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BosNet NEWS / May 29, 1996Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Adnan Smajlovic <asmaj@spectranet.ca>CONTENTS
[01] OSCE, SDA, IHF, B-H PARLIAMENT ON ELECTIONS IN BOSNIASarajevo, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)"Elections in Bosnia could be held before the deadline, Sept 14, 1996. Such decision will be made, although all conditions are not met for democratic and free elections. Main problems are freedom of movement and media, first of all in Serb entity, though the situation in Federation is not ideal," said B-H official in the OSCE commission, addressing the attendants of the session of the B-H Parliament.The B-H Parliament delegates warned that genocide must not belegalized in a way that voting of the refugees in temporary residence should be made a rule of the exempt. "We, in SDA hold that there are not even basic conditions forthe elections to be held. It is not clear how the forged votes will be prevented. Our party, before making decision on its participation in the elections, will think how much it contributes to the B-H integration and how much to the contrary trends," said the SDA chairman Mirsad Djapo. Vienna - International Helsinki Federation (IHF) issued astatement alleging that almost none of the conditions is met for holding elections in B-H. IHF expresses special concern, as OSCE is exposed to strong political pressure to confirm the conditions for holding elections in B-H, although all facts prove the opposite. Therefore, IHF demands from OSCE to persist in observing the Dayton accords and oppose all political pressures. Otherwise, the results of ethnic cleansing would be recognized, what would have long-term negative consequences for lasting peace in Bosnia, claims IHF. (end) A.S. [02] THE COUNTY AUTHORITIES IN ILIDZA ESTABLISHEDSarajevo, May 28, (Press TWRA)The interim county council is formed In the Sarajevo southwestern suburb of Ilidza including the representatives of Serbs who remained there. "Establishment of the interim county council is the first end extremely important step for the future of Sarajevo as integral town", said Michael Steiner, C. Bildt's deputy (PIC).Mayor of the Ilidza county Husein Mahmutovic said the nextstep should be return of Bosniaks to the settlements of Ilidza, which by the Dayton accord, are joined the Serb entity. About 9.500 houses and flats destroyed in the war and in the eve of reintegration of Ilidza to the B-H Federation, should be restored, says Mahmutovic. (end) A.S. [03] VIENNA NEGOTIATIONS - COMBAT HELICOPTERS STILL DISPUTABLEVienna, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Croatia, B-H and FR Yugoslavia have not had so constructive talks about sub-regional arms control as they did at the last weekend meeting on current types of conventional arms and equipment, allege the OSCE sources, which are the sponsors of the talks. The agreement is reached on all disputable issues except for combat helicopters. No agreement on conventional arms restriction and limit by destroying and export has been reached. (end) A.S.[04] GORAZDE STILL ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE B-H FEDERATIONSarajevo, Gorazde, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)The Dayton accord stopped the siege of Gorazde, to which three times a week, the IFOR secured bus, travels from Sarajevo via Rogatica. IFOR received USD 3.5 mill. to build the adequate road 80 km long, but nothing has been done yet. Warnings have been more often since recently that Gorazde is still blocked. B-H government insists on building the road - a corridor to Gorazde which would be entirely controlled by the Sarajevo authorities. (end) A.S.[05] DIFFERENT ESTIMATES OF THE WAR CRIMINALS' FATESarajevo, Belgrade, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Karadzic, Mladic, B. Plavsic and M. Krajisnik negotiate with Serbia's authorities in Belgrade on changes in Srpska's authorities, reports the Belgrade agency BETA. Serbian weekly "Nin" asks if giving some authorities to B.Plavsic is another Karadzic's trick played on Milosevic or the joint Pale/Belgrade trick on the international community. It cites dilemmas of western diplomats who say reimposing sanctions on Belgrade would strengthen Milosevic's regime, and Karadzic/Mladic, if face The Hague, could charge Milosevic as main culprit, which would threate peace process in which Milosevic, backed by the West, acts like a peace-maker."It is incredible and nearly impossible for gen. Mladic torisk by such a flight," said the IFOR spokesman. col. Marriner speaking about the flight from Banjaluka to Belgrade, for which IFOR Tuesday issued a permit to Serb gen. Ninkovic to attend the funeral of gen Djukic. Later, it turned out that gen. Mladic most likely flew in that helicopter to Belgrade and equally unimpededly returned from FRY to B-H Serb entity. Marriner admitted IFOR had not checked who had been carried in helicopter, i.e. if the fliers' list which Serb gave to IFOR was true. IFOR supervise the aerial space of B-H and all civil flights of the sides in B-H (military ones are banned), their cargo and fliers' list must be announced at least 72 hours prior to flight. IFOR has several times rejected criticism for missing the opportunity to arrest the suspected of genocide and crimes against humanity (Karadzic & Mladic) and the suspected of war crimes & violating Geneva conventions, wanted by ICTY. AFP informs that pressure for more serious peaceestablishment is increasing and that IFOR have been instructed to stop and apprehend the criminal suspects as soon as they meet them - similar to current ones. They are not authorized to search for them. Also, IFOR received instructions for a strict control of helicopters flying in and out of B-H. In the statement for AFP, unanimous IFOR officer says probability for Karadzic and Mladic in current circumstances is - minimum. In the statement for Reuters in Belgrade, anonymous western diplomat said they tried to arrest Mladic and Karadzic at the moment in which, not only civil and IFOR casualties should be avoided but also making the two of them national heroes. B-H media call it a wrong approach as Karadzic and Mladic would be heroes for a part of Serb population as long as denationification of those Serbs was not made, as done in Germany in 1945, when there was no hesitation to accuse the heads of the Reich III, regardless of the fact they were heroes for a great part of German population. Apparent difference is that Karadzic's Serbs had not destroyed London, sieged Leningrad and occupied Paris but attacked Vukovar, Sarajevo, Gorazde, Srebrenica, Bihac.. The media reject, as cyinical and demagogic, the NATO secr. general J. Solana's statement saying that Karadzic was not worth a life of a single IFOR soldier. The question is how many more lives of B-H citizens should be lost to increase Karadzic's price, stress B-H media. When TV showed Mladic at Djukic's funeral in Belgrade,A.Cassese was bitter because the FRY government did not try to arrest Mladic, even hide his visit to Serbia. Cassese immediately demanded respond of the UN Security Council which warned Milosevic's regime once again in the form of a statement not a resolution. Rome - Italian "Repubblica" writes Milosevic agreed with C.Bildt and J. Kornblum for Karadzic and Mladic to stay free, provided they do not give statements and show in public, i.e. "be silent". The paper writes the agreement, if achieved, is betrayal of Dayton and shameful for the West in Bosnia. Bonn - Referring to his talk with the ICTY president, A.Cassese, German vice chancellor and foreign minister Kinkel said ICTY would probably issue mandate for arrest of Karadzic and Mladic on June 15. Before that, at a public debate, Tribunal should consider the proof on Karadzic's and Mladic' guilt. In the interview for "Die Welt", Kinkel denied agreement by which Mladic and Karadzic would be granted avoidance of justice if withdrawn from public life and removed from political positions. (end) A.S. [06] BH DELEGATION PAID VISIT TO QATARSarajevo, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)During yesterday's official visit to Qatar, high state BH delegation, headed by BH Federation Vice-President, dr. Ejup Ganic, discussed concrete projects and ways of helping Bosnia-Herzegovina, our correspondent reported. BH Ambassador to UN, Muhamed Sacirbegovic and Army General, Rasim Delic, who were also members of the delegation, discussed with President of Qatar, Hamadan Bin Kalipha el-Tani and members of the Qatar Government, the actual military-political situation in the area, during which Qatar expressed a full support to BH in its efforts to maintian peace. It was agreed upon that the joint commission of the two countries finds the best cooperation- opportunities and Qatar representatives promised a concrete help in setting up air-traffic between BH and other regions in the world. The forthcoming visit of businessmen from Qatar and the Gulf-countries to BH was announced, with objective to define investment-possibilities in the area, devastated during the war. (end) M.S.[07] POSSIBLE JOINT ELECTION LISTSMostar, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Majors of Mostar, Safet Orucevic and Mijo Brajkovic, informed journalists, after their yesterday's meeting with Ricardo Peres Cassado, that the EU Administrator would announce on Thursday a new resolution concerning the Mostar elections, in which the exact date of the elections would be precised. Before proclaiming the new resolution, Cassado will discuss with Italian diplomacy that is presiding the EU and, as Orucevic added, with BH Foreign Minister, Jadranko Prlic. Mijo Brajkovic stated Croatian side would lose nothing with the prolongation of the Mostar elections. By signing the agreement on local elections in Mostar, on Saturday, the political fight aiming to make these elections acceptable for all the political parties involved, was put to its end. In the statement, given by SDA Executive Board, it was mentioned disputable election issues, such as the exact date and right to vote for all Mostar citizens, were eliminated. The statement further explains all these changes were realized primarily by SDA activity but also due to the activity of other patriotically oriented parties, which could indicate a possible openness of this party to a kind of a joint election list. Opposition parties, besides their boycotting of the elections, did not have their representatives to the negotiations on the improvement of the election rules but the consensus on the boycotting of the elections could become a basis for the formation of the joint list. By concluding that inter-parties negotiations are also needed, liberal party, however, expects a joint appearing to the elections. (end) M.S.[08] DJURIC ON THE SITUATION IN SERBIABelgrade, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Ivan Djuric, President of the Movement for democratic freedoms (whose seat is in Paris, where Djukic has been living for last few years, after leaving Serbia where he was, in 1990, a Presidential counter-candidate to Slobodan Milosevic) was speaking on the gathering of the joint Serbian opposition in Kragujevac, Central Serbia, and said: "Democratical renaissance in Serbia must begin in its interior, for it is most difficult to conquer Belgrade by democratical means today. Belgrade is full of authorities, uniforms and mafia, false opposition parties and refugees full of passions. (...) World, first of all America, is not interested in democracy in Serbia, but in problems here, for it is easier to control dictator than an uncertain democrat. (...) We should form a people's front, for less and less citizens vote for position and opposition." (end) A.S.[09] HOLBROOKE ABOUT BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINAAthens, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. State Secretary Assistant and crucial mediator to the Dayton accord last year, spoke at the conference on media and foreign policy, held in Athens, where he said: "There is no doubt Karadzic and Mladic represent an obstacle to peace in Bosnia and if they remain on the leading positions the accord will not be fully implemented. It is completely obvious Bosnian Serbs do everything to outwit the peace-process. Non-implementation of the peace- process could lead to new war after NATO withdrawal from BH or to Bosnian Serbs' armed pressure upon the other side to accept the division of Bosnia, which would be something between Korea and Cyprus, with emphasis on Lebanon and North Ireland. Elections in BH should be held on September 14, as it was agreed in Dayton. Each postponement of the BH general elections could have tragic consequences. Elections must be held while IFOR is still in BH, for their postponement would present a triumph of Karadzic and Mladic and a situation close to the new war. (end) A.S.[10] RETURN OF BH REFUGEES FROM TURKEYSarajevo, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Bigger group of BH refugees who were sheltered in Turkey during the war, have returned these days to Bosnia. Their return was organized by BH and Turkey governments. A group of 121 persons, mostly old persons, women and children arrived to Sarajevo by special flight on Sunday. New 2.000 refugees are still expected from Turkey. All refugees that returned had been living, before the Serbian aggression, in Eastern BH and now they would be temporarily situated in Sarajevo.(end) A.S.[11] SCHAEFER IS ARRIVING TO CROATIA AND BHBonn, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)State Secretary in German Foreign Ministry, Helmut Schaefer, will stay in Croatia and Bosnia from Tuesday to Friday. Schaefer wants to get familiar with actual implementation of the Dayton agreement. He will meet today with German soldiers in Split, in the IFOR logistic base. During his visit to BH, German diplomat will talk to numerous international officials. The Bonn sources emphasize his scheduled visit to Banja Luka, where he is supposed to talk, on behalf of German government, with local Serb politicians that represent opposition to R. Karadzic. (end) A.S.[12] IFOR ACCUSES SERB AUTHORITIES FOR INCIDENT NEAR PRIJEDORSarajevo, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Representatives of IFOR and IPTF (international police) accused Serb authorities in Prijedor for preventing intentionally a visit of expelled Bosniaks to this town last week-end. S. Haselock, IFOR spokesman, said Serb authorities organized demonstrations (some 250 people) who stood on accesses to Prijedor last Sunday, preventing thus a visit of Bosniaks to their homes. Serbs were hitting stones on the buses, injuring several women, and attacking escorting IFOR Czech unit. (end) A.S.[13] RECONSTRUCTION OF 120 HOUSES IN BRCKO AREABrod, May 28, 1996 (Press TWRA)Colonel of IFOR U.S. division, Anthony Cookol and managers of firms from Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Norway, dealing with acquisition/selling of building- material and with construction of destroyed buildings and infrastructure, agreed with Croat, Serb and Bosniak representatives, in Brod near Brcko that 40 houses on each side should be reconstructed during the first phase. (end) A.S.Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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