Monday, April 21, 2008

BOSNIA AND PAKISTAN TO SIGN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 21,2008) – The Bosnian President Dr Haris Silajdžić met with Jauhar Saleem, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Bosnia.During the meeting, the Ambassador of Pakistan was interested in the current phase of the Free Trade Agreement between Bosnia and Pakistan, which would enhance the economic cooperation between the two countries.

President Silajdžić assured him that he would make efforts to see the Bosnian Council of Ministers submitting the mentioned Agreement for adoption in accordance with the set procedure to the Bosnian State Presidency as soon as possible.

During the meeting, the Pakistan Ambassador also reminded about the request to designate a construction location for the Pakistan Embassy building to Bosnia, which was submitted to the competent institutions back in 1994, with a reciprocity condition and an obligation for Pakistan to ensure a construction location for the Bosnian Embassy in Pakistan.

He also said Pakistan supported the progress of Bosnia toward the European Union and that the European Union was the greatest partner for Pakistan in economic cooperation; trough integration, Bosnia and Pakistan could intensify cooperation in the economic field.

The Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić received an invitation to visit the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which he gladly accepted.
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BOSNIAN STATE PROSECUTOR HAS FILED AN INDICTMENT AGAINST SERBIAN WAR CRIMINALS VELJKO BASIC,PREDRAG BASTAH AND GORAN VISKOVIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 21,2008) – The Bosnian State Prosecutor has filed an indictment against Serbian war criminals Veljko Basic, Predrag Bastah and Goran Viskovic, who are charged with crimes against humanity committed in the Vlasenica municipality in 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The indictment was submitted to the Bosnian State Court confirmation.

The indictment alleges that, from April to late September 1992 Serbian war criminals Basic, Bastah and Viskovic, knowing that a broad and systematic attack was conducted by the Serbian aggressor's forces, persecuted Bosnian civilians in the eastern Bosnia.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor considers that they participated in murders, unlawful detention, mental and sexual abuse, forcible disappearances and torture.

Serbian war criminal Predrag Bastah murdered three Bosnian civilians in the vicinity of Susica concentration camp in early June 1992.

Serbian war criminal Goran Viskovic participated, together with Bastah, in the murder of four Bosnian civilians on June 12, 1992 and he together with four other Serbian war criminals raped one Bosnian woman.

The indictment further alleges that Serbian war criminals Basic, Bastah and Viskovic were members of a joint criminal enterprise, with the aim of committing murder, detention, mental and sexual abuse, forcible disappearance and torture.

The indictees have been held under custody since January 28 this year, when the Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) arrested them in Bosnia.
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FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IN BOSNIA FOR 2007 WERE ABOUT 2.9 BILLION BOSNIAN MARKS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 21,2008) – The Bosnian Central Bank Governor, Kemal Kozaric stated that in Bosnia in 2007 the foreign investments in the last year amounted to 2.9 billion Bosnian Marks.

At the press conference in the bosnian capital Sarajevo, Governor Kozaric stated that the reason for this significant inflow of foreign investments was due to realization of large financial agreements.
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SDP INITIATES SIGNING OF PETITION AGAINST THE INCREASE OF BOSNIAN STATE PARLIAMENT DELEGATES' SALARIES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 21,2008) – The Bosnian Social Democratic Party (SDP BIH) initiated at all regional centres in Bosnia the signing of a petition “Stop Increasing Salaries and Pensions to the Politicians”. The petition has been initiated after adoption “in the first reading” of the Law on Delegates’ Salaries at the Bosnian Parliament.

At the same time, SDP party activists are distributing fliers with pictures and names of all the delegates who voted for the law. The fliers read: “Winners of the Golden Shovel – Medal of Honour for Pillaging of People with Shovels”.

The SDP President Zlatko Lagumdzija stated on Friday at a press conference held at a petition signing stand near the Eternal Flame in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo that the Law on Delegates’ Salaries is “to put it in the mildest way immoral”. It foresees incomes for the delegates in the amount of 7.000 Bosnian Marks per month per a delegate. That is only an introduction to the law on pensions and special privileges of the delegates who would have pensions in the amount higher than 3.500 Bosnian Marks, “only for having sat at parliament for two years”.

The SDP announced that the citizens’ signatures will be submitted to the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly for the prupose of stopping the delegates in “unscrupulous, shameful intention of doing something Switzerland would not do”.

”If they ignore the petition, SDP will call the citizens to assemble in front of the Parliament and tell them what they think” Lagumdzija said.

Lagumdzija added that he does not receive the salary in Parliament. He leaves it to the state Budget, but one example is not enough.

SDP Secretary General Nermin Niksic stated that citizens are signing the petition; crowds formed at the Eternal Flame stand.

The Party’s Headquarters expect the reports from cantonal and regional boards which will be made available to the public.

Niksic announced that the action will last at last until the end of April and that he expects that the delegates will do something for the sake of citizens, not only for their own sakes.
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