NATO APPROVED INDIVIDUAL PARTNERSHIP ACTION PLAN WITH BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 12,2008) - The NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer sent a letter to the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj informing him that NATO approved the formation of Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with Bosnia.

The letter underlines the fact that this represents the beginning of the new phase in Bosnia's relations with NATO. Secretary General Scheffer emphasized that Bosnia is important partner of NATO and expressed his support for reform processes in the country.

”NATO’s decision to push the cooperation with Bosnia into the level of IPAP came only a year after Bosnia entered NATO’s Partnership for Peace Program (PFP), and it represents acknowledgement to efforts put so far by the Bosnian state institutions lead by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence in achieving standards for a full NATO membership”, stated the press release from the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY DIDN'T APPROVE 2008 STATE BUDGET PROPOSAL

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 12,2008) - The Bosnian Presidency reached a decision at an emergency session in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo to return the proposal for the 2008 state budget to the Bosnian Council of Ministers for revision.

The Bosnian Council of Ministers and the Bosnian Ministry of Finance and Treasury are asked to consider the Bosnian Presidency's suggestions and propositions which were presented at the emergency session and to deliver to the Bosnian Presidency, as soon as possible, amended 2008 budget proposition”, the Bosnian Presidency stated.

NATO'S JOINT FORCES COMMANDER ADMIRAL MARK FITZGERALD MET WITH BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBERS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 12,2008) – A member of the Bosnian Presidency Haris Siladzic, Nerkez Arifhodzic - a diplomatic advisor of the Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic, and a member of the Bosnian Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic's Cabinet Head Miroslav Vujicic met with Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, NATO's Naples-based joint forces Commander.

”Bosnia will focus all its potentials to become part of the European Union and NATO. Process of our membership in NATO is very important for the Bosnia integration. This is difficult to achieve in such a short period but the Bosnian Presidency is doing its best for Bosnia to become a full member of NATO. We can say that this process helped us to achieve consensus on other issues as well”, Bosnian Presidency member Haris Silajdzic stated.

”We are very encouraged by the progress Bosnia has made towards NATO. We are very pleased with the plan and model and we hope to realize a good cooperation. We want stable Balkans”, Admiral Fitzgerald said.

BAKIR IZETBEGOVIC APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF BOSNIAN DELEGATION TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 12,2008) – Bakir Izetbegovic has been appointed chairman of the Bosnian delegation to the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.In 2009, the Delegation will be lead by delegate Mladen Ivanic and then, by the end of 2006-2010 mandate period Slavko Matic.

This was decided in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at a meeting between several members and deputy members of the Bosnian parliamentary delegation.Mladen Ivanic was elected for the member of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Bureau member.

Members of the Bosnian delegation started the initiative that the Rules of Regulations of the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly’s Permanent Delegations are amended with the decree on future rotation of the representatives of all the permanent parliamentary delegations every 16 months.

BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SEVERAL VAT RATES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 12,2008) – Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric announced yesterday that the Bosnian goverment would adopt measures for mitigating the effects of price increases in Bosnia by February 15.

One of the measures could be a multi-tier value added tax (VAT) system. He explained that the Bosnian finance and foreign trade ministries had been given a task to define a set of measures to make the lives of the most socially vulnerable categories easier in the face of retail price increases.

“We don’t know at the moment which measures would be implemented, but proposals include several VAT brackets, VAT exemption for the import of machines used in manufacturing and a floating import tariff”, Spiric said.

The Council did not reach an agreement yesterday regarding the distribution of state assets, and the Chairman said the agreement is up to the most influential political party leaders in Bosnia.

TEAM OF LAWYERS REPRESENTING BOSNIAN CITIZEN ILIJA JURISIC READY FOR DEFENCE

TUZLA, Bosnia (January 12,2008) – The team of lawyers representing former Tuzla Municipal Council Chair Ilija Jurišić who has been arrested by the Serbian aggressor and has been in a prison in Belgrade since 11 May 2007, announced in Tuzla that they have prepared the defence and that they are only waiting for the entrance to the courtroom.

”Once the court in Serbia reaches the decision on imprisonment, which is expected in late January, the indictment may be confirmed. Entrance to the courtroom is supposed to happen, according to the Law, within 60 days after the confirmation of the indictment”, Ilija Jurisic’s lawyers said.

Jurisic’s health is stable for now. It has been emphasized that he is psychologically healthy and that the team of lawyers will do everything for his successful defence.

Ilija Jurišić is a Bosnian patriot who participated in defending the Bosnian city of Tuzla from the genocidal Serbian aggressor during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggresion against Bosnia.

In May 1992,the genocidal Serbian aggressor's troops came under attack by the Bosnian Army as they were withdrawing from the eastern Bosnian city of Tuzla and up to 200 Serbian aggressor's soldiers were reportedly killed and 140 of them were taken prisoners by the Bosnian Army.

Former Tuzla Municipal Council Chair Ilija Jurisic is currently in custody in Serbia on charges related to this event.

ZIVINICE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL ASKS FOR URGENT DISPOSAL OF STORED TOXIC MATERIAL

ZIVINICE, Bosnia (January 12,2008) – Zivinice Municipal Council held a special session for the purpose of deciding on the destiny of 34.320 kilos of toxic materials which are still stored in location of former American army base Comanche. Toxic material is in fact acetic acid which could be destroyed properly in only few facilities in Europe, with high transport and disposal costs.

Delegates agreed that this is a ticking bomb in an urban settlement. They decided that this toxic waste has to be relocated within 30 days from this area. This request was sent to all authorized institutions.

”In case our demands are not met we will have to call citizens on civil disobedience", stated Mayor Hasan Muratovic.

In February 2004 by the order of municipal court in Tuzla, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tuzla Canton completed the storage of the acetic acid into one of the hangars of the military base Comanche. Acid was packed into 156 plastic barrels which were taken from Fuad Bektic and others, who committed criminal act of poison trafficking.

With the verdict of municipal court in Tuzla in May 2005, Fuad Bektic was sentenced with security measures and dangerous toxic material was confiscated in order to be destroyed.

There are only few facilities where these types of toxic materials can be destroyed and transport and disposal costs amount to over 700.000 Bosnian Marks.

FBIH ENTITY GOVERNMENT PURCHASED ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS OF WHEAT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 12,2008) – The FBIH Entity Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry Damir Ljubic stated in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo that the FBIH entity government has purchased in the past few days 10.000 tons of wheat from Croatia and Hungary in order to stabilize the prices of bread and flour and that the government also intends to purchase additional 40.000 tons of wheat.

Ljubic added that negotiations were in progress in the past two days with the representatives of the Klas bread company on the occasion of their announcement to increase the prices of bread and flour from January 11. He added that Klas is the only company which will increase the prices of those products.

He emphasized that all the wheat stocks will be put at the disposal of the bakery industry in the FBIH entity.