Search our News Archive Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Thursday, 28 March 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

BosNet NEWS - June 6, 1996

Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Adnan Smajlovic <asmaj@spectranet.ca>


CONTENTS

  • [01] CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY POSTPONED TILL JUNE, 12
  • [02] SIGNING OF AGREEMENT ON DISARMING, TODAY OR TOMORROW ?!
  • [03] EXCAVATION OF COLLECTIVE GRAVES STARTED
  • [04] M. STEINER CRITICIZED MILOSEVIC
  • [06] BEKIC ON VIENNA'S NEGOTIATIONS
  • [07] LAW ON DEFENSE ON FB-H ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE
  • [08] IFOR STILL DID NOT RECEIVE NEW INSTRUCTIONS
  • [09] CASSESE IN BELGRADE
  • [10] AUSTRIAN PARLIAMENT: APPLAUSE FOR GREAT SERBIA PROPAGANDA
  • [11] NATO - FRY

  • [01] CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY POSTPONED TILL JUNE, 12

    Sarajevo, June 6, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    BH Federation Constitutional Assembly, by accepting 23 amendments, brought into accord Constitution of the Federation with BH Constitution. Another four questions, related to the division of responsibility between BH Federation and the Republic of BH, concerning customs, foreign trade, nomination of officials to diplomatic missions, FA officers and resolving of the status of Sarajevo, which should be harmonized by Constitutional commission in cooperation with BH Federation President and Vice-President within ten days, have still remained disputed. A report of the Commission for disappeared persons in the territory of BH Federation and R BH was examined as a special issue. According to the report, in the time of the HVO-BH Army conflicts, 2.145 BH citizens, mostly Bosniaks, disappeared in the territory under the control of HVO, while 216 Croats disappeared in the time of HVO attack upon BH Army. New proposals for the BH Federation coat of arms and flag were exposed during the session. The Assembly has not succeeded to reach the consensus regarding all proposals, so passing of the Law on coat of arms and flag was postponed. The session was interrupted and postponed till June 12, when the continuation of the discussion and possible passing of the Law on defense, which, however announced, was not on this session agenda, is foreseen. BH Federation Prime Minister, I. Kapetanovic, denied journalists' statements claiming an agreement was made between Minister of defense, Soljic and Assistant Minister Cengic, regarding some disputed questions. (end) S.K.

    [02] SIGNING OF AGREEMENT ON DISARMING, TODAY OR TOMORROW ?!

    Vienna, June 6, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    As envisaged by the Dayton accord, an agreement on limitation of the conventional arming, should be concluded today, after six months of long negotiations. Two important issues remained controversial till the last day: five equal sides or three states (BH, Croatia and Serbia) and tow entities (BH Federation and Republic of Srpska). According to the today's proposal of the Croatian side, it was precized three states Croatia, FRY and BH and two entities BH Federation and Republic of Srpska are the sides involved in the agreement. It was also proposed a period of disarming should start on July 1, of the sides having too much weapons and filling of the capacity of armies in the region possessing the right to purchase the arms. This period should last for 16 months and the sides possessing too much arms could sold it within an eight-month-period. It was found out, the sides have generally accepted this proposal, except the Republic of Srpska that officially rejected it. Bosnian Serbs cite 1 B annex of the Dayton accord, mentioning five sides involved in the process, while, however, three Presidents ( BH, Croatia and Serbia) are signatories of the accord. BH Government was opposed to using of the name "Republic of Srpska" in order to prevent Serbs to see the territory under their control as a separate country instead as a part of BH. (end) S.K.

    [03] EXCAVATION OF COLLECTIVE GRAVES STARTED

    Nova Kasaba, June 6, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    ICTY experts started to excavate collective graves in Nova Kasaba (Srebrenica area). As reported by leader of excavation J. Guerns, the excavations take place in the area shown on satellite photos presented by U.S. Ambassador to U.N., M. Albright. Their first finding is related to bodies of six grown-up persons, dressed in civilian uniforms. One body had a smashed crane while the other two had their hands tied on their back: the one with a wire and the other with a cord. Guerns informed the investigators also saw other bodies in a 7- meter-long grave that has not yet been fully investigated.

    Jajce - 63 victims of the Serb crime committed in 1992 wereexcavated in Jajce area - location of Kravlje Koze (Carevo Polje). Among them, there are 51 civilians of the Bosniak and Croat nationality. The major part of their relatives succeeded to identify them on first sight which would help the identification procedure on the Split Institute for juridical medicine. One more grave should still be investigated in Carevo Polje. (end) S.K.

    [04] M. STEINER CRITICIZED MILOSEVIC

    Sarajevo, June 5, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    "Serbian President Milosevic did not do all he could to remove the Bosnian Serbs leader Radovan Karadjic from his position", stated the PIC high representative deputy M. Steiner and called Serbian population in B-H to stop supporting Karadjic against whom ICTY raised inducement for war crimes. (end) S.K.

    [06] BEKIC ON VIENNA'S NEGOTIATIONS

    Vienna, June 5,1996 (Press TWRA)

    According to diplomatic circles in Vienna tomorrow could end the six months long negotiation process on disarmament issues, in other words it will be decided how big will be the allowed amount of tanks, war planes and cannons for Croatia, Serbia and the two entities inside B-H. According to Dayton agreement it is planned that the agreement will be reached by tomorrow, June 6. According to one OESS official there should be no major obstacles for conclusion of the agreement by tomorrow. The major problem is the political issue, in other words, how to identify Republic Srpska entity in the official documents because B-H Government is against the use of Republic Srpska name.

    However, the chief of Croatian negotiation team dr. D. Bekicestimated the situation in Vienna in the following way: "Situation is far from reaching solution and at least one delegation is obviously disinclined to reaching the agreement and signing the agreement". Croatian side, emphasized Bekic, insist on the demands for limit of five types of weapons, which is the standard for necessary defense, and that cannons caliber be divide to those of 75 to 100 mm and 100 and more millimeters, which other sides do not support. "The most important issues are still without consensus and the possibility of not reaching the agreement by the dead line is becoming very real", claims Bekic. "The reduction of the armament will be in the first place on Republic Srpska side, and to some extent in FRY -Serbia and Monte Negro. The special problem is with Republic Srpska which insists, taking into account that the reduction will be quite considerable, that it is done through a rather long period, even up to sixty month, which is unrealistic", stated the Croatian Foreign vice-minister I. Simonovic emphasizing the one of the most important problems in the negotiations. (end) S.K.

    [07] LAW ON DEFENSE ON FB-H ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE

    Sarajevo, June 5,1996 (Press TWRA)

    The B-H Federation Constitutional Assembly today should discuss the law on defense. The Prime Minister of B-H Federation Goverment I. Kapetanovic stated that V. Soljic defense minister and his Vice-Minister H. Cengic agreed on controversial details on the law proposal and that Federation Government is ready to confirm their proposal and present it to Federation Assembly for adoption. (end) S.K.

    [08] IFOR STILL DID NOT RECEIVE NEW INSTRUCTIONS

    Sarajevo, June 5,1996 (Press TWRA)

    "The IFOR still did not receive new instructions which would increase the chances for arrest of war criminals", stated IFOR spokesman in Sarajevo S. Haselock, commenting the State Department spokesman statements according to which IFOR was ordered to increase the number of patrols and extended them to Pale area. "Yesterday's incident on the access to Sarajevo was not connected with the attempt to arrest the person whom B-H Government keeps responsible for war crimes", added Haselock reporting on incident in which IFOR military policeman near Lukavica stooped the vehicle in which was Slavko Aleksic who commanded Serbian forces on Grbavica, Sarajevo settlement, and whom the local non-Serbian population blames for killings and plunders. "Members of IFOR only wanted to disarm Aleksic's driver because he was in the no-arms area", stated Haselock and added that Serbian policemen and the local Serbian population opposed disarming so that the special French forces unit members had to help. The driver managed to escape, and Serbian police turned over his weapons to IFOR. (end) S.K.

    [09] CASSESE IN BELGRADE

    Belgrade, June 5, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    ICTY President, Cassese, arrived to Belgrade in order to discuss the cooperation of FRY with the Hague Court. Cassese had to meet today with Serbian Foreign Minister, Milutinovic, Prime Minister, Kontic and other high officials. Cassese requested in Strassbourg, on April 25 sanctions against Belgrade and Republic of Srpska due to their refusal to cooperate with the Hague Court. (end) S.K.

    [10] AUSTRIAN PARLIAMENT: APPLAUSE FOR GREAT SERBIA PROPAGANDA

    Vienna, June 5, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    Austrian writer, Peter Handke, read on Monday, in front of the Austrian Parliament, paragraphs from his book entitled: tWinter journey along the rivers of Drina, Sava, Danube and Morava - Justice for Serbiav. The mentioned writer has already organized speeches on the same topic in many towns, including Vienna, Ljubljana and Belgrade. He was sincerely welcomed in Belgrade, for he described Serbs as blasphemed heroes and victims of the merciless world, who unjustly showed them as criminals. The real criminals are, according to the Handke book, peoples living in the vicinity of Serbs: Albanians, Bosniaks, Croats, Slovenians ... Extreme Serb nationalists attended his gatherings and provided him a great support. When he is criticized, Handke usually responds violently, offends and curses. Hankde was supported in Belgrade both, by regime and opposition parties. Only the rare, such as President of the Helsinki Committee for Serbia, Sonja Biserko, criticized him for ridiculing the evident facts, such as crimes of ethnical cleansing and genocide. When his speech in Austrian Parliament was announced last month, former Austrian Foreign Minister, A. Mock, expressed a violent protest, saying tJustice for Serbia is a shame for Austriav. However, President of the National Committee, Heinz Fischer, former President of Austria-Yugoslavia society, did not want to change his decision and called Handke to speak. Protesting letters to Fischer, Chancellor Vranitzky and Vice-Chancellor W. Schuessel were also sent by President and Vice-President of the Society for threatened peoples (GBV), T. Zuelch (Gottingen) and A. Rollinger (Luxembourg). They warned Austrian officials: tIf You let Handke speak in the Parliament, than You put in question resolutions of the Nuremberg process.v Zuelch and Rollinger reminded S. Wiesenthal stated that many horrible elements of the holocaust were repeated in Bosnia. Handke speech in the Parliament is an offense for the victims of Srebrenica massacre, for international justice, for those brave Serbs who refused to participate in aggression and crimes. After all, the same chance, after Hankde, should also be given to the other side, GBV stated.

    Handke spoke in the Parliament in front of Fischer,Vranitzky, H. Schmidt (President of Liberal forum). Nobody opposed to him and even majority of them applauded. Just few representatives, among whom Voggenhuber (tGreenv representative) and M. Sunjic (UNHCR official) said tJustice for Serbiav reminds of 1942 nazi German apology, but they were interrupted by Handke who screamed saying thattthey bahave shamelesslyv. (end) S.K.

    [11] NATO - FRY

    Belgrade, June 5, 1996 (Press TWRA)

    Belgrade newspaper tPolitikav (tPoliticsv) reported about Yugoslav Army officials who finished in NATO military school in Oberamergau (Germany), by the end of April, education for instructors of arms-control. tPolitikav informs these officers will form a nucleus for a team of experts for military control and inspection, in accordance with the Dayton accord, of tinstalling mechanism to support peace and mutual trust between the countries of the ex-Yugoslaviav. tPolitikav also mentions eight representatives of Yugoslav and Croatian army were attendants of the education-course. (end) S.K.
    Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
    Back to Top
    Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
    All Rights Reserved.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
    bos2html v2.00 run on Friday, 7 June 1996 - 0:07:07