Srpska Republika News Agency (SRNA), 98-03-12

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From: The Serbian Unity Congress Server at http://www.suc.org

MAR. 12, 1998 DAY

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA - The Government of Great Britain sent 300,000 DEM for equipping RS Government - stated in Banja Luka premier Milorad Dodik after talks with British Ambassador to B&H Charles Crawford. Dodik expressed the gratitude for the contribution of British Government in servicing the delivery of old debts to the World Bank, since, as he said, the blockade of all activities of this bank towards RS threatened,

BANJA LUKA - The premier of RS Milorad Dodik and charge d'affaires of Norway tin Sarajevo Thor Gilsen reached an agreement about essential issues of consistent implementation of Dayton Agreement, was announced from the Cabinet of president of Government and stressed that Norwegian Government was impressed by the results of RS Government.

BIJELJINA - In the framework of preparations for next session of National Assembly /NS/ of RS on March 14 in Banja Luka, in Bijeljina was held the meeting of the Commission for monitoring and control of work of organs and institutions in the field of defence and internal affairs of NA RS. According to words of the president of Commission Mirko Blagojevic, they talked about the Proposal of Law about internal affairs, Proposal of the Law about public order and peace and Proposal of amendments of the Law on Army.

BIJELJINA - The minister of Internal Affairs of RS Milovan Stankovic in the framework of his competence and with the aim of strengthening the cadre structure of the Ministry performed the appointments on the leading functions in Centres of Public Security /SCJ/.

SARAJEVO - The Italian members of SFOR were shooting last night at 2,00 h on the vehicle of Red Cross /RC/ of RS on the road Pale - Jahorina and wounded the driver Gordan Markovic. The secretary general of RCRS Svanimir Djokic stated for SRN that the driver is temporarily in SFOR base in Rajlovac, and that he do not know anything about his health status.

SARAJEVO - The mayor of the Serbian Sarajevo Mirko Sarovic assessed that in the course of last year was done very much on building of Serbian Sarajevo, and that further development will depend on RS Government support. Talking for SRNA Sarovic mentioned that the first half of last year was used for preparations of construction, while in the second half of the year commenced the concrete realisation of projects. "Although there were a lot of problems, with the help of RS Government we have done the substantial part of the job in housing development. We have provided and paid all building material, and in Refinery Brod the fuel for transportation of material to building sites" -said Sarovic.

BANJA LUKA - The Moslem party openly supports Albanian terrorists, while the authorities in RS are for peaceful solution of the crisis within Serbia and FRY, which clearly shows different views and interests of two people - stated the president of Alternative Government of RS Dubravko Prstojevic.

BRCKO - The priest of the Catholic church in Croatian municipality Ravne- Brcko fra Mijo Peric stated for SRNA that Catholic believers in the region of Brcko municipality in RS enjoy full freedom of faith, which only six months ago was unimaginable.

MAR. 12, 1998 DAY

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

BANJALUKA - The RS President Biljana Plavsic stated that there was no reason for the definite decision on the status of Brcko not to be made on March 15, but prolongation of the current situation would not be so bad, since it would mean that Brcko stays within RS. "I can not even imagine for Brcko not to be within RS, because in that way all democratic processes, which began in RS and should start in the Muslim-Croat federation as well, would be endangered", Mrs, Plavsic emphasised in an interview with the "Beta".

BELGRADE - The RS President's counsellor for economic issues Rajko Tomas stated for "Vecernje novosti" that the international community would invest about US$ 500 millions in RS infrastructure. "Conditions for the investments are really simple, consumption control firm and indebtedness of RS not too high. All these will contribute to opening of new workplaces and higher standard of our citizens", Tomas assessed.

SARAJEVO - SFOR confirmed that its members opened fire on an automobile on the road Pale - Jahorina and wounded the driver, AFP reports. According to SFOR's announcement, the driver was slightly wounded and is in military hospital of the multinational forces in Rajlovac, near Sarajevo.

BIJELJINA - On March 4 the Provisional Election Commission (PEC) adopted series of changes of the Rules and regulations on composition of local election commissions (LEC) in the coming elections in B&H in September. It is said in an OSCE's announcement that the number of LEC's members has been reduced from 12 to seven, from whom 4 would be from political parties, coalitions and independent candidates.

BANJALUKA - The president of RS Serbian Patriotic Party Slavko Zupljanin stated in Banjaluka that there was only one fair solution for Brcko - to permanently stay within RS. He emphasised at a press-conference that solution for Brcko has been anticipated by the Dayton peace accord, which guaranteed continuity of the entities. Slavko Zupljanin also asked the Government to immediately resign in the event that the decision was not favourable.

NEW YORK - The Russian Ambassador to UN Sergei Lavrov stated for SRNA that his delegation was pleased with the announcement of the Security Council about Kosovo because "it reaffirms the basic principle of territorial integrity of FRY and calls on a political dialogue". "The announcement is related to the part of the Contact Group's London Agreement which we fully support, and that is territorial integrity of FRY and need for political solution of the situation in Kosovo", Lavrov emphasised.

MAR. 12, 1998 EVENING

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

SARAJEVO - The B&H Council of Ministers accepted today the Fourth Amendment of the contract about U.S. financial help, which refers to two programmes - reconstruction and renewal of B&H amounting to US$ 129,540,000, and the other help for municipal infrastructure amounting to US$ 160,650,000. The co-chairman of the Council Boro Bosic explained that it was a programme of the U.S. Government, which would be realised through the USAID.

SARAJEVO - The chairman of Serbian Democratic Party's (SDS) Presidency, Aleksa Buha, announced that Serbian democrats would propose a special declaration on Kosovo at the next session of the RS National Assembly. In an exclusive statement for SRNA he did not present details of the declaration, which would be sponsored at the Fourth Session of the Assembly on March 14 in Banjaluka.

BANJALUKA - The vice-president of the RS National Assembly and leader of Serbian radicals (SRS), Nikola Poplasen, warned that the Radicals would retire from all structures of local authorities in RS where, as he put it, representatives of Serbian Democratic Party would be forcibly and in antidemocratic manner appointed. At a press-conference in Banjaluka Poplasen severely condemned "antidemocratic methods of the OSCE, which allows forming of minority government in RS without participation of the parties with the greatest number of representatives' mandates, while, at the same time, insists for all parliamentary parties to have share in the authority".

BRCKO - The NATO Secretary General Javier Solana stated that the leadership of the Municipality of Brcko had done a good job and that the town should be an example for the whole B&H. "While waiting for the arbitration decision in the following few days, I asked them to maintain the peace and order and carry out the decision, no matter what it is like", Solana said in a briefing before the reporters, after he had 15-minutes' talks with the mayor of Brcko Borko Reljic and his deputies. The NATO Secretary General said the situation in Kosovo would endanger B&H by no means, and that he fully supported the London's conclusions of the international community.

BANJALUKA - The president of RS Serbian Patriotic Party (SPAS), Slavko Zupljanin, stated in Banjaluka that there was only one right solution for the town of Brcko - to permanently stay within RS. He emphasised at a press- conference that this solution for Brcko has been anticipated by the Dayton peace accord, which guaranteed continuity of the entities. He also asked the Government to immediately resign if the decision was not favourable for the town.

SARAJEVO - Presidential and parliamentary elections in B&H have been officially scheduled for September 12 and 13, OSCE's representatives said in Sarajevo. As AFP reports, the B&H citizens have been called to elect three members of the collective presidency, representatives in the parliamentary assembly, presidents and representatives of each entity's assemblies.

SARAJEVO - The International Community High Representative for B&H Carlos Westendorp passed the Law on Foreign Investments in B&H, which the Parliamentary Assembly had not adopted last week, AFP reports. As his spokeswoman Aisling Byrne said, several investors asked for the Law, which should serve as legal framework for the foreign investments in B&H, to be passed.

MOSTAR - A driver of the RS Red Cross was not arrested, but is a patient of the SFOR's hospital in Rajlovac, where he has been operated after he had been wounded last night and is successfully recovering, was stated for SRNA in the headquarters of the multi-national division North in Mostar. Markovic has been shot with one bullet in the right upper arm. "It is not a serious wound and it has been successfully removed by the operation", is learned from the North division. The SFOR's spokesman, major Peter Clark, confirmed at a press-conference in Sarajevo that, last night on the road Jahorina -Pale, members of the multinational forces had fired at the vehicle and slightly wounded the driver.

SARAJEVO - The SFOR's spokesman major Peter Clark confirmed at a press- conference of international organisations in Sarajevo that the members of international stabilisation forces had fired at a vehicle and slightly wounded the driver. Asked if SFOR knew that the vehicle was a property of the RS Red Cross, which was obvious, Clark did not answer, explaining it was the first time he heard that.

BELGRADE - The president of Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS), Vojislav Stanimirovic, stated that 1,000 Serbs left Slavonia, especially Podunavlje, until now. In an interview with a Belgrade's weekly "NIN" he said that "people are leaving on account of not just security and political, but also economic reasons".

DOBOJ - RS and Muslim-Croat federation's railroad delegations made in Paris the Draft of Agreement on forming of common public railroad corporation, reported the RS Railroad Informative Service in Doboj. It is said in the announcement that according to the Draft of the Agreement, mediated by the OHR and representatives of Associated Railways, the B&H Railroad corporation is being consisted of two equal railroad corporations from RS and the Muslim-Croat federation.

BANJALUKA - The RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik had talks in Banjaluka with the Island Foreign Affairs Minister Holds Asgrimsom, who confirmed to him that his country attached great importance to changes in RS and gave full support to achieved results of the RS Government - has been stated for SRNA from the Prime Minister's Cabinet. The Island Foreign Affairs Minister emphasised the active participation of his country in many institutions and organisations within the EU, and conveyed readiness of his Government to give full support for the process of reconstruction and entire development of RS, is said in the statement.

BANJALUKA - The OSCE confirmed results of the municipal elections in 120 of 130 B&H municipalities, the OSCE's chief of mission in B&H, Robert Berry, stated in Banjaluka after meeting with the RS President Biljana Plavsic. He reminded that the OSCE have made eight obligatory and appropriate decisions, which is less than expected, while the election results have not been confirmed only in Srebrenica, Srpski Brod and Srbinje, where the arbitrage decision has been made.

BANJALUKA - The RS Minister of Information Rajko Vasic said in Banjaluka that he did not agree with existence of a unique radio-television in B&H, because, in accordance with the Dayton agreement, systems of informing were exclusively under entity's jurisdiction. At the meeting with general directors of Serbian Radio Television (SRT), Andjelko Kozomara, and B&H TV Amer Omersoftic, they discussed systems of informing at RS and B&H level. RS Ministers proposed to B&H TV representatives, which is under control of Muslim authorities in Muslim-Croat federation, exchange of programmes on the ground of the trust between the two entities and radio televisions.

BRCKO - After a meeting with the NATO Secretary General Javier Solana, the mayor of Brcko Borko Reljic stated for SRNA that the arbitration decision would be accepted peacefully and consistently implemented in Brcko. Three days before the decision for Brcko will be announced, SFOR's spokesman James Cronen confirmed that security situation in and around the town was satisfactory. Aside from increased presence of SFOR's patrols, there will be no other changes in crossing of the inter-entity boundary line (IEBL).

BELGRADE - The president of Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Vojislav Seselj, replying on the threats of FB&H representatives in the RS National Assembly that they will overthrow the RS Government if Brcko stays within RS, said that the threats were futile, because Dodik would be supported by representatives of SRS. "Radicals also expect for Dodik to resign if Brcko goes within the Muslim-Croat federation", Seselj said at a pressconference in Belgrade and added that he expects that decision would be contrary to interest of RS citizens.

SARAJEVO - The RS Red Cross expressed deep regret concerning the last night's incident when SFOR's members, on the road Pale - Jahorina, wounded their driver Gordan Markovic. With support of the International Federation of the Red Cross Associations, the RS Red Cross expresses a doubt in a statement for SRNA that Markovic was drunk while his was performing his duties, as SFOR representatives stated.

BELGRADE - The spokesman of Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Ivica Dacic, stated that representatives of the Serbia's Government were willing again to receive the representatives of Albanian minority in order to start the dialogue about problems in Kosovo and Metohija. Dacic said at a press- conference that Albanian negotiators had not appeared in Pristina to negotiate with representatives of the Serbia's Government and parliamentary parties. He emphasised that "it was not a surprise, for their leader Ibrahim Rugova stated that they were interested only in secession of Kosovo, and the Liberation Army of Kosovo said that they would fight until Kosovo was independent".

PRISTINA - Albanian terrorists in the village of Radavac near Pec threw a hand grenade at a restaurant owned by Taljus Elezaj, and caused significant damage. As SRNA unofficially learns it was the fourth terroristic attack in the last three days aimed against buildings of the Albanians who, according to them, have not supported their terrorism in Kosovo enough.

STRASBOURG - The seven-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council, headed by Leni Fischer, is on their way to Belgrade and Pristina in order to mediate talks about possible solution of the crisis in Kosovo. "The priority is to replace the violence with dialogue without setting any conditions", is said in a public announcement of Leni Fischer, released in Stratsbourg.

MOSCOW - The official Moscow, disappointed because Albanians have not come to the meeting with representatives of the authority, assessing that this kind of move demonstrates the Albanians' stance lacking compromise. According to the first unofficial reactions, Albanian leaders are not interested in a dialogue, because their goals and intentions are completely different. "Kosovo will be satisfied only with the independence", in a statement of the leader of Albanian separatists Ibrahim Rugova, which provoked condemnation of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

/end/

From the Serbian Unity Congress Server at http://www.suc.org

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