BosNet Digest V5 #44 / Jan. 30, 1996

From: Nermin Zukic <[email protected]>

Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory

CONTENTS

[01] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL WILL USE VIDEO-RECORDS OF RAPING

The Hague, Jan 29, 1996 (Press TWRA) - At the black porno-video market in the Netherlands, at price of 1OOO DM, can be bought video-tapes, showing raping in B-H, committed by Serb soldiers, whose victims were girls, women, children and men. After long torture, the victims were killed, what is also recorded, reports the leading Dutch paper, De Telegraaf. Dutch Justice Ministry ordered investigation. Serbs who were raping and killing, also were recording that, and then distributing it as a profitable business to the international black market. The International Tribunal bought those video-tapes, and will use them against suspected criminals and the crimes' inspirers. (end) A.S.

[02] KOSCHNICK ON FINANCIAL AID AND DESERTERS

Munich, Jan 29, 1996 (Press TWRA) - EU administrator of Mostar, H. Koschnick, warned the EU it should not provide unconditional financial aid for reconstruction of the countries ruined by the war in ex-Yugoslavia. Says Koschnick: "The EU should not invest a single pfenig for reconstruction of the areas in which merciless and wild destructions occurred after the Dayton peace accord was signed". The humanitarian aid should be provided for everyone, says Koschnick. He believes that amnesty for deserters should be proclaimed in Bosnia-Herzegovina, before return of the refugees, situated currently in Germany. (end) A.S.

[03] CARL BILDT OPPOSED TO ARMAMENT OF THE BOSNIAN ARMY

Bonn, Jan 29, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Carl Bildt, in charge of the peace agreement's civil aspect's implementation, criticized in interview for German weekly "Focus" intention to arm Bosnians. "There is no lack of weapons in Bosnia. I would prefer less. The U.S.A. should think again - it is hard to refuse to one side something what you give to another". (end) A.S.

[04] CROATIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL - CARL BILDT

Sarajevo, Jan 29, 1996 (Press TWRA) - In public letter to Bildt, Ivo Komsic, on behalf of the Croatian national council of B-H (HNV), appealed for Sarajevo to be ensured to continue to be a multicultural, multiethnic center, in which all citizens would be equal, regardless of their ethnic & confessional background. HNV reminds that Croats participated to defense of the town, in which they remained, though called by some Croat officials to leave it.

According to census 1991, among 415 631 Sarajevo's citizens, there were 3O 872 Croats (7.4%), 2O8 382 Muslims (5O.1%), 1O8 473 Serbs (26.1%). Since creation of Yugoslavia, percentage of Serbs in Sarajevo has increased, while percentage of Croats & Bosniaks has decreased. The most of Sarajevo's Jews were killed by German and Croatian nazis during the World War Two. (end) A.S.

[05] MUHAMED FILIPOVIC DENIED ALIJA IZETBEGOVIC

Sarajevo, Jan 27, 1996 (Press TWRA) - In a public letter, Bosnian ambassador to Britain, M. Filipovic denied the statement of B-H president Izetbegovic who, referring to the Foreign Ministry, said the London Embassy had exceeded the allowed costs for DEM 4OO to 5OO OOO. Filipovic writes: "I do not know which sources provided the information for Izetbegovic on unplanned costs. Our Embassy's total budget does not imply so much money. I can prove that there was no any extra costs. Long before my arrival, August 1995, I asked for the statement of the Embassy's accounts and an investigating commission, what was rejected." (end) A.S.

[06] REFUGEES FROM MOSTAR - A LETTER TO HANS KOSCHNICK

Mostar, Jan 27, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Alliance of the Clubs of the expelled Mostar citizens in Nordic states, called, on behalf of 2O,OOO expelled Mostar citizens, the EU administrator Koschnick and EU Ministry Council, not to allow the Berlin Wall in Mostar but to firmly support unified, multiethnic Mostar. (end) A.S.

[07] ICRC WRONGLY INTERPRETS DAYTON AGREEMENT

Sarajevo, Jan 29,1996 (Press TWRA) - Bosnian Serbs liberated yesterday at Sarajevo Airport 85 Bosniaks who were detained in Foca and Vlasenica. The B-H President of Commission for Exchange of Prisoners A. Masovic said that Serbs refused to liberate three POW's. The Bosnian side liberated yesterday from prison Dolac near Travnik 76 POW's and fulfilled its obligation under Dayton.

Mostar - Serbs liberated at Bocac near Banja Luka ten Croatian POW's who were in Doboj, Kotorska and Banja Luka prisons. Serbian side has to liberate another 25 Croats from prison in Doboj. Serbs also announced they will liberate another 15O Bosniaks in next few days.

Zagreb - In an interview for Zagreb's Radio 1O1, B-H Representative for exchange of prisoners Jasmin Odobasic stated: "Red Cross plays unfair. During the fall of Srebrenica from Dutch Camp in Potocari, Serbs took around 3OOO Bosniaks of different age, from 15-6O before the eyes of representatives of UNPROFOR, ICRC, "Doctors without borders". We registered them as POW's because they were taken in front of the representatives of international organizations and Red Cross now tries to declare them "missing". We expect some of those people are alive hidden in Serbian detention camps. ICRC wrongly interprets Dayton agreement and that is the essence of the misunderstanding with B-H Army and HVO. Dayton Agreement denoted that prisoners have to be exchanged according to principle "all for all" and ICRC interprets this to exchange only registered persons. That is why the number of B-H Army and HVO which Serbian side has to liberate is small. Serbs still did not admit they hold certain number of people. We discovered that large number of people are hidden in Serbian prisoners and detention camps based on the statements of liberated Bosniaks. (end) S.K.

[08] "87 BOSNIAK FAMILIES RETURNED TO JAJCE"

Jajce, Jan 29,1996 (Press TWRA) - "Until today 87 families out of 3OO Bosniaks returned to Jajce. We increased our obligation from the pilot-program to accept 2OO Bosniak families and accepted on our own initiative another 157 families in order to speed up the return of Bosniaks", stated the mayor of Jajce N. Bilic, adding that return of Bosniaks to Jajce "is very slow due to unorganized Bosniak authorities". (end) S.K.

[09] LAZOVIC ON VOTING IN THE PARLIAMENT

Sarajevo, Jan 27, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Speaker of Parliament of Republic B-H Miro Lazovic informed in writing the public on recent voting for the law on the government of the Republic of B-H, which caused disputes and was the reason for resignation of premier Silajdzic. Lazovic reminds that majority vote of MPs (81 of 16O) is needed for a law to be regularly passed. 58 delegates voted for, 1O against the first proposal and 21 abstained. Lazovic stresses that he was wrong when he released that the law was adopted as 58 was majority vote of the present but not all members of the Parliament. After the pause, 71 member voted for, 1O against the second proposal and 19 abstained. Finally, the entire law including the second proposal was passed with 86 vote for, 1 against and 1O abstained. By this, Lazovic indirectly denied the claim of H. Silajdzic that the Parliament the same day passed two mutually contradictory variants of law. (end) A.S.

[10] SERB COLONEL - A WITNESS AGAINST KARADZIC AND MLADIC

Bonn, The Hague, Jan 28, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Serb colonel from Banjaluka accepted to witness before the International Tribunal, about mass graves where Bosniaks and Croats were buried, writes tomorrow's issue of German paper "Der Spiegel". The colonel's name is not specified. The paper says he was close to Karadzic.

The colonel will bear witness about concentration camps, death camps, the sites where Serbs massacred local people and captured non-Serbs. The witness arrived at the Hague secretly, aided by some western states' diplomacy, and is placed at an unknown place provided with strict security measures. The colonel says th corpses of thousands of victims in the mountain lakes and abysses in the area of Omarska, Vitovlja and Manjaca were covered with many tons of stones from the nearby mines. (end) A.S.

[11] MICHAEL STEINER ON MOSTAR

Bonn, Jan 28, 1996 (Press TWRA) - M.Steiner, high official of the German Foreign Ministry, ambassador to the Contact Group, and the PIC (Peace Implementation Council, the Contact Group's successor) High Representative's (C. Bildt) deputy, told the German TV's 1st channel (ARD) that situation in Bosnia was good at the level of the Federation and Republic, "but rather bad in Mostar, primarily due to mafia groups, wishing at all costs to impede functioning of the Federation. Therefore, the USA and the EU have already made a proper pressure on Zagreb." (end) A.S.

[12] WEU POLICE INVESTIGATED INCIDENTS IN MOSTAR

Mostar, Jan 26, 1996 (Press TWRA) - At the press conference in the Mostar seat of EU administration, Klaus Matscher released that Hans Koschnick had concluded that agreement on the six counties' borders between the two sides in Mostar was not possible to reach - the views differ too much. So, after visit to Brussels early next week, Koschnick will take over the role of arbiter and judge in the dispute. Metscher also announced that H. Koschnick had officially agreed that 1OO policemen from Croatia should be sent to Mostar informing K. Zubak about it in writing.

The investigation findings on recent incidents in Mostar were released by the head of the WEU police to Mostar, Peter Landbrese. He disclosed that Croat policeman Zeljko Ljubic had been killed with a shot directed from eastern Mostar adding that they were on the trail of the perpetrator and the investigation was taken over by eastern Mostar police. The investigation found that Bosnian policemen were shot from western Mostar and the evidence had been sent to expert analysis to Germany.

Zagreb - Croatian govt. accepted today the request of the B-H Federation president, K. Zubak, in accord with the agreement Koschnick-Tudjman, approved by Bosnian govt. - 1OO policemen from Croatia be sent to Mostar to operate subordinated to the WEU (West European Union). Croatian interior minister Jarnjak said at the government session, that the policemen would be ready to go to Mostar in three to four days after the agreement with the EU administration on technical details. /end/ A.S.

[14] VAN DEN BROEK IN SARAJEVO

Sarajevo, Jan 26, 1996 (Press TWRA) - EU foreign affairs commissary Hans van den Broek, visited Sarajevo and talked with Bosnian government top officials. After the talk with the B-H Federation president Kresimir Zubak, van den Broek said: "Implementation of the civil and military annex of the peace accord are mutually conditioned and inseparable. Consolidation of the B-H Federation is the key for stabilization of the area. Croatian president Tudjman's support to the project of Federation is encouraging. /end/ A.S.

[15] GENERAL POW EXCHANGE IN BOSNIAN AGREED

Pale, Jan 26, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Karadzic's associate, M. Krajisnik has announced that he agreed today with the B-H Federation president K. Zubak on the exchange of all POWs between the two entities to B-H: B-H Federation and "Republika Srpska."

Zagreb - Vice-president of Croatian govt. Ivica Kostovic said at today's session that major Grujic authorized by Belgrade for the exchange, postponed providing data which Croatia demanded on its missing citizens, many of whom are suspected to be held in captivity in Serbia and Serb held part of B-H. Of 2,81O required, data were provided only about 1O6 persons. /end/ A.S.

[16] SILAJDZIC DECLINES CRITICISM

Sarajevo, Jan 27, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Premier of the B-H Republic, H. Silajdzic whose mandate, due to his resignation, expires next week, has declined all criticism on his account expressed by Alija Izetbegovic and other high officials of SDA and the B-H authorities.

In the statement issued for the Sarajevo media, H. Silajdzic points out: "(..) I refused new mandate to compose B-H government due to the manner in which the Law on government was passed and dominating political orientation causing the weakening of the central state authorities. (...) Repeated voting at the latest Parliament session was an assault against democracy and I refuse to be responsible to the SDA & HDZ party leaders who influenced on the change of the views among the delegates in the Parliament, voting differently about the same law in one day. (...) After appointing new mandatory, many ungrounded political criticism was made on my account. Apparently, my major sin was my resolution not to comply with the decisions brought by a group of people who want political monopoly. Criticism comes from the same people who proposed me as mandatory. It is political disqualification which reminds of political methods of some previous times. (...) I do not intend to discuss at that level. (..) It is dishonest to drag the Army into political disputes as it is the way to lose both defence & democracy. (...) The act of giving up the mandatory is contribution to the strengthening of democracy. My acting is the first one of that kind in B-H in the past 5O years. /end/ A.S.

[17] MEASURES TO BUILD TRUST IN B-H AGREED

Vienna, Jan 27, 1996 (Press TWRA) - After three-week talks, sides in B-H agreed on the measures to rebuild trust and security. It implies mutual inspection of soldiers and arms, released Istvan Gyarmati, Hungarian diplomat and arms control expert who, on behalf of OSCE, chaired the talks. Serb side was strongly against the agreement, opposing to the control of the three parties' armies, demanding the status of sovereign state for Republic of Srpska being against the Dayton accord. The agreement envisages mutual control of the two B-H entities, including the arms deployment, number of soldiers and arms factories. Besides. Every side will inform the other on major moves of its army. (end) A.S.

[18] STAY OF BOSNIAN REFUGEES IN GERMANY EXTENDED

Bonn, Jan 1996 (Press TWRA) - Germany has extended the stay of 32O,OOO Bosnian refugees expiring late this March, for another three months. Ministries of the Interiors of 16 German Federal Republics defined July, 1 as a start of a gradual 14-month period for the return of refugees. First to be returned are single persons, then those whose families are in B-H and childless couples. German federal minister of the interior, Manfred Kanther says the first group includes 2/3 of refugees. They should leave till mid 1997 and the other group till Aug 31, 1997. Exempted from this plan are the sick, the old and children attending German schools. Kanther says that the refugees will return home to check the situation and will be allowed to return to Germany in two months if they decide not to live in Bosnia. (end) A.S.

[19] MYSTERIOUS DISEASE OF THE US SOLDIERS

Washington, Jan 28, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Pentagon investigated a mysterious illness from which about 5O IFOR US soldiers fell ill, spokesman Ken Bacon said. The disease is not life danger, causes rush & slight temperature, and is believed to be virus-caused. The ill soldiers were in the same arms depot and hotel in Brussels, in two different time intervals. (end) A.S.

[20] THREE IFOR SOLDIERS KILLED, ONE WOUNDED

Sarajevo, Jan 29, 1996 (Press TWRA) - BBC reported that three British soldiers were killed when their armed vehicle came across the mine, west of Mrkonjic Grad. According to BBC information received from British Forces Headquarters in Gornji Vakuf the soldiers were driving along the territory which was supposed to be cleared of mines.

The IFOR spokesman M. Rayner reported that US soldier who was wounded in the neck with the bullet form light weapon in Sarajevo's suburb Ilidza on Sunday, was not in the immediate danger. The investigation on the incident which occured in the immediate vicinity of IFOR ground forces headquarters situated in Hotel "Serbia", is still on. (end) S.K.