Pale – RS representative Krajisnik met with the US Ambassador Kauzlarich. Krajisnik’s cabinet announced that Kauzlarich acknowledged the attitude of the Serb side concerning the elections. By this opinion, the elections should be delayed until the end of September, in order to review the voters lists and the election rules. Kauzlarich was also told that there were plenty of irregularities during the registration process, so in some municipalities there are more Moslems registered than Moslem residents from before the war. Simultaneously, a fair number of Serbs were removed from the candidates lists with no explanation. RS leadership also informed Kauzlarich about the need to hold Presidential and Parliamentary pre-elections, in order to resolve the RS crisis. The issue of joint institutions work was also discussed, and as was explained, its delay was caused by the current situation. The Serb side protested to Kauzlarich because the CoM Co-chairman Silajdzic does not pre-announce his travels abroad.
3’00”
Pale – Krajisnik talked to UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Eide. Krajisnik sad that the main issues were the RS Police reform, election problems and the current crisis. Krajisnik also said that Eide showed plenty of understanding and consideration, as well as willingness to help personally in solving the crisis. Krajisnik added that Eide would take the issue of RS Police reform and the attitude of the Serb into serious consideration.
2’00”
Banja Luka/Pale – Recently, brand new lies are spreading from the RS President’s cabinet. As said by Plavsic, the latest RS National Assembly (NA) had no quorum to make valid decisions. The NA refuted the claims, saying that there were enough representatives present. Also, the laws and decisions made by the NA were valid, although Plavsic would ignore them, in accordance with her unconstitutional and illegal behaviour. NA regretfully decided that Plavsic’s behaviour will continue to obstruct the RS constitutional order.
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Pale – SDS of Serb Countries party session, chaired by SDS acting President Buha, is still in progress. The subject being considered is the current situation in RS. No information has been released so far.
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Pale – RS Prime-Minister Klickovic and Government acting chairman Buha talked to OSCE Ambassadors Frowick and Kuznjecov. Items on the agenda were the forthcoming elections and resolution of the problems between OSCE and RS. Frowick said that they met RS representatives in order to discuss some remaining questions which need to be resolved. Frowick added that considerable progress was made, and that from his part, he expects the outstanding issues to be resolved over the next few days, or more precisely, by the next Provisional Election Commission meeting, which is on Tuesday. Frowick also said that OSCE effort primarily is to be able to help the people of this country to have the elections in which they will vote for whomever they wish. Buha confirmed that certain progress had been made, and that a paragraph referring to the arrest of people from confidential lists has been removed. Buha added that unfortunately OSCE had delayed voters list control, so that RS and OSCE would now have to review those lists. Buha also said that the holding or non-holding the elections would in any case depend on the opinion of the RS NA.
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Pale – Kilickovic and Minister for Energy Skoko talked with a World Bank delegation, led by Khabirov. The talks referred to overcoming the problem of gas supplies to the RS and BiH, as well as how to find a way to pay off debts. Skoko said that regardless of the results of these conversations, the RS would not obstruct the gas provisions to BiH.
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Pale – RS Communications and Transport Minister Laic, talked with the Swedish Ambassador Eliassen about co-operation between the two countries.
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Banja Luka – OSCE Ambassador Frowick went to BL in order to discuss the problem of the forthcoming elections with Plavsic. Frowick pointed out that these are the most complicated elections in history. Frowick also said that as for the technical side, everything has been prepared for normal election process. Asked whether the Presidential and Parliament elections would be held, Frowick said that this matter would be solved by some other people and on some other level, adding that it could only be solved by the Contact Group.
1’30”
Serb Radical Party (SRS) announced that OSCE had taken several decisions the realisation of which would bring RS to the edge of occupation. This referred particularly to the decision concerning the implementation of election results, which is in opposition to the DPA. SRS was especially surprised with OSCE’s right to decide about the acceptability of the elections and the ability to suspend the newly named candidates in accordance with that. SRS also thinks that one day is enough for the elections, and that even if held, the elections will not solve the crisis in RS.
2’30”
Chetniks Ravna Gora Movement (CRM) of Srbinje announced that Plavsic’s decisions were the biggest stroke for RS ever. Plavsic’s intention to extradite one of the greatest Serb patriots, Karadzic, to the so-called Hague Tribunal, put her on the list of the greatest Serb traitors in history. We don’t have Serbs for the so-called Hague Tribunal, but we do have plenty of Serbs to be judged in RS. And that list must contain Plavsic for everything she is doing. All that she used in her fight before, has now become a new device for RS destruction. At her meetings, individuals can be seen in the background, who became rich during the war. We, by this, are calling Plavsic to resign, thus enabling our young motherland to survive and remain. With faith to God and RS.
2’30”
Pale – CoM Co-chairman Bosic informed the German Ambassador Bassewitz about the problems with the work of the Joint Institutions. Bosic said that the main problems were due to disagreement on the Law on Citizenship and passports. Bosic added that this law should also solve the problem of Serb refugees in RS and abroad.
1’30”
World Media Reports – At yesterday’s meeting, the Contact Group (CG) confirmed it’s readiness to help prevent attacks against IC representatives in RS. CG supported the election process, and the OSCE mission.
- NATO ambassadors assembled in order to acknowledge US Special Envoy Gelbard’s report, and to agree on eventual SFOR engagement against RS media.
- British newspapers reported on UK Foreign Minister Cook and Gelbard’s determination to arrest indicted war criminals from RS and BiH and extradite them to the Hague.
- Corriere della Sera claims that SFOR has strengthened it’s weaponry with US F-16 combat fighters in order to support the peaceful elections. Twelve of those are placed on the Italian Adriatic coast, while six more are expected. Commenting on the weaponry enhancement, Rome Open Radio wonders whether the Americans want peace or war in the region.
Pale – RS MUP Minister Paleksic said that he will do everything to normalise RS relationships with the IC. Paleksic expressed his hope that two public security centres in BL and Mrkonjic grad, who were out of RS MUP control, would come to their senses and succumb to the control of RS MUP.
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Bijeljina – Bijeljina authorities met with SFOR General Grange at the US base. No information about the meting was released so far.
0’30”
Summary SRT TV News Banja Luka
The President of the RS Biljana Plavsic and Robert Frowick, the head of OSCE mission confirmed today holding of the municipal elections scheduled for September 13th and 14th 1997The municipal elections in BiH will be held on September 13th and 14th of the current year. Plavsic invited the citizens of the RS to take part in the municipal elections. Robert Frowick confirmed technical readiness of OSCE to hold the municipal elections. Plavsic talked today with Frowick about the forthcoming elections at municipal level.
“The municipal elections are the part of the DA, and we cannot take from that agreement only what suit us, and to reject the things that we don’t like”, Plavsic stated and confirmed the date of the elections:
“Maybe there wouldn’t be a reason for this conversation if there hadn’t been for the previous announcements of the people who should be responsible, but they were giving such statements indicating the obstruction of the elections. The municipal elections are the part of the DA and we cannot take only the parts that we like from this agreement. Therefore, I think that all this that had happened, happened from no reason at all, because it only caused the negative effects within the Serb people, and I think that, after very successful conversations that we had on the other side of Drina, and together with the participation of the very responsible people, including Mr. Frowick. I am inviting the Serbs to take part in the elections.”
Frowick stated to the journalists that everything is prepared for holding the municipal elections from the technical side. OSCE is trying to give people of the RS a chance to choose the leaders who are going to lead them. He added that the citizens can vote in the most secret way and under the international supervision. When the journalists asked him to express his attitude on holding the presidential elections, Frowick announced that this question should be solved at a level of the Contact Group.
Krajisnik received the USA Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich in Pale today. They discussed the forthcoming municipal elections and the functioning of the joint institutions.
SRS of the RS is convinced that the agreement between the sides in conflict and the representatives of the IC is necessary, because the decision of holding the elections at every level, parliamentary, presidential and for the member of the Presidency of BiH could be made in that way. The agreement on the municipal elections is necessary because that is the way for reaching the renovation of the legitimacy of the leaders in the RS and making a big step towards peace and realization of the DA – it is said in the announcement of the SRS of the RS.
The head of OSCE office in Banja Luka Ronald Dreyer. stated that, those whose names are not on the final voter registration lists, but who were registered on time, will be able to vote at the municipal elections on September 13th and 14th 1997.In the radio show of the Serb Radio Doboj, Dreyer made it clear that the voters who have receipts, but their names are not on the list, will be able to vote, but their voter papers will not be put in the voter’s boxes, but in the special envelopes which will be sent to the center for counting in Sarajevo, where they will be checked, said Dreyer.
The Serb Patriotic Front condemns in a worst possible way all the manipulations in regards to the forthcoming elections done by the leadership of the leading SDS and its exponent follower SRS. In the announcement of this Party it is said that the threats by boycotting the elections and the false confirmations about the deceits of OSCE in regards to the voter registration lists, change of the election rules and the number of the registered Moslem voters in certain towns of SDS, are just another proof that the leaderships of those parties are doing everything in order to accelerate the failure of the RS.
Krajisniik and the special envoy of the General-Secretary of the UN Kai Eide talked about the reconstruction of the police in the RS, political crisis and the elections in Pale today. Krajisnik, as TANJUG reports, assessed the conversation successful and he expressed hope that the cooperation with the representatives of the UN will be continued.
In Sipovo, there was a rally of support to the decisions of Biljana Plavsic, organized by the Coordination Board of the opposition political parties. We have a report from our informer in Sipovo:
“A few thousand Sipovo citizens gathered today in the center of the town on the rally of support to the President of the RS.. The president of the National Party Radoslav Brdjanin said that this is not a conflict of the ideologies , but the conflict between those who mean well to these people and the ones who doesn’t. The President of SPO from Sipovo Branko Topic said that Biljana Plavsic chose the way of justice, truth and life. If the President had not dismissed the National Assembly, the RS would disappear from the face of the Earth by next elections”, said Predrag Lazarevic, the president of the Serb Party for Krajina and Posavina.
The President Plavsic addressed the gathering, too. She talked mainly about the work of the Assembly and its dismissal, and about the envoys who conducted the directives of the Party. Should only 2 of 1 200 000 people live happily, said Plavsic alluding to the authorities from Pale.
7min 30 sec (all election reports above)
Contact Group declared it is fully observing the DA
In regards to the current situation in the RS, the members of the Contact Group reached a united attitude at today’s session in Brussels and they pointed out the necessity of the full implementation of the DA. In the report on the meeting of the Contact Group in Brussels, it is emphasized that its participants demanded for fully observing the agreements contained in the DA. This meeting was scheduled due to the joint initiative of the chiefs of the Russian and German diplomacy.
2 min
The beginning of the school year in the RS is still uncertain
Judging by the today’s meeting held in Banja Luka university, the support of the international organizations and institutions to the education school system in the RS will not be left out.
3 min
The rest of the news was from international news reports, sports, weather etc.