09/29/1997

OHR SRT News Summaries, 29 Sept. 1997

There are a number of signs coming from the international scene indicating that the international diplomacy will consider whether coexistence between the three nations in former BiH is possible, the SRT journalist said in the news announcement.

Pale – Minister of Communication, Lajic, General Manager of the Serb PTT, Dakic, and the General Manager of the RS Telecom, Stanic signed an agreement on separation of the PTT system from the Telecom. By this agreement the two large companies are separated after 50 years of joint work. Lajic said that this decision came as a result of the NATO bombing when the RS telecommunication system was mainly destroyed. Now the stronger company of Telecom will be able to develop without dragging the PTT behind, whereas the PTT will develop much easier alone. During this week, the Telecom will sign two contracts worth $20 million which will enable installation of a international telephone switch board and restoration of several borderline post offices.
4:00

Regarding Plavsic’s interview in Banja Luka on Sept. 27, and SDS HQ counter comments and accusation on Plavsic’s account, SDS Banja Luka also released a statement which said that the failure of SDS in Banja Luka at the local elections was mainly caused by bad relations between SDS members and other political parties which resulted in the removal of this party’s institutions out of the city. Lately, there have been a lot of changes of the real party principles, SDS Banja Luka noted. SDS Banja Luka proposed SDS HQ undertake certain political measures within the RS Government in order to return all institutions that were removed from Banja Luka. SDS Banja Luka demanded from the SDS HQ that they accept the original political principles of the SDS Banja Luka, that are based on the electoral principles, programme of the party and its unity, to remove the HQ to Banja Luka as of 1 January 1998, and to immediately remove SDS members who ruined reputation of the party. They think that the RS Government has no technical conditions for economic development of the RS, and a party which does not provide economic prosperity of the country will lose its voters in the future.
4:00

Doboj – Two nights ago, a bomb exploded at an office of the independent paper Alternativa. Editor in Chief of the paper said that it’s obvious that someone does not like idea of democratisation of the media in this territory. It is not important who the perpetrators are, but who ordered it. I personally think that Milan Ninkovic and official authorities who are trying to impose their terror here are behind this explosion and this is them criticising our different opinion. However, Head of the Municipality, Ljubicic condemned this attack asking from the police to conduct the investigation. The Alternativa Editor in Chief said that this is a good sign that there are still few people who disapprove of such way of dealing with different opinions. The SRT journalist concludes that it takes more than a bomb or explosion, or even a human life to hide the information or the truth.
3:00

Flash News:

Head of the US Institute for Balkans, Walker, in an interview for BiH TV, said that the US does not have any illusions regarding the RS crisis, and SFOR will probably have to extend their mandate. As for the Federation, Walker said that the Zagreb Government must be pressured because it has a large influence on Bosnian Croats.

German media reported that SFOR will have to extend their mandate because the withdrawal might jeopardise US role in Europe and expansion of NATO. They quoted the New York Times which claims that a unified BiH exists only in minds of the Western countries since the reality is totally different.
2:00

Mostar – The joint Federation police have not taken over the investigation into the car-bomb case yet. At the same time international engineering units are trying to get Muslims and Croats together by rebuilding the famous old bridge in the town.

Bologna – According to SRNA, Italian police arrested 15 mujahedins from Tunis, Morocco, Algeria, Croatia and BiH, who are believed to have committed a number of crimes and robberies as members of BiH army, as well as assassinations in Spain and France. In their HQ in Bologna, the police found arms and French passports with their names, and it is believed that were preparing assassination of the Pope during his visit to Bologna.
2:00

This was also the news broadcast on SRT Pale in accordance with the Belgrade Agreement.