ORGANISATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERECE SUPPORTS BOSNIAN REFUGEES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 21,2008) – The Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Fuad Ali Al-Maznaee and the Bosnian Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Safet Halilovic had a meeting in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on possibilities of promotion of cooperation between Bosnia and the OIC, especially in the sector of refugees’ return.

Al-Maznaee emphasized that the purpose of his visit was to discuss possibilities of improvement of cooperation between the OIC and Bosnia and initiation of the Bosnian officials to prepare a detailed information on the situation in the return sector in Bosnia.

Return process will be one of the main topics of the OIC heads of states conference chich will take place in March in Dakar. The participants are expected to discuss implementation of the Poverty Reduction Fund in the amount of 10 billion USD.

Halilovic presented the OIC officials with a detailed situation in the return sector and emphasized that in the following three years, the Bosnian Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees’ priority will be ensuring funds for sustainable return of 40.000 registered families who expressed willingness to return to their homes.Over one billion Bosnian Marks needs to be insured for that purpose.

Halilovic stated that the Bosnian Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees has detailed data on contrete persons who are in need of assistance for sustainable return.

En-Nur Swar Eddahab, the OIC Director of the Fund for Sustainable Return to Bosnia attended the meeting.

SARAJEVO TO HOST QUALIFICATIONS FOR ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 21,2008) – The Bosnian capital Sarajevo shall from February 15 to 17. host qualifications for the senior ice hockey world championships, division III, stated the release after the constituting session of Organization board lead by Deputy Sarajevo Mayor Josip Jurisic.

”The City of Sarajevo is honored to have been given a chance to organize these qualification matches and in which asides from the Bosnian national ice hockey team, hockey players from Armenia and Greece are taking part. This is acknowledgement for the Olympic City of Sarajevo which in its activities platform 2006-2008 set up the winter sports on the priority list”.

High patron for the senior hockey world championships is the Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic, and city patron is Sarajevo. President of the Organizing board is Sarajevo Mayor Semiha Borovac.

Winner of these qualifications shall participate at the world ice hockey championships which will take place from March 31 to April 6 in Luxemburg.

“International Ice Hockey Federation gave the trust to the City of Sarajevo to organize this kind of event for the second time, and our city will once more have the chance to show its hospitality and that we are capable to organize event on this scale”, stated Haris Muhic, the Bosnian Ice Hockey Association Chair.

EU COMMISSION FOR TRANSPORT PLANS TO FORM EU-BALKAN UNION

BRUSSELS, Belgium (January 21,2008) – The EU Commissioner for Transport Jacques Barrot stated that the EU Commission for Transport is working on a project of “EU-Balkan Union” in railways transport which should contribute in getting Europeans closer to each other and lowering the tensions between them.

The idea is to expand Trans-European railway networks which exist in the EU onto the Southeastern European countries and to enable operative processes between the rail networks.

Within this project Barrot planned to visit Bosnia,Slovenia and Serbia by the end of June.