Bosnews Digest 510, Dec. 24, 1995

From: Dzevat Omeragic <dzevat@ee.mcgill.ca>

Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory

CONTENTS

[01] SECURITY COUNCIL - RESOLUTION ON SREBRENICA

New York, Dec, 22 1995 (Press TWRA) - The UN Security Council after more than five months, has unanimously adopted the resolution on Srebrenica occupied by Serb para military early in July this year when several thousands of Bosniaks were killed. Although the hints about Yugoslav gen. Perisic and Serbian President Milosevic' direct involvement arisen, the Resolution does not mention them but Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic and their para military who are to blame for inevitable and proved atrocities of mass killing of civilians and POWs, mainly males including boys whose final number has not been found yet. Security Council demands from Serbs to provide immediately access to mass graves and not to dare hide or remove the evidence of the committed crimes or impede the investigation in the area. Bosnian lobbyists warned that Serbs weee given more than a half year to "embellish" the site of crime while the UN still did not define the measures to be taken against Serbs if they ignored the Security Council's decisions. At the same session the UN SC adopted the decision on sending 1,7OO persons to assist organization and training of the local police to B-H. /end/ A.S.

[02] IFOR REMOVED A SERB CHECK POINT

Sarajevo, Dec, 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - At 2 pm yesterday, IFOR members in the Kasindolska str. removed a Serb check point on the route "Sierra 4". That was the point where on Jan 6, 1993 Bosnian prime minister, Hakija Turajlic was killed and many Bosnian and foreign journalists as well as aid workers were kidnapped by Serb terrorists. Kasindo and the Kasindolska str., Mt. Trebevic and the Trebevic rd. and Vrace and the Lukavica barracks along with Pale are the areas eastern, southeastern and south from Sarajevo, respectively, being by the Dayton peace agreement included in Serb entity in B-H, ie. in "Republika Srpska." /end/ A.S.

[03] CARL BILDT VISITED PALE

Pale, Dec 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - Carl Bildt visited Pale today and talked with Serb leaders about cooperation of two entities, coexistence in Sarajevo, reconstruction of the state and media in B-H. Bildt called Serbs to stay in Sarajevo./end/ A.S.

[04] VACLAV HAVEL AND MILOSLAV VLK IN SARAJEVO

Sarajevo, Dec 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - Czech president Havel and the Prague archbishop Vlk, have arrived at Sarajevo and are going to visit Mostar. Havel and cardinal M. Vlk are the guests of the president Izetbegovic and the Sarajevo archbishop cardinal Vinko Puljic, respectively.

Zagreb - On the way to Bosnia, V. Havel met Croatian prime minister and diplomacy head, M. Granic at the Zagreb airport Pleso. /end/A.S.

[05] IFOR FREELY CROSSED SEPARATION LINES

Sarajevo, Dec 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - NATo soldiers have freely crossed some separation lines in Bosnia, said the IFOR spokesman to Sarajevo Mike Reiner. Some soldiers remained at Banjaluka while the others continue towards Sanski Most and some will soon leave for Prijedor, all in western Bosnia. Reiner says that barriers have been removed from the Sarajevo-Kiseljak road being trafficable for all vehicles now. Reiner says that IFOR is concerned over incidents in Sarajevo without a cause.

UNHCR announced that humanitarian convoys are going freely through B-H and a convoy has reached Gorazde. /end/A.S.

[06] KOMARICA RELEASED FROM HOME ARRREST

Banjaluka, Dec 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - For the first time after 231 days of home arrest in his residence in Banjaluka, bishop Franjo Komarica was able to leave his flat two days ago for the first time. Bishop visited monastery of the Trapist Friars Order near Banjaluka where famous trapist cheese is made by authentic license. Komarica visited the monastery Petricevac, accompanied by the guardian of the same monastery which Serbs pulled down eight months ago. They visited the graves of the friars and nuns killed by Serbs in the past seven months. Finally, Komarica visited bishopric Prnjavor in which more than twenty ethnic groups had lived before the war when most of non-Serbs were expelled or killed in the past four years. /end/ A.S.

[07] KINKEL AGAINST TOO SOON RETURN OF REFUGEES.

Bonn, Dec 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - German vice chancellor and foreign minister K. Kinkel said that the return of about 4OO,OOO refugees from ex-Yugoslavia should not be hastened till the conditions for secure return and normal life are met. /end/ A.S.

[08] UNLAWFUL CONTRACT OF IFOR WITH SERB AUTHORITIES

Sarajevo, Dec 22, 1995 (Press TWRA) - The Sarajevo mayor Tarik Kupusovic sent a letter of protest to the IFOR ground troops commander, the British gen. sir Michael Walker. The reason was a contract by which IFOR hired the hotel block of buildings in southwestern suburb of Sarajevo, Ilidza. The contract is made with illegal local authorities of "Republika Srpska," whose troops must withdraw from Ilidza being attached to the B-H Federation. Nedeljko Prstojevic signed the contract on behalf of the hotel. Therefore, T. Kupusovic warns IFOR on their unacceptable behaviour. /end/ A.S.

[09] $518 MILLION HELP ALLOCATED TO B-H

Brussels, Dec 22,1995 (Press TWRA) - After two days conference the representatives of fifty countries, 2O international organizations, European Commission and World Bank decided to allocate $518 million to B-H to cover the most urgent requirements in the next three months. This conference was a part of peace process, and its aim was to gather the countries, potential donators for reconstruction of B-H. This round of talks has been exclusively devoted to B-H. The part of conference which should have dealt with "the parts of Croatia devastated by the war" has been postponed for the next year. The representatives of World Bank and European commission allocated to B-H 1/1O of the amount which was "in circulation" in the last two months. "We consider that $5.1 billion are necessary to cover absolute priorities but not to cover the entire reconstruction process in the next three to four years", said Kemal Dervis, World Bank Coordinator for Europe.

After the conference the representatives of B-H expressed their discontent with the decision which B-H Foreign Minister Sacirbay called "treason". B-H Government estimated damage to total of $47 billion, the amount to which the allocated aid did not even come close. In the same time, European commission gave a permeation for admittance of B-H in PHARE program. B-H is a third country from the territory of former Yugoslavia (after Slovenia and Macedonia) included in that program. (end) S.K.

[10] NEW B-H FEDERATION GOVERNMENT - IN THIRTY DAYS

Sarajevo, Dec 22,1995. (Press TWRA) - The representatives of the B-H Federation Constitutional Assembly, after two day session in Sarajevo adopted the Changes and Amendments of the Law on Federal Government which enables the establishing of separate Governments of Republic and Federation, in accordance with Dayton Agreement. The Law on Ministries and other bodies of state administration of B-H Federation has been adopted so that in the next 3O days the new Federal Government will be elected. Federal Government will have 12 Ministries: defence, internal affairs, justice, finances, energetics and industry, traffic and communications, social policy, trade, culture and education, health, agriculture, resources and environment. The ministries of trade, traffic and communications, energetics and industry, and culture and education will have their main offices in Mostar, while other ministries will stay in Sarajevo.

President of Bosniak representatives's club in the B-H Federation Parliament Enver Kreso said on the SDA B-H press conference that the clubs of the Constitutional Assembly representatives reached the agreement on delicate issues. The parties agreed that B-H Republic Government will have Prime Minister and five ministers. The foreign affairs, foreign trade, international communications, diaspora and refugees, justice and institutions of state administration would be the Government's jurisdiction. (end) S.K.

[11] STATUS OF MOSTAR ACCEPTED WITHOUT SEPARATION OF BOROUGHS

Mostar, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - Expert teams of SDA and HDZ of B-H after a few-hour-dispute adopted the status of Mostar as proposed by EU administrator in Mostar, Hans Koschnik. The SDA and HDZ representatives could neither adjust their versions of the document nor settle the issue of administrative reorganization of Mostar into six boroughs. Spokesman of the EU administration D. Gasic informed that both sides accepted the version of the document which does not deal with territorial separation of the six boroughs. "Those who in Dayton accepted Mostar divided into six boroughs, probably know how to do that together and bring it into accord," said the assistant of the EU administrator Klaus Metcher at the press conference.

Member of the Bosniak expert team Damir Sadovic said that Croatian side proposed organization of the boroughs along the separation lines meaning national division of Mostar into three boroughs of each side along the former front lines. "It is unacceptable, says Sadovic. Bosniak delegation led by the mayor of the eastern Mostar Safet Orucevic supported territorial organization by which two boroughs would have Croat majority and another two Bosniak majority while the town center would be a mixed central borough of Mostar. Croat side has declined the proposal and negotiations continue. If the two sides do not agree, EU administrator in Mostar Hans Koschnik will settle the dispute and give the final version of the Mostar reorganization. Koschnik recently said that he was not ready to accept Mostar divided into two national ghettos or along the Mostar separation lines. /end/ S.K.

[12] MURATOVIC ON UNPROFOR AND IFOR

Zagreb, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - On the ceremony of the IFOR take-over the UNPROFOR responsibilities, minister in the government of the Republic and Federation of B-H for the relations with the UN, Hasan Muratovic in the interview for the Zagreb daily "Vecernji list" commented relations with UN and the beginning of the IFOR mandate.

"IFOR administration has proved rather inert. It has not made contracts for new objects and their take-over as expected, only the take-over ceremony was held in accord with the plan. (...) The damages have not been paid for, great changes have been made on the objects and environment where the UNPROFOR staff was placed. Restoring the objects demands large investment and work of a several months. All the damages will be found out during the take-over of the objects. (...) There is always more harm than use of any army. A number of people will find job with them, some income will be earned. But IFOR is bringing large machinery and I am certain they will cause more damage of infrastructure in B-H. They are not people with great expenditure. We have experience with UNPROFOR. We suppose Croatia experienced something similar. Those forces have neither been nor will be profitable. /end/ S.K.

[13] US AID TO BOSNIA

Washington, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - US will provide US$ 135 mil. in the next months for the reconstruction and humanitarian relief to Bosnia, the White House spokesman N. Burns stated on Friday. US president Clinton will demand from the Congress additional US$ 600 mil. for the reconstruction of Bosnia in the coming three years, Burns added. (end) F.N.

[14] ST. SYNOD DOES NOT ACCEPT THE DAYTON AGREEMENT

Belgrade, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - St. Synod of the Serb Orthodox Church (SPC) estimated on Friday the Dayton agreement as unjust, AFO reports. The same source alleges that St. Synod holds the signature of the SPC Patriarch Pavle given to Milosevic authorizing him to speak on behalf Serbs, as invalid. (end) F.N.

[15] BOSNIAKS TO CROATIA DEMAND CHANGES OF THE CONSTITUTION

Zagreb, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - Muslim national community to Croatia and Bosniaks' Cultural Society Preporod started on Thursday an initiative for change of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. In a letter addressed to the president of Croatian Parliament, V. Pavletic, they propose the change of the item 3 of the Preamble of the Republic of Croatia's Constitution so that the word Muslim should be replaced by Bosniak. They state that recently adopted Constitution of the B-H Federation has returned the Muslim people their historical name of Bosniaks. The Dayton agreement also speaks of Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs as constitutive peoples of B-H. "In accord with the mentioned, the proposed change should be included in the Preamble of the Republic of Croatia's Constitution and name our people as they are in their mother country, B-H. (end) F.N.

[16] HAVEL - IZETBEGOVIC

Sarajevo, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - At the common press conference with Bosnian president Izetbegovic, Friday, Czech president Vaclav Havel pointed out that his state backed the maintenance of Bosnia as integral and multiethnic state. On his arrival at Sarajevo, Havel said Czech Republic wants to assist in spiritual and material rebuilding of Sarajevo. (end) F.N.

[17] RETURN OF BOSNIAN REFUGEES FROM GERMANY

Bonn, Dec 23, 1995 (Press TWRA) - By official data, 4OO,OOO refuges from ex-Yugoslavia are accommodated in Germany, 32O,OOO from B-H. German government is interested, when their refugee status expires next year, in soon return of those people to their states. German diplomacy head Kinkel said for "Bildt am Sontag" there would be no chaotic return of the people but the plan would be worked out taking care of the people's problems. (end) F.N.