18.04.2004

OHR Weekend Media Brief, 17-18/4/2004

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Friday

RADIO HERCEG BOSNA  (18,00 hrs)

BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs)

FED TV (19,30 hrs)

RT RS  (19,30)

Anniversary- Trusina crime

HR decisions

HR decision

HR replaced RS Officials

HR replaced RS officials

Reactions in RS

Commission’s report

Report of the Commission

RS Gov. on HR decisions

Anniversary in Ahmici

RS Gov. statement

Reaction on HR decisions

Operation of RS Police

Conference in Sarajevo

Action in Banja Luka

RS President’s statement

Saturday

NTV HAYAT  (18,55 hrs)

BH TV 1 (19,00 hrs)

FED TV (19,30 hrs)

RT RS  (19,30)

Story on former PoWs

D. Hays in USC

Sjekirica surrenders

Protests in Vlasenica

Rafi Gregorian- interview

Sjekirica surrenders

Incident in Merhamet

RS PM on Srebrenica

Martin Bell- interview

S. Tihic in Orasje

Reform of education

Fight against organ. Crime

RS Youth’s opinion

RS PM statement

Mikerevic’s statement

Floods in RS

Saturday

Oslobodjenje

Savic and Miletic removed, Cavic and Mikerevic spared

Dnevni Avaz

EUPM Commissioner Kevin Carty: Police must work together

Dnevni List

HR removed RS military top: Report on Srebrenica is pulling down current authority; Central Board will withdrew their confidence given to Colak?

Vecernji List

Stefo Masatovic is preparing putsch within HDZ leadership; Croatia is enemy to one fifth of Bosniaks

Slobodna Dalmacija

10 million KM for opening of bridge; Masatovic demands Colak’s resignation

Glas Srpske

Decision of OHR: Savic and Miletic removed; Letter of Patriarch Pavle: Starovlah’s were tortured

Nezavisne Novine

Owing to obstructions of the work of Srebrenica Commission: Ashdown removes Savic and Miletic; RS police action: Ecim and Tolimir suspected of aiding war crime suspects; RS Directorate for Privatisation: Tender for the sale of “Banjalucka Pivara” failed; How “Telekom” spend European Bank loan:  BAM 900 thousand invested in development instead of BAM 60 million

Sunday

Oslobodjenje

Sjekirica turned himself in to Spanish police

Dnevni Avaz

Conflicts between factions shakes HDZ

Dnevni List

Covic’s personnel solutions caused HDZ break-up!?; President of RS National Assembly Dragan Kalinic: Crises in RS deepened by Ashdown’s removals

Vecernji List

Raguz, Vrankic Merdzo are among those who break up HDZ ; Cave Vjetrenica on UNESCO’s list soon?

Slobodna Dalmacija

Features Croatia related headlines

 

Srebrenica report

High Representative dismisses RS officials over Srebrenica report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HB Radio, BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Friday, Saturday’s Oslobodjenje front page, pgs. 4-5 ‘Savic and Miletic removed, Cavic and Mikerevic spared’, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2, mentioned on the front page ‘Ashdown removed Cvjetko Savic and Dejan Miletic’, Glas Srpske cover page story ‘Savic and Miletic removed’; Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Ashdown removes Savic and Miletic’, Dnevni List Saturday front and page 5 ‘Report on Srebrenica is pulling down current authority’ by I. Tabucic, Vecernji List Saturday front page ‘Ashdown removed RS officials’ and page 3 ‘RS will disappear because of Srebrenica’ by E. Medunjanin  and Slobodna Dalmacija Saturday last page ‘Ashdown removed Commander of the RS Army’, SRNA – The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, decided on Friday to dismiss RS Army Chief of Staff Cvjetko Savic and the RS Government liaison officer with the Hague Tribunal, Dejan Miletic, due to the RS authorities’ “systematic obstruction” of the work of the commission for investigating events in and around Srebrenica from 10 to 19 July in 1995. Ashdown said at a news conference held on the occasion in Sarajevo that he has sent a warning to the RS interior and defence ministers, Zoran Djeric and Milovan Stankovic respectively, to establish full cooperation with the commission for investigating the events in Srebrenica. He pointed out that he has called on RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic to replace the chairman of the commission, Marko Arsovic, as it has been shown, he said, that he could not cope with the pressures of this job. Ashdown is demanding that RS President Dragan Cavic and Prime Minister Mikerevic personally involve themselves in the work of the commission and pointed out that he will hold them personally accountable. “They have two weeks to improve the situation,” Ashdown said. According to Ashdown’s demand, the Commission will have to prepare a full and final report by the end of the first week of June.

Cavic says not authorized for the work of Srebrenica Commission

RTRS on Friday, Oslobodjenje pg. 4 ‘Commission not my competence’, DL Sunday page 16 ‘Cavic: I do not hold myself accountable!’, ONASA – Republika Srpska President Dragan Cavic said in an interview with ONASA that the local institutions must implement all obligations arising from the law on cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, including the arrest of war crime indictees, and that the Report of the Srebrenica Commission will be politically very important for the RS. “I told the High Representative clearly that I am not running away from my responsibility on any issue, but that I cannot accept the responsibility that does not belong to me, although I do not deny that he can make responsible anyone he wants in BiH. That responsibility does not belong to me, since I do not have the instruments and the decision of the BiH Human Rights Chamber does not refer to the RS president but the RS government. From my side, I supported the work of the Commission, since I think that the truth about these issues is politically very important for the RS, and I have sent several letters to the RS prime minister in which I insisted that the work of the Commission be very serious, since the result of its work would have long-term consequences,” said Cavic commenting on HR’s claims related to his responsibility for the work of Sebrenica Commission.

RS Government announces replacement of Srebrenica Commission chair

 

HB Radio, BHTV, FTV on Friday, Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘RS Government blames members of the commission for poor results’, FENA – In order to improve the work of the Srebrenica Commission and due to deteriorating health of the Commission Chair Marko Arsovic, the RS Government will direct its activities to appointing a new Chair that will be able to lead the Commission to success. “The RS Government thinks that certain claims from the Srebrenica Commission’s preliminary report are based on false facts and that serious conclusions have been made based on those facts, especially those concerning obstruction by certain RS institutions”, the RS Government stated. The Government concluded that besides objective circumstances stated in the preliminary report, other, subjective circumstances were not mentioned even though they did exist, especially in regard to the engagement of certain Commission members which cannot be described as satisfactory. The RS Government also stressed that it took a series of specific measures lately in order to ensure all necessary conditions for the uninterrupted work of the Commission.

Mikerevic says two months enough for Srebrenica report

TV Hayat, BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 4 ‘New chairman of the Commission to be appointed by Tuesday’, DL Sunday page 16 ‘Two months are enough for report about Srebrenica’, ONASA – Republika Srpska Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic said in Doboj on Saturday that he is convinced that two months are sufficient for creation of a valid report on the July 1995 events in Srebrenica. Commenting on the High Representative Paddy Ashdown’s decision to reject the preliminary report of the Srebrenica Commission, Mikerevic said that better results will be achieved, and that there were “objective issues” that hindered the Commission. “I believe the new preliminary report will be more detailed,” he said, adding that “truth is a necessity for the RS, especially Serbs, and will alleviate the collective guilt.” According to Mikerevic, it “does not matter whether some RS politicians are sacked because of the report.” Mikerevic said the new chair of the Srebrenica Commission would be appointed by Tuesday (April 20).

Arsovic: I was not officially informed about my removal

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘Arsovic has still not received decision on his removal’, FENA – The former chair of the Srebrenica Commission, Marko Arsovic, on Friday told Fena that he has not yet received the official information that he has been dismissed from this duty, nor about the reasons for this decision. Thus, Arsovic said that he could not comment on the announced decision by the RS Government to dismiss him. He stressed that he would give his comment once he has been informed about all details. The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, on Friday took several measures due to non-cooperation of RS authorities with the Srebrenica Commission, and also requested that RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic remove the Chairman of the Srebrenica Commission, Marko Arsovic.

Savic says RS Army did cooperate with the Srebrenica Commission

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘We gave all documents from the archive to the Commission’, Dnevni List Sunday page 16 ‘Cvjetko Savic surprised by HR’s decision’ not signed, Slobodna Dalmacija Sunday page 9 ‘Savic: Decision is too sharp!’ by A. MacanovicFENA – The RS Army Chief of Staff, Cvjetko Cavic, who was dismissed from this duty on Friday by the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, due to non-cooperation of RS authorities with the Srebrenica Commission, stated that he was very surprised by this decision, bearing in mind that the RS Army was cooperating in the process of investigating the events that happened in and around Srebrenica in July of 1995. Savic said that he was surprised, “because the RS Army has already done a great deal of work as certain activities are currently in progress aimed at helping the Commission to find the whole truth”. He claims that all relevant documents that were in the Army’s possession were forwarded to the Commission, as requested. Savic also claims, “it was ascertained that a part of the archive from this period is missing”. “It is clear to everybody that this archive from the war time period was partially taken by SFOR or forwarded to the Hague Tribunal, where many people were convicted for Srebrenica already”, said Savic. He also noted that he does not see in which segment the RS Army has shown a lack of cooperation. “We all care about finding the truth”, Savic told RS Radio.

Kalinic: The HR’s decisions distressing

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 2 ‘For RS leadership it is about disturbing measures,’ Dnevni List Sunday front and page 16 ‘Crises in RS is being deepened by Ashdown’s removals’, FENA – RS National Assembly Speaker Dragan Kalinic on Friday stated that the latest measures taken by the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, in regard to non-cooperation of RS with the Srebrenica Commission, are very distressing (disturbing, worrying) for him as well as for the RS leadership. In his first reaction Kalinic said that in the remaining time all members of the Srebrenica Commission should do their best to ensure that the report meets all standards required by the international community.

BHTV: RS officials react to dismissals over Srebrenica probe

BHTV on Friday – A report on reactions in Banja Luka to the decision of the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, to replace the RS army chief of the General Staff, Gen Cvjetko Savic, and the RS government’s liaison officer with the Hague tribunal, Dejan Miletic. Spokesman for the RS prime minister, Goran Radivojac, has announced that the government will very soon appoint new head of the secretariat for cooperation with the Hague tribunal in place of Dejan Miletic, who was sacked on Friday. He conveyed readiness of the RS government to do everything to enable the commission investigating the July 1995 Srebrenica events to complete its work as soon as possible. “We will invest maximal effort to meet the deadlines. I repeat that the RS institutions will help the Srebrenica commission to complete its task, on which it has been working since the beginning of this year,” he emphasized. Radivojac also announced that files from the ministries of interior and defence, the army General Staff and the intelligence and security service would be handed over to the commission. Gen Cvjetko Savic, who was replaced on Friday by the High Representative from the position of the chief of staff, persists in his claims that the RS Army met all the demands of the Srebrenica commission. “I was expecting praise for everything that the army did. No one asked the army for such data about Srebrenica, except individual investigators, who examined our archives and took whatever was there. That was made available to everyone, or rather to all official persons who came to us,” Savic said.  The Speaker of the RS National Assembly, Dragan Kalinic, said in Banja Luka that Friday’s dismissals would deepen the crisis in the RS.

FTV, RTRS also carried the RS officials’ reactions on Friday, Glas Srpske cover page story ‘Savic and Miletic removed’; Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 3 ‘Ashdown removes Savic and Miletic’ on Saturday.

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje, Avaz editorials on Srebrenica Commission

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 2 ‘Expected scandal’ In Focus column by Gojko Beric – Beric claims that the fact is the investigation into the Srebrenica massacre has been obstructed at all both political and military levels. “The HR in this case does what he can. He is not able to deal with the nationalistic Mafia neither he is able to correct disastrous mistakes made by the international community particularly in the first post-war years when it allowed that the initiators of the war and extreme nationalists, those who were ordering and committing mass crimes, remained in power,” wrote Beric. 

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 3 ‘Hiding the truth on Srebrenica’ Commentary of the Day by Almasa Hadzic – Hadzic wrote that the international community was obviously losing patience and it did not want any more to wait for RS to present evidence on crimes committed in the name of Radovan Karadzic.

RS Helsinki Committee: HR should have insisted that RS authorities arrest Karadzic

Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘Truth about Srebrenica turned into a farce’ – President of the RS Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Branko Todorovic said the HR Paddy Ashdown should have insisted that RS authorities arrest Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic instead of establishing a body to investigate into Srebrenica massacre.

Amor Masovic on Srebrenica Commission

Sunday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 5 ‘Any investigation into Srebrenica developments means undermining RS foundations’, mentioned on the front page ‘If I am asked I would remove Kalinic first’ – Interview with Amor Masovic, the President of the FBiH Commission for Missing Persons. “It seems to be illusion to expect that any official RS institution will help establishing the truth about the genocide. That negates so-called foundations RS is based on and it is well known that Srebrenica and all other Srebrenicas are those foundations. Any investigation into what happened in Srebrenica represents undermining of those foundations,” said Masovic.  

Blagojevic on Srebrenica

Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘Truth about Srebrenica must be told’, DL Sunday page 16 ‘Truth about Srebrenica must be told’ – Mirko Blagojevic, delegate of Serb Radical Party at BiH Parliament, said in Bijeljina on Friday that the truth about Srebrenica must be finally told, because the Serb people has been sanctioned a lot over Srebrenica tragedy.

 

Security/investigations

EUPM Commissioner: Police must work together

 

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz front page, pg. 5 ‘Police must work together’ – Interview with EUPM Commissioner Bartolomew Kevin Carty. Carty said that the security problems in BiH were not much different from those in any other Europen country. He emphasized that the problems were the most visible in the area of organized crime. “Dramatic incidents, conflicts or murders with use of explosive are attracting public attention everywhere in the world,” said Carty.    

RS police raid homes of possible war crime indictees’ supporters

TV Hayat, HB Radio, BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Friday, Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 4 ‘Raid into houses of perosns suspected of supporting war criminals’, Dnevni Avaz pg. 4, mentioned on the front page ‘Police raided houses of Ecim, Tolimir’, Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 2 ‘Ecim and Tolimir suspected of aiding war crime suspects’; Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘They also took away games for children’ – In accordance with an order from the BiH Court, members of the Banja Luka Public Security Centre on Friday searched the family homes of one former and one current employee of the RS intelligence and security service. The raids were carried out under the well-founded suspicion that the persons had been aiding war crimes suspects. Police raided the family homes of Ljuban Ecim and Aleksandar Tolimir. TV Hayat have learned that in the RS intelligence and security service, Tolimir works on site and building security. Ljuban Ecim occupied high-level posts in the same service. The raids were carried out in line with an order from the BiH court on suspicion of aiding war crimes suspects. Ljuban Ecim has not lived at 26 Stevan Mokranjac street since 1994. His parents refused to comment on the raid by the RS police. Two days ago a similar operation was carried out in Pale when the premises of the Sveti Jovan radio station, the Jahorina insurance company and the Srpske Sume (Serb forests) company were raided. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) is still waiting for Zoran Djeric, the RS minister of internal affairs, to provide an explanation of this operation. The OHR insists that the operation was delayed by seven days. The BiH Court had issued a search warrant on 7 April, but the Serb Republic Ministry of Internal Affairs did not react until 14 April.

Oleg Milisic, OHR spokesman: “The minister is the most responsible person. He should be able to explain why there was such long delay between the court order and the search operation.“  Minister Djeric was not available for comment today. 

Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 3, mentioned on the front page ‘Were evidence on cooperation with Karadzic found?’ – Vlado Adamovic, the judge at the BiH Court, said in a statement for the newspaper on Saturday that in the course of the next week the documents seized from the suspects of supporting war criminals by the RS police would be examined. The documents will, according to Adamovic, confirm if the suspicions were grounded or not. 

Sanel Sjekirica turned himself in to the Spanish police

 

TV Hayat, BHTV, FTV, RTRS on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje front page ‘Sjekirica turned himself in to the Spanish police’, Dnevni List Sunday page 7 ‘Surrender of Sanel Sjekirica’, ONASA/AFP – A Bosnian man wanted by Spanish authorities in connection with the March 11 train attacks turned himself in to police late on Friday at the Madrid airport, an AFP correspondent reported. Sanel Sjekirica, 24, had announced his intention to surrender to Spanish police, in an interview given on Wednesday in Sweden. He arrived at the Madrid-Barajas airport aboard a KLM commercial flight from Amsterdam, and was immediately taken into custody by plainclothed police officers. Sjekirica is believed to have ties to Fouad El Morabit, one of the suspects held over the train bombings in Madrid that left 191 dead in the country’s worst-ever terror attack, blamed on Moroccan Islamic extremists. But in comments to the Sarajevo newspaper Dnevni Avaz given from Sweden, where he was visiting a friend, the Bosnian protested his innocence. “I told them I had nothing to hide and that I would talk to them,” Sjekirica said, announcing his intention to return to Spain on Friday. He said he had learned about the accusations against him through the media, and claimed he was in Sweden at the time of the attacks. “He strongly denied any involvement in the attacks, but said he knows some of the terrorists as they studied together” in Spain, according to the Dnevni Avaz report. A foreign ministry official in Sarajevo said Sjekirica carried a Bosnian passport. Sjekirica has been living in Oviedo, Spain, since 1993, when he fled his hometown of Mostar during Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war, according to his father. The official quoted a report sent to the foreign ministry from Bosnia’s embassy in Sweden, which describes Sjekirica as residing in both Sweden and Spain. According to the report, he had reported to the Bosnian embassy in Stockholm last year that his Bosnian passport has been lost by the Swedish post office when he sent it back to his mother in Spain to extend a visa. The embassy in Stockholm then issued a new passport to him. Spanish investigators hunting down the perpetrators of the deadly attacks arrested three new suspects — a Moroccan, an Egyptian and a Saudi — late on Thursday. A total 18 suspects have been arrested in connection with the Madrid attacks and are facing provisional charges. Fourteen are Moroccans, two are Indians, one is Spanish and another Syrian.

Letter by Serb Patriarch Pavle on SFOR operation

Glas Srpske cover page story ‘Starovlah’s were tortured’; Nezavisne Novine pg 6 ‘Patriarch Pavle wrote to Ashdown and Heads of UN, NATO and EU’ – The Serb Patriarch Pavle has asked the officials of UN, NATO, EU and High Representative to BiH, Paddy Ashdown, to make sure that Orthodox believers in Republika Srpska are no longer disturbed, as well as that the attacks against priests and their families do not take place.

In the letter to the world officials, Patriarch Pavle reminded them that SFOR soldiers tortured Archpriest Jeremija Starovlah and his son Aleksandar.

Macedonian plane crash

Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘Plane crashed because of pilot’s mistake’ – According to unofficial sources, the draft report, which Salko Begic and his Commission in charge of investigating plane crash near Mostar (when the Macedonian delegation led by Macedonian President, Boris Trajkovski, died) compiled claims that the plane crashed owing to mistake by pilots. Namely, they were flying too low at the time of crash at 500 metres instead of 1200 metres. Sarajevo media, Dnevni List Saturday last page “Pilots responsible for crash of plane in which President Trajkovski was!?’ also covered the issue.

 

Political developments

Conflict between factions shakes HDZ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pgs. 4-5, mentioned on the front page ‘Masatovic accused party (HDZ BiH) leadership of non-protecting interests of Croats’, Dnevni Avaz front page ‘Conflict between factions shakes HDZ’, Slobodna Dalmacija Saturday front and page 17 ‘Masatovic demands Colak’s resignation’ by E. Karamtic, Dnevni List Saturday front and page 3 ‘Central Board will withdraw their confidence given to Colak?’ by De.L., Vecernji List Saturday front and page 3’ Stefo Masatovic is preparing political putsch in HDZ BiH’ by D. Ravic carry that President of the Association of Croat Refugees and Displaced Persons Stefo Masatovic together with 70 members of the HDZ Central Board sent a list with their signatures to HDZ President Barisa Colak demanding from Colak convening of the 4th emergency session of the HDZ Central Board as soon as possible. During this session, among the other things, the removal of the current HDZ leadership would be discussed.  Commenting on this initiative people from HDZ stated that it is a legitimate right to discuss all topics including removals, however, they also remind that the putsch is being prepared by those who are not members of the HDZ Central Board at all, first of all by Masatovic who resigned at the last session of that body.  SD carries Masatovic as saying that they are especially dissatisfied with personnel solutions and inefficiency of HDZ personnel in the executive authority at all levels in BiH.

Vecernji List Sunday page 3 ‘Break-up shakes HDZ BiH’ by M. Bosnjak carries that according to announcements coming from HDZ this issue will be discussed at the session of the HDZ Presidency that is to take place on Monday. VL says that during this session it will be also decided about a date of the session of the HDZ Central Board during which all fractions will be able to express their stands.

VL Sunday front page ‘Raguz, Vrankic Merdzo are among those who break up HDZ’and page 3 ‘Raguz, Vrankic and Merdzo are leading putschists’ not signed carries that Masatovic claims that Chairman of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Martin Raguz, FBiH Minister of Finances Dragan Vrankic and President of the HDZ Board of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Josip Merdzo also signed the aforementioned list.

Dnevni List Sunday front and page 7 ‘Covic’s personnel solutions caused HDZ break-up?!’ by M. Relota carries Masatovic as saying that dissatisfaction is mostly directed against Croat member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Covic whose personnel solutions damaged the Croat people. Masatovic also said: ‘The current HDZ composition does not have contacts with the official Zagreb at all and they also bring us into conflict with the International Community.’

BiH Helsinki Committee regrets changes to the BiH Election Law were not adopted

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 3 ‘Nationalistic approach to national minorities’, FENA – The BiH Helsinki Committee for Human Rights expressed regret that changes to the BiH Election law that would ensure representation of minorities in municipal councils have not been adopted. “We think that an opportunity has been missed to further promote national minorities and ensure equal rights for all BiH citizens. We think that this policy, which is reduced to political rights of only the three constituent peoples, is unacceptable both from the position of international human rights standards and the position of BiH reality”, BiH Helsinki Committee Chair Srdan Dizdarevic told FENA on Friday. We think, he added, that this is a new, additional reflection of “nationalistic policies that are deaf to the rights and position of minorities”.

The BiH Parliamentary Assembly has failed to adopt changes to the BiH Election law by April 15 that would regulate the participation of national minorities in the local elections. This means that this regulation will not be applied at the BiH municipal elections scheduled for October 2.

RS Helsinki Committee on failure to pass minorities-related changes to the BiH Election Law

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 3 ‘The ball is now in Ashdown’s court’, FENA – Top BiH authorities have again like many times before shown unacceptable inertness, sluggishness, lack of interest and even incompetence and we now do not have a law that would allow minorities equal participation in the October local elections, RS Helsinki Board Chair Branko Todorovic told FENA. He described the failure to pass changes to the BiH Election Law as unacceptable practice. The RS Helsinki Board calls on the High Representative to take specific action in response to this or extend the deadline by which this law should be adopted. If there is not other solution he should impose the law.

Urgent measures taken to pass changes to the BiH Election Law

 

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘Urgent adoption of the Election Law’, Dnevni List Saturday page 3 ‘Minorities will be able to take part at elections’ by D. Polovina-Mandic, FENA – The House of Representatives Collegium and the House of Representatives’ Constitutional Commission together with the BiH House of Peoples and the BiH Election Commission have taken urgent action to ensure that changes in the BiH Election Law are adopted at the next session of the House of Representatives on April 23, as well as at the session of the BiH House of Peoples on April 26. This will create legal conditions and provide a legal framework for the participation of representatives on national minorities in the municipal elections on October 2, the BiH Parliamentary Assembly stated.

Brcko Supervisor transfers part of the authorities to the Government, Assembly

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 7 ‘A part of authorities to Government, Assembly’ – Brcko Supervisor Susan Johnson transferred a part of her authorities from the areas of education, reconstruction and return to the District Administration and the Assembly. 

Oslobodjenje: Ashdown is yet to be worried since there is no one to unify Mostar

Saturday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 10 of the Pogled weekly supplement ‘Ashdown is yet to be worried since there is no one to unify Mostar’ By Nermin Bise – The author claims that the two months following announcement (coming into force) of the HR Paddy Ashdown’s decision on the administrative re-arrangement of Mostar nothing has changed in the town. “The town is still divided with heavy problems that remain the same if not more visible and additionally deepened,” wrote Bise.

International Commission for the Balkans established in Brussels

Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 5 ‘Support to faster accession to EU’ – A two-day inaugural session of the International Commission for the Balkans ended in Brussels on Saturday. The session/establishment of the body was initiated by two European and two American foundations (Bosch from Germany, King Boduen from Belgium, Marshal and Mott from US). The aim of the Commission is to develop a vision of faster integration of the Balkan countries into Europe. It is chaired by Guliano Amato, former Italian prime minister, and comprises 18 former members, including the BiH SDP leader, Zlatko Lagumdzija and former High Representative Carl Bildt.

Interview with EC’s Maroevic

Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘We hope BiH authorities will meet EU pre-requisites’ – In a brief interview to NN, Frane Maroevic, Spokesperson of the European Commission delegation to BiH, says that RS has not done much on the field of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, stressing it has not so far arrested a single war crime suspect, while F BiH has fulfilled its duties. On this he adds: “Although BiH has no police that could do this, it is up to the state to find the manner, in which relevant institutions would resolve the problem of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.”

He also says that EC is optimistic that BiH would meet 16 pre-requisites from Feasibility Study by 18 November. He also stresses that the coordination between the state and entities (regarding fulfilment of pre-requisites) is insufficient.

 

Economic/social issues/education

PDHR Hays meets with cantonal prime ministers over floods, illegal logging

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 15 ‘Misuse of national resources is a source of corruption’, FENA – Flooding and illegal logging can only be tackled effectively if all levels of government below the Entity level are included in planning and implementing solutions, Principal Deputy High Representative Donald Hays told Cantonal prime ministers at a meeting at the OHR on Friday. “There are a number of reasons, both climatic and human, which have made this year’s flooding the worst for years,” Ambassador Hays said. “The misuse of natural resources through the clearing of large areas of forest, and the excavation of river beds continue to be sources of corruption, political funding, and social misery in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he added.

Dnevni List Saturday page 4 ‘OHR presented Draft Law on Sustainable Forestry’ by Nina carries an OHR press release, which says that that Principal Deputy High Representative Donald Hays presented to the Prime Ministers a draft BiH Law on Sustainable Forestry, based on recommendations from the Bulldozer Committee and local experts. The law, which will be presented to Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Dragan Doko next week, introduces a framework for the certification of forestry products, and a viable regime for exporting sustainably-produced timber and wood products.

PDHR Hays in Bihac

BHTV, FTV on Saturday, Sunday’s Dnevni Avaz pg. 4 ‘Una-Sana Canton Government will aggressively complete cases of illegal privatisation’, Oslobodjenje pg. 6 ‘Praises to new prime minister Kumalic’ – Principal Deputy High Representative Donald Hays visited Bihac on Saturday where he met with the cantonal officials to discuss necessity for efficient exploitation of human and financial resources in the region as well as the entire BiH.

Dnevni List Sunday, page 5 ‘To reduce Government’s costs and increase efficiency of administration’ by R. Karat also carries that Principal Deputy High Representative Donald Hays visited the Una-Sana Canton yesterday where he met with the Cantonal Prime Minister Ismet Kumalic. DL says that the first part of the talks took part behind the closed door, however, according to the DL information Hays and Kumalic talked about the reforms and new steps in the privatisation of some still non-privatised companies in this Canton. After the meeting Hays praised transparency with which the Cantonal Government started with the privatisation of the state capital in a few companies from the area of wood industry and he gave support to the Government for a more aggressive approach towards those companies in which the state capital was privatised in an illegal way.

Vecernji List Sunday page 2 ‘Donald Hays visited Una-Sana Canton’ by S.T. and Slobodna Dalmacija Sunday, page 9 ‘Goal: Privatisation and job for young educated cadres” by M. Mulic also covered this visit.

Universities in BiH forum ends – Beecroft urges adoption of the higher education law

 

TV Hayat, FTV on Saturday, Sunday’s Oslobodjenje pg. 6 ‘The time has come for government to do something for the people’, mentioned on the front page, Dnevni List Sunday last page ‘Mostar University is not against reforms in area of higher education’, ONASA – One of the conclusions of the fifth education forum on “Universities in BiH” was that domestic activities should focus on preventing the academic population from leaving the country. The forum focused on the problems faced in university education in BiH. One of the biggest problems, the participants agreed, is the emigration of educated people from BiH, which must be prevented through creation of a long-term strategy and a database of youth with university diplomas in BiH and abroad. An introductory speech to the forum was delivered by OSCE Head of the Mission to BiH Robert Beecroft, who expressed his discontent with the delay in adoption of the BiH law on university education. According to Beecroft, BiH should partake in the Bologna process, like other European countries, in order to reach the mutual goal by 2010, being part of the single European university education area. Beecroft said that this means that all seven public universities in BiH must be organized into a single, coherent unit, that would guarantee the autonomy of the universities, academic freedom, and less expensive and transparent administration. He reiterated that the law is directly related to two projects of the World Bank, the education reorganization project, valued at $12 million, and the Economy Management Structural Adjustment Credit, valued at $30 million. Besides representatives of the OSCE Mission, the forum was attended by deans and rectors of BiH universities, and numerous professors and students.

Update to Telekom Srpske

Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 5 ‘BAM 900 thousand invested in development instead of BAM 30 million’ – NN sources close to “Telekom Srpske” claim that in the past two years, Telekom invested the total of BAM 900 thousand from the loan of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development instead of the total loan of BAM 30 million. The loan was intended to modernise land and mobile telephony.

Update to sale of Banjaluka Brewery

Nezavisne Novine cover and pg 5 ‘Tender for the sale of “Banjalucka Pivara” failed’; Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘Import chases away buyers’ – The RS Directorate for Privatisation of Friday announced that the tender for the sale of Banja Luka Brewery “Banjalucka Pivara” failed, since not a single foreign company has delivered a valid bid on time, in spite of initial interest for the sale.

Interview with economic expert Vlahovic

 

Nezavisne Novine cover and pgs 4-6 in NN supplement Revija ‘I do not come to RS for political or financial reasons’ – In an interview to NN, Aleksandar Vlahovic, former Serbian minister of energy and privatisation, says he will not move to Banja Luka to be a member of advisory team for privatisation in RS. Instead, he should be working seven to ten days a month in RS, during which he is to review the current situation within the field of privatisation in RS and to try to identify measures, which would result in possible development of private sector. He stresses he is either to accept the offer by Dragan Cavic, RS President, (in which case he would be adviser for privatisation affairs in RS) or to reach some agreement with OHR (in which case he would be dealing with this issue for the entire of BiH, not only RS).

He further claims his possible coming to BiH has nothing to do with politics. He denies any knowledge of rumours that some SDS officials oppose to his engagement in RS, although Cavic personally asked him to come.

Hays and Reinermann talked with representatives of FBiH Government and FBiH Parliament about Law on Defenders’ Rights

Dnevni List Saturday page 4 ‘Law on Defenders’ should be adopted urgently’ by M. Relota carries that Principal Deputy High Representative Donald Hays and Head of the World Bank Office in BiH Dirk Reinermann met with representatives of the Federation of BiH Government and FBiH Parliament on Friday and they discussed harmonization of Law on Defenders’ Rights whose process has not been completed yet. DL says that it has been expected that Draft Law on Defenders’ Rights will be placed in the parliamentary procedure as soon as possible because only a few things have not been harmonized yet.