Good evening from the Studio of Serb Sarajevo.
Pale – The RS President in the BiH Presidency, Krajisnik, who was in Belgrade today, warned that holding of the parliamentary elections would only cause a division of the RS and establishment of two parliaments. Commenting on Plavsic’s statement in which she mentioned holding of the parliamentary elections only, Krajisnik said that this was her attempt to avoid the presidential ones. That would be a great swindle, in which case the SDS HQ would have to take a position.
2:00
Banja Luka – RS President Plavsic met the head of US Commission for Protection of Journalists, Morton, and talked about the media. Morton announced that the Conference on media in the RS and Federation would be held in Rome, at which members of the Contact Group would appoint commissions to monitor the media here.
2:00
Pale – The Parliament Speaker, Kalinic and his deputy, Tosic met the CoE delegation, and discussed the modalities of participation of BiH parliament and entities’ parliaments at the forthcoming CoE session in Strasbourg.
2:00
Pale – the RS Government session – Apart from a number of laws and regulations, the Government also discussed the measures of Brcko Supervisor Farrand, and concluded that such measures (establishment of the local authorities, judiciary, and borderline) are illegal and against the RS Constitution and laws. Therefore the Government plans to conduct counter-measures in order to protect the Brcko status. They established a delegation headed by Buha, that would travel to Vienna to the Conference on the DPA implementation regarding Brcko. The RS Government will address the IC with a warning that the IC takes part in segregation of the state institutions, then that only those ministers that were appointed by the People’s assembly are legal, as well as that there is the RS President Plavsic para-police force on duty along with the regular police. The RS Government demanded from the RS President to stop destroying the state institutions that function in line with the RS Constitution and laws. They supported the Pale TV decision to stop the strike. They underlined that they used all diplomatic sources in order to return the SRTV property to its real owners, but that the IC kept its position by which they continued to usurp the SRT transmitters. The RS Government thinks that the SRT Editorial Board, as well as the SRT leaders headed by the General Manager Toholj, are legal and legitimate. The Government demanded from the IC to liberate the SRT transmitters and return it to their legal owners.
4:00
SRT employees from Trebinje to Doboj, embittered because of violence and occupation of the transmitters by NATO, started with a general strike on the beginning of this month, asking for freedom of press, freedom of speech, the right to work, and the right on a different opinion. However, the SRT Pale decided to stop the strike as of today, and informed the Governement, Krajisnik, Plavsic, HR Westendorp, OSCE, UN, the Contact Group, as well as the media about their decision. We informed the public daily about different issues, and we organised panel discussions. Several thousands of RS citizens supported our action. In a meantime, foreign media did not want to hear about our protest, convincing us that their real independence and freedom of expression is switched on and off by a finger of a new totalitarianism. The IC which took our basic right away did not say a word during our protest, leaving us alone in our isolation, and showing the real meaning of democracy they want to impose on our people. HR Westendorp’s letter which was sent to Krajisnik showed the above clearly, and he should be ashamed of it. The huge truth was revealed by Mr. Klein’s statement that the media supported the war in BiH. That is true, but Mr. Klein does not know or does not want to know that the Serb people did not have their media before the war, but that the media of which the IC is in favour, actually imposed the war and destruction. The RS people established their media with a great effort in the war, which is the guarantee of our national equality. If you trying to strangle the media you will strangle our people’s voice. Those who temporary occupied our property, and who wanted to be seen as peace keepers no matter what, humanists who came here to unselfishly build our bridges and roads that they had bombed at the first place, made themselves comfortable while holding the property of this people and showing their real face and long-term aims. In a meantime, out leadership met in Belgrade once again, and confirmed that they would implement the Belgrade Agreement. SRT Pale complained about their colleagues from Banja Luka, who were very ironic, but Pale SRT will be able to overcome those little misunderstandings in order to have the RS people together. (File pictures from Udrigovo, lots of Karadzic’s posters)
4:00
With regard to SRT Pale’s decision to stop the strike, the Minister of Information Siljegovic sent a letter of support, underlining that the Governement will do everything that’s in its power to help SRT work. The Governement thinks that the defence of SRT is actually the defence of the RS. The programme which was aired from the Banja Luka studio was not the real SRT programme, but the one created by former SRT employees who usurped the property and used the IC and SFOR to help them broadcast their separatist programme under the name of SRT.
3:00
Brcko – Chief of the Brcko police Simikic confirmed that the security situation in this town is satisfying. The Serb police is carrying on with their duties as usual, regardless of Farrand’s measures on the establishment of the joint multi-ethnic police. Simikic said that the police is waiting for orders from the Government and Ministry of Interior. Pale TV asked the RS parties’ bloc (SDS, SRS, and Social party) for a comment on the current situation in the town, and they said that Mr. Farrand went beyond his authorities because measures are not in line with the RS Constitution and laws. They said that this is an old Communist system of the national key, which could bear fruit under severe regime. SRT journalist added that there will be no Serb Cultural Association or Serb Orthodox festivity if Farrand measures are implemented.
3:00
Pale – Minister of Finances Simic talked with representatives of WB about privatisation of RS banks. It was concluded that WB will finance development of small and middle banks. (Karadzic’s picture on the wall behind them)
2:00
Majority of humanitarian organisations from the States do not hide anymore that they openly support territories under the Muslim control. They are closely connected to Islamic lobbies from Arabian countries.
At the end of the news SRT aired excerpts from panel discussions that took place during the strike of SRT workers. Panels were held every day instead of their live programme, whereas the news were read by SRT anchors in front of the SRT building in Pale, in true Monty Python style.
Among other things, Krajisnik said that they want from the people to have a positive relations towards SFOR, since SFOR implemented peace which is appreciates by the RS leadership. We also want to have a good relations with the IC, but their seizure of the SRT transmitters is counter productive. No-one has the right to ruin relations between the RS people and SFOR, nor to support conflicts between eastern and western part of the RS. He thanked SRT Pale which openly underlined that their essential right – freedom of media – was violated. He appealed on the people not to spontaneously gather since it is not good for the RS.
Buha said that young SFOR soldiers are not to be blamed for this action, for they also have their parents and relatives, but parts of the IC jeopardise their mission in Bosnia.
Radomir Lukic, Buha’s deputy, said neither SFOR, HR nor the Sintra conclusions could find basis for such action which is against the DPA. Kalinic suggested that the IC should have carried out the poll to see if the people wanted SRT off the air or not.
Member of the Serb Radical Party Miroslav Radovanovic said that Serbs have always been treated as American Indians. We are occupied by a great empire of evil, and everything that wasn’t implemented by the Dayton Disagreement is being implemented now.
President of the Constitutional Court, Gajo Mijanovic said that SFOR action was against all rules of the international law because in this case there were no rules established and no penalties for those who broke those rules. Senator Dragos Kalajic said that the RS is the last free territory in occupied Europe, and SRT was the only free TV in Europe.
World news:
Mostar – Muslim and Croat police cannot agree who would investigate the Mostar explosion. Croat and Muslim children are being divided by the two school curriculum.