Bosnet Digest V5 #87 / Tuesday, 5 March 1996

From: Dzevat Omeragic <dzevat@EE.MCGILL.CA>

Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory

ONASA - 5 March 1996

CONTENTS

ONASA - 5 March 1996

[01] NEW LAWS ENABLE BETTER CONTROL OF RELIEF AGENCIES IN BOSNIA; OFFICIAL

"We are slowly getting out of the hazy situation concerning activities of the hundreds of (relief) organizations," Jogic told the Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje issued on Sunday.

"(Some) local and foreign relief workers have carried out their activities without appropriate evidence of their existence, or the other way around, they were registered without conducting duties. A logical question is posed about the appropriateness of these registries with the suspicion that something totally different was hidden behind it all."

According to Jogic, the most frequent offenses which result out of ignorance or violation of the Bosnian Law is illegal "relief" work. (the

[02] MOSTAR DEMARCATION CHANGE WAS E.U.'S FIASCO; ORUCEVIC

"It (the E.U.) has to do something as soon as possible to fix the situation in the Mostar Administration and to restore the strength that the E.U. had in controlling the town," Orucevic said in an interview with Radio Free Europe.

"If things continued this way, other administration officials will follow (E.U. Administrator Hans) Koschnick's resignation and probably abort the E.U.'s mandate in the town of Mostar. This would be tragic for the Mostar process as well as for the process in the Bosnian Federation in whole."

Orucevic said his own "resignation will not be pulled back" since he does "not wish to be the mayor of one part of Mostar."

"I want Mostar to have a sole mayor of the unified town, all signed agreements to be implemented, and to see firm this =E6pillar of the Federation', as some call Mostar now," Orucevic told the radio. (the

[03] MEETING ON FORMER YUGOSLAVIA TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW IN LATE MARCH; PRIMAKOV

Yevgeny Primakov said he would join the U.S., German, British, French, Serb, Croat and Bosnian foreign ministers in discussions in about three weeks time on "implementing the civilian part of the operation" to restore peace in Bosnia, Interfax said.

Primakov, briefing journalists after meeting Norwegian Foreign Minister Bjoern Tore Godal, was also quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying the ministers would gather in Moscow this month after March 20.

[04] IFOR TRANSPORTS EQUIPMENT FOR REPAIRING POWER LINE TO SARAJEVO

A statement given to journalists at a news briefing said that thanks to this military operation the Bosnian electricity company Elektroprivreda will be able to rebuild five pylons for a 220-volt line which connects the towns of Mostar, Jablanica and Kakanj.

After the repair, Sarajevo will be linked with the European electrical network and have a more stable power supply.

In December 1995 a French helicopter transported eight tonnes of electrical equipment for an urgent repair of two pylons knocked down by a blizzard, the statement said. A French Cougar transport helicopter flew from the Jablanica heliport to the site carrying 2.5 tonnes per flight. The site is hilly and unapproachable, so the operation required five hours of flight and eight hours of constant work.

[05] Sarajevo school in Serb-held area destroyed by fire

The fire destroyed a school in the Serb neighborhood of Grbavica, which will come under government control at midnight March 19, the IFOR officer said.

Another building might also have been set on fire deliberately, he added.

"These are purely acts of malevolence. I don't see what else they could be," the officer said.

Grbavica, the only city center district of Sarajevo held by the Serbs throughout the 3-1/3 year Bosnian war, is the last of five formerly Serb-held districts of Sarajevo due to pass under government control under the terms of the Dayton peace treaty.

[06] Federal assembly to meet March 10; speaker

"We are most interested in the cantonal boundaries bill," Mariofil Ljubic said.

He said the session could be postponed until March 15 at the latest if deadlines for submitting bills are not respected.

[07] Mostar joint district will not be divided; Muratovic

"Before my trip to Zagreb (on Saturday) where I exchanged thoughts with some people, I spoke with federal President Kresimir Zubak and they (Croats) all assured me that they don't know anything about dividing the district," Muratovic told Sarajevo state radio.

"I believe that we overcame this disease in Rome (in February) and later on in Split where we met with the Croatian government."

When asked to comment on taxi drivers from the Croat-held western part of the town who are protesting a taxi stand in the joint district set up by drivers from the eastern part of Mostar, Muratovic said that the best solution would be if they could have a joint stand in the district.

[08] Zubak criticizes state TV's depiction of Independence Day celebration

"The exclusive merit for preserving Bosnian independence was allotted just to the Bosnian Army," Zubak said in a letter to the television's general manager Amila Omersoftic, adding that there was no word to mention the Bosnian Croat militia (HVO) through the Croatian people actively engaged to defend Bosnia from aggression.

"Denying facts about Croat merits in Bosnia's defense as well as the merit of Croats for the success of the (independence) referendum (on March 1, 1992), and glorifying the contribution of just one subject of these historic processes, we judge as a serious professional failure with political consequences on relations between the two peoples and the two Bosnian defense components," Zubak said.

[09] Zubak accuses Bosniaks of opposing federation

At an open discussion organized by the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals, Zubak protested that Croats were being accused of "separatism." He said they voted for Bosnia's independence in 1992 and resisted the Yugoslav army "bare-handed," which shows they are not against Bosnia.

"The federation is our (Croat) political goal. However, not any federation, but only as a community of the equal. Those who think they can make it to suit only the largest people (Bosniaks) are wrong," Zubak said, rejecting accusations that Croats are establishing the federation at the expense of the Bosnian state."

He said the federation has a future only if Bosniaks do not use it to realize their goals, not caring about anyone else.

[10] Silajdzic's supporters meet in Tuzla

No one who participated in the meeting of the Bosnian Democratic Party of the Center wanted to confirm that the meeting was held. According to ONASA's sources, the party's initiative board included the former director of the Tuzla postal company, Ramo Demirovic, and the director of the Tuzla radio, Zoran Kapetanovic, who has lately been calling people to join Silajdzic's political option.

Last month Silajdzic announced he would form a new political party but did not give any other information.

[11] Sarajevo authorities demand that IFOR, Bildt ensure free movement from Sarajevo to Hadzici

"Armed Serbs are stealing vehicles and robbing drivers and passengers on this road more and more often," the city assembly's executive board said in a letter to Bildt and IFOR, charged with civilian and militiary implementation of the Bosnia peace accords.

The executive board also asked for the transfer of authority in Hadzici and the Ilidza suburb to be speeded up to prevent the looting. Under the Dayton peace agreement, Hadzici is supposed to revert from Serb to federation control on March 6 and Ilidza on March 12.

[12] UNHCR refused to organize refugee convoy from Belgrade to Sarajevo

According to the Bosnian Ministry for Refugees and Welfare, the convoy was supposed to arrive ten days ago but the ministry did not give it permission to come because it had not been announced.

"People who want to return from Macedonia or Serbia have to wait longer because Bosnia did not estabilsh diplomatic relations with these two countries," Novka Agic from the ministry said.

[13] UNHCR says it will do all it can to prevent another Sarajevo Serb exodus

Citing Bosnian Serb figures, a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman said 40,000 of the total 70,000 Serbs had already fled Serb suburbs of the Bosnian capital, leaving three of the suburbs largely empty.

Spokesman Ron Redmond said the UNHCR was therefore concentrating on two large suburbs, Ilidza and Grbavica, which will come under federal control in the coming weeks and where thousands of Serbs remain.

"We're going to do everything in our power to try to convince people that they can stay, that we're going to be there with them, that the international police task force will be there with them," Redmond told a news briefing.

"There's an IFOR (military) presence, the world is watching. We want them to stay," Reuters quoted him as saying.

[14] Strong defense and good allies to protect Bosnia's independence; Ganic

"We will also protect our independence with spiritual revival, organized economy, private initiative, modern schooling system and constant memory of those who fell for a democratic and free Bosnia," said Ganic, who is replacing President Alija Izetbegovic during his illness.

"We have won our independence by ourselves. We cooperated with friends from the western and Islamic worlds. We are deeply grateful to all those who have helped us, but we will build our Bosnia to suit Bosnians."

Ganic said Mostar is a test of relations with Croatia, Sarajevo is a test of the Pale regime's defeat, while the northern town of Brcko will after international arbitration be a test of relations with Belgrade.

He said the Bosnian government is offering Serbs from Sarajevo suburbs reverting to government control "entry into the 21st century instead of darkness."

"Instead of an illusion of a =E6Greater Serbia,' we are offering them the reality of a great Europe."

The ceremony, held in the Bosnian Army's cultural center, was attended by members of the state presidency, federal and Bosnia governments, army officers, religious communities and the diplomatic corps.

[15] Federal interior minister denies inappropriate ethnic structure of police

"My deputy Jozo Leutar and I together made lists of policemen who will be in the federal police," Hebib said, adding that the proposal was accepted by the international police force and IFOR. He said allegations that there are no Croats or Serbs in the federal police are "complete insinuations."

The national structure of police which entered former Serb-held Sarajevo suburbs of Vogosca last week, and Ilijas, Semizovac and Srednje on Thursday morning was respected, Hebib told journalists.

"Among federal policemen who are on duty in Vogosca, 30 are of Serb nationality and eight of Croat nationality. Of the 90 policemen who today entered Ilijas, 25 are Serbs, 15 Croats and the rest are Bosniaks (Bosnian Moslems)," Hebib stressed.

He said the federal Ministry of Interior Affairs will obey this formal criterion, but added that it is more important that federal policemen are protecting citizens and carrying out their jobs professionally.

[16] Sarajevo Serb exodus endangers peace process; Komsic

Komsic and Darinko Bago agreed the federation is the key of Bosnian reintegration. They also discussed the situation in Mostar, southern Bosnia, and the return of all expelled people to their homes.

[17] Bosnia fight not over yet; Lazovic

"What we have today is a Bosnia whose political future stimulates different allusions," Lazovic said in a statement faxed to ONASA, adding that it is not certain if the Dayton agreement will take Bosnia towards "reintegration processes or towards continued destruction".

"After March 1, 1992, when Bosnian residents voted for an independent country, the international community acknowledged and supported Bosnian independence. At the same time it has done everything to make the country unable to defend itself," the statement read. (the

[18] Bosnian Serb usage of Croatian port agreed at Banja Luka meeting

Enver Kreso also told the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz that he brought up the issue of joint use of natural gas arriving from Russia.

"During the war both entities have used gas, and the Federation was the only one to pay the expenses. We have submitted our analysis to representatives of the Serb entity on expenses for each entity in the previous period and have been given a promise that a proposal on a respective division of expenses will be considered and analyzed as soon as possible."

According to Kreso, "Bosniaks (Bosnian Moslems) and Croats are still endangered in the Serb stronghold Banja Luka."

"Schooling for their children virtually does not exist, the blockade of media there is crystal clear and they don't even have a possibility for food supply."

Kreso added that Bosniaks and Croats in Banja Luka are also lacking the freedom to express their religious beliefs, to gather and to organize politically.