SRNA REVIEW OF DAILY NEWS, May 22, 1996

Srpska Republica News Agency (SRNA) Directory

From: Mirjana Petrovic <almirja@cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu>

CLEVELAND - The USA dismissed a claim of the Hague Tribunal to arrest the president of Republika Srpska (RS) and the VRS commander general Ratko Mladic, writes the New York times, refer ring to statements by senior State Department officials. This influential U.S. daily paper writes that discussions are taking place daily over how to remove the Bosnian Serb leader form power, but not to arrest him, for this, according to the prevail ing opinion, might endanger U.S. troops on the ground.

HAMBURG - The facing between the RS state leadership and West "showed incompetence and political defeat of the later", concludes the German press, in commenting futile attempts at destabilisation of RS. According to Geman papers, Carl Bilt, the international community representative for the former B-H, has been attempting from the very first beginning to "outwit and politically isolate" the RS president.

BERLIN - The German paper "Die Welt" writes that the an nounced referendum in RS represents a great danger for the US and German diplomacy, assessing that the RS president Radovan Karad zic and general Ratko Mladic would be more difficult to remove were they to get the plebiscite support from their own people. The paper concludes that in such as case, it would appear impos sible to further demand Serbia's president Slobodan Milosevic to exert its authority upon the RS leadership.

BRUSSELS - The media in Belgium assess that a decision of RS president Radovan Karadzic to transfer a part of his authorisa tions of a vital importance for the survival of RS to his vice president Biljana Plavsic provoked a sort of covered anger within Belgium diplomatic circles. The daily "Die Morgen" concludes that the Serb position, following the newest political turns, will not be softer, for Biljana Plavsic and the new prime minister Gojko Klickovic are proponents of the socalled hard line.

DOBOJ - The president of the CroatMuslim Federation, Kresi- mir Zubak, stated that the Croatian leadership is convinced that the Muslims do not want the realisation of the "Pilot Project" - which they once warmly accepted - but in stead, they are tending to keep the whole of Bosnia. In a statement for Croatian Radio, Zubak explained that the Muslims insist the return solely of their refugees to "historic Croatian areas", while, are prevent ing the return of Croatian refugees to Muslim areas.

KOTOR VAROS - A member of the Muslim Presidency Ivo Komsic, stated for RadioTravnik that future of the B-H is extremely uncertain, because of a wish of a large portion of the Serb and Croat populace to live in separate states, which would be closer tied to Serbia and Croatia. "At this moment, RS represents a state of the Serbian people with tendency of further systematic separation from the rest of B-H, which is almost the same direc tion to which the Croatian Republic of HerzegBosnia is moving", stated Komsic.

SARAJEVO - The ICRC announced the opening of the new pro gramme of public kitchens in RS for about 10,000 socially de prived residents, which should be realised though the German Red Cross, in cooperation with the ICRC and the RS Red Cross. In an announcement, made available to SRNA, the ICRC explained that the plan is the opening of three public kitchens for 2,800 persons in the area of the SarajevoRomanija region, five in the area of old Herzegovina for 3,800 persons, and a public kitchen in of eastern Herzegovina for about 3,400 most socially deprived persons.

PARIS - Radio FranceInternational warns that the Bosnian Croats are against the coexistence with the Muslims and that their Federation, created under U.S. and German pressure, "is becoming utopia". The support of the part of the international community to the former RS premier Rajko Kasagic, and events related to the mission of its representative Carl Bildt are only a part of attempts at hiding Washington's serious problems with the artificial creation of the CroatMuslim Federation.

ZURICH - The coordinator of the Organisation for Refugees of the Zurich canton, Rop Vinder, asked the Swiss government to revise its decision on return of refugees from the former B-H, saying that it is the only European government which did not extend the permissions for stay of refugees, writes the Swiss press.

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