BILL CHANGING BOSNIAN ELECTORAL LAW SENT TO PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 18,2007) – The Bill changing the Bosnian Electoral Law prepared by Inter-Department Workgroup has been sent to the parliamentary procedure.

A member of the Bosnian Central Elections Commission and Inter-Department Workgroup Suad Arnautovic called all the ruling parties to adopt this law as soon as possible, keeping in mind that “rules of the game for the upcoming local elections need to be known as soon as possible”.

Arnautovic stated that the biggest changes have been made in the sense of enabling the national minorities’ representatives to participate in the local parliaments.

An initiative has also been submitted to the FBIH Entity Parliament asking for a simpler election procedures at the FBIH Entity Parliament’s House of Peoples’ caucuses.

”We have also started an initiative of annulling the law which prescribes that the Bosnian Presidency members are elected the way they are now”, Arnautovic said.

BOSNIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SELMO CIKOTIC TO DISCUSS SECURITY ISSUES WITH U.S. OFFICIALS

WASHINGTON, USA (December 18,2007)– The Bosnian Defence Minister Selmo Cikotic is leading the Bosnian Ministry of Defence delegation which is participating at the multilateral defense consultations in Washington,USA.

Cikotic will meet with the U.S. State Department representatives and the U.S. National Security Council officials.

The Bosnian Defence Minister will also hold a lecture in organization of the US Atlantic Union College, the Bosnian Defence Ministry announced.

BOSNIAN MINISTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND REFUGEES SAFET HALILOVIC VISITED NOVI TRAVNIK

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 18,2007) - The Bosnian Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Safet Halilovic and his Deputy Slavko Marin visited Novi Travnik and participated in a ceremony organized for the occasion of handing over the keys to eight reconstructed apartments.

Halilovic expressed pleasure over the successful completion of the project of reconstruction of houses in the Novi Travnik Municipality area.

”About 3.000 families returned to this municipality. A large number of apartment units have been reconstructed but there are 800 more houses to go through the same project”, Minister Halilovic stated.

Halilovic and his deputy Marin visited the new house belonging to Ante Lesic. The house was reconstructed in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Bosnian Minsitry of Human Rights and Refugees.

The house of Ante Lesic, located in Hadzici, was completely destroyed during the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia.

WORLD BANK PRESENTED NEW STRATEGY FOR BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 18,2007) - The World Bank mission in Bosnia presented yesterday its new strategy for the country, launching a new four-year lending cycle and announcing loans of 200 million US Dollars for development projects.

New loans come in addition to 200 million USD in loans that the World Bank had already approved earlier.

'We are talking about 400 million USD over the next four years of development projects with assistance from the World Bank,' World Bank Country Manager for Bosnia Marco Mantovanelli told reporters in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

The World Bank would support investments in infrastructure, municipal development, transport and energy sectors, business environment, public sector reform, and social sectors reform through this programme.

More funds would be available with the progress of reforms in Bosnia,Mantovanelli said.

He also said that Bosnia would move in the next four years from borrowing under soft conditions, including interest-free loans with repayment over 35 years and a 10-year grace period, to more commercial, but still relatively cheap borrowing under conditions of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

'The transition to IBRD indicates that we have confidence the country is moving in the right direction,' said Mantovanelli.

The World Bank has committed about 1.2 billion US Dollars in favorable loans to Bosnia since the end of the Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia ended in late 1995.

POLAND SUPPORTS BOSNIA FOR EU,NATO ENTRY

WARSAW, Poland (December 18,2007) - Bosnia should have green light on joining the European Union (EU) and NATO, Polish president Lech Kaczynski said yesterday.

Kaczynski made the remarks after meeting the Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic, who is on an official visit to Poland.

"Bosnia is clearly interested in joining both NATO and the EU and Poland supports these plans," Kaczynski said.

Komsic invited Kaczynski to visit Bosnia and Kaczynski said he would gladly visit Bosnia next year.

Both politicians discussed ways of promoting friendly relations between Bosnia and Poland and stepping up mutual economic cooperation.

BOSNIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM COACH DISMISSED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 18,2007) - The coach of the Bosnian National Football Team Fuad Muzurović has been dismissed after a year in charge of the national team.The Bosnian Football Federation decided to part company with Muzurović, 62, following a run of five defeats in as many matches at the end of UEFA EURO 2008 qualification.

The coach, who had started his second spell at the Bosnia helm last December and initially oversaw wins against Norway, Turkey and Malta, could then do nothing to prevent the slump. His side finished fourth in qualifying Group C. Muzurović had previously occupied the hot seat between 1992 and 1997.

Bosnia's recent struggles have not solely concerned the senior team. Poor results at Under-21, U17 and futsal levels also prompted the Bosnian Football Federation to sack respective coaches Nikola Nikić, Ivo Knežević and Marin Čorluka, as well as causing the resignation of the director of all national selections, Ahmet Pašalić.