Main News Summary
Friday, 20 August 2004
Friday, 20 August 2004
SFOR
Dnevni List
Transfer of authority in MNTF (NW)
Canadian Brigadier Stuart Beare will hand over his duties as the Commander of MNTF (NW) to UK Brigadier Mark Dodson at a ceremony to take place in Kastel in downtown Banja Luka on 1 September. The MNTF (NW) Information Section notified the citizens of Banja Luka that several helicopters would be flying over the city during the ceremony. (p.6)
SFOR
Oslobodjenje
Illegal weapons found in a corn field near Prijedor
On Wednesday, H.M. (49) from Gomjenica near Prijedor found three bags containing rifles, rifle grenades, hand grenades, and small caliber ammunition in his cornfield. He immediately informed the Public Security Station in Prijedor, which then reported this to SFOR and the Civil Protection, whose members removed the weapons from the field. SFOR soldiers set up a separate checkpoint near the Celpak Factory in Prijedor in order to facilitate the collection of weapons left from the war. Operation Harvest has been intensified in this area in the last ten days. (Photo on p.37)
SFOR
Dnevni avaz
Mostar citizens annoyed because SFOR soldiers park their vehicles next to the Old Bridge
Lately, citizens of Mostar have been complaining about SFOR soldiers driving their all-terrain vehicles straight to Mostar old town and parking them next to the Old Bridge. Behaving like this, SFOR soldiers have been significantly damaging the appearance of probably the most attractive tourist destination in BiH and calling forth justified protests from Mostar citizens and tourists who have difficulty while walking the narrow streets of the old town because of the parked SFOR vehicles. The Mostar Office of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Tourist Community warns that SFOR soldiers, armed with long-barreled weapons, do not contribute at all to the promotion of tourism in Mostar. An official protest has been sent to HQ SFOR because of the behaviour of its members. (Photo on p.6)
SFOR
Glas Srpske
Operation Harvest in western RS
At a press conference in Banja Luka yesterday, SFOR spokesperson Captain Steven Hawken reported on the results of Operation Harvest in Novi Grad, Prijedor, Kotor Varos and Sanski Most achieved so far. He said that 61 light weapons, 106 hand grenades, two mortars, 94 mortar shells, one gun and 24,318 pieces of ammunition had been collected. (p.3)
SFOR
Nezavisne Novine
Ninth anniversary of the tragedy on Mount Igman
Yesterday on Mount Igman, members of the US and French Embassies in BiH and members of the Federation Ministry of Defence laid wreaths at the memorial stone placed in honour of the three US diplomats and the French soldier who were killed in the traffic accident which occurred on the Igman road in 1995. Addressing the gathered officials, among whom was COMSFOR General Packett, Tina Kaidanov, chargé d' affaires of the US Embassy, expressed gratitude to the Federation Ministry of Defence for having built the memorial and the road to the scene of the accident. (Photo on p.4)
SFOR
Nezavisne Novine
BiH Ombudspersons to analyse the conduct of SFOR soldiers
Yesterday, BiH ombudsperson Vitomir Popovic said that this institution would soon publish the results of an analysis of human rights violations by SFOR soldiers, EUPM police officers and some other international organizations. "In recent days, we have analysed violations of human rights on the part of international organizations in BiH, including SFOR in the case of Archpriest Jeremija Starovlah and his son Aleksandar," Popovic said. The date for publication of this analysis depends on completion of the work of the RS Office of Ombudspersons, the institution to which the Starovlah family apparently turned asking for their human rights to be protected. The paper, however, has been told in the RS Office of Ombudspersons that they were not working on the Starovlah case, since they had not received any complaint from the family. (p.13)/The same in Glas Srpske (p.5)/
SFOR
Glas Srpske
Witnesses to the Simo Mijic incident: He was beaten up for no reason
"Simo Mijic is not to blame! He did nothing to provoke the SFOR soldier who punched him," those who were present in the café Kola claim. "The soldier punched him for no reason. They were not even sitting next to each other. Simo sat at the bar on one side of the café, while a group of SFOR soldiers played billiards on the other. All of a sudden, one of them approached Simo, caught him by his neck, and another punched him," says Goran Tubonjic. He stressed that there had not been any conversation between the innocent lad and SFOR soldiers. However, Tubonjic does not discount the possibility that "Colonel Rambo" was mistaken. "Before Simo and his brother-in-law Marinko came, the soldiers had been sitting on the patio. One of them went out and relieved himself over a car that was parked outside. The owner of the car told him that it was not really a decent thing to do. Probably annoyed, this soldier then attacked Simo," says Goran. Marinko Gajic, Simo's brother-in-law, says that they could have not provoked the soldiers, because they do not speak English. According to residents, this was not the first time that SFOR members, and particularly "Rambo" had caused problems. There were several fights before, but no one reported them to the police. "Everybody here fears them. These 'peace-keepers' get drunk somewhere, then in the middle of the night turn on the sirens and rotating lights on their vehicles and drive through the village," said one local. (Photo on p.8)
SFOR
Dani
Those who caused 210 traffic accidents will not be brought to justice
Thanks to the immunity that they enjoy in our country, members of the international organizations, as well as locals employed with them, stop at nothing: they behave arrogantly, fire weapons, cause traffic accidents, and so on. "It is almost impossible to bring to justice our local people, much less members of the international community," said Gildjana Tanovic, Advisor for International Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, commenting on the case that occurred in 1997. An employee of SFOR, Rasid Softic, was driving six tradesmen to their work place in Eagle Base near Tuzla. The road was slippery. Three individuals died right there at the scene of the accident, and the other three were seriously injured. Nobody knows what exactly happened that day. Rasid is still working for SFOR. The fact that three men died is not so important as the fact that he was, at that time, performing his official duties. At least, that is how SFOR sees things. Last Saturday, in a bar in Banja Luka, two drunk SFOR soldiers beat up the 19-year old Simo Mijic. SFOR soldiers often went to that bar and behaved arrogantly. International representatives can do whatever they want: parking in illegal spots, speeding, firing weapons, and so on. In the first six months of 2004, 210 traffic accidents in the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina were caused by members of SFOR, the EUPM, OHR, UNHCR, embassies and other international organizations. This number is negligible in relation to the total number of 11,564 traffic accidents, however it is relevant that none of these 210 cases will be subject to any sanctions. According to the Dayton Peace Agreement, international representatives cannot be arrested or detained. "There is nothing much to be said about that, because that is something that we signed," said Tanovic. Regarding compensation, Damir Mujacic, SFOR Legal Advisor, said that the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina should, through the Official Gazette, explain how the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina could be compensated for the damage caused by SFOR.
AF IN BIH
Dnevni List
Gradacac area cleared of mines
On Friday, de-miners of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade of the VF Joint Command, will close down the Svibovac de-mining site near Gradacac. The de-mining activities commenced at the beginning of March have been carried out in five phases by seven teams and one dog-team. In quite difficult conditions, 72,934 m2 of land were cleared of mines, during which 34 anti-personnel mines and 29 pieces of unexploded ordnance were found and destroyed. Other de-mining teams of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade are currently engaged in the area of Vakuf, Bihac, Ustikoline and Maglaj. (p.3)
AF IN BIH
Panorama
Lives sacrified in peace mission
On Mount Igman on Thursday, the ninth anniversary of the deaths of US diplomats Joseph Cruiser, Robert Fraiser and Samuel Nelson Drew and the French soldier, Stefan Raul, was marked. Representatives of the US and French Embassies in BiH and the FMoD, paid their respects to the deceased members of the UNPROFOR mission by laying flowers at their memorial. Jugoslav Brdar, the Deputy Commander of the Joint Command of the VF, addressed the gathering stating that the lives of the US diplomats and the French soldier were built into the foundations of peace because their deaths had solidified the efforts of the IC in the establishment of peace in BiH. Brdar added that "by adopting the standards of the modern armed forces of EU countries, we will best cherish the memory of the deceased diplomats and the French soldier whose sacrifice must never be forgotten." The Federation Minister of Defense, Miroslav Nikolic said that "the deceased members of the peace mission wanted to open the eyes of the world and Europe to the truth and motivate them to fight evil." Charge d' affaires of the US Embassy, Tina Kaidanov, remarked that "even though there is still a lot of unfinished business, the progress made in BiH in the past nine years is evident which is the best confirmation of the engagement of the dead diplomats." Military attachés, representatives of the international organizations in BiH, SFOR, the VF and the FMoD members were also present at the commemoration of the death of the UNPROFOR members. (p.8)
BIH - EUROPE
Dani
Survey
According to a survey conducted for the purposes of the EU mission in Sarajevo, the majority of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina think that it is more important to have good relations with the European Union than with the United States of America. Renzo Davidi, Deputy Head of the EU Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thinks that there is strong and stable support for European integration in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the present time. In the case of a referendum on the admission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union, 87.5% of the surveyed citizens would vote in favor of admission, whereas only 4.3% would vote against it.
BIH - PARTIES
Dani
Bakir Izetbegovic in his father's chair
BHDANI has learned that there will be changes in the SDA after the local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will take place in October. The scenario is as follows: after the local elections, the Presidency of the party will explain to its members that it is inappropriate for one person to hold the highest state and party positions at the same time. Thus, Mr. Tihic will remain only a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereas Bakir Izetbegovic will be elected the President of the SDA. Izetbegovic junior is the most agile member of the party who inherited the autocratic right to rule Bosniacs in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BIH - PARTIES
Dani
Anything is better than a Bosnia and Herzegovina with two entities
/…/ Q: Mr. Muratovic, have you not underestimated the extreme sensitivity that appears in a large part of the population every time the "third entity" issue is on the agenda? A: "No, I have not underestimated it at all. However, we must be objective. The Croats will never allow any serious discussion about any model if that discussion does not include that particular model. Therefore, a discussion about the three entities is inevitable. I have spent a lot of time in the Republic of Croatia and I can say that the greatest political goal of the majority of Croats, including the diaspora, is a third entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. So, we must talk about it in a democratic manner. We must initiate such a discussion in the media as well, and present the arguments that will be so solid as to discourage people from advocating such a model. We cannot spit on people who talk about a third entity, we must present the arguments/…/ Note: Hasan Muratovic is one of the leaders of the SDA political party, and the former prime minister of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BIH - PARTIES
Slobodna Bosna
Interview with Hasan Muratovic
Q: You said that by establishing the three republics, we would build a country much more easily, considering that there would be a consensus of all three peoples for that? A: I said that on the basis of three entities, but not ethnic-based entities, we could have an efficient state structure. That is what I said and that is what I still think. However, I also said that that model is virtually impossible and that there will never be a consensus regarding the territorial rearrangement of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three entities would function better than two entities, and by achieving that the Republika Srpska as such would disappear. Q: As far as I know, besides the territorial reorganization, you have also considered some other issues pertaining to the Election Law. A: Yes, there are about a dozen ideas for which we have reached a mutual understanding. For example, we have agreed that there should be one president instead of three. Also, we have agreed that there should be only one president of the parliament and one premier of the state government. The representatives of three constituent peoples would be appointed to these positions, which would be subject to the principle of rotation.
BIH - PRESIDENCY
Slobodna Bosna
Do you support deployment of the BiH soldiers to Iraq?
Atif Dudakovic, retired general of the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: "I think it is necessary to have a law on state level governing the deployment of our soldiers abroad and participation in the peace-keeping missions. Once that law is verified by the Parliament, our soldiers will follow any orders. I think that soldiers are professional who are ready to execute any orders, but this thing about Iraq is petty politics. This issue is too serious, considering the situation in our country and the fact that people die over there in Iraq. Anyway, I think that Bosnia and Herzegovina should obey the international obligations that were assumed, especially those pertaining to the United Nations.
BIH - PRESIDENCY
Dani
Barometer
Sulejman Tihic has never been so determined as on August 17. For the very first time and without any hesitation, he said NO. He said no to five thousand citizens who objected to the engagement of our soldiers in Iraq. He said no to all conscripts, their families, organizations who opposed the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said that only volunteers would go to Iraq, without wondering how miserable their lives must be if they are prepared to go there and stick their necks out in order to make some money for their families. He does not wonder how spineless we will look to the countries of South-Eastern Europe that have protected their soldiers. He does not wonder about anything. In his head and between his legs, he lacks that thing that our neighbors have, so it is easy for him to sacrifice 36 lives. In return, he will win America's consideration, which will keep peace in his country and give him some money every once in a while.
CORRUPTION
Oslobodjenje
George Soros paid part of Sacirbegovic's bail
"George Soros paid USD 322,000 as part of the bail set for Muhamed Sacirbegovic, the former BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the UN, so that he could be released from custody in New York," Nedzib Sacirbegovic, Muhamed Sacirbegovic's father, told Oslobodjenje on Thursday, and added that the court in New York had set bail of USD 1 million, and not 6 million, as had been reported by the BiH media, and later maliciously interpreted by the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office. Sacirbegovic Sr. said that he had mortgaged his private house in the US valued at USD 678,000, the sum which together with Soros's payment added up to one million. He said that the release of his son had been conditioned on USD six million, but the rest was not paid in cash or other valuables, "Four US businessmen signed a guarantee that they would pay USD five million if Muhamed failed to appear at his trial," Sacirbegovic said. He declined to reveal their names, but revealed that they are a Jew, a Catholic, a Protestant and a Moslem. (Photo on p.4)
CRIME
Nezavisne Novine
Ten stolen cars located in Trnjaci near Bijeljina
"The Public Security Center and the Prosecutor's Office in Bijeljina have located ten cars stolen in the Tuzla Canton at the Bluz scrap-yard in Trnjaci near Bijeljina," Jovan Savic, judge of the Bijeljina Basic Court, yesterday. The District Prosecutor in charge said that an investigation of the owner of the scrap-yard had not been opened yet, but that he had been called for an interview. "An investigation into his case was opened on the basis of information that we received from the Tuzla Canton Ministry of Internal affairs, where a large number of cars have been stolen recently," said Dragomir Peric, Bijeljina CJB spokesperson. The co-owners of the Bluz scrap-yard are Jelenko Micevic a.k.a. Bluz, and Sreten Simic, both residents of Bijeljina. Four years ago, they were charged with the same criminal offences. (Photo on p.2)
ICTY
Nezavisne Novine
Goran Mihaljevic, BiH Croats' Liaison Officer with ICTY: We will ask Croatia for war documentation of HDZ, HVO and Herceg-Bosna
Goran Mihaljevic, the BiH Croats' Liaison Officer with the ICTY, announced that the documentation on the wartime activities of the HDZ, Croatian Defence Council, and former Herceg-Bosna would be sought in Croatia with the assistance of the Croatian authorities. "If we do not find this documentation in the Federation in the next several days, we will refer to the Republic of Croatia Ministry of Justice, the Archives and the Office of the President, as we have some indications that the documentation in question could be in Zagreb," Mihaljevic said yesterday. He also said that a number of former Herceg-Bosna officials had been contacted in order to provide information on this documentation, as ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte had asked that it be sent to the Tribunal by 30 September at the latest. (Photo on p.5)/The same in Oslobodjenje (p.4), Dnevni avaz (p.2)/
ICTY
Dnevni avaz
Karadzic was offering his suurender
"The most wanted Hague fugitive, Radovan Karadzic, offered to surrender to the Tribunal on condition that some of the counts against him be dropped," Graham Blewitt, the former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY, stated for the daily. According to Blewitt, for several months back in 1999 "one of the Tribunal's investigators had been in contact with the individuals communicating with Karadzic. "The idea was to persuade Karadzic to surrender, as this would eliminate the risk of anyone being injured during a forceful arrest. During the contacts that mostly went without directly negotiating with Karadzic, we were asked to make concessions, such as dropping certain charges against him. Our response was that we were not prepared to make any until he was in The Hague. Once this happened, and depending on the degree of his cooperation, we could consider further dialogue. On one occasion, Karadzic requested through a mediator that all charges against him relating to Sarajevo be dropped. As far as I can recall, our investigator had one meeting with Karadzic or saw him once." When asked why Karadzic's surrender did not go through, Blewitt said he had no answer, however his guess was that Karadzic and his supporters had been testing the ICTY prosecutors to see how far they were ready to go, adding that "if we had agreed to give up some of the counts of the indictment against him, maybe they would have continued the negotiations. But, he asked us to drop charges for the crimes in Srebrenica, which, of course, we could never have done. We made it clear that we would not give up any counts of the indictment." Asked whether this was the only case of contact with Karadzic, Blewitt said "the 'messengers' were quite weird and obscure personalities." According to Blewitt, all information was forwarded to SFOR, but nothing ever happened: "I cannot say why Karadzic has not been arrested. I personally believe that there is a lack of political will… I cannot say why this is so, but considering the military capacities, intelligence officers on the ground, the experience and all… to me it is simply unacceptable that all this has not led to his arrest." According to Blewitt's findings, Karadzic is most likely in BiH where he enjoys the strong support of the Serb Orthodox Church. On the other hand, Ratko Mladic never sent any overt signals nor expressed a desire to surrender. Blewitt said the ICTY prosecutors were convinced that Mladic has been in Belgrade all the time since he enjoyed the support of the army and, "that was always an obstacle, because SFOR could not arrest Mladic in Serbia and the Serbian authorities did not want to." Asked whether he believed that Karadzic and Mladic would ever end up in The Hague, Blewitt replied that once before he would have replied affirmatively without thinking, however "as time goes by, I am becoming increasingly more pessimistic. It has been nine years already since the arrest warrant was issued and they are still at large. But, I am pleased that the UN Security Council clearly said that the Tribunal will not stop working until they have been tried." (front page, p.5)
ICTY
Dnevni avaz
Six BiH Croats to be tried in Zagreb?
According to information available to Dnevni avaz, the Republic of Croatia has sent an official request to the Hague Tribunal to hand over some indictments against Bosnian Croats to be processed by the Croatian judiciary. The paper unofficially learned that these indictments are those issued against Jadranko Prlic, Slobodan Praljak, Valentin Coric, Berislav Pusic, Milivoj Petkovic and Bruno Stojic, for the crimes committed against Bosniacs during the time of the so-called Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna. The paper contacted the Bosniac Liaison Officer with the ICTY, Amir Ahmic, who was not able to confirm this information, but said that it was quite possible. As regards his opinion of Croatia's request for the cases of war crimes committed in the territory of BiH to be processed either in Belgrade or Zagreb, Ahmic said that "unfortunately, no one had asked the victims" and posed the question of whether anyone would be ready to go to Zagreb or Belgrade or a third country to testify, which in this situation would seem likely. " The Hague Tribunal has no mechanism to protect any witness 100%, what kind of protection do you think Belgrade or Zagreb could guarantee witnesses? The main issue here is: what is it that the state of BiH can do? Naturally, it would be best if all cases could be processed in the Tribunal, but it is clear that the international community is putting pressure on the Tribunal to end its work as soon as possible, and it is obvious that the Tribunal is in financial difficulties," said Ahmic, and added "In my opinion, if some cases must be transferred to the national judicial systems, then it should be BiH, or the country in which the crimes were committed, and by no means a third country." (Photo on p.2)
ICTY
Slobodna Bosna
The most loyal associates leaving Del Ponte
According to very reliable information that Slobodna Bosna received from a number of sources, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICTY is in disarray. Certain difficulties have occurred after almost 30 international prosecutors resigned. There is conflicting information about the reasons why prosecutors are leaving office of Carla del Ponte. Some say there is dissatisfaction with the work of Carla del Ponte, whereas others blame Patrick Lopez Terres, the Chief of Investigations in the Tribunal. We have already written about Raymond Carter, French colonel, the Chief of the Special Investigating Team for Tracing and Locating the War Criminals, who resigned after the failed attempt to arrest Radovan Karadzic and disagreements between him and Lopez Terres. After he left, the activities of his team were reduced to a minimum, so we could only assume how the departure of 30 prosecutors will affect the work of the Prosecutor's Office.
INCIDENTS
Oslobodjenje
Muhamed Ali Gasi is thinking of turning himself in
According to the spokesperson of the Sarajevo MUP, Magbul Skoro, Muhamed Ali Gasi, who is suspected of having ordered the bombing of a BMW vehicle, the property of Amir Pasic Faco, in the Sarajevo suburb of Ciglane on 25 June of this year, has been thinking of surrendering himself to the Office of the Sarajevo Prosecutor. "The police have information that Gasi wants to turn himself in, but we cannot say when exactly this might happen," said Skoro. The daily could not find out from Ali Gasi's family who his legal representative is, but learned from the Sarajevo Municipal Court that during the hearing of Mirsad Krasnic and Nedim Alibegovic, accused of having planted the bomb under Faco's vehicle, Gasi was represented by lawyer Ismet Mehic. However, Mehic was said to be on vacation at the seaside and unavailable for a comment. (p.36) Similar in Nezavisne Novine (p.3)
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
Nezavisne Novine
Officers trained in Pogorelica terrorist camp soon to join BiH State Intelligence Service
An anonymous source has told Nezavisne Novine that officers of the former Bosniac intelligence service, AID, who have been trained in the Pogorelica camp, could soon be admitted to the BiH State Intelligence and Security Service, OSA. "The past few months have seen intensive activity focused on employing intelligence officers who were trained in the Pogorelica camp in the state intelligence and security service, or OSA. These officers failed the vetting procedure for admission into the Federation Intelligence Service, and were put at the disposal of the FBiH Government. However, for quite some time now, there have been activities to prepare the ground for their re-employment. Within the service itself, Adi Sijercic and Himzo Suvalija have been assigned this task," claims the source. Adi Sijercic was recently appointed by the OSA Director, Almir Dzuvo, as coordinator for the former FOSS, the Federation Intelligence and Security Service, and its Sarajevo branch-office personnel, while Himzo Suvalija was the Deputy to the Chief of the Sarajevo AID Sector, Enver Mujezinovic, one of the suspects in the Pogorelica case. The source further says that "according to the job reorganization plan, OSA should have 702 employees. At the moment the service employs 585 former FOSS members and 440 former OBS members, the RS Intelligence and Security Service. The Commission tasked with checking the backgrounds of all members of the former intelligence services, will eventually have to propose making about 300 employees redundant. But, this number will be bigger, because the idea is that some space should be made for intelligence officers trained in the Pogorelica camp." On an earlier occasion, the Working Group of the FBiH Parliament for the Monitoring and Control of the Work of the Federation Intelligence Service, the FOSS, adopted a conclusion that dismissed employees should be allowed to re-apply for a job with OSA. The Office of the Federation Prosecutor announced that it would soon press charges because the Pogorelica camp had been organized "as a terrorist training camp". The Chair of the BiH Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic stated that he had full confidence in the work of the Commission for the background checking of the OSA candidates. However, when asked whether he thought that the State Intelligence Service should employ intelligence officers trained in the Pogorelica camp, Terzic replied that "they should not be employed if it is proved that Pogorelica was indeed a terrorist camp." (p.4)
Miscellaneous
Dani
Third entity
Nobody knows whether this is only a pre-election trick or an actual idea that somebody has put their hopes on, but there is a web site on the Internet called Republika Herzegovina, suggesting the establishment of such a republic. Although this web site is still under construction and does not say much about its authors, it underlines the main reasons and intentions of its existence: "Republika Herzegovina is a necessity because there are people living not in Bosnia, but in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they are called Herzegovinians, and not Bosnians; because Herzegovina has never been nor shall ever be Southern Bosnia; because the development of Herzegovina is deliberately being prevented; because Neum has never been the Bosnian Riviera; and because simply enough is enough." This Republic would consist of Western Herzegovina with Ljubuski as its capital, Eastern Herzegovina with Trebinje as its capital, Southern Herzegovina with Capljina as its capital, Northern Herzegovina with Konjic as its capital, and Mostar District with Mostar as the capital. There would be a president with two deputies, a government and parliament. This republic would be demilitarized, and professional Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina would take care of security.
OHR
Slobodna Bosna
Ashdown wanted to remove Zlatko Miletic from office
We have learned that the High Representative, Mr. Paddy Ashdown, some ten days ago, was very determined in his decision to remove Zlatko Miletic, Director of the Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from office. He made that decision several days after the opening ceremony of the Old Bridge in Mostar. Allegedly, the reason is the fact the information was leaked from the Police Department. However, the majority of the most influential international diplomats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Ashdown's deputies, Donald Hays and Bernard Fassier, who all think that Zlatko Miletic is good at what he does, opposed this decision. The international prosecutors working at the BiH Prosecutor's Office, who were shocked by this, threatened to resign should Ashdown really decide to carry out his intention. Clifford Bond, the US Ambassador, sent Ashdown a letter, which was not written in a diplomatic manner, warning him about the catastrophic consequences that might result from the removal of Zlatko Miletic from the position of the top policemen in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
TERRORISM
Oslobodjenje
Chicago Chetniks announce Tihic and Ashdown's liquidation
On Thursday, the Chair of the BiH presidency, Sulejman Tihic, received another threatening letter from the Ravnagora Chetnik movement in Chicago. In the letter, signed by a certain Vojkanovic, both Tihic and the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, are warned that the Chetniks in Chicago have ordered their men, from the immediate vicinity of the Presidency Chair, to look out for him and execute a death warrant upon him. The letter, which interestingly enough, is written in the Latin script, alleges that Tihic's recent activities have contributed to this decision, and "we want to put an end to it." The Cabinet of the BiH Presidency Chair, who until now has received a dozen offensive or threatening letters from the 'Chetniks in Chicago', requested that domestic and international institutions check the credibility of the threats and identify the persons who signed the letters, in order to establish whether the Chetnik Movement actually exists and works in Chicago. There have been no official replies on the matter so far, but the daily "has unofficially found out that BiH Security Minister, Barisa Colak, and the former RS Minister of Internal Affairs, Zoran Djeric, have informed Tihic that they have no findings on the Ravnagora Chetnik Movement in BiH!?" (p.3)
Dnevni List
Transfer of authority in MNTF (NW)
Canadian Brigadier Stuart Beare will hand over his duties as the Commander of MNTF (NW) to UK Brigadier Mark Dodson at a ceremony to take place in Kastel in downtown Banja Luka on 1 September. The MNTF (NW) Information Section notified the citizens of Banja Luka that several helicopters would be flying over the city during the ceremony. (p.6)
SFOR
Oslobodjenje
Illegal weapons found in a corn field near Prijedor
On Wednesday, H.M. (49) from Gomjenica near Prijedor found three bags containing rifles, rifle grenades, hand grenades, and small caliber ammunition in his cornfield. He immediately informed the Public Security Station in Prijedor, which then reported this to SFOR and the Civil Protection, whose members removed the weapons from the field. SFOR soldiers set up a separate checkpoint near the Celpak Factory in Prijedor in order to facilitate the collection of weapons left from the war. Operation Harvest has been intensified in this area in the last ten days. (Photo on p.37)
SFOR
Dnevni avaz
Mostar citizens annoyed because SFOR soldiers park their vehicles next to the Old Bridge
Lately, citizens of Mostar have been complaining about SFOR soldiers driving their all-terrain vehicles straight to Mostar old town and parking them next to the Old Bridge. Behaving like this, SFOR soldiers have been significantly damaging the appearance of probably the most attractive tourist destination in BiH and calling forth justified protests from Mostar citizens and tourists who have difficulty while walking the narrow streets of the old town because of the parked SFOR vehicles. The Mostar Office of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Tourist Community warns that SFOR soldiers, armed with long-barreled weapons, do not contribute at all to the promotion of tourism in Mostar. An official protest has been sent to HQ SFOR because of the behaviour of its members. (Photo on p.6)
SFOR
Glas Srpske
Operation Harvest in western RS
At a press conference in Banja Luka yesterday, SFOR spokesperson Captain Steven Hawken reported on the results of Operation Harvest in Novi Grad, Prijedor, Kotor Varos and Sanski Most achieved so far. He said that 61 light weapons, 106 hand grenades, two mortars, 94 mortar shells, one gun and 24,318 pieces of ammunition had been collected. (p.3)
SFOR
Nezavisne Novine
Ninth anniversary of the tragedy on Mount Igman
Yesterday on Mount Igman, members of the US and French Embassies in BiH and members of the Federation Ministry of Defence laid wreaths at the memorial stone placed in honour of the three US diplomats and the French soldier who were killed in the traffic accident which occurred on the Igman road in 1995. Addressing the gathered officials, among whom was COMSFOR General Packett, Tina Kaidanov, chargé d' affaires of the US Embassy, expressed gratitude to the Federation Ministry of Defence for having built the memorial and the road to the scene of the accident. (Photo on p.4)
SFOR
Nezavisne Novine
BiH Ombudspersons to analyse the conduct of SFOR soldiers
Yesterday, BiH ombudsperson Vitomir Popovic said that this institution would soon publish the results of an analysis of human rights violations by SFOR soldiers, EUPM police officers and some other international organizations. "In recent days, we have analysed violations of human rights on the part of international organizations in BiH, including SFOR in the case of Archpriest Jeremija Starovlah and his son Aleksandar," Popovic said. The date for publication of this analysis depends on completion of the work of the RS Office of Ombudspersons, the institution to which the Starovlah family apparently turned asking for their human rights to be protected. The paper, however, has been told in the RS Office of Ombudspersons that they were not working on the Starovlah case, since they had not received any complaint from the family. (p.13)/The same in Glas Srpske (p.5)/
SFOR
Glas Srpske
Witnesses to the Simo Mijic incident: He was beaten up for no reason
"Simo Mijic is not to blame! He did nothing to provoke the SFOR soldier who punched him," those who were present in the café Kola claim. "The soldier punched him for no reason. They were not even sitting next to each other. Simo sat at the bar on one side of the café, while a group of SFOR soldiers played billiards on the other. All of a sudden, one of them approached Simo, caught him by his neck, and another punched him," says Goran Tubonjic. He stressed that there had not been any conversation between the innocent lad and SFOR soldiers. However, Tubonjic does not discount the possibility that "Colonel Rambo" was mistaken. "Before Simo and his brother-in-law Marinko came, the soldiers had been sitting on the patio. One of them went out and relieved himself over a car that was parked outside. The owner of the car told him that it was not really a decent thing to do. Probably annoyed, this soldier then attacked Simo," says Goran. Marinko Gajic, Simo's brother-in-law, says that they could have not provoked the soldiers, because they do not speak English. According to residents, this was not the first time that SFOR members, and particularly "Rambo" had caused problems. There were several fights before, but no one reported them to the police. "Everybody here fears them. These 'peace-keepers' get drunk somewhere, then in the middle of the night turn on the sirens and rotating lights on their vehicles and drive through the village," said one local. (Photo on p.8)
SFOR
Dani
Those who caused 210 traffic accidents will not be brought to justice
Thanks to the immunity that they enjoy in our country, members of the international organizations, as well as locals employed with them, stop at nothing: they behave arrogantly, fire weapons, cause traffic accidents, and so on. "It is almost impossible to bring to justice our local people, much less members of the international community," said Gildjana Tanovic, Advisor for International Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, commenting on the case that occurred in 1997. An employee of SFOR, Rasid Softic, was driving six tradesmen to their work place in Eagle Base near Tuzla. The road was slippery. Three individuals died right there at the scene of the accident, and the other three were seriously injured. Nobody knows what exactly happened that day. Rasid is still working for SFOR. The fact that three men died is not so important as the fact that he was, at that time, performing his official duties. At least, that is how SFOR sees things. Last Saturday, in a bar in Banja Luka, two drunk SFOR soldiers beat up the 19-year old Simo Mijic. SFOR soldiers often went to that bar and behaved arrogantly. International representatives can do whatever they want: parking in illegal spots, speeding, firing weapons, and so on. In the first six months of 2004, 210 traffic accidents in the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina were caused by members of SFOR, the EUPM, OHR, UNHCR, embassies and other international organizations. This number is negligible in relation to the total number of 11,564 traffic accidents, however it is relevant that none of these 210 cases will be subject to any sanctions. According to the Dayton Peace Agreement, international representatives cannot be arrested or detained. "There is nothing much to be said about that, because that is something that we signed," said Tanovic. Regarding compensation, Damir Mujacic, SFOR Legal Advisor, said that the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina should, through the Official Gazette, explain how the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina could be compensated for the damage caused by SFOR.
AF IN BIH
Dnevni List
Gradacac area cleared of mines
On Friday, de-miners of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade of the VF Joint Command, will close down the Svibovac de-mining site near Gradacac. The de-mining activities commenced at the beginning of March have been carried out in five phases by seven teams and one dog-team. In quite difficult conditions, 72,934 m2 of land were cleared of mines, during which 34 anti-personnel mines and 29 pieces of unexploded ordnance were found and destroyed. Other de-mining teams of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade are currently engaged in the area of Vakuf, Bihac, Ustikoline and Maglaj. (p.3)
AF IN BIH
Panorama
Lives sacrified in peace mission
On Mount Igman on Thursday, the ninth anniversary of the deaths of US diplomats Joseph Cruiser, Robert Fraiser and Samuel Nelson Drew and the French soldier, Stefan Raul, was marked. Representatives of the US and French Embassies in BiH and the FMoD, paid their respects to the deceased members of the UNPROFOR mission by laying flowers at their memorial. Jugoslav Brdar, the Deputy Commander of the Joint Command of the VF, addressed the gathering stating that the lives of the US diplomats and the French soldier were built into the foundations of peace because their deaths had solidified the efforts of the IC in the establishment of peace in BiH. Brdar added that "by adopting the standards of the modern armed forces of EU countries, we will best cherish the memory of the deceased diplomats and the French soldier whose sacrifice must never be forgotten." The Federation Minister of Defense, Miroslav Nikolic said that "the deceased members of the peace mission wanted to open the eyes of the world and Europe to the truth and motivate them to fight evil." Charge d' affaires of the US Embassy, Tina Kaidanov, remarked that "even though there is still a lot of unfinished business, the progress made in BiH in the past nine years is evident which is the best confirmation of the engagement of the dead diplomats." Military attachés, representatives of the international organizations in BiH, SFOR, the VF and the FMoD members were also present at the commemoration of the death of the UNPROFOR members. (p.8)
BIH - EUROPE
Dani
Survey
According to a survey conducted for the purposes of the EU mission in Sarajevo, the majority of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina think that it is more important to have good relations with the European Union than with the United States of America. Renzo Davidi, Deputy Head of the EU Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thinks that there is strong and stable support for European integration in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the present time. In the case of a referendum on the admission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union, 87.5% of the surveyed citizens would vote in favor of admission, whereas only 4.3% would vote against it.
BIH - PARTIES
Dani
Bakir Izetbegovic in his father's chair
BHDANI has learned that there will be changes in the SDA after the local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will take place in October. The scenario is as follows: after the local elections, the Presidency of the party will explain to its members that it is inappropriate for one person to hold the highest state and party positions at the same time. Thus, Mr. Tihic will remain only a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereas Bakir Izetbegovic will be elected the President of the SDA. Izetbegovic junior is the most agile member of the party who inherited the autocratic right to rule Bosniacs in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BIH - PARTIES
Dani
Anything is better than a Bosnia and Herzegovina with two entities
/…/ Q: Mr. Muratovic, have you not underestimated the extreme sensitivity that appears in a large part of the population every time the "third entity" issue is on the agenda? A: "No, I have not underestimated it at all. However, we must be objective. The Croats will never allow any serious discussion about any model if that discussion does not include that particular model. Therefore, a discussion about the three entities is inevitable. I have spent a lot of time in the Republic of Croatia and I can say that the greatest political goal of the majority of Croats, including the diaspora, is a third entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. So, we must talk about it in a democratic manner. We must initiate such a discussion in the media as well, and present the arguments that will be so solid as to discourage people from advocating such a model. We cannot spit on people who talk about a third entity, we must present the arguments/…/ Note: Hasan Muratovic is one of the leaders of the SDA political party, and the former prime minister of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BIH - PARTIES
Slobodna Bosna
Interview with Hasan Muratovic
Q: You said that by establishing the three republics, we would build a country much more easily, considering that there would be a consensus of all three peoples for that? A: I said that on the basis of three entities, but not ethnic-based entities, we could have an efficient state structure. That is what I said and that is what I still think. However, I also said that that model is virtually impossible and that there will never be a consensus regarding the territorial rearrangement of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three entities would function better than two entities, and by achieving that the Republika Srpska as such would disappear. Q: As far as I know, besides the territorial reorganization, you have also considered some other issues pertaining to the Election Law. A: Yes, there are about a dozen ideas for which we have reached a mutual understanding. For example, we have agreed that there should be one president instead of three. Also, we have agreed that there should be only one president of the parliament and one premier of the state government. The representatives of three constituent peoples would be appointed to these positions, which would be subject to the principle of rotation.
BIH - PRESIDENCY
Slobodna Bosna
Do you support deployment of the BiH soldiers to Iraq?
Atif Dudakovic, retired general of the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: "I think it is necessary to have a law on state level governing the deployment of our soldiers abroad and participation in the peace-keeping missions. Once that law is verified by the Parliament, our soldiers will follow any orders. I think that soldiers are professional who are ready to execute any orders, but this thing about Iraq is petty politics. This issue is too serious, considering the situation in our country and the fact that people die over there in Iraq. Anyway, I think that Bosnia and Herzegovina should obey the international obligations that were assumed, especially those pertaining to the United Nations.
BIH - PRESIDENCY
Dani
Barometer
Sulejman Tihic has never been so determined as on August 17. For the very first time and without any hesitation, he said NO. He said no to five thousand citizens who objected to the engagement of our soldiers in Iraq. He said no to all conscripts, their families, organizations who opposed the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said that only volunteers would go to Iraq, without wondering how miserable their lives must be if they are prepared to go there and stick their necks out in order to make some money for their families. He does not wonder how spineless we will look to the countries of South-Eastern Europe that have protected their soldiers. He does not wonder about anything. In his head and between his legs, he lacks that thing that our neighbors have, so it is easy for him to sacrifice 36 lives. In return, he will win America's consideration, which will keep peace in his country and give him some money every once in a while.
CORRUPTION
Oslobodjenje
George Soros paid part of Sacirbegovic's bail
"George Soros paid USD 322,000 as part of the bail set for Muhamed Sacirbegovic, the former BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the UN, so that he could be released from custody in New York," Nedzib Sacirbegovic, Muhamed Sacirbegovic's father, told Oslobodjenje on Thursday, and added that the court in New York had set bail of USD 1 million, and not 6 million, as had been reported by the BiH media, and later maliciously interpreted by the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office. Sacirbegovic Sr. said that he had mortgaged his private house in the US valued at USD 678,000, the sum which together with Soros's payment added up to one million. He said that the release of his son had been conditioned on USD six million, but the rest was not paid in cash or other valuables, "Four US businessmen signed a guarantee that they would pay USD five million if Muhamed failed to appear at his trial," Sacirbegovic said. He declined to reveal their names, but revealed that they are a Jew, a Catholic, a Protestant and a Moslem. (Photo on p.4)
CRIME
Nezavisne Novine
Ten stolen cars located in Trnjaci near Bijeljina
"The Public Security Center and the Prosecutor's Office in Bijeljina have located ten cars stolen in the Tuzla Canton at the Bluz scrap-yard in Trnjaci near Bijeljina," Jovan Savic, judge of the Bijeljina Basic Court, yesterday. The District Prosecutor in charge said that an investigation of the owner of the scrap-yard had not been opened yet, but that he had been called for an interview. "An investigation into his case was opened on the basis of information that we received from the Tuzla Canton Ministry of Internal affairs, where a large number of cars have been stolen recently," said Dragomir Peric, Bijeljina CJB spokesperson. The co-owners of the Bluz scrap-yard are Jelenko Micevic a.k.a. Bluz, and Sreten Simic, both residents of Bijeljina. Four years ago, they were charged with the same criminal offences. (Photo on p.2)
ICTY
Nezavisne Novine
Goran Mihaljevic, BiH Croats' Liaison Officer with ICTY: We will ask Croatia for war documentation of HDZ, HVO and Herceg-Bosna
Goran Mihaljevic, the BiH Croats' Liaison Officer with the ICTY, announced that the documentation on the wartime activities of the HDZ, Croatian Defence Council, and former Herceg-Bosna would be sought in Croatia with the assistance of the Croatian authorities. "If we do not find this documentation in the Federation in the next several days, we will refer to the Republic of Croatia Ministry of Justice, the Archives and the Office of the President, as we have some indications that the documentation in question could be in Zagreb," Mihaljevic said yesterday. He also said that a number of former Herceg-Bosna officials had been contacted in order to provide information on this documentation, as ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte had asked that it be sent to the Tribunal by 30 September at the latest. (Photo on p.5)/The same in Oslobodjenje (p.4), Dnevni avaz (p.2)/
ICTY
Dnevni avaz
Karadzic was offering his suurender
"The most wanted Hague fugitive, Radovan Karadzic, offered to surrender to the Tribunal on condition that some of the counts against him be dropped," Graham Blewitt, the former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY, stated for the daily. According to Blewitt, for several months back in 1999 "one of the Tribunal's investigators had been in contact with the individuals communicating with Karadzic. "The idea was to persuade Karadzic to surrender, as this would eliminate the risk of anyone being injured during a forceful arrest. During the contacts that mostly went without directly negotiating with Karadzic, we were asked to make concessions, such as dropping certain charges against him. Our response was that we were not prepared to make any until he was in The Hague. Once this happened, and depending on the degree of his cooperation, we could consider further dialogue. On one occasion, Karadzic requested through a mediator that all charges against him relating to Sarajevo be dropped. As far as I can recall, our investigator had one meeting with Karadzic or saw him once." When asked why Karadzic's surrender did not go through, Blewitt said he had no answer, however his guess was that Karadzic and his supporters had been testing the ICTY prosecutors to see how far they were ready to go, adding that "if we had agreed to give up some of the counts of the indictment against him, maybe they would have continued the negotiations. But, he asked us to drop charges for the crimes in Srebrenica, which, of course, we could never have done. We made it clear that we would not give up any counts of the indictment." Asked whether this was the only case of contact with Karadzic, Blewitt said "the 'messengers' were quite weird and obscure personalities." According to Blewitt, all information was forwarded to SFOR, but nothing ever happened: "I cannot say why Karadzic has not been arrested. I personally believe that there is a lack of political will… I cannot say why this is so, but considering the military capacities, intelligence officers on the ground, the experience and all… to me it is simply unacceptable that all this has not led to his arrest." According to Blewitt's findings, Karadzic is most likely in BiH where he enjoys the strong support of the Serb Orthodox Church. On the other hand, Ratko Mladic never sent any overt signals nor expressed a desire to surrender. Blewitt said the ICTY prosecutors were convinced that Mladic has been in Belgrade all the time since he enjoyed the support of the army and, "that was always an obstacle, because SFOR could not arrest Mladic in Serbia and the Serbian authorities did not want to." Asked whether he believed that Karadzic and Mladic would ever end up in The Hague, Blewitt replied that once before he would have replied affirmatively without thinking, however "as time goes by, I am becoming increasingly more pessimistic. It has been nine years already since the arrest warrant was issued and they are still at large. But, I am pleased that the UN Security Council clearly said that the Tribunal will not stop working until they have been tried." (front page, p.5)
ICTY
Dnevni avaz
Six BiH Croats to be tried in Zagreb?
According to information available to Dnevni avaz, the Republic of Croatia has sent an official request to the Hague Tribunal to hand over some indictments against Bosnian Croats to be processed by the Croatian judiciary. The paper unofficially learned that these indictments are those issued against Jadranko Prlic, Slobodan Praljak, Valentin Coric, Berislav Pusic, Milivoj Petkovic and Bruno Stojic, for the crimes committed against Bosniacs during the time of the so-called Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna. The paper contacted the Bosniac Liaison Officer with the ICTY, Amir Ahmic, who was not able to confirm this information, but said that it was quite possible. As regards his opinion of Croatia's request for the cases of war crimes committed in the territory of BiH to be processed either in Belgrade or Zagreb, Ahmic said that "unfortunately, no one had asked the victims" and posed the question of whether anyone would be ready to go to Zagreb or Belgrade or a third country to testify, which in this situation would seem likely. " The Hague Tribunal has no mechanism to protect any witness 100%, what kind of protection do you think Belgrade or Zagreb could guarantee witnesses? The main issue here is: what is it that the state of BiH can do? Naturally, it would be best if all cases could be processed in the Tribunal, but it is clear that the international community is putting pressure on the Tribunal to end its work as soon as possible, and it is obvious that the Tribunal is in financial difficulties," said Ahmic, and added "In my opinion, if some cases must be transferred to the national judicial systems, then it should be BiH, or the country in which the crimes were committed, and by no means a third country." (Photo on p.2)
ICTY
Slobodna Bosna
The most loyal associates leaving Del Ponte
According to very reliable information that Slobodna Bosna received from a number of sources, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICTY is in disarray. Certain difficulties have occurred after almost 30 international prosecutors resigned. There is conflicting information about the reasons why prosecutors are leaving office of Carla del Ponte. Some say there is dissatisfaction with the work of Carla del Ponte, whereas others blame Patrick Lopez Terres, the Chief of Investigations in the Tribunal. We have already written about Raymond Carter, French colonel, the Chief of the Special Investigating Team for Tracing and Locating the War Criminals, who resigned after the failed attempt to arrest Radovan Karadzic and disagreements between him and Lopez Terres. After he left, the activities of his team were reduced to a minimum, so we could only assume how the departure of 30 prosecutors will affect the work of the Prosecutor's Office.
INCIDENTS
Oslobodjenje
Muhamed Ali Gasi is thinking of turning himself in
According to the spokesperson of the Sarajevo MUP, Magbul Skoro, Muhamed Ali Gasi, who is suspected of having ordered the bombing of a BMW vehicle, the property of Amir Pasic Faco, in the Sarajevo suburb of Ciglane on 25 June of this year, has been thinking of surrendering himself to the Office of the Sarajevo Prosecutor. "The police have information that Gasi wants to turn himself in, but we cannot say when exactly this might happen," said Skoro. The daily could not find out from Ali Gasi's family who his legal representative is, but learned from the Sarajevo Municipal Court that during the hearing of Mirsad Krasnic and Nedim Alibegovic, accused of having planted the bomb under Faco's vehicle, Gasi was represented by lawyer Ismet Mehic. However, Mehic was said to be on vacation at the seaside and unavailable for a comment. (p.36) Similar in Nezavisne Novine (p.3)
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
Nezavisne Novine
Officers trained in Pogorelica terrorist camp soon to join BiH State Intelligence Service
An anonymous source has told Nezavisne Novine that officers of the former Bosniac intelligence service, AID, who have been trained in the Pogorelica camp, could soon be admitted to the BiH State Intelligence and Security Service, OSA. "The past few months have seen intensive activity focused on employing intelligence officers who were trained in the Pogorelica camp in the state intelligence and security service, or OSA. These officers failed the vetting procedure for admission into the Federation Intelligence Service, and were put at the disposal of the FBiH Government. However, for quite some time now, there have been activities to prepare the ground for their re-employment. Within the service itself, Adi Sijercic and Himzo Suvalija have been assigned this task," claims the source. Adi Sijercic was recently appointed by the OSA Director, Almir Dzuvo, as coordinator for the former FOSS, the Federation Intelligence and Security Service, and its Sarajevo branch-office personnel, while Himzo Suvalija was the Deputy to the Chief of the Sarajevo AID Sector, Enver Mujezinovic, one of the suspects in the Pogorelica case. The source further says that "according to the job reorganization plan, OSA should have 702 employees. At the moment the service employs 585 former FOSS members and 440 former OBS members, the RS Intelligence and Security Service. The Commission tasked with checking the backgrounds of all members of the former intelligence services, will eventually have to propose making about 300 employees redundant. But, this number will be bigger, because the idea is that some space should be made for intelligence officers trained in the Pogorelica camp." On an earlier occasion, the Working Group of the FBiH Parliament for the Monitoring and Control of the Work of the Federation Intelligence Service, the FOSS, adopted a conclusion that dismissed employees should be allowed to re-apply for a job with OSA. The Office of the Federation Prosecutor announced that it would soon press charges because the Pogorelica camp had been organized "as a terrorist training camp". The Chair of the BiH Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic stated that he had full confidence in the work of the Commission for the background checking of the OSA candidates. However, when asked whether he thought that the State Intelligence Service should employ intelligence officers trained in the Pogorelica camp, Terzic replied that "they should not be employed if it is proved that Pogorelica was indeed a terrorist camp." (p.4)
Miscellaneous
Dani
Third entity
Nobody knows whether this is only a pre-election trick or an actual idea that somebody has put their hopes on, but there is a web site on the Internet called Republika Herzegovina, suggesting the establishment of such a republic. Although this web site is still under construction and does not say much about its authors, it underlines the main reasons and intentions of its existence: "Republika Herzegovina is a necessity because there are people living not in Bosnia, but in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they are called Herzegovinians, and not Bosnians; because Herzegovina has never been nor shall ever be Southern Bosnia; because the development of Herzegovina is deliberately being prevented; because Neum has never been the Bosnian Riviera; and because simply enough is enough." This Republic would consist of Western Herzegovina with Ljubuski as its capital, Eastern Herzegovina with Trebinje as its capital, Southern Herzegovina with Capljina as its capital, Northern Herzegovina with Konjic as its capital, and Mostar District with Mostar as the capital. There would be a president with two deputies, a government and parliament. This republic would be demilitarized, and professional Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina would take care of security.
OHR
Slobodna Bosna
Ashdown wanted to remove Zlatko Miletic from office
We have learned that the High Representative, Mr. Paddy Ashdown, some ten days ago, was very determined in his decision to remove Zlatko Miletic, Director of the Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from office. He made that decision several days after the opening ceremony of the Old Bridge in Mostar. Allegedly, the reason is the fact the information was leaked from the Police Department. However, the majority of the most influential international diplomats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Ashdown's deputies, Donald Hays and Bernard Fassier, who all think that Zlatko Miletic is good at what he does, opposed this decision. The international prosecutors working at the BiH Prosecutor's Office, who were shocked by this, threatened to resign should Ashdown really decide to carry out his intention. Clifford Bond, the US Ambassador, sent Ashdown a letter, which was not written in a diplomatic manner, warning him about the catastrophic consequences that might result from the removal of Zlatko Miletic from the position of the top policemen in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
TERRORISM
Oslobodjenje
Chicago Chetniks announce Tihic and Ashdown's liquidation
On Thursday, the Chair of the BiH presidency, Sulejman Tihic, received another threatening letter from the Ravnagora Chetnik movement in Chicago. In the letter, signed by a certain Vojkanovic, both Tihic and the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, are warned that the Chetniks in Chicago have ordered their men, from the immediate vicinity of the Presidency Chair, to look out for him and execute a death warrant upon him. The letter, which interestingly enough, is written in the Latin script, alleges that Tihic's recent activities have contributed to this decision, and "we want to put an end to it." The Cabinet of the BiH Presidency Chair, who until now has received a dozen offensive or threatening letters from the 'Chetniks in Chicago', requested that domestic and international institutions check the credibility of the threats and identify the persons who signed the letters, in order to establish whether the Chetnik Movement actually exists and works in Chicago. There have been no official replies on the matter so far, but the daily "has unofficially found out that BiH Security Minister, Barisa Colak, and the former RS Minister of Internal Affairs, Zoran Djeric, have informed Tihic that they have no findings on the Ravnagora Chetnik Movement in BiH!?" (p.3)
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