Headlines
- RS NA Speaker Petar Djokic new prime minister designate, RS President Nikola Poplasen stated this evening
- RS NA session on February 23rd in Banja Luka
- Worsening of the situation in Kosovo could seriously influence the peace process in BiH, HR to BiH Carlos Westendorp stated
- The Lower House of the Russian Parliament Duma calls upon Yeltsin to help FRY in the event of NATO strikes
The RS NA Speaker Petar Djokic is the third prime minister designate for the composition of the new RS Government. The RS President Nikola Poplasen stated this, at exactly 5 p.m., before tens of domestic and foreign journalists. President Poplasen, after consultations with the representatives of the parliamentary political parties and coalitions, made the decision to give the mandate to the Coalition “Sloga” again. “I accepted the assessment that the RS might face a crisis situation, although” Poplasen said, “the RS does not find itself in one”. “I have decided to give the mandate to, according to my judgement, the most serious and solid representative of the Coalition “Sloga” who is practically the second man in the RS” Poplasen said.
1:28
“The proposal that the third prime minister designate be the RS NA Speaker Petar Djokic represents the personal choice of the President Poplasen, which is in compliance with his constitutional authority” stated the spokesperson for SPRS Igor Radojicic for SRNA. Mentioning that neither Sloga nor SPRS proposed Djokic for prime minister designate, Radojicic, on behalf of the SPRS, expressed surprise at this proposal, reminding that his party,as a member of Sloga, supports the current PM Milorad Dodik. Radojicic stressed that the Socialists will have to consult within the party and within the Coalition about this newly created situation.
0:51
The SNSD Secretary General Nenad Bastinac is surprised at the proposal that the new prime minister designate be Petar Djokic, the current RS NA Speaker and member of SPRS. In a statement for SRNA, Bastinac said that this kind of solution was not even mentioned within the Coalition Sloga, whose members also include Socialists. Bastinac went on to say that the unserious behaviour by President Poplasen towards his constitutional obligation to propose the prime minister designate is in question. Bastinac reiterated the standpoint that “Sloga” must be consulted when one of its members is being proposed.
0:36
The President of the SDS Presidency Dragan Kalinic stated that SDS was surprised but not shocked with the proposal of President Poplasen to appoint Petar Djokic the prime minister designate for the composition of the new RS Government. As for the SDS, Djokic, like all previous and possible future prime ministers designate, will be subjected to the same rule: the party will take a position only after hearing the programme and having talks on participation of SDS in such a government, Kalinic said.
0:25
The RS NA Secretary and a member of the SPRS Main Board Momir Malic assessed the appointment of Djokic as prime minister designate for the composition of the new Government to be the constitutional and legitimate right of President Poplasen. After the consultations between Sloga and SPRS take place, the public will be informed whether Djokic is going to accept the candidacy, Malic added in the statement for Srna.
0:28
The forthcoming RS NA session was the subject of today’s consultative meeting of the RS NA Speaker Petar Djokic and the heads of the caucuses held in Banja Luka. The 5th session of the Republic Parliament will be held in Banja Luka on February 23rd, starting at 10:00 hrs, was agreed at today’s meeting after which Djokic informed journalists that the agenda would consist of 28 items.
1:55
The RS PM Milorad Dodik, who is visiting the USA for several days, today visited Columbia University in New York. In the afternoon, American time, Dodik will talk with the Special Envoy to the Balkans Robert Gelbard.
1:40
The RS President and Vice President, Nikola Poplasen and Mirko Sarovic respectively, received in Banja Luka today the Greek Ambassador to BiH. Poplasen and the Greek Ambassador talked about the aid of the Greek Government in reconstruction and building more significant facilities in the RS, primarily in Srpsko Sarajevo. Poplasen also talked with the Iranian Ambassador to BiH about the possibilities of economic cooperation between BiH and its Entities and Iran, says the press release form the President’s office.
1:35
The RS NA Speaker Petar Djokic also received the Iranian Ambassador to BiH. During the meeting, the Iranian Ambassador stressed the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran to cooperate with the RS and BiH, respecting the principles of the DA.
0:20
An RS Government delegation, which departed for the Hague Tribunal, talked today with officials of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Court itself.
1:12
UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Elisabeth Rehn, after a meeting with the Brcko mayor Borko Reljic, held a press conference where she spoke about the upcoming arbitration for the area of Brcko and dominant need for honouring human rights in general.
2:03
Kosovo-related news
4:20
The HR to BiH Carlos Westendorp assessed for the Zagreb press that a worsening of the situation in Kosovo might seriously influence the peace process in BiH. Everything that happens in this region reflects on BiH. The serious economic consequences as well as a new wave of refugees would represent only a part of that scenario, Westendorp said.
0:43