westendorp after meeting President Plavsic.
1:05
News Agencies Beta and SRNA confirmed the information that the following politicians will attend the meeting with FRY President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade: Krajisnik, Ivanic, Radisic, Buha, Kalinic and Poplasen. Today’s meeting of high RS officials with President Milosevic is about finding compromises for the composition of the new government.
0:36
The second session of the RS NA will be held in the House of Youth in Bijeljina tomorrow, beginning at 11:00 hrs., said Kalinic’s Cabinet. In an announcement submitted to the news agency SRNA, it was said that the agenda and the reasons for scheduling the second session of the parliament within such a short period of time would be heard at the session itself.
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SPRS received the news of Ivanic returning the mandate to President Plavsic with great sorrow, the information service of this party stated today.
“An historic chance for forming a government of national unity was missed, and we are one step closer to the establishment of a protectorate,” said the announcement.
The Democratic Patriotic party received the news on Ivanic returning the mandate with sorrow. DPS highly appreciates this Ivanic’s moral stance.
The Democratic party supports the Prime-Minister designate Ivanic and sees him as a chance for saving the republic, stated the secretary of this party, Gavrilo Antic, at today’s press conference held in Bijeljina.
The president of the Serb Peasant’s party, Gordana Vidovic, commented on Ivanic’s decision to return the mandate to President Plavsic at today’s press conference. “In a situation where international aid arrives in very small quantities and is used, for the most part, for reconstruction of the infrastructure, the delay in constituting the republic authorities thereby brings an atmosphere of legal insecurity to the republic” according to Gordana Vidovic, “we cannot expect greater financial help from the IC in the near future”.
1:50
Westendorp delayed making a decision on the design of the future currency in BiH, stated OHR spokesman, Duncan Bullivant. He confirmed that, after yesterday’s meeting with Krajisnik, Westendorp delayed making the decision at the previously determined deadline, that is the January 20th .
The images of writers will be on the new BiH bills, writes Sarajevo-based Oslobodjenje, quoting unofficial sources. Both entities suggested 7 writers each. Those suggested by FBiH will be on bills in the Federation, and those suggested by the RS will be used in the RS, writes Oslobodjenje.
1:46
UN International monitors disclosed in Vukovar today that a Croatian refugee had murdered a 77-year old Serb, and they expressed the fear that there was a possibility that further such incidents might take place. The Serbs in Eastern Slavonia have every right to fear the future, writes today’s Independent on the occasion of the expiration of the UN mandate in that region. When one takes into consideration the behaviour of the Croatian authorities, it is difficult to believe that Zagreb will seriously try to enable them to remain living there. There is a concern about security and human rights record of the Serbs – assessed the magazine.
0:45
Teachers in Eastern Herzegovina continue their strike, asking the Government to pay its debts to this category of employees.
1:24
It was confirmed at the police station that the SFOR helicopter carrying two crew members crashed in the area of Kazani, 1,5 km away from the centre of Srebrenica today. According to police information, one member of the crew is seriously injured.
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The highest political functionaries, Croats in the Western Herzegovina Kanton, refused to put on their police caps the symbols of the Federation and to hoist Federeation flags, reports the Moslem Radio – Sarajevo today.
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The American Ambassador to Croatia stated that Zagreb had to say clearly to the Croats in BiH that there was no chance of annexing parts of BiH, and they had to contribute fully to the functioning of the Federation. That meant that all actions aimed at creating a Great Croatia had to be stopped, he said.
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The extraordinary parliamentary elections in Montenegro will be held by the end of May 1998. This was confirmed by the FRY Information Secretariat today.
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