Headlines
- In Kosovo – illegal presidential and parliamentary elections; majority of Albanian political parties boycott polling stations
- Prime Minister Milorad Dodik : Government orientation – economic recovery of Srpska
- Head of Commission for control of Iraqi weapons arrives in Baghdad
RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik met with the president of the ‘ICN Galenika’ company, Milan Panic, today. At the meeting they agreed that ‘ICN Galenika’ would invest $5-10 million in the RS in this year. The aid will consist of building a factory for pharmaceutical products and organising the distribution of medicines in the RS. At a press conference Dodik said that in that way the RS government had established its position towards the recovery of economic life in the RS. He also announced the creation of new business arrangements. Regarding the Kosovo issue, Dodik said that the Kosovo problem must be solved within Serbia. He also added that, if he were Milan Milutinovic, he would move his cabinet from Belgrade to Pristina during that time.
3:55
Having adopted a declaration on Kosovo and Metohija, giving full support to a peaceful solution of the Kosovo crisis and rejecting attempts to make it an international issue, the RS National Assembly concluded its fourth regular session late last night. During the three-day session delegates adopted 12 laws as a matter of urgency, as well as several draft laws which should be confirmed by the RS government. The RS National Assembly Speaker, Dragan Kalinic, described the session as a very difficult one and expressed sorrow at some of the political incidents that had taken place during the session. He also announced that the fifth regular session of the Parliament was to be held in Lukavica in April.
The president of the SDS caucus, Aleksa Buha, said that he was surprised by the standpoints of some caucuses at the fourth session of the RS National Assembly in Banja Luka, and at the same time he was dissatisfied with the opinion on common licence plates expressed by the large coalition.
The vice-president of the SNS caucus, Ostoja Knezevic, stated that he was satisfied with the session of the National Assembly at which delegates made a few important decisions. “The most important thing is that none of the solutions was imposed”, Knezevic underlined. The vice-president of the SPRS caucus, Mile Markovic, stated that the session took place amid many problems and attempts at obstruction, but thanks to the persistent work of the delegates the final aim was achieved.
The delegate of the RS Party of Independent Social Democrats in the National Assembly, Nenad Bastinac, assessed the work of the fourth session of Parliament as the beginning of pre-election campaigning.
3:15
Polling stations for the illegal parliamentary and presidential elections were opened in Pristina at 7 o’clock this morning. At these elections Albanians are voting for only one candidate, Ibrahim Rugova. Only the supporters of Rugova’s Democratic Union of Kosovo responded to these elections, while other Albanian parties boycotted them.
2:05
There has been much reaction from the world on the elections in Kosovo. This includes last night’s statement from the German Foreign Minister, Klaus Kinkel, who said that nobody on the planet could seriously support the independence of Kosovo, and the announcement of a visit by US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, to Rome on Tuesday, March 24. She is due meet with her Italian colleague, Lamberto Dini, and discuss the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.
2:15