Latest radio news broadcast at 12.00 on 16 May
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (12,00 hrs) | BH Radio 1 (12,00 hrs) |
| 3rd Council of | Talks on police reform in |
| Discussion on const. changes in MO | BiH Minister Kebo visit to Petrovac |
| Talks on police reform continue | CoE Summit in |
TV news broadcast on 15 May
| RADIO HERCEG-BOSNA (18,00hrs) | TV PINK (18,00 hrs) | BHT 1 (19,00 hrs) |
| Holy Ghost celebration | Monastery Zitomislici opened | Killer of a 17-years old girl arrested |
| Monastery Zitomislici opened | Leakey, Schook in BiH Presidency | Monastery in Zitomislici re-opened |
| Cavic on | BiH Fiscal Council to be established | Bileca and Manjaca case |
| Mico Maric dies | SDA, SDP, SBiH on | Investigation against Matijasevic |
| NTV Hayat (19,00 hrs) | FTV (19,30 hrs) | RTRS (19,30 hrs) |
| Monastery Zitomislici opened | Monastery in Zitomislici re-opened | Monastery Zitomislici opened |
| Mevlud in Blagaj | Killer of a 17-years old girl arrested | Anniversary of killed soldiers in |
| Talks on police reform to continue | FBiH law on legal proceedings | Update on self-burning incident |
| Homicide in | Burglary in Slobodna Bosna offices | Police Reform talks start on Monday |
| Oslobodjenje | Dragan Cavic threatens Minister Matijasevic with a criminal report |
| Dnevni Avaz | Terzic accuses Ivanic |
| Dnevni List | Bloody wedding party |
| Vecernji List | Hungarians fine BiH carriers |
| Slobodna Dalmacija | Features |
| Glas Srpske | Peace to all people |
| Nezavisne Novine | Serbian Patriarch consecrated Zitomislic |
| Blic | Reconstruction from ashes |
| Vecernje Novosti | Features |
| Srpski Nacional | Features |
LATEST NEWS OF TODAY | |
| Talks on police reform to resume in
| BH Radio 1, RHB – Talks on police reform are to be continued in the residence of Konak in |
| HDZ-organised discussion on constitutional changes underway in Mostar
| RHB – The discussion on constitutional changes organized by HDZ has been underway in Mostar. HDZ President Barisa Colak stated that the goal of this discussion is to hear the opinion of all Croat political, economic, cultural and scientific bodies on the future organization of BiH. FENA – HDZ President Barisa Colak stated that the starting point of the discussion on constitutional organization of BiH which takes place in Mostar today in organization of HDZ is de-centralized BiH, made of 3 authority levels (the state, municipal and central levels), while the central authority would be made of 3 or more federal units. |
Police Reform | |
| Talks on police reform to be continued in
| BHT, Hayat, Oslobodjenje pg 5 ‘Continuation of talks on police reform’, Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘Negotiators from Vlasic to continue talks at Konak residence today’, Vecernji List pg 3 ‘Future in map’ by dj – The BiH political leaders are expected to resume talks on police reform in BiH in Sarajevo on Monday. Leaders of 11 political parties have been invited to participate in continuation of the talks on the issue started on the RTRSReport by Aida Halilovic – High Representative (HR) Paddy Ashdown stated that second round of talks on Police Reform should commence on Monday. HR stated that in the following week 11 political parties will decide on future of BIH. “RS has to decide whether RS wants to follow the example of neighbouring countries and chooses the path toward EU or to refuse everything” said Ashdown. British Ambassador to BIH Mathew Rycroft expressed hopes that SDS with their leader Dragan Cavic will follow that path toward EU. “RS is not risking anything if it accepts the proposed solutions but there is danger if it refuses to do so” said Rycroft. |
| EU’s Solana: Vlasic means nothing without completion of the agreement on police reform
| Dnevni Avaz pg 5 ‘BiH Constitution will have to be changed’, mentioned on cover ‘Every lost day a present to criminals’ – In an interview with the daily, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana says he is pleased about the constructive efforts made by BiH politicians at the Vlasic negotiations – but this will all mean nothing if BiH political leaders are unable to complete an agreement when the talks continue this week. “Until your parliaments have agreed a final political agreement we cannot view the process (of police reform) as complete. Vlasic provided a structure, which will vest legislative and budgetary competencies at state level, meeting the first EC principle. This goes part of the way to ensuring that there can be no political interference in operational policing. What remains now is for local police regions to be applied in functional areas, so as to achieve technically efficient policing,” emphasized Solana. |
| Gallach: police reform is crucial step on the path to EU; political parties’ opinions re negotiations still differ
| Nezavisne Novine pg 5 ‘Crucial step on the path to EU’, announced on cover ‘Police reform is crucial step in the process of admission of BiH to EU’ by M. Cubro and S. Gojkovic – Spokesperson for EU High Representative Javier Solana, Kristina Gallach, has stated EU monitors police reform negotiations with great concern and she emphasized this reform is a crucial step on the path to EU. ‘EU wishes to encourage all political leaders in BiH to use this opportunity to move forward towards EU’, Gallach said and announced EU mission would arrive to BiH in couple of days to analyze what had been done in the process of police reform. OHR Spokesperson Ljiljana Radetic has stated EC would, on May 19, assess the progress of BiH towards EU, i.e. it would decide whether it would recommend the start of ASA negotiations. The article carries announcement on the continuation of negotiations on police reform in “Konak” residence in |
| Bosniak member of the Presidency Tihic expects the agreement to be reached on police areas in BiH
| Dnevni Avaz pg 4 ‘Maps must not respect inter-entity line’, mentioned on cover ‘Inter-entity line an o0bstracle to efficient functioning’, FENA – The President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Sulejman Tihic, on Sunday said told FENA that he expects an agreement on the police regions in BiH to be reached in the next several days. “The attempts and announcements from the RS that the police regions should be organized within the Entity lines are not acceptable to me personally, my political option, and also for majority of BiH citizens. This (inter-entity lines as basis for making police regions) would represent giving up on reforms and further maintaining of political influence on policing, which would be an obstacle to proper combating crime, and a means for protection of criminals”, said Tihic before Monday’s continuation of talks between the 11 political parties on police reform in BiH. The pressures of the obstructing forces from RS, which perhaps enjoy the support or understanding of a part of the international community, are worrying, added Tihic. |
| PDP’s Ivanic on police reform: nothing is over until we agree
| Glas srpske pg 2 ‘From Vlasic to Konak’ not signed – also announces continuation of negotiations on police reform and carries a statement of PDP President Mladen Ivanic who said he did not like the atmosphere after the Vlasic talks, when a number of politicians from F BiH have proclaimed everything was over. ‘It was said hundred times nothing was over until we agree, and this was only a package which system bodies should discuss only after it is defined’, Ivanic said. |
| PRC Chair Martens: RS MoI will play a significant role in state police structure
| Nezavisne novine pg 8 ‘Talks that are defining European future of BiH’ by Wilfred Martens – Martens refers to the continuation of the police talks and says if these talks end successfully BiH might get a green light for the start of ASA negotiations at the end of the month. Martens explained the importance of the police reform and benefits of the admission to EU. He says politicians, in order to achieve a success in police talks, should agree on a police system in which all legislative and budgetary authorities should be transferred to the state level, in which police regions would be defined in accordance with criteria of functionality and in which there would be no political interference in the operative work of the police. Oslobodjenje pg 8, mentioned on cover ‘RS MoI will play a significant role in state police structure’ carries an interview2 with Martens on the issue. |
| RS President says situation in RS dramatic
| Dnevni List pg 9 ‘There will be sanctions and staged processes’ not signed ,SRNA – The RS President, Dragan Cavic, has said that the situation in the RS is dramatic because of police reforms. According to Cavic, the RS and its officials will become the target of sanctions and stage-managed political campaigns. Cavic told Sunday’s edition of the Belgrade-based Vecernje Novosti daily that a crisis was inevitable regardless of the outcome of the police reform process. He said he had been thinking about resigning because he did not want to be “the murderer of the RS”. “Chaos will break out in the RS. Many people will be forced off the political scene and the survival of the government is in question. The situation is dramatic and it could lead to a great explosion. I am prepared to do anything but I will not be the executioner of the RS,” said Cavic. He said he was aware of the possibility of stage-managed political campaigns being launched against him or anyone else in the RS. “Everything is possible – including sackings, prison and persecution,” Cavic emphasized. Cavic said his resignation had not been ruled out as an option and added that he did not want to pour oil on the fire. Cavic said that European Commission representatives would arrive in BiH as early as 19 May. Cavic said he could not be an optimist regarding future events, if their assessment of the police reform was negative. Does the RS have to disappear on the road to Europe is the question which is being directly imposed now, Cavic said, adding that the RS was prepared to work on finding a formula allowing the state of BiH to control the police structures. Cavic said that repressive measures against the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) were a certainty. “We are not prepared to abolish the |
| NN op-ed: police for citizens, not for EU
| Nezavisne Novine op-ed pg 7 ‘Police for citizens, not for EU’ by Mirza Cubro – regarding the police reform negotiations, the author notes it seems as if leaders of 11 political parties, who are negotiating on the future organization of the police, have forgotten that the police must be efficient, rational, professional and functional because of BiH citizens, and not because of EU. |
Political Developments/Appointments | |
| Terzic: Ivanic obstructing election/appointment of SIPA Director
| Dnevni Avaz cover page ‘Terzic accuses Ivanic’, pg 2 ‘Terzic: Ivanic obstructing election/appointment of SIPA Director’ – In a statement for the daily, BiH Council of Minister Chairman Adnan Terzic announced the SIPA Director would be appointed on Tuesday. He also accused BiH Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic of obstructions to the SIPA Director appointment saying Ivanic wanted to make a new package of the top state post distribution. |
| Ivanic supports Novic’s candidacy
| Vecernji List pg 2 ‘Ivanic does not want Lukac’ by md – BiH Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic stated in Zitomislici on Sunday that he supports candidacy of Sredoje Novic for the position of the SIPA Director and not the candidacy of Dragan Lukac. Ivanic added that the Lukac’s appointment would mean that there would be no Serbs at all at 5 leading positions in SIPA. Nezavisne Novine pg 2 ‘By appointment of Dragan Lukac, first five people of SIPA would not be Serb’ by Srna also carried the statement. |
| RS President Cavic says recent political solutions in BiH in favor of Bosniaks
| RHB, Oslobodjenje pg 3 ‘BiH is only suitable for Bosniaks’, FENA – “The Dayton Agreement represents a maximal political success and it has done a great deal of good, but the dissatisfaction of political representatives of the Croat and Serb peoples is currently visible in BiH”, RS President Dragan Cavic told the press after the ceremony of opening the reconstructed Orthodox monastery in Zitomislici near Mostar. “It seems that the recent political solutions in this country are only in favor of Bosniak, which is not good”, said Cavic stressing that he loves BiH as his country, but noted that he also has a national identity and that he would not let anybody take it away from him, regardless of whether it is about Paddy Ashdown, Sulejman Tihic or Barisa Colak. When asked whether the RS would support the efforts of the Croat political leadership for drafting certain amendments to the BiH Constitution, Cavic said this was something that should be discussed. Dnevni List pg 3 ‘Cavic: Political solutions which suit Bosniaks only’, Vecernji List pg 3 ‘Cavic: I understand dissatisfaction of Croats’ not signed also carry the statement. |
| DL open-edit. on HR’s powers
| Dnevni List pg 2 ‘High Representative’s role’ by D. Kozina says that domestic and foreign politicians and diplomats believe that the institution of the High Representative should be reconstructed as soon as possible and, first of all, this refers on reduction of ‘almost unlimited HR’s powers’. DL says that apart from politicians, BiH citizens have been also less satisfied with the Paddy Ashdown’s work and the UNDP research shows that an increased number of Croats and Serbs demand reduction of the HR’s powers. Also, the UNDP research shows that Bosniaks and Croats less support all reforms. |
| NHI: HDZ works for the benefit of themselves and not for the benefit of Croat people
| RHB, FTV, Oslobodjenje pg 7 ‘HDZ works for the benefit of themselves and not for the benefit of Croat people’, Dnevni List pg 4 ‘Croat parties divided regarding constitutional changes’ by I. Glibusic – NHI announced on Sunday that they would not participate at the meeting on constitutional changes initiated by HDZ, which should take place in Mostar today (on Monday). NHI believes that the goal of this meeting is undermining of already started process of harmonization of joint principles of the constitutional reform in BiH (referring on the NHI, HSS, HSP Djapic-Juriisic, HKDU, HDU talks on constitutional changes). NHI believes that in this way HDZ showed once again that they much more care about their personal interests than about interests of the Croat people. Nezavisne Novine pg 4 ‘They will not attend HDZ rally’ by S. G. also covered the issue. |
| HDZ on NHI’s criticism: It is not good that we agree on every issue
| Oslobodjenje pg 7 ‘It is not good that we agree on every issue’ by H.A. – Commenting on the NHI intention not to attend today’s meeting on constitutional changes initiated by HDZ, HDZ spokesperson Pero Pavlovic stated that protection of the Croat people’s vital national interest should be the interest of all parties including NHI. He added: ‘Naturally, it is not good that we agree on everything, however, we expected consensus regarding these issues.’ |
| DL: Boris Miksic founded his party in Mostar
| Dnevni List pg 6, mentioned on front ‘Miksic brings ‘Soko’ from Mostar back to life’ by M. Batarello – According to unofficial information, Croatia businessman and one of candidates for the Croatian President at the last elections in Croatia, Boris Miksic, founded his party in Mostar and according to a DL source, who wanted to stay anonymous, the party is called Party of Croat Determinedness. The source added that Miksic is going to support the party’s programme in terms of economy exclusively and thus he is planning to build a few factories in BiH, including the factory for production of planes. According to the source, for this purpose Miksic intends to rent premises of ‘Soko’ factory in Mostar. |
| Stjepan Jurkic on Law on public RTV service
| Vecernji List pg 2 ‘Struggle for entity TV channels’ by D. Ravic carries an initiator of the petition for establishment of the Croat TV channel, Stjepan Jurkic, strongly criticising a proposal of law on public RTV service and saying that this law reduces Croats to a national minority. According to Jurkic, EC and OHR bureaucrats are the most responsible for this situation since they imposed unconstitutional solution on the ground of which they violated UN and EU conventions on human and national rights. |
Legal Proceedings/Affairs | |
| RS Interior Minister Matijasevic probed over war crimes transfer incident – RS President
| BHT, Hayat, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje cover page, pg 3 ‘Dragan Cavic threatens Minister Matijasevic with a criminal report’, Glas Srpske pg 3 ‘Matijasevic under investigation’ by M. D. – The BiH State Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into RS Interior Minister Darko Matijasevic and his aides over an incident between the police and the BiH State Border Service (SBS) during the transfer of wartime commander at the Serb-run Foca camp Savo Todovic to the Hague tribunal, RS President Dragan Cavic has said. Cavic told the Belgrade-based Vecernje novosti that the SBS planned to kidnap Todovic who had made arrangements with |
| Leakey, Schook met with Paravac, Tihic on Manjaca/Bileca incidents
| Pink, BHT, FTV, RTRS, EuroBlic pg RS2, announced on cover ‘They demand for removal of Novak Djukic’ by T. V. – carries unofficial information published in Dnevni Avaz that EUFOR Commander David Leakey and NATO Commander Stephen Schook have demanded for removal of RS Army Headquarters Commander Novak Djukic. Glas Srpske pg 2 ‘New punishments to follow?’ by N. Z. – reports on meeting betweenEUFOR Commander David Leakey and NATO Commander Stephen Schook with BiH Presidency Chairman Borislav Paravac and BiH Presidency member Sulejman Tihic. |
| NATO/EUFOR: BiH Presidency must take adequate measures (regarding Bileca/Manjaca incidents) by May 24
| Dnevni Avaz pg 2 ‘BiH Presidency must take adequate measures (regarding Bileca/Manjaca incidents) by May 24’ – In a statement for the daily, Sarejevo-based NATO Headquarters Spokesman Derek Chapel said there had been no any concrete conclusions made at a Saturday’s meeting of NATO and EUFOR Commanders Steven Schook and David Leakey with BiH Presidency members. Schook and Leakey just advised their hosts on what should be done, what measures should be taken regarding the incidents occurred during the oath-taking ceremonies in the RS Army facilities in Bileca and Manjaca last month. Any possible action will exclusively be taken by the competent BiH institutions and it will not be decision of NATO or EUFOR, according to Chapel. |
| Pre-investigation activities were launched against OSA Director
| Nezavisne novine pg 4 ‘Pre-investigation activities against OSA director were launched’ by M. Cubro – Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office has launched pre-investigation activities against Almir Dzuvo, OSA Director, due to suspicion he had participated in illegal employments at Sarajevo Canton MoI during his mandate as a minister. |
| Nacional: Serbs too are working for Islamic terrorists | Srpski Nacional pg 7, announced on cover ‘Serbs too are working for Islamic terrorists’ by P. T. N. – continues publishing parts of RS police report on terrorism in BIH. |
Economic/Social Issues | |
| Hungarian border-guards violate agreement signed btwn BiH and
| Vecernji List cover pg splash ‘Hungarians fine BiH carriers’ and pg 5 ‘We demand counter-measures’ by D. Ravic – VL says that Hungarian border-guards fine BiH carriers without any reason (BiH carriers must pay fines amounting to about 3000 Euros) and in this way that violate inter-state agreement signed between Hungary and BiH. Vice President of the BiH Association of Carriers Milan Ivankovic said that they informed competent authorities about this problem and they demand their harsh reaction and introduction of counter-measures. |
Religious Issues | |
| Reconstructed Zitomislici Orthodox Monastery opened
| RHB, Pink, BHT, Hayat, FTV, RTRS, Oslobodjenje pgs 4-5, mentioned on cover ‘Biological, moral and spiritual survival of the Serb people’, Dnevni List pgs 2 and 3, mentioned on cover ‘Through reconstruction of monastery to reconstruction of trust’ by S. Bjelica, Vecernji List pg 3 ‘There will be no big return to Neretva valley’ by M. Vasilj, Slobodna Dalmacija pg 13 ‘Reconstructed monastery inaugurated’ by M. Skobic, A. Macanovic, Nezavisne Novine cover pg splash and pg 3 ‘Serbian Patriarch consecrated Zitomislic’ by V. Coric, Glas Srpske cover pg splash ‘Peace to all people!’ by Z. Janjic, EuroBlic cover pg splash and pg 2 ‘Reconstruction from ashes’ by V. M., Vecernje Novosti pg 13, announced on cover ‘We need peace, justice and freedom’ by R. Gutic – carry statements of Patriarch Pavle, Bishop Atanasije, Borislav Paravac, PDHR Lawrence Butler and couple of citizens who all welcomed the reconstruction of the Monastery in Zitomislic near Mostar. The article reports following persons also attended the ceremony: diplomatic circle in BiH, RS President Dragan Cavic, RS PM Pero Bukejlovic, BiH Presidency members Borislav Paravac and Sulejman Tihic, Ministers Mladen Ivanic, Slobodan Kovac and Mirsad Kebo, Chairman of BiH HoP Goran Milojevic, Serbian President Boris Tadic, members of Karadjordjevic family, delegate of Bishop Ratko Peric (on behalf of Catholic Church), Seid effendi Smajkic from Mostar (on behalf of the Islamic Community) and Erna Cipra on behalf of the Jewish Community. |