News Headlines
- Talic pleads not guilty at ICTY
- Talic ready to fight for release – Talic’s lawyer Vladimir Petrovic
- Austrian Foreign Ministry hopes arrest of Talic did not negatively influence Austrian and RS relations – Die Presse
- June pensions paid
- BiH Houses of Representatives and Peoples hold session in Sarajevo
- Djokic reaction to Poplasen letter
- Petritsch sends letter to Djokic, Dodik and Sarovic
- SNS holds press conference
- SNSD holds press conference
- Mass grave with 42 Serb bodies found in Zlas, near Pristina, KFOR issues no announcement – BETA
- Albanians still block Orahovac
- KFOR spokesperson Lavior has no information on meeting between KFOR and Orahovac authorities
- One Albanian injured in Pristina – Lavior
- Male body found in Pendus, 7km south of Podujevo
- Albanian arrested for beating gypsy, who later died in Istok
- Fire at Thermal Power Station Kosovo extinguished
- UN Security Council condemns violence against minorities in Kosovo
- Demilitarization of KLA not performed consistently and decisively – Deputy Russian Ambassador to UN
- Russia worried that US and NATO try to control Balkans
- Cohen and Sergejev to discuss Kosovo situation
- Macedonian attitude on Kosovo same as UN resolution – Gligorov
- Hombach hopes Greece will assist Stability Pact
- EU agrees to suspend petrol sanctions on Yugoslavia
- EC asks for increased aid to Montenegrin and Kosovo refugees
- Bishop Artemije hopes IC will find way to protect people in Serbia
- Serbian opposition wants to dismiss Milosevic illegally – JUL President Ristic
- SPO could be in coalition for elections – Draskovic
- Movement for Democratic Serbia does not expect authorities to organize elections without agreement with opposition
- President of Montenegrin People’s Party Kilibarda does not enjoy support of its representatives – Party Vice-president Drecun
- Two grenades thrown at Joint Monitoring Mission building in Doboj – BETA
- Teodor Gavric resigns as Brcko multiethnic police chief
- International organizations hold press conference in Sarajevo
- Jelavic nominates Begic, Tomic and Meniks as members of RTV Service Executive Board
- Silajdzic will not retract statements blaming Tudjman for war in BiH
- Luzanski and Ganic discuss refugee return with Head of UNHCR
- HDZ attacks on Travnik Mayor unfounded – CD Coalition
- BiH Federation must adopt law to ban use of DM and Kuna domestic monetary transactions – SRNA
- Vasic reaction to Haselock statement
- World news
- RS and BiH Federation Health Ministers hold press conference on international conference on healthcare to be held in Sarajevo
- Trebinje citizens worried about cases of trichinosis reported there
- Third International Agricultural Fair ‘Agros 99’ convenes in Banja Luka
- Sports
- Weather
- Arbour denies Dutch press reports that secret indictment list circulates Banja Luka – Die Presse
- RTV service in BiH is institution that supports interests of all entities – Haselock
- Holbrooke arrives in Sarajevo – US Embassy
- Klein on three-day visit to Moscow to discuss UN action in BiH
- 66 FBI investigators and US Army officials return to Kosovo
- Over 8,000 criminal acts committed in Kosovo since KFOR arrival – Russian Interior Ministry
- Continuation of economic and social stability priority – Serbian Government President Marjanovic
- Marjanovic demands KFOR provide immediate return of Yugoslav forces to borders
- German KFOR will remain in Kosovo for five more years – Scharping
- Dini supports early elections in Serbia
- Djukanovic meets with Simitis
- Greece will support Montenegrin efforts for democratization – Simitis
- Conditions for new school year met – Serbian Education Minister
- Bar judge raises charges against eight persons responsible for death of dozens of gypsies found in Adriatic Sea
- RS interests in Brcko to be realized through joint BiH institutions – Farrand
- Slovenia sixth state using KM – Stiglmayer
- Poplasen just ordinary citizen and has no right to dismiss RS National Assembly – Stiglmayer
- SFOR spokesperson on reconstruction of school in Sipovo
- OSCE announces seminar on Permanent Election Law will be held in Banja Luka on 1 September
- Croatian Government condemns Silajdzic statement on Tudjman
News Summary
Petritsch sends letter to Djokic, Dodik and Sarovic
High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch addressed a letter to RS National Assembly Speaker Petar Djokic, RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and RS Vice-president Mirko Sarovic, stating that the Law on SRT came into effect on 31 August. He said that the establishment of a public RTV service is a key prerequisite for BiH to finally integrate with Europe. It is also of key importance that the standards of editorial independence, transparent financing and cultural pluralism are applied equally in both BiH entities. Petritsch mentioned that the RS was obligated to adopt an appropriate law on SRT in 1998, through arrangements made on 13 February 1998, but such measures were not taken. That is why he decided to bring several amendments to the present Law on SRT, which is only a temporary measure that does not meet European standards. In order to give the RS National Assembly one more opportunity to resolve this issue, Petritsch determined 20 February 2000 as the deadline for adoption of a new, comprehensive law on a public RTV service. The law should include principles of public radio diffusion defined by the decision dated 30 July 1999 and should protect the RTV from political influences of the parliamentary majority.
01:50
SNSD holds press conference
SNSD Main Board member Slavko Mitrovic stated at a press conference in Banja Luka that the CD Coalition demand for possible participation in the RS Government is an ultimatum that would not bring any solutions, but that dialogue on the issue is possible. Commenting on Nikola Poplasen’s demand for the dismissal of the RS National Assembly, Mitrovic said that it is of a private nature, since Poplasen has not been the president since 5 March. That letter is proof of the policy of irresponsibility and destabilization of RS, which has been the policy of the SRS ever since it was established. The SNSD is against the arrest of RS Army Chief of Staff Momir Talic, which does not contribute to reconciliation and implementation of the Dayton Agreement. The party is dissatisfied with the state of the judiciary and demands that the RS Government form an anti-corruption team.
01:50
Vasic reaction to Haselock statement
RS Information Minister Rajko Vasic reacted to Deputy High Representative Simon Haselock’s statement that Vasic is not competent to discuss the constitutionality of the establishment of a public RTV service in BiH, saying that he never mentioned constitutionality, but took exams on constitutional law in European schools. Vasic does not believe that Haselock ever studied that. “Besides” stated Vasic, “Haselock comes from an Anglo-Saxon culture, and cannot judge constitutionality in a region where Anglo-Saxon laws are not applied.” Commenting on Haselock’s statement that SRT, though not influenced by a political party, is a nationalistic TV, Vasic stated that SRT acts under a temporary arrangement of the OHR and with an international technical administrator, so Haselock’s remark means that the OHR arrangement directly leads to the production of nationalistic TV. Vasic demands that Haselock explain this.
01:42