Srpska Republika News Agency (SRNA), 98-07-17

Srpska Republica News Agency (SRNA) Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Serbian Unity Congress Server at http://www.suc.org

JULY 17, 1998 DAY

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

BRCKO - The RS Prime Minister, Milorad Dodik, said in Banjaluka that imposing of sanctions against RS "will be against the position of this Government", because, "anyone who thinks about that or did not think enough or supports the forces which were under sanctions in RS before". "This Government shows its democratic orientation and I think that Mr. Schumacher just did not express himself clearly", said Dodik for SRNA, commenting on the Schumacher's statement that sanctions should be imposed against RS and Banjaluka because of "an inadequate dynamic of return of refugees".

BRCKO - The RS Prime Minister, Milorad Dodik, said at a Press-conference, held after the joint meeting of the RS and FB&H Commissions for Arbitrage in the region of Brcko that, "it is not true that efforts made toward implementation of the arbitration award are the constitute part of the election campaign." He said that not even greatest optimists could expect results in line with the situation in this region before the war.

BANJALUKA - The first on the list of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), for the RS National Assembly, Mirjana Sainovic, thinks that destiny of RS depends on September's elections. Survival of RS "can be guaranteed only by convincing victory of the Serbian national parties". She expressed hope that the SRS will achieve good results on the forthcoming elections and that the SRS Presidential candidate, Nikola Poplasen, will be new President of RS, said Sainovic in an interview with the Radio Sveti Georgije.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Dejan Prica, employee at the state security, has been killed last night at about ten o'clock in Bair , settlement in Kosovska Mitrovica - SRNA has learned from the local authorities. The eyewitnesses claim that he was shot from the automatic weapons, from a car. The police had blocked whole area after the murder.

WASHINGTON - Spokesperson for the State Department, James Ruben, said that Washington would not accept self-proclaimed Parliament of the ethnic Albanians and the U.S. is against independence of Kosmet. "We do not acknowledge Kosovo's Parliament as an official political institution", said Ruben at a press-conference in Washington, but, he added, the U.S. supports ethnic Albanian's right to have a free Assembly.

PODGORICA - From October 9th to 12th, Tivat will be the host of the Balkans Peace Conference at which dominating place will have a discussion on a subject "The Balkans - peace and cooperation" - the "Pobjeda" reports. Participants of the Conference will discuss general stances on the modern development of the Balkans, process of integration of the Balkans countries and cooperation of the Balkans peace movements and organisations.

JULY 17, 1998 DAY

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

SRPSKO SARAJEVO - The RS President, Biljana Plavsic, appealed to the Serbian people not to listen to stories about an allegedly different approach by state institutions to the eastern and western part of the RS because, as she said, "there is nothing to it". "The government treats all parts of the RS equally otherwise it would not be the RS government but some kind of local government" - Mrs. Plavsic said after her visit to the Novo Sarajevo municipality and added: " Although we have lost Sarajevo where we lived before the war, the largest Serbian city after Belgrade, people have stayed who are capable and prepared to make something new."

LJUBLJANA - The RS Prime Minister, Milorad Dodik, arrived for a one-day official visit to Ljubljana where he will have talks with the Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Drnovsek, about economic co-operation and relations as a whole between the two Republics. On his arrival in Ljubljana, the RS Prime Minister, accompanied by the BiH ambassador to Slovenia, Branko Petric, met with the Slovenian Foreign Minister and afterwards with the Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Drnovsek. As reported to SRNA, the talks between the two Premiers will be devoted to issues of economic co- operation between the RS and Slovenia and the improvement of bi-lateral relations between the two Republics after which a joint press conference is also planned.

BRCKO - At a regular press conference, the supervisor for the Brcko region, Robert Farrand, judged that last night`s discussions between representatives of the RS and the Federation of BiH (FBiH) Arbitration commissions were "very substantial" and that "in that way, possibilities for serious progress in the implementation of the Supplement to the Arbitration Award are being opened up". Supervisor Farrand said that the RS Premier, Milorad Dodik, and the FBiH President, Ejup Ganic, have particularly expressed the wish for more efficient work in the areas of health care, the reconstruction of housing, the revival of the economy and the return of refugees and added that his office will continue to involve itself in the organisation of these kinds of meetings.

BIJELJINA - The Democratic Party of Republika Srpska (DS RS) does not agree with the introduction of the Secretariat for the Milici municipality as a measure for improving the functioning of the municipal authorities and judges that "the state leadership has without need reached for the weapon of dismissing the organs of the local authority instead of dealing with the mass of problems that have accumulated". With regard to the fact that the introduction of the Secretariat points to the existence of irregular conditions of living and work in this region, the DS RS cites, as a more rational and better solution, the training of the local authorities and assistance from qualified state services in its functioning and in shedding light on the affairs which have been rocking this region for some time.

BANJALUKA - After his statements about a "new lopping off of heads" and "sanctions against Banjaluka", the Deputy High Representative for BiH, Hans Schumacher, is persona non grata for the Serbian Party of Krajina and Posavina (SSKiP) and the Serbian Coalition for RS - Predrag Lazarevic, SSKiP president, declared in Banjaluka. Judging Schumacher`s statement for "Dnevni avaz" as completely unacceptable and insulting, Lazarevic announced at a press conference that the Serbian Coalition for the RS would ask for the OHR to take appropriate measures against the German diplomat, warning that "it is time for him to leave these regions."

NOVI SAD - Statements by individual representatives of the international community concerning the possibility of introducing sanctions against Banjaluka and the RS as a whole, the president of the Democratic Party for Banjaluka and Krajina (DSBLiK), Nikola Spiric, "understands as complete support for the "Sloga" Coalition". At a press conference, Spiric specified that "this Coalition together with the international community has begun the business of resolving the elections in the RS to their own advantage before they have been held after which threats have followed against Banjaluka and the RS as well as against the so-called minor parties."

SKOPLJE - The situation in Kosovo and Metohija is explosive and the involvement of the international community is needed to stop armed conflict but possible NATO military intervention would not be appropriate - said in an interview for "Nova Makedonija" Lazar Kitanovski, FYRM Defence Minister. "The Albanians from Kosovo are trying to draw Macedonia into the conflict as well but most dangerous of all is that the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army" (KLA) has proclaimed the idea of creating a "Greater Albania" because this could provoke a turbulent situation not only in Macedonia but in the whole of the Balkans" - Kitanovski stressed.

MOSTAR - Croatian disabled veterans from the last war are opposed to being put on the same legal footing with the Mujahedin and announce that they will boycott the September elections if the Law on the Rights of disabled veterans and families of dead soldiers is adopted at the FBiH level. In a statement issued by the district committee of the Croatian disabled veterans from central Bosnia, broadcast by Croatian Radio Herceg-Bosna, Croatian officials are being asked to look upon the proposed Law on the Rights of disabled veterans and the families of dead soldiers as an issue of special national interest, announcing they will otherwise boycott the elections.

JULY 17, 1998 EVENING

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

LJUBLJANA - After his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Slovenia, Boris Frlec, the Prime Minister of the RS Government, Milorad Dodik, expressed his conviction that much more significant cooperation will follow between the RS and Slovenia. Dodik judged as a particular step forward the fact that RS citizens living abroad can travel through Slovenia in transit with just a passport. He added that "in today's discussions both sides confirmed their readiness for the consistent implementation of the Dayton Agreement", in which, as he said, "we have the full support of the Slovenian Government".

LJUBLJANA - After talks in Ljubljana with the Slovenian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Janez Drnovsek and Boris Frlec, the Prime Minister of the RS Government, Milorad Dodik, stated that he expects an intensification of economic cooperation between the RS and Slovenia. At a press conference held at the end of the talks, Dodik stressed that significant steps forward already exist in this respect.

SARAJEVO - The President of the Presidency of the Serbian Democratic Party, Dragan Kalinic, stated that he was very worried by the statement made by the Deputy High Representative for B&H, Hans Schumacher, about the possibility of the introduction of sanctions against Banjaluka and the RS because of the inadequate dynamics with regard to the return of refugees. "However, this statement by Schumacher does not surprise me - he has many reasons to be disappointed with the current Government of Milorad Dodik because it has given unreal promises to the international community which it is not in a position to fulfil" - Kalinic explained.

SARAJEVO - The spokesperson for the High Representative, Simon Haselock, denied a report in "Dnevni avaz" that the Deputy High Representative, Hans Schumacher, used in his statement to that newspaper the word - sanctions against Banjaluka and the RS - claiming that Schumacher had been wrongly quoted. "Schumacher did not use the word - sanctions, but the word - consequences, and that is what he is always talking about", Haselock specified.

BANJALUKA - The spokesperson for the Banjaluka office of the High Representative in B&H, Duncan Bullivant, denied that the Deputy High Representative, Hans Schumacher, had asked for the introduction of sanctions against the RS. At a news conference he explained that Schumacher's statement had been incorrectly transmitted and interpreted in some of the RS media which had provoked a reaction by Government representatives.

SARAJEVO - The Deputy High Representative in B&H for Media Issues and OHR spokesperson, Simon Haselock, announced that the Paris Club will hold a session on Wednesday, July 23rd, at a final agreement should be reached about the rescheduling of B&H's debts to the governments of other states.

SARAJEVO - At a press-conference of international organisations in Sarajevo the spokesperson for the UN Mission in B&H, Alexander Ivanko, that the Security Council Resolution about the programme for the supervision and appraisal of the court system in B&H is part of an overall programme of legal reform whose realisation will begin in three months.

SARAJEVO - At a press-conference in Sarajevo, OSCE spokesperson, Nicole Schulz, announced that, from Monday, July 20th, documentation about their material standing which candidates for the B&H Presidency and candidates for the RS President and vicepresident at the September elections have submitted, will be presented to the media for perusal.

SARAJEVO - The liquidator of the Narodna Banka of the former B&H, William Dudley, announced at a press-conference in Sarajevo that he will persist in his decision to freeze the deposits of this bank until its debts have been settled, something which is also supported by Didier Fo, representative of the OHR. Dudley stated that 9,100 governmental depositors have deposits in the former B&H Narodna Banka to the value of 38 million KM and 19,800 non-governmental organisations have deposited 8,5 million KMs.

PRISTINA - Albanian terrorists from the villages of Crnobreg, Beleg and Luka, in the outlying areas of the Decanski municipality, last night opened fire on police in this area, SRNA has learned from representatives of the local authorities.

PRISTINA - Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija are preparing a declaration on the proclamation of the Serbian Republic of Kosovo and Metohija, SRNA has learned from the Serbian Resistance Movement - Democratic Movement. A Constitution for the Serbian Republic of Kosovo and Metohija is being worked out but the declaration will be activated if the formation of Kosovo and Metohija as a third republic within the framework of Yugoslavia is allowed or autonomy which will give the Albanians power in Kosmet.

PRISTINA - The coordinator of the Yugoslav state institutions in Kosmet, Andreja Milosavljevic, informed an OSCE delegation, headed by Hansjorg Eife, in Pristina about the situation in this part of Serbia and about the measures undertaken which were the result of the agreement reached between the Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic, and the Russian President, Boris Yeltsin.

PRISTINA - The head of the OSCE Mission for Kosmet, Hansjorg Eife, said in Pristina that the present mission of this organisation is not a negotiating one but that its purpose is to establish the factual situation on the ground. At a pressconference he specified that the 12 member OSCE Mission is currently establishing data about the state of human rights, minority rights and possibilities of resolving the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija.

PRISTINA - At a press-conference in Pristina the President of the Serbian Renewal Movement, Vuk Draskovic, said that by taking the oath at yesterday's session of the illegal assembly of the so-called "Republic of Kosovo", Ibrahim Rugova has demonstrated that he does not wish a democratic dialogue. Draskovic had earlier characterised Rugova's agreement to dialogue as "theatre and play-acting".

JULY 17, 1998 EVENING

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

SARAJEVO - The International Community High Representative, Carls Westendorp, appointed chief of the Political Department of the OHR, Christian Clages, his Deputy for Political Affairs. In the nomination letter he said that Clages was on the head of the Political Department in time of significant progress of the OHR.

PRISTINA - Chief of the Kosovo's region, Veljko Odalovic, and the province secretary of information, Bosko Drobnjak, informed the OSCE delegation about the complex situation in Kosmet - caused by the acts of the Albanian terroristic groups, as well as the efforts made by the Serbian and FRY in order to solve the Kosovo crisis through the unconditional dialogue with the representatives of Albanian parties.

PRISTINA - The Municipal Magistrates' court in Pristina sentenced , on Wednesday, July 15th, to 30-day prison term German citizen, Lafke Bill Josef Richards. He is also to be expelled from the country after serving the sentence, because of the illegal crossing of the Yugoslav national border.

/end/

From the Serbian Unity Congress Server at http://www.suc.org

Srpska Republica News Agency (SRNA) Directory - Previous Article - Next Article