08 December 97, 19:30
Sarajevo – A new negotiating Odyssey of the BiH officials begins tomorrow in Bonn at the Peace Implementation Council meeting. Progress of the DPA implementation, as well as the 18 priority tasks which were to be solved before the Bonn Conference, will be on the Agenda. Several teams of the BiH delegation on their way to Bonn were shown being questioned by the TV crew on what they expected from the meeting. In general, their answers had already been seen in the media. BiH politicians expect to: find mechanisms to undo all the obstacles which are standing in the way of the DPA implementation; resume that which has been done until now; expand the HR’s mandate so that he can arbitrate in full when the BiH authorities cannot come to an agreement; find a mechanism for the Parliament and CoM to do their job; eliminate blockages; remove persons who are against reintegration of BiH; establish an IC agreement on the priorities for next year, since the IC after having spent 2 years in BiH, must have found weak areas on which it is going to focus and be able to point a finger at those who obstruct implementation of DPA; pressure from the IC which is losing its patience, etc
4:00
Berlin – Haris Silajdzic, BiH COM Co-Chair gave his stance on the weak areas of the Bonn Document at a Press Conference held in Berlin. He specially stressed that the attempt to reduce very important statehood elements of BiH affects the whole implementation of the DPA very negatively. He supported acceptance of the property law which would enable the equal rights of all citizens in the whole BiH territory. He also asked for adoption of laws which would defend the rights of the refugee. He especially requested a new re-affirmation of the DPA in Bonn in all aspects and rejection of its revision.
3:00
Robin Cook, British Foreign Minister addressed the BiH leaders ahead of the Bonn conference demanding from them to work on the unifying of a divided country, as he put it. In his interview in The Times, Cook revealed that Bonn is going to offer BiH the last chance by setting new dates for agreement on passports, flag and single currency. The central topics discussed in Bonn will be human rights, open and fair government, and media.
2:00
Sarajevo – The old BiH debt to the London Club has been transformed into a new debt. An agreement on this was signed today by Mirsad Kurtovic, CoM Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and Peter Nicholl the BiH Central Bank Governor. They signed 21 documents which establish the legislative and economic framework for the realisation of the engagement. The new debt has been granted with the better pay off conditions, Kurtovic said.
1:30
The results of the Parliamentary elections have opened a way for the democratic process and solving of the Parliamentary crisis in RS, HR Carlos Westendorp said, talking of the election results in RS. In his statement the High Representative demanded from the RS representatives, to hold a new constituting Parliamentary session until 20 December.
1:30
BH Press Agency informed tonight that Momcilo Krajisnik, BiH Presidency Member rejected acknowledgment of the results in which the SDS received only 24 seats. Krajisnik said that such results are obvious fraud . He announced that he would file a complaint to demand the canceling of the elections. Biljana Plavsic, RS President, in her interview given to BiH weekly Ljiljan, estimates that it is satisfactory that SDS has lost its predominant role in the Parliament. She pointed out that she has nothing against returns of the Bosniaks and Croats to RS but it is necessary first to solve the problem of housing for 600.000 Serbs from Croatia who are now staying in Banja Luka. Yet, she said that it is impossible again to establish a multi-ethnic BiH even under the DPA. According to the DPA, Bosnia is a state, but we don’t know which – union or republic, she said. Plavsic concluded though, that the Dayton Accord is the framework out of which there is no jumping out and which she as the RS President has to respect.
2:30
Tehran – A Summit of the OIC started today. The members of the summit will discuss 141 resolutions in three days. BiH will have a special place, besides the Palestine and Arab-Israel issue.
Sarajevo – ONASA Agency has just published in its evening service the Bonn Draft Conclusions. The text was read in full.
Although the BiH state key laws were on the Agenda of the HoP BiH Parliamentary Assembly’s session today, it did not take place due to absence of the RS deputies. This was the last chance to accept laws on passports, citizenship and CoM.