BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBER HARIS SILAJDŽIĆ MET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF MOTHERS OF SREBRENICA AND ŽEPA ASSOCIATION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 27,2007) – A member of the Bosnian Presidency Dr Haris Silajdžić met with representatives of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Association.

During the meeting, the Association’s representatives informed Dr Silajdžić about their current activities, especially about the procedure concerning the lawsuit of the genocide survivors from Srebrenica against the government of the Netherlands and the United Nations.

They emphasized that 2008 is crucial for the lawsuit; what primarily should be determined is the responsibility of the accused side, and then to ensure compensation for the genocide survivors.

In July 1995, a Dutch battalion assigned to protect Srebrenica (a U.N.-declared "safe haven" in eastern Bosnia) did absolutely nothing and stood by as the genocidal Serbian aggressor mass murdered thousands of Bosnian civilians.

The genocide survivors have sued the Dutch government for a billion dollars in damages for participating in the genocide in Bosnia by failing to prevent it.

Also,a court in the Hague ruled recently the case against the United Nations could proceed, dismissing pleas by the Dutch prosecutors that it should be dropped after the United Nations invoked its legal immunity.

The representatives of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves Association also stressed out the problem of helping the returnees to the eastern Bosnian region of Podrinje, considering that many returnees that live in this area do not have basic living conditions, or adequate access to resources such as schools, health care and social services, and they believe that the competent ministries and other institutions are not considering it enough.

Bosnian Presidency member Dr Haris Silajdžić supported the Association’s efforts to ensure help to the returnees primarily trough concrete projects for sustainable return to that area of Bosnia, as well as to help the families with the social need status and are unable to work.

PRESIDENT KOMŠIĆ CONGRATULATED CHRISTMAS TO BOSNIAN CATHOLICS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 27,2007) – The Bosnian President Željko Komšić congratulated Christmas to Cardinal Vinko Puljić and to all Catholic citizens of Bosnia and the ones living in diaspora.

”I sincerely wish you a merry Christmas, Cardinal Puljić, as well as to all Bosnian Catholics. I also wish you a happy new year of 2008. May you celebrate this holiday in peace, joy and family happiness, together with your family, friends and neighbours”, President Komšić stated.

SUVALOV: RELATIONS BETWEEN BOSNIA AND RUSSIA HAVE IMPROVED THIS YEAR

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 27,2007) – The Russian Ambassador to Bosnia Konstantin Suvalov stated in an interview for FENA that the year 2007 was successful in the sense of building relations between BiH and Russia.

”Intensive political dialogue will continue at the state level. The first session of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Issues was held in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. That was the first meeting of the kind in the history of our relations. Russia is the third biggest foreign investor in Bosnia”, Suvalov emphasized.

The Russian Ambassador hopes that relations between Russia and Bosnia will continue to develop gradually in other sectors in 2008. .

”We expect that investment projects with participation of Russian companies will continue”, Ambassador Suvalov stated.

ENERGOINVEST IN $52 MILLION DEAL WITH LIBYA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 27,2007) - The largest Bosnian engineering group Energoinvest has clinched a new $52 million deal with Libya to build power transmission lines and a transformer station, General Manager Dzemail Vlahovljak said yesterday.

He said Energoinvest has now secured projects amounting to over 120 million euros ($172.7 million) in Libya and projects worth some 60 million euros in Algiers, its traditional markets from before the 1992-95 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia.

"These contracts provide security and stability to our operation, which was hurt this year by the global political situation, particularly in Algiers," Vlahovljak told an annual news conference in Sarajevo.

He said that Energoinvest results were influenced by U.S. Dollar weakness and rising oil prices.

Energoinvest's preliminary results for 2007 showed revenues of 319.5 million Bosnian Marks ($235.3 million) and profits of 2.7 million Bosnian Marks, compared with 2006 revenues of 306.1 million Bosnian Marks and profits of 2.5 million Bosnian Marks.

It aims to more than double profits next year and increase revenues to 384.1 million Bosnian Marks, said Finance Director Dzevad Ganic.

The company is among top five Bosnian exporters and exports account for half its revenues. Energoinvest had annual turnover of about $2.5 billion before the 1992-95 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia, during which it was heavily damaged.

It has recovered and stabilised in recent years, and regained its pre-war markets in Africa and Asia.

Energoinvest plans to expand to the Middle East next year by forming a joint venture with partners in Saudi Arabia, said Vlahovljak's deputy Abdulharis Seta.

Vlahovljak also said Energoinvest should now play a bigger role in the plans to construct hydro- and thermo-power plants in Bosnia over the next years.

"If we are building hydro-electric plants in Pakistan, Libya, Algiers, isn't it normal that we do such projects in our country," he said.