PRESIDENT KOMSIC: BOSNIA WILL NOT RECOGNIZE KOSOVO ANY TIME SOON

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) – The Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic met in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo with the Ambassador of the genocidal Serbia Grujica Spasovic who presented him with a letter from Serbian President Boris Tadic related to the Kosovo situation.“Bosnia will not recognize Kosovo in the following period and there is a consensus in the Bosnian State Presidency on the issue”, the Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic said.

President Komsic stated that the reason for such an attitude is that almost one third of the Bosnian citizens (Serbians living in Bosnia) in this moment do not support Kosovo's independence.

"It is the obligation of the elected representatives to respect the will of citizens of this country, whichever function may they be performing."President Komsic said.

He added that Bosnia is sorry that no consensus was achieved between Belgrade and Pristina, for that would be an ideal solution for Bosnia.

Ambassador Spasovic stated that the genocidal Serbia will continue fighting against Kosovo by all means at the disposal.
.

BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBER HARIS SILAJDZIC DISCUSSED INVESTMENT POSSIBILITIES IN BOSNIA WITH GERMAN DELEGATION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) - A member of the Bosnian State Presidency Dr Haris Silajdžić met with Michael Schmunk, the Ambassador of Germany to Bosnia who accompanied a Delegation of the German company Hessen Agentur led by Director Dr Dieter Kreuziger.

They talked about the investment possibilities in Bosnia as well as about the consulting services that this company offers to governments and companies worldwide.

Mr. Kreuziger presented his company’s work manner and said he had talked with the FBIH entity government on cooperation. As he said, his company cans help connecting investors interested in investing in Bosnia with the Bosnia partners, as well as about finding new markets for the Bosnian companies.
.

BOSNIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SELMO CIKOTIC MET WITH AMBASSADOR OF UKRAINE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) – "Ukraine is reliable and predictable partner of Bosnia in field of military political and technology cooperation," the Bosnian Defense Minister Selmo Cikotic said yesterday during his meeting with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Bosnia Markiyan Lubkivskyi.

The parties discussed in detail the current situation in and the perspectives of bilateral cooperation in defense industry.They pointed out the importance of proximity of the two countries' foreign policy priorities involving their full-fledged integration into the European political space, and the international space of security.

Apart from this, they also focused on cooperation within the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, and the activity of the Defense Ministers Council of the Southeastern Europe.
.

TWO WITNESSES GAVE CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS AT TRIAL OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL ZELJKO MEJAKIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) – Two witnesses, invited by the Defence of Serbian war criminals Zeljko Mejakic and Dusko Knezevic, have given contradictory statements yesterday before the Bosnian State Court concerning indictee Mejakic's function in the Omarska concentration camp in 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Answering the Prosecution's questions during cross-examination, witness Nada Markovski, who was a typist in the Omarska concentration camp in 1992, said that she "supposed" that Serbian war criminal Zeljko Mejakic "was in charge" of the Serbian aggressor's soldiers who guarded the Bosnian civilians in the Omarska concentration camp.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor charges Serbian war criminals Zeljko Mejakic, Momcilo Gruban, Dusan Fustar and Knezevic with having committed crimes against humanity against the Bosnian civilians held in the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps in Prijedor municipality in the early stages of the Serbian aggression against Bosnia from April until the end of 1992.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor considers that Serbian war criminal Zeljko Mejakic was the commander of the Omarska concentration camp.

Witness Markovski claims to have arrived at Omarska, "as per an order issued by Simo Drljaca", former member of the genocidal paramilitary formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia, in late May 1992.

Markovski added that, from time to time, she heard "crying and screaming" and saw injured people.

Answering the Bosnian State Prosecutor Peter Kidd's questions during the cross-examination, the witness said she "did not know" who was the commander of the Omarska concentration camp.

The Prosecutor presented her with her earlier statements, given at the trials of Serbian war criminal Miroslav Kvocka in February 2001 and Serbian war criminal Milomir Stakic in January 2003, when she said that Serbian war criminal ZeljkoMejakic was the commander of the Omarska concentration camp.

The witness also claims to have seen Serbian war criminal Momcilo Gruban in the Omarska concentration camp from time to time.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague sentenced Miroslav Kvocka to seven years' imprisonment for crimes committed in the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps, and Serbian war criminal Milomir Stakic was sentenced to 40 years of imprisonment.

Witness Radovan Kecan, former policeman from Prijedor, denied that Serbian war criminal Zeljko Mejakic was commander of the Omarska concentration camp, claiming that he was only "a chief of the patrol section".

Kecan thinks that Serbian war criminal Simo Drljaca was commander of the Omarska concentration camp.Serbian war criminal Simo Drljaca was killed in Bosnia during an arrest operation conducted in July 1997.

The trial of Serbian war criminals Zeljko Mejakic, Momcilo Gruban, Dusan Fustar and Knezevic is due to continue before the Bosnian State Court today,on February 20, when one witness will be examined and material evidence presented.
.

ORIGINAL COPY OF DAYTON PEACE AGREEMENT HAS NEVER BEEN STORED IN BOSNIAN STATE PRESIDENCY ARCHIVES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) – In accordance to the conclusion from the 31st session of the Bosnian State Presidency, held February 13, related to collecting of information on where the original Dayton Peace Agreement document actually is, activities have been initiated immediately and files have been submitted to the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Bosnian State Presidency Archives.

The Archives officials have sent a note to the Bosnian Presidency stating that the Dayton Agreement original is not one of the documents submitted to the institution.

The Bosnian Foreign Affairs Ministry has informed the Bosnian Presidency Secretariat that the original is not in the Ministry facilities.

It has been concluded by seeing the Protocol of Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia, from the time the Dayton Agreement was signed, as well as from the stime after that (December 1995/January 1996) that the original copy of the Dayton Peace Agreement had never been submitted and was never stored in the Bosnian Presidency Archives.

After the Bosnian Presidency members discuss and analyze the data submitted and collected so far, related to the Dayton Agreement, the Bosnian Presidency Secretariat will submit the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office an answer presenting all the information at the disposal, the Bosnian State Presidency announced.
.

THREE STUDIES ON BOSNIAN STATE ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) – Three studies dedicated to the issue of functioning of management of the Bosnian state administration were presented yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. Those are the UNDP report entitled “Voice of the Silent Majority”, the Bosnian Foreign Policy Initiative’s “Management Structures in Bosnia” and University of Aberdeen’s Professor Dr. Michael Keating’s “Study on Federalism in Bosnia”.

As stated by one of the introducers, the Swedish Ambassador to Bosnia Lars-Erik Wingren, whose country financially supported the research, those works are aimed to offer an insight into the understanding of this issue in Biosnia.

According to him, the reports offer strong reasons for changes and they contain important reforms which are necessary for association to the EU.

Ambassador Wingren emphasized that it will be a long and painstaking process in all sectors of the Bosnian society, but that the Bosnian citizens will benefit in the end.

Ambassador of Holland to Bosnia Karel Vosskuhler, whose country also helped this research stated that the central element is the process which will bring all Bosnian state institutions closer to the EU standards, which is the biggest test for Bosnia's politicians.

Emphasizing that all has gone wrong in Bosnia after the refusal to adopt the April Package of constitutional changes, he emphasized that the politicians need to get out of their armour and make all the changes necessary to the Bosnian Constitution and achieve a consensus which is now gone.

Head of the Operations at the European Commission’s Delegation to Bosnia Ferdinand Kopp emphasized that the EU leaders recently re-emphasized their approach that the Union is open for all the countries of the Southeastern Europe.

”EU will work on your perspective but you need to fulfil all the conditions necessary for the integrations”, he said.

Kopp believes that the European perspective is the only vision there is for the countries of the Southeastern European region and, keeping in mind that there is a specific problem in Bosnia, EU membership would be the best way to overcome the wounds from the past.

”That is why there is no alternative to the reforms. Administrative reform is one of the most important reforms”, he said.

Kopp emphasized the fact that the public debate that has been going on has been giving signals that radical decisions need to be made in Bosnia in order to progress in the EU integration processes.
.

BOSNIAN METAL INDUSTRY INCREASES EXPORTS BY 14 PER CENT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) - The Bosnian metal industry increased exports by 14 per cent last year. The industry’s exports totalled 3,078,959,479 Bosnian Marks (2,306,554,386 US Dollars), and accounted for 50 per cent of the country’s overall exports in 2007.

Aluminij Mostar, Mittal Steel Zenica, Global Ispat, VW, Prevent and TMD-AI remain the leading exporters, in the sector and in overall export ranking. In a regional breakdown, the regions that have the lead in exports are Tuzla and Zenica-Doboj areas. The main trade partners of the metal sector are Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Italy and Austria.
.

BUSINESS REGISTRATION TIME IN BOSNIA REDUCED TO AVERAGE 8,5 DAYS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) - The World Bank’s office in Bosnia has reported that it considers the implementation of a business reform programme through its credit line a success.

Its second tranche, worth USD 32 million, has been paid to the country’s implementation offices.The World Bank is especially happy with the e-business registration progress.

Head of the World Bank Office in Bosnia Marco Mantovanelli said that Bosnia is making progress towards a new strategy of the partnership. The business registration time at the country’s five busiest courts has been reduced to average 8,5 days. It now takes average 29 days to start a business in Bosnia, whereas in 2002 it took 80 days.
.