OHR BiH Media Round-up, 12/8/2002

Headlines in Print Media

Oslobodjenje: And after expiration of their mandate in the BiH Federation Parliament – Deputies to remain Budget beneficiaries until May next year

Dnevni Avaz: SFOR still investigates into the incident on Ozren

Jutarnje Novine: Americans imported prostitutes in BiH

Dnevni List: Two Americans deported from BiH due to human trafficking; Various irregularities brought defenders to the edge of existence

Vecernji List: Following an UNDP poll: Looking for a way to prevent the national parties from regaining power – Ashdown calms down shocked diplomats; Incident in Gracanica – SFOR fired at a threatening vehicle

Glas Srpski:  A case which raised tensions in Brcko – Maric is being persecuted – politically

Nezavisne Novine: Dragan Mikerevic – the oil lobby did not silence me 

FRY Nacional: Solana has brought a plan for the army – To replace all generals

Euro Blic: Serbs sue the state because of Mujahedeens; SFOR fired at wedding guests; Predrag Radic: Only crime is reformed in Srpska

Ljiljan: Hasan Cengic – How someone who persecutes Bosniaks can expect their votes?

Dnevni List (front and page 3) carries full-page article based on conversation with Zeljko Topalovic, president of the Central Headquarters for protection of retired members of HVO, of Federation BiH Army. According to Topalovic, 750 former soldiers started protesting after they accidentally found out, in December 2001, that they are not on pension pay lists any more. He adds that the information that the Central HQ received from Federation Pension Fund and its director Bozo Misura, confirm that at least 464 persons have all legal rights to be retired. Pictures of former and current member of BiH Presidency, Kresimir Zubak and Jozo Krizanovic, together with former and current Ministers of Defence Ante Jelavic, Miroslav Prce and Mijo Anic, follow the text of the article.

Vecernji List (page 4, by Dejan Jazvic) carries that the Investigative Commission of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, which is in charge of the investigation on illegally stored mortar rounds in Mostar, will hold a session today. During the session they should get all necessary information for drafting of a completed report, which will be handed over to the state Parliament. VL says that the state Parliament will wait for this report for a while because members of the Commission believe that the investigation did not include enough persons. Miro Grabovac Titan, who is also the member of the Commission, stated that they will demand launching of investigative activities against some other persons. VL also says that some influential politicians from Sarajevo should give their testimonies before the court and Halid Cengic and his son Hasan, a close associates of Alija Izetbegovic, are also among them.

Vecernji List (page 2, by Milo Jukic) carries that after extradition of Samir Bejtic, truth about crimes committed over Serb and Croat citizens of Sarajevo during the war is being revealed. Namely, Bejtic was one of the fighters of Musan Topalovic Caco, a Commander of 10 Mountain Brigade of the BiH Army. According to Mirko Pejanovic, who was a member of the BiH Presidency at that time, between two and three thousand Serbs and Croats were taken and killed in Sarajevo during the war.  

International Community

According to Sunday Times, two executives working for KPMG, one of the world’s biggest accounting firms, have been expelled from BiH over their alleged involvement in sex trafficking. Following the investigation into the matter conducted by an authorized body, the US Ambassador ordered that the two financial experts return to the US. (SENSE, Oslobodjenje, p 9, announced on the front page, Dnevni Avaz, p 2, announced on the front page, Jutarnje Novine, p 6, announced on the front page, Nezavisne Novine, p 3)

The two executives were accused for “closing eyes” for business incompatible with their mandate in BiH. On videotape, used as the evidence, one can see Americans using car of USAID to pick up prostitutes arrived from Romania and Slovakia at the Sarajevo airport. The articles say that the two Americans were also trying to engage girls from Sarajevo high schools in prostitution, promising them careers of models. Dnevni List (page 2) and Vjesnik (back page) also carry the articles on the issue.

The international community is concerned about the recent statements by some high-ranking officials, which have been published in media with an attempt to discredit the heads of the BiH State Border Service. “The international community fully supports the directors in their professional efforts to train, equip and manage the SBS, as the first multi-ethnic central state in BiH,” the UNMIBH said in a press release. (Oslobodjenje, p 9, Dnevni Avaz, p 3, Jutarnje Novine, p 3)

Vecernji List (front and page 2, Jozo Pavkovic) carries article titled “Foreign diplomats in shock” and “Ashdown is calming down shocked diplomats”, in which the author states that many diplomats are worried, and most of all, American Ambassador Clifford Bond, because of the results published by UNDP that ‘national’ parties are best rated before the October elections. The article says that Bond called leaders of the ‘Alliance’ and warned them that they should build program to remain in power, because it must not be allowed for ‘national’ parties to come in power. The author says that in this context, political analysts are explaining recent Bond’s visit to Stolac, when he did not want to meet very liberal Head of Municipality, only because he is from HDZ. The High Representative Paddy Ashdown commented UNDP poll results: “I am 25 years in politics, and if there is one lesson I’ve learned, that is the one not to believe opinion polls. I remember when in my country my party won the elections, on the same day opinion poll results were published, and we were rated as tenth.“

Dnevni List (page 4) carries Oleg Milisic, an OHR Spokesperson, as saying: ‘Due to the structure of recently appointed High Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils in the RS and BiH Federation a possibility of outvoting in their work has been prevented in two ways.  Dnevni List also says that Milisic confirmed that Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative, sent a letter to the BiH Presidency and BiH Council of Ministers in which he explains this structure. Milisic stressed that the letter explains that ‘the current lack of balance will change and completely disappear when the structure of both Councils passes through transition phases and becomes a foreign body, after December 31, 2003.’  (Nezavisne Novine, p 6, carried a similar statement made by Milisic)

Dnevni List (page 5, by Teo Ivanic) carries article about wartime commander of Army BiH Rasim Delic and his statements in Bugojno when he, as the article says, “instructed gathered Bosniaks not to respond to calls of SFOR, which is, with help of domestic civil and military authorities, gathering weapons in action ‘Harvest‘”. The article says that SFOR commander John Sylvester addressed to public and warned general Delic to “be careful with his words”. Sylvester wrote that if Delic, or those who support him, are having some plans with the weapons “they should think about it now”. SFOR Commander added that in the last six years there was enough weapons discovered and destroyed in BiH “that could equip and arm powerful secret army“.

Dnevni Avaz reports on the front page (continued on p 26) that Saturday’s incident in which a member of the SFOR MND North fired at a civil vehicle did not occur in Gracanica as was reported by BHTV 1 but in the village of Sockovac, RS’ municipality of Petrovo Selo. The incident is still under investigation. (Blic, p10, also reported on the incident)

Dnevni List (page 2) and Slobodna Dalmacija (back page) carry articles about accusations of United Nations addressed to the Republika Srpska authorities that they are obstructing investigation in case of murder of catholic priest Matanovic in 1995. After it was requested from The Hague, the RS authorities arrested five policemen suspected for murder. After that UN official Aloon Roberts asked that another 16 persons, that were also involved, are also arrested, but they walk free around police or judicial offices in the RS, where they worked before.

BiH officials related-news

“A World Bank’s study on the public expenditures in BiH clearly shows that the level of these expenditures exceeds capabilities of our state. Due to the reduction of the foreign assistance and the need to eliminate internal debts, we must establish sustainability in the public spending, meaning harmonize the expenditures with our real capabilities,” said Azra Hadziahmetovic, the BiH Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations. (Dnevni Avaz, p 3)

“Data from a World Bank’s study on the public expenditures in BiH say that our country allocates for this sector 24 percent of the GDP more than other countries in transition…Obviously the urgent cuts will be necessary in terms of putting the administration in realistic frameworks, while at the same time improving its efficiency,” Almasa Bajric wrote in the Dnevni Avaz Commentary of the Day.

Nezavisne Novine reports (front page, p 3) that the Anti-Terrorist Team of the BiH Federation Interior Ministry is investigating a breakdown of Lagumdzija’s car. According to the paper, the Lagumdzija’s car broke down last week during Lagumdzija’s visit to the Tuzla Canton. The Police examined the car and established that three out of 5 screws on the front left wheel of Lagumdzija’s car were loosen. The paper also reports that all vehicles, which belong to the BiH Foreign Ministry, are maintained in an enterprise “Autocentar Kvatro” (owned by Bakir Alispahic, one of the suspects in the Podgorelica case.) and that this might be sabotage.

RS: Bocinja Serbs to sue BiH; Pensions paid in two days; Dodik’s interview

“Serbs from Bocinje near Maglaj will sue BiH because it has allowed to foreign citizens to buy Serb property,” Vaso Zekic, president of local community Bocinje, told SRNA. He claims that certain number of Mujahedeens who fight on Muslim side during the war already has bought houses in Bocinje. Due to that the return of Serbs is slowed down, and those who returned are exposed to everyday provocation. (Blic p 11)

 “All pensioners received July’s and 20% of May’s pension in two days”, Ostoja Kremenovic, director of RS PIO Fund, said. This is the first time after the war that the pensioners received their pensions in such a short period of time. Kremenovic said the pensions would be regularly paid until the end of year, and he hopped that trend would be continued next year. (Blic p 10)

In an interview president of the SNSD, Milorad Dodik, said that Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica should not support any party in the RS but to be correct in his stand toward all parties that will participate in the forthcoming elections. He once again accused the RS Government for its inability to solve the difficult situation in the RS. Dodik thinks it would not be good idea to form a joint customs administration at BiH level, because “if there is crime in the RS customs then in the joint customs there will be more of it”. He said he expected that Milan Jelic, an SNSD candidate for RS president, would win, and that Nebojsa Radmanovic would be elected for a BiH Presidency’s member. (Blic p 11, FRY Nacional p 11)

Pre-election editorials

Vjesnik (page 4, by Ivan Sabic) carries in its editorial that thanks to rather unusual Election Law from the last elections, a monopoly of national parties was annulled and this was the main goal of international representatives in BiH. The editorial concludes: ‘After political changes in Croatia and BiH, International Community, as well as political structures in these two countries, are trying to turn BiH Croats towards Sarajevo in order to make them look for solutions of their problems in BiH institutions and not out of them or even out of BiH borders. None can be satisfied with the results of this campaign, at least for the time being. One of the reasons are exactly the last Parliament elections and destiny of Croat votes.’ 

Feral (pages 34-36, by Ivan Lovrenovic) carries an editorial on the coming elections. The editorial says that after the last elections protagonists of the Alliance entered this project with a certain awareness about ‘reformist-like’ nature and purpose of their program, however, the fact that they were imprisoned in a short-ranged perspective of a daily political struggle and their personal goals and ambitions has never allowed them to see historical potential and dimension of their own project. Lovrenovic also says that the way in which the Alliance is discrediting itself in a form of a conflict based on ethnic grounds is tragic. Lovrenovic says that it would be extremely important that parties and individuals find strength and common sense so that BiH voters at the October elections do not find themselves before the worst but only possible solution: to vote for the old ones or not to vote at all.

Maricic says his case has political background

Glas Srpski on front page carries the statement of Bosko Maricic, former director of “Majevica”, who was dismissed by Brcko Supervisor Henry Clarke’s order due to the failure to protect public property, allowing the building of houses to Serb DPs at the land that belongs to “Majevica”. Maricic says that this issue has a political background, because there are 4,500 illegally built houses in Brcko, and a lot of them are erected at state owned land. People who built houses at Majevica’s land support Maricic because he enabled them to solve their problems, since that their property in the Federation is destroyed. The SDS Brcko sees this removal as the international community’s attempt to settle accounts with political opponents.  The SDS claims that more than 300 houses have been built at the land that belongs to “Posavina” in Prutace. Ismet Dedeic, head of department for urbanism in the Government, agrees that “Majevica” is not the only such case. “There are more than 1,400 illegally built houses, without counting 2,500 illegally built objects/buildings at Arizona market”, Dedeic says.  But, as he says, soon the Brcko Assembly will undertake appropriate measures to deal with these illegal activities.

• World news
• US Ambassador to BiH Clifford Bond has expelled two American citizens from BiH who worked on leading position of one of the world biggest accounting firms, under accusations of being involved in prostitutes trade
• Foreign Ministry, Presidency and State Border Service negotiate on accepting of teams from Croatia to begin the implementation of Annex of the agreement on Kostajnica border crossing
• The International Community is concerned with recent statements by some senior public officials reflected in the media attempting to discredit the Directors of the Bosnia and Herzegovina State Border Service, the UN Mission in BiH said

FTV 1 (1930)

• US Ambassador to BiH Clifford Bond has expelled two American citizens from BiH who worked on leading position of one of the world biggest accounting firms, under accusations of being involved in prostitutes trade, Sense news agency cited Sunday Times
• The International Community is concerned with recent statements by some senior public officials reflected in the media attempting to discredit the Directors of the Bosnia and Herzegovina State Border Service, the UN Mission in BiH said.

RTRS (1930)

• The International Community is concerned with recent statements by some senior public officials reflected in the media attempting to discredit the Directors of the SBS (1.0)
• OHR Spokesman Oleg Milisic confirmed the HR on Saturday had sent a letter to BiH Presidency and Council of Ministers explaining the structure of High Judiciary and Prosecution Councils (1.30)