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BosNet News: July 21, 1996 (Press TWRA)Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Adnan Smajlovic <asmaj@spectranet.ca>CONTENTS
[01] SRNA DENIED KARADZIC'S REMOVALSarajevo, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)AFP reported today, relating to the Karadzic's press agency SRNA statement, which cites the Yugoslav diplomatic sources in Belgrade according to which R. Karadzic did not leave his position, but only frozen those functions. (end) A.S.[02] KARADZIC'S REMOVAL COMMENTARIESSarajevo, London, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)Reuters reported the estimates that Milosevic in return for Karadzic's removal demanded economical aid for Yugoslavia, and the guarantees that the corridor near Brcko (on the north of B-H) will be through the international arbitration included in Serbian entity.Member of RB-H Presidency, and the vice-president of B-H Federation Ejup Ganic, estimated the statements on exchange of Brcko for Karadzic as the plain speculations, aim of which is to diminish the meaning of Karadzic's political fall. Ganic said: " By removing Karadzic from the political scene the procedure for his extradition to ICTY has been simplified. Karadzic's place is not in the of Greece's or Cyprus' monasteries, but in the Scheveningen's prison. Only then his removal will be truly completed, because in contrary he could influence the situation in Bosnia although he has been removed". Ganic confirmed that next week he will be the head of the B-H Government delegation during the visit to Belgrade. On the remark that it is too early to go to Serbia, which still did not recognize Bosnia, Ganic said: "Such reproaches have no basis because Milosevic recognized B-H by signing the Dayton Accord". Soon after the Belgrade's Holbrooke-Milosevic agreement, OSCE representative in B-H, American Robert Frowick, visited Pale and talked with Biljana Plavsic. The B-H pre-election campaign started today. B-H authorities conditioned the holding of the elections according to the plan (September 14,1996) by Karadzic's real and absolute loss of political influence on the Bosnian events. During this week's visit to Washington, B-H Prime Minister, H. Muratovic said: "Elections will be postponed until Karadzic has the political influence. Someone has to find the courage and face that problem in the right way... which means that Karadzic should be arrested, either by threatening Serbia with the sanctions or IFOR should undertake the decisive actions". IFOR's spokesman Max Marriner confirmed that the Serbian Chief of State Security, Jovica Stanisic, arrived last night in the helicopter on Pale. He had allegedly brought Karadzic to sign the document on his withdrawal from political scene. "Based on previous experiences with the similar documents, it must be said that the suspicions on weather Karadzic and his associates will respect what they have signed are justified", stated deputy of high representative of PIC, Michael Steiner, on the press conference in Sarajevo. Belgrade - Citing the sources close to Serbian leadership on Pale, Belgrade's independent agency BETA claim that Karadzic and Mladic refused Milosevic regime's offer to hide in the Serbian Orthodox monastery Hilandar on the holly Mt. Atos in Greece, in other words leave former Yugoslavia forever. Due to the nature of the monastery and the position of Greece authorities, and Greece and Serbian church, Karadzic would in Hilandar be out of the International Tribunal reach. The Belgrade's media reported that Montenegrin authorities in the last few days prevented Karadzic to visit his birth place. The Hague - "The end of Karadjic's political carrier is not enough. This man's place is in The Hague, he is accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes", stated the EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, and the representative of European Commission for South-East Europe, former Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van den Broek. ICTY's spokesman Christian Chartier, stated that he hoped Karadzic's removal from the power is just one of the phase before reaching the final and most important goal - his extradition to The Hague. Moscow - In contrast to other members of the Contact Group (Germany, US, Great Britain and France) which welcomed the Karadzic's removal, Russian Government commented that news, and stated that "the international community should approach all sides in Bosnia-Herzegovina in a just way". (end) A.S. [03] SERBS THREATEN, UN AND NATO RESPONDSarajevo, Ugljevik, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)"If R. Karadzic would be arrested UN policemen would be caught and killed", threatened Miladin Stefanovic, Serbian mayor of Ugljevik. Ugljevik is the town 10 km away from Bijeljina, in direction of Tuzla, in the north-east Bosnia, which Karadzic Serbs occupied at the beginning of the war."This is scandalous statement. The additional security measures for about eight hundred international policemen who are located in the Serbian entity of B-H have been considered", commented Alexander Ivanko, UN and IPTF spokesman in Sarajevo. Brussels -"If Bosnian Serbs think that they will frighten us with threats, they are wrong", stated IFOR and NATO south wing commander, US Admiral Leighton Smith, who will retire in two weeks, and the US Admiral Joseph Lopez will succeed him. Smih has been decorated this week at the NATO European Headquarters by the NATO's General Secretary Javier Solana. Washington - State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns, stated that IFOR will use force, if Serbs try to threaten the IPTF 's security. (end) A.S. [04] CASADO ON HIS DECREE AND LEAVING MOSTARMostar, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)On today's press conference in Mostar, EU Administrator Ricardo Perez Casado who is leaving and will perform that duty for only another four days, talked about the rumors according to which he left Mostar before presenting his decree, in order to avoid the rage of radical Croats. However, decree has annulled the Croatian attempts to prevent that results of the elections, according to which HDZ is minority in Mostar, are officially declared. "This is not about escaping", stated Casado. Asked weather he is leaving because he can not implement his decree, he expressed his conviction that the decree will be fully realized."I made the decree in the frame of law, in accordance with the Memorandum on understanding in Mostar", said Casado and added: "The election process in Mostar has been impeccable. That fact can not be disputed". (end) A.S. [05] TENSION BETWEEN CROATS AND BOSNIAKS IN HERZEGOVINAMostar, Sarajevo, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)After the high representatives of the main headquarters of the RB-H Army and HVO met yesterday in Sarajevo for the first time after adopting the B- H Federation Law on Defense, HVO high officers have been stopped on their way back to Herzegovina in Jablanica, where they were held by Bosnian civilian and military policemen. HVO policemen stated that the Konjic's police forces commander had said that their detention had been ordered by Avdo Hebib, Federal Internal Minister, and added that the Bosniak policemen treated them correctly. Among those who demanded the release of HVO officers so that they can continue their trip, was Michael Walker, British General who commands IFOR's land forces, reported Croatian media. After several hours, HVO officers were liberated, and finally reached their destination.It is believed that the Bosnian police in Jablanica was motivated by yesterday's arrest of chief of Jablanica police forces, Emin Zebic in Mostar. This action taken by the Croatian police forces from western part of the city has been confirmed by the chief of headquarters of Western European police (WEU) in Mostar, Heinrich Barusel, who said that the Croatian authorities in Herzegovina accused Zebic of participation in the war crimes three years ago. WEU at the same time confirmed that recently at the Croatian detention in Mostar the high Saudi Arabia Comity for humanitarian aid representative spend three days. The building of High Saudi Arabia Comity in Zagreb's suburb has been under Croatian police siege last month for several hours. They searched the premises, ceased the part of equipment, and several officers and collaborators of the Comity were taken to the police station. UN (IPTF) spokesman Alexander Ivanko confirmed that Zebic was arrested when he arrived at the meeting on freedom of movement, which has been held under WEU patronage. (end) A.S. [06] IPTF: NO EVIDENCE OF ZEBIC'S GUILTSarajevo, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)Commissary of the international police (IPTF), Peter Fitzgerald, is extremely frustrated due to arrest of Emin Zebic, chief of Jablanica's public security center (police), UN (IPTF) spokesman Alexandar Ivanko said. After he was arrested by Croatian police in Mostar two days ago, Zebic was sent to investigative prison (30 days) in Rodoc. IPTF has not been given any evidence to confirm accusations against Zebic, on which is based his arrest, Ivanko said. P. Fitzgerald announced to use his whole influence to free Zebic. B-H federal interior minister Avdo Hebib said the office of C. Bildt & US Embassy to Sarajevo were asked to demand immediate release of Zebic. (end) A.S.[07] ROBERTS OWEN: THE THIRD MEMBER OF ARBITRARY COMMISSIONSarajevo, The Hague, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)International Court of Justice (ICJ) appointed US diplomat Roberts Owen (so far arbiter in B-H Federation) the third member of Arbritrary commission, which should soon define the final status of Brcko. This was said at a press-conference in Sarajevo, held by C. Bildt's spokesman Colum Murphy. Murphy said that ICJ decided on the third arbiter, after the B-H two entities missed dead-line until which they were supposed to agree and propose the arbiter's name. (end) A.S.[08] STATE DEPARTMENT DENIES SECRET AGREEMENT WITH MILOSEVICWashington, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)The State Department has rejected the possibility that there is any secret agreement, allowing to Milosevic non-extradition of war criminals or withdrawal of the sanctions threats, behind the agreement on removal of R. Karadzic from the leading posts in SDS and BH Serb entity. The Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said Milosevic & Pale authorities remain responsible for extradition of all war crime suspects, including Karadzic & Mladic, to ICTY, unless there will be no any improvement of Washington-Belgrade affairs. USA keep right to take if necessary such measures as re-imposement of sanctions of denial of SDS participation in the September Bosnia's elections, Burns said.The speculations on the secret accord USA-FRY (Holbrooke-Milosevic) claimed also that Belgrade was promised Brcko to bi arbitrary given to B-H Serb entity. (end) A.S. [09] HOLBROOKE ON THREE OPTIONS IN BOSNIATorino, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)In interview to Italian daily "La Stampa", Richard Holbrooke blamed Milosevic for violation of the Dayton agreement, when he recently failed to arrest gen. Mladic, who visited Belgrade during gen. Djukic's funeral. Holbrooke says S. Milosevic had been during the Dayton talks opposed to obligation of arrest & extradition of the accused war criminals to the Hague. Asked about Karadzic, Holbrooke said: "Killers must be treated as killers". Holbrooke repeated his estimation of three possible options for Bosnia: the first, not very likely, resumption of war; the second, implementation of what has been signed - a single state with two entities, a central government, three-members Presidency, one currency, joint parliament; the third, a cease-fire causing the situation as the one in Cyprus or Korea, with some elements typical for Ulster or Lebanon. "The true current alternative is between implementation of the agreement and breakup of Bosnia. The West must be ready to press Serbia and use force, if necessary" Holbrooke said. (end) A.S.[10] DIFFERENTLY ON KARADZIC'S REMOVALBonn, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)In interview for today's issue of German daily paper "Suddeutsche Zeitung", German vice- chancellor and foreign minister Klaus Kinkel said only as the last option should IFOR use force to arrest & extradite Karadzic to the ICTY. Kinkel says he believes that Karadzic, Mladic and other criminal will finish in the Hague. "It should be soon, because of the elections, reconstruction of the country and the refugees' return" Kinkel stressed. Political sources in Bonn say the federal defense minister Volker Ruehe (CDU) does advocate military action to catch Karadzic, but Kinkel is opposed to it.Aleksa Buha told "Spiegel": "Non could destoy authority of R.Karadzic". Buha also repeated Republic of Srpska was not ready to extradite to ICTY the war crimes suspects. "Spiegel" reminds that Buha is among those responsible for atrocities in Bosnia 1992-95. Washington - BH prime minister Hasan Muratovic warned that international community will officially contact the persons directly instructed by R. Karadzic. Brussels - Karadzic's current political position is yet unclear, and NATO will do all it can to arrest and extradite to ICTY that war crimes suspect, said Javier Solana. Sarajevo, Vienna - Michael Steiner, deputy of PIC high representative C.Bildt, said he was satisfied but careful toward Karadzic's removal. One of the main elements in that removal is that Karadzic is symbol of politics which provoked and inspired the war, said M. Steiner in statement to Austrian radio, adding: "The international community will before Bosnia's elections check whether Karadzic really left the political & public positions or not". Bosnia's ex-premier, current president of oppositional Party for B-H, H. Silajdzic, warned that the Pale made a new trick, wanting to ensure democratic legitimacy for SDS (Serb democratic party). That party appears now with image of a political organization that is ready to sacrifice for peace & democracy, Silajdzic said, warning that SDS is not less than Karadzic guilty for death of 200 000 people and enormous destruction. (end) A.S. [11] ICTY: CASSESE AND BLEWITT ON KARADZIC AND MLADICThe Hague, Paris, Cologne, June 20, 1996. (Press TWRA)ICTY president Antonio Cassese says he has no doubts that Karadzic is to be arrested before the end of the year. Cassese told French daily "Le nouvel Observateur": "The international community cannot allow itself to remain impotent." The ICTY chairman emphasizes that NATO forces in B-H do have authority to arrest Karadzic and Mladic, but they want to avoid any conflict which might cause civil casualties. Karadzic & Mladic are often surrounded by civilians.German paper "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" writes that Cassese is in favor of suspension of Yugoslav sportists from the Olimpiad which began today in Atlanta, as "the politicians in Belgrade & Pale would understand it in a proper war, and then maybe put more effort to arrest Karadzic and Mladic". Belgrade - in the interview published in Belgrade's "Nedelj nitelegraf", the ICTY deputy main prosecutor, Australian judge Graham Blewitt said: "Every UN member state is obligated to arrest Karadzic and gen. Mladic. The chance for them to be arrested if leave BH Serb entity have significantly grown. IFOR is encouraged to take more measures for the arrest of those who are accused for the war crimes. I would like that IFOR get much more authority, or a simple order to arrest the criminals". Asked if it is possible that Franjo Tudjman, Alija Izetbegovic, Slobodan Milosevic (presidents of Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia) will be invited by ICTY to be witnesses, Blewitt answered: "Everything is possible". (end) A.S. [12] ORUCEVIC ON MOSTAR AFTER ELECTIONSMostar, July 20,1996 (Press TWRA)The Mostar's mayor Safet Orucevic in an interview for Sarajevo's daily "Vecernje novine" talked about the Mostar situation after the local elections, held in the last few days last month.Orucevic said: "HDZ Mostar just supports the positions of Croatian Federational officials who do the same thing as Brajkovic in Mostar on the federal level. What HDZ demands in Zagreb, mayor's position, that is what we offered to HDZ in Mostar, in order to help reintegration and proces of integration of Mostar. (...) The crucial factor on this Mostar elections, which were really the referendum on future of Mostar, was the mass respond from our people, specialy abroad where they were rudely driven away. Many of them overcame all the obstacles - travled for several thousands kilometers in order to vote and help Mostar. In that way has been crated certain bridge between citizens of Mostar who went through hell and defended the city, and those who were displaced, and went through the hell of life in refugee (...) It has been proven that citizens of Mostar can give all of themselves when the destiny of their city is at stake, they can be model for any city in B-H. (...) Now we know Mostar will remine united city and when will that be realized depends on citizens of Croatian nationality. We must not forget the aggression on Mostar - this city was supposed to be wiped out from the face of earth and turned to completely different, Croatian city in which there would be no place for other nations. (...) Mostar will remine divided as long as the bodies of parastate of so called Herzeg-Bosnia exist, in other words, when the Federation starts to work. Until then, the border line between B-H state and so called Herzeg Bosnia, in other words, between concepts of normal coexistence and ideas of extremism, racism and genocide, will go through centar of Mostar. (...) By announcing the union between three western municipalities to one Croatian municipality proves that HDZ continues to insist on creation of two ghettos in Mostar, and division of B-H to three parts, in other words it is against B-H Federation. (...) If the obstruction of the establishing of city authorities continue, the legal authorities will continue to build the part of the city under RB-H Army control. Soon we will rebuild all the bridges, develop the economy, build factories. (...) In the political sense , by signing the Statue the both sides guarantied the integrity of multiethnic city with all important functions, and for us the process of reintegration has been finished. In order to realize that we need reasonable partner, which at the moment does not act reasonably, and weather it will get reasonable or will some one else done that, this is not our concern. We know that Mostar will never be the city of one nation which lives in it. (...) The constitutive session of the city council will be held on July 23. The 21 representative democratically elected from the list for integrated Mostar, and the List of citizens for integrated Mostar will be present. Weather the 16 HDZ representatives will show up it remains to be seen. (end) S.K. [13] EXPLOSION NEAR IVAN ZVONIMIR CICAK'S HOUSEBrac, July 20,1996 (Press TWRA)The Croatian Ministry of Internal Affairs informed that the investigation on the detonation of the explosive device near I.Z. Cicak's house in Sumartin on the Island of Brac continues. The explosion which took place two days ago did not cause any casualties. Police Force station informed that place of explosion is 28 meters away from the Cicak's house's garden and 40 m from the house. I. Z. Cicak stated that at the time of explosion there were 0 children in his house - his own and his friends' and relatives' children, who were spending their holiday in Cicak's house. Police claims that Cicak informed them by phone about the explosion about 00:45 a.m.. and the police patrol arrived at 00:54 a.m.Zagreb - Croatian opposition party ASH ( Action of Social Democrats of Croatia) expressed its support to I.Z.Cicak, President of Croatian Helsinki Comity for Human Rights, and added that although this was the bomb of warning this act is a sign of escalation of the terror in the widest sense of that word on the Croatian public scene". ASH expresses its hope that "police investigation will be conducted professionally, and that the perpetrators will be found, no matter who they are". (end) A.S. [14] SLOVENIA -CROATIA: NUMBER OF MUTUAL PROBLEMSLjubljana, Zagreb, July 20,1996 (Press TWRA)Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed yesterday its concern to Croatian Ambassador in Ljubljana, Miljenko Zagar, due to rude treatment of Slovenian citizens by the Croatian border officials. M. Zagar promised to respond promptly. Eight days ago, young Slovenian tourists after returning to Ljubljana demanded the Slovenian authorities' intervention due to the way were treated by the Croatian police when searched on the border crossing Plovane. This week Slovenian Government demanded from Zagreb to give explanations about that incident. So far, there were several objections on Slovenian border and other police officers behavior toward Croatian, Bosnian and other foreign but also Slovenian citizens.The above mentioned case is the one of the unsolved problems in the Croatian-Slovenian relations. In Croatia, the Slovenian war for independence is ridiculed ("operetta war), and there are some claims that the one week conflict between Slovenian territorial defense and Yugoslav's Peoples Army (JNA) was agreed in advance and acted out. Slovenia reproaches Croatia that in June 1991, broke the agreement on cooperation in case the JNA attacks on one of those countries. The crisis in the relations between two countries, which cooperated in the beginning of the 90's during the process of becoming independent from former Yugoslavia including territorial disputes on land and sea. The positions about the border on the land are different when the border on the St. Gera Hill is concerned. The territorial disputes concerning the sea border are more important for Slovenia since Slovenia in order to reach the international waters has to go through Italian or Croatian territorial sea The only Slovenian access to sea is narrow coast belt surrounded by Croatian peninsula Istra and Italian city Trieste. Although the international law guarantees Slovenia the free access to the open sea still the public, authorities and opposition in Ljubljana are united in the wish to extend the Slovenian access to the sea to the level which would enable the direct access to the international maritime zone. Croatia so far is not willing to satisfy this Slovenian demand, because that would be the precedent regarding its territorial integrity and would stop having the border with Italy. The incident's in Piran Bay are frequent, the disputed part of Croatian and Slovenian coast (Ljubljana's Government demanded cape Savudrija on the top of Istra peninsula and the Slovenian nationalistic opposition demanded even wider territory) especially regarding fishing. This spring and summer some Slovenian officials warned about the possibility of "fishermen war" between two countries. Croatian officials estimated that the statements of their Slovenian colleagues are provocative and not serious. While the access to the sea is important for Slovenia, the land connection with the EU members - Italy and Austria is important for Croatia and Slovenia separates her from them. The addition of the highway Ljubljana- Zagreb is being build. Dusan Lajovic (71) Australian of the Slovenian origin, the consul of Slovenia in New Zealand, proposed the digging of two tunnels under Slovenia - one (Raskrizje-Gederovci, 25 km) which would connect Croatia and Austria and the other (Skofi-Socergo,12 km) which would connect Croatia and Italy. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry studied the project "Transvia" and commented: "It is crazy, but it is brilliant". Slovenians are angry because Croatia seized Slovenian rest homes on the Adriatic coast, while the Croatian citizens are angry because Bank of Ljubljana (instead of which recently was established "New Bank of Ljubljana") refused to return their foreign currency savings, saved and deposited in that bank, during the former Yugoslavia, arguing that the money has been robbed by Milosevic's Serbia, which during the disintegration of Yugoslavia stole the foreign currency deposits of former Yugoslavia. The part of Croatian citizens formally transferred their deposits to Bank of Zagreb, which at Trade Court sues both Banks of Ljubljana, demanding the return of 110 million DEM. It has been estimated that citizens of Croatia still did not transferred on the Croatian Bank accounts about 293 million DEM registered in the business books of Zagreb's branch of Bank of Ljubljana, and expect that to be done soon. Zagreb complains that Slovenia is less indulgent in the negotiations since this spring became the joint member of EU and West European Union (WEA). Some problems have been solved, so that recently the compromise on medical security pensioners of Slovenian firms based in Croatia has been reached, in relation to which is the dispute on the amount of interest rates which Slovenia has to pay to Croatia. (end) S.K. Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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