Headlines
- Plavsic and Dodik on a working visit to Serb Sarajevo – a development bank as a new project of the RS Government
- The BH CoM on dual citizenship with the FRY and Croatia
- 229 missing in an air crash in the Atlantic Ocean
- Tony Blair a new host for Bill Clinton, after Yeltsin
The calculation of personal and family pensions for RS war invalids for the month of August is expected to start tomorrow. According to the RS Ministry of Information, pensions will increase by 50% in comparison to those in July.
0:15
President Plavsic opened a Development Bank in Serb Sarajevo today. After opening the Bank, Plavsic stated that the fact that it had been sponsored by donated resources did not affect the significance of the entire project.
2:15
Following their session in Lukavica today, the BiH CoM have submitted a draft bilateral agreement on dual citizenship for BiH citizens with the FRY and Croatia to the BH Presidency for their consideration. The session also discussed the composition and platform of a negotiating team that will attend a meeting on the succession of the former Yugoslavia scheduled for September in Brussels. A fervent discussion ensued after a proposal was made on the introduction of seasonal customs fees on the import of agricultural products and foodstuffs with a view to protecting domestic production. Before such a decision is eventually adopted, there will be a meeting between representatives of the OHR and the responsible ministries.
1:49
An RS Vice- President, Tihomir Gligoric, received a German delegation led by the Director of the Department for International and European Social Policy of the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in Banja Luka today. The meeting stated that citizens of the RS who received German pensions would, in the future, be able to get them directly, rather than through Sarajevo. According to Gligoric, the meeting also discussed the reform of social policy in the RS, the strategic plan of health care system until the year of 2000, and the reimbursement of expenses incurred by German citizens receiving health care in the RS.
1:30
Even though more than two months have passed since the convertible marka started circulating as tender currency in the RS and the BH Federation, citizens and companies do not seem to trust it too much. Unlike the BH Federation where it is possible to convert BiH dinars directly into KM, Yugoslav dinars first need to be converted into DMs, and only then in KMs. While the exchange rate still remains 1:1, the majority of RS companies still continue to pay salaries and pensions in dinars rather than KMs.
2:51
Prime Minister Dodik met with a delegation of the World Jewish Congress led by its Secretary- General, Israel Singer, in Bijeljina today. Dodik stated that he had informed his Jewish guests about the overall situation in the RS and that they had expressed interest in our problems. Singer, on his part said that: “I hope that a way will be found in the near future to make this a region where all peoples will live in peace and friendship and I think that it is not an unrealistic situation.” After visiting the RS, the high-level Jewish delegation will be departing for the FRY for meetings with Yugoslav officials and the Union of Jewish municipalities.
3:44
The U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, along with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Wolfgang Schussel, in his capacity as the Chairman of the EU, today described a proposal by Serbian President Milosevic on the temporary status of Kosovo as an important step forward in resolving the crisis there.
0:20
(other Kosovo-related issues)
3:55
The Presidency of the RS Academy of Sciences and Arts met in Banja Luka today to discuss the work, the location and the funding for this top-level scientific institution in the country.
1:40
An agreement was signed between the Japanese Embassy in Sarajevo and a Japanese humanitarian NGO today on the reconstruction of the primary school in Kasindol worth over DM 50,000.
1:45
A round table on the political and legal aspects of initiating procedures for assessing the compatibility of certain provisions of the RS Constitution with the BiH Constitution took place today. The round table actually focused on a request by Alija Izetbegovic addressed to the BiH Constitutional Court asking for certain key articles of the RS Constitution to be modified. The referred articles concern the respective issues of the constitutional system in the RS, its sovereignty, its constituency and its special relations with neighboring countries. A number of speakers at the round table assessed such a request as an attempt to revise the DA. A discussion has been scheduled on the issue before the BiH Constitutional Court for this October.
2:50
The OSCE today stated that a debate between candidates for the Bosniak representative at the BH Presidency scheduled for this evening in Sarajevo had been postponed due to Izetbegovic and Rahmanovic having refused the invitation of OSCE. The debate scheduled for 6 September in Mostar between Croat candidates, and the one scheduled for 10 September in Banja Luka between Serb candidates, as well as the one scheduled for 8 September between candidates for the RS President will take place as scheduled.
0:35
The RS Ministry of Information released a public statement today saying that local authorities in a number of municipalities in the RS, orchestrated by the SDS and the Serb Radical Party had, recently, increasingly started to carry out different diversions against the RS media and communication systems.
1:15
- SLOGA Coalition – a public tribune in Srbinje last night attended by the three leaders
- The SNSD – a public tribune in Cajnice last night
- The SNS – a public tribune in Gacko yesterday
- The SDS – an election rally in Srbac last night – presentation of candidates
- The SP RS – a public tribune in Brcko last night attended by Minister of Refugees Dragicevic and Speaker Djokic, along with local election candidates
- The SDS – an election rally in Serb Brod entitled “Wholeheartedly for the RS”
- The Radical Party of the RS – a public tribune in Pale
- The Serb Coalition for the RS – an election rally in BL last night
- The SLOGA Coalition – an election rally in Serb Sarajevo
- The SP RS – a press conference by Dragutin Ilic in Bijeljina
- The Social Liberal Party – a press conference in BL at which Nebojsa Karalic appealed to RS citizens to vote for the SLOGA Coalition candidates for top-level state positions and for the RS representative at the BH Presidency
- The Serb Homeland Front – a press conference accusing OSCE of planning to affect the results of the September elections by presenting false information about the number of voters in the RS.
- The SP RS – a public tribune in BL late last night
- The SDS and the Serb Radical Party Coalition – an election rally in Ribnik
- The Serb Movement of Renewal – an election rally in Nevesinje
- The SDS – election rallies in Lopari and Ugljevik
- The Serb Monarchist Union – a press conference in BL