OHR SRT News Summary, 26 November 1998 - Office of the High Representative

Headlines

the first victims from the mass graves in Sarajevo exhumed
the constitutive session of the Parliament House of Representatives stopped due to the disagreement on the assembly leadership
the B&H Presidency talked today with the German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping
General Perisic assessed as illegal the dismissal from the position of the Head of the FRY Army General Staff HQ
the presence of mujahedins on Kosmet – an obstruction to the peace process, western diplomats assess

The exhumation of the bodies of Serb civilians, victims of the 1992-1995 war, from several mass graves started in Sarajevo today. The exhumation is performed by the forensic pathologists team from the RS. According to the Reuters, the witnesses say that there are dozens of the Serb bodies in those mass graves and the process of their exhumation is aggravated by the fact that they are placed near the urban part of the city. Although the Sarajevo authorities previously stated that they were not familiar with the existence of the mass graves in the area of the city, on one of the sites, on the Lav cemetery, 10 bodies were found today. The State Commissions of the RS and the B&H Federation, representatives of the international organizations and the ICTY investigator are present from the very beginning of the exhumation process. The State Commission expects to exhume 150-200 bodies from this mass grave. The State Commission obtained today the new data on the mass graves in Sarajevo from the Serb witnesses who are from Sarajevo. The State Commission called upon all those persons who have the information to provide the Commission with the new information in order to locate the mass graves, exhume the bodies and bury them with dignity.
3:15

The constitutive session of the B&H Parliament House of Representatives was held in Sarajevo today. The B&H Presidency members attended the session as well. The bodies of the House of Representatives were being elected. However, the agreement on the leadership of this body, which should consist of the representatives of the three nations, was not established today. The process of the mandates verification also faced some difficulties. Upon the request of the deputies from the RS, the House of Representatives adopted the conclusion that at the next session the discussion on the change of the oath text should be started. The continuation of the constitutive session of the B&H Parliament House of Representatives is scheduled in seven days.
1:55

The B&H Presidency members talked today with the German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping. According to the B&H Presidency Chairman Zivko Radisic, the German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping and the Special Envoy of the German Government for the Issues of Refugee Return and Reconstruction of B&H, Hans Koschnik passed to the B&H Presidency members the messages of the newly elected German Government and the Federal Chancellor and expressed the support in the period of preparations making for the forthcoming Madrid Conference.
1:25

The B&H Presidency Chairman Zivko Radisic met today with the newly appointed ambassadors of Norway and Turkey to B&H. On that occasion, the ambassadors expressed the willingness of their governments and peoples to help in the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, stabilization and peace keeping as well as strengthening of the economic cooperation.
0:20

The regular session of the B&H CoM was held in Sarajevo today. The key topic which was discussed today was the preparation for the forthcoming Madrid Conference scheduled for December 15 and 16. It was concluded that a single standpoint should be presented in Madrid where both the positive elements and the problems the ministers face while establishing the B&H institutions should be pointed out.
1:45

The Cabinet of the RS President Nikola Poplasen issued a press release which presented the RS President standpoints regarding the RS Government decision on the position of the Secretariat of the Milici municipality. The decision and the opinion of the government are not necessary for making a decision by the RS President and the execution of the RS President’s decision cannot be stopped by the Government decision, the press release said.
1:10

The RS Deputy Prime Minister for Economy, Djuradj Banjac, visited today the workers of the enterprise “Udarnik” from Mrkonjic Grad who have been protesting for several days requesting that the RS Government or SFOR should pay the compensation for the use of the “Udarnik” facilities.
1:30

A delegation of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce is in an official visit to the RS Chamber of Commerce.
1:15

Kosovo-related news.
2:00

News from the B&H Federation.
2:45