BosNet News: July 21, 1996 (Press TWRA)

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From: Adnan Smajlovic <[email protected]>

CONTENTS

[01] SRNA DENIED KARADZIC'S REMOVAL

[02] KARADZIC'S REMOVAL COMMENTARIES

[03] SERBS THREATEN, UN AND NATO RESPOND

[04] CASADO ON HIS DECREE AND LEAVING MOSTAR

[05] TENSION BETWEEN CROATS AND BOSNIAKS IN HERZEGOVINA

[06] IPTF: NO EVIDENCE OF ZEBIC'S GUILT

[07] ROBERTS OWEN: THE THIRD MEMBER OF ARBITRARY COMMISSION

[08] STATE DEPARTMENT DENIES SECRET AGREEMENT WITH MILOSEVIC

[09] HOLBROOKE ON THREE OPTIONS IN BOSNIA

[10] DIFFERENTLY ON KARADZIC'S REMOVAL

[11] ICTY: CASSESE AND BLEWITT ON KARADZIC AND MLADIC

[12] ORUCEVIC ON MOSTAR AFTER ELECTIONS

[13] EXPLOSION NEAR IVAN ZVONIMIR CICAK'S HOUSE

[14] SLOVENIA -CROATIA: NUMBER OF MUTUAL PROBLEMS

[01] SRNA DENIED KARADZIC'S REMOVAL

Sarajevo, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)

[02] KARADZIC'S REMOVAL COMMENTARIES

Sarajevo, London, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)

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 RESPOND

Sarajevo, Ugljevik, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)

"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 MOSTAR

Mostar, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)

"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 HERZEGOVINA

Mostar, Sarajevo, July 19,1996 (Press TWRA)

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 GUILT

Sarajevo, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)

[07] ROBERTS OWEN: THE THIRD MEMBER OF ARBITRARY COMMISSION

Sarajevo, The Hague, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)

[08] STATE DEPARTMENT DENIES SECRET AGREEMENT WITH MILOSEVIC

Washington, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)

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 BOSNIA

Torino, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)

[10] DIFFERENTLY ON KARADZIC'S REMOVAL

Bonn, July 20, 1996 (Press TWRA)

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 MLADIC

The Hague, Paris, Cologne, June 20, 1996. (Press TWRA)

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 ELECTIONS

Mostar, July 20,1996 (Press TWRA)

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 HOUSE

Brac, July 20,1996 (Press TWRA)

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 PROBLEMS

Ljubljana, Zagreb, July 20,1996 (Press TWRA)

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.

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