OHR SRT News Summary, 6 September 1998

Headlines

  • 3 US AID projects finalised in Brcko: the RS top leadership attended the official ceremony
  • John Shattuck and Bob Dole spoke today in Pristina with Serb and Kosovo Albanian representatives about human rights
  • Federation – the pre-electoral atmosphere marked by announcement by the HDZ of BiH of the boycott of the elections
  • 21st rally of the Serb National Creativity finished tonight in Teslic
    0:30
The reconstruction of the electric station, that supplies 5 villages with electric power, the railway station and the municipal building in Brcko was finalised. The official completion of works was attended by the RS President Biljana Plavsic, the Prime Minister M. Dodik, the Supervisor of the international community R. Farrand, the American Ambassador to BiH R. Kauzlarich an the Director of the USAID.
2:00

The leadership of the Association of Veterans of the RS, after yesterday’s tribune held in Banja Luka, addressed the families of the deceased and detained soldiers of the RS in Bijeljina. Branko Panic the President of the Assembly of this Association talked about the difficulties this organisation faces with regard to tracing the missing and exhuming the deceased. “The State Commission led by Jovo Rosic, the International Commission led by Bob Dole and the ICRC are helping us a lot” he stated adding that their position in the system and legal status shall be defined by the special law that is prepared and waiting for adoption in the RS NA. At the end the leadership of this Association called on the families to come to Banja Luka and help in the identification of 232 exhumed, unidentified bodies.
After this meeting the families of the missing civilians and detained and deceased soldiers took a protest walk around Bijeljina, to attract attention to their problems and protest about the non-attendance of the day’s meeting by representatives of the authorities.
1:50

On September 6th 1995 NATO forces started shelling the Republika Srpska. A total of 15 people, 4 children under age of 5, were killed in this NATO action. On the first day NATO shelled Doboj and destroyed the hydroelectric power station Visegrad, Pavlovac village near Banja Luka and Grbavica – Serb area of Sarajevo at the time. On September 7th NATO kept on shelling the RS: the refugee settlement in Kalinovik, destroyed the bridge on the Zeljeznica river in Jolovica near Sarajevo, destroyed the bridge on the Sutjeska river near Tjentiste and shelled the wider region of Srbinje and the Ozren mountain where 5 soldiers of the VRS were killed.
0:40

The following parties were presented:

  1. For Srpska from the bottom of the heart – the SDS rally held in Trebinje last night
  2. The SLOGA Coalition – a rally held last night in Teslic
  3. The SP RS – a public tribune held in Srpski Brod last night
  4. The Serb Coalition for the RS – a rally in Ribnik
  5. The SDS- rally held in Vukosavlje yesterday
  6. The Radical Party of the RS – public tribunes in Zvornk, Janja and Brcko yesterday
  7. The Coalition for the RS – a rally in Ostra Luka (Serb Sanski Most)
  8. The SLOGA Coalition- a public tribune held in Modrica yesterday
  9. The SDS rally for the RS – a rally of the SDS held in Sokolac last night
  10. SPO of the RS – few rallies in the region of Banja Luka
  11. The SLOGA Coalition – a tribune in Samac
  12. The SDS- pre-electoral rally in Trnovo and Kalinovik
  13. The SDS and SRS – rally in Donja Piskavica (border village between Banja Luka and Prijedor)
  14. SPO of RS – rally in Baraci near Mrkonic Grad

The RS President today visited SNS Brcko and talked to the families of the fallen soldiers of the VRS in that town. The President gave $1,000 to each of 5 families.
0:35

“The SLOGA Coalition demands that the Ministry of Interior publish the transcript of audio tapes containing threats and pressures for releasing from custody the director of the SDS Main Office Mr. Bjelica, before the pre-electoral silence. At that time, just to remind you, Momcilo Krajisnik and Dragan Kalinic threatened and announced the murder of Srdjan Knezevic” it is stated in the press release by the SLOGA Coalition.
0:40