BOSNIA AND SAUDI ARABIA SIGNED AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (February 28,2008) - A partnership agreement between Bosnia and Saudi Arabia has been signed in in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia,by the Bosnian Foreign Trade Chamber and the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce, in the presence of a member of the Bosnian Presidency Dr Haris Silajdzic.The Bosnian Foreign Trade Chamber Head Milan Lovrić and Saudi Arabia Trade Chambers’ Council President Dr Fahd bin Salih Al Sultan signed the agreement.

On that occasion, Dr Silajdžić once again invited the investors from Saudi Arabia to invest their capital in Bosnia and develop partnership relations with the Bosnian companies.

After short presentations of the two chambers, there were bilateral agreements between the Bosnian and Saudi businessmen.

A delegation from Bosnia was in Saudi Arabia for the Jeddah Business Forum, where several bilateral meetings have taken place between Bosnian and Saudi entrepreneurs. A return visit from Saudi businessmen is expected in May.
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BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBER HARIS SILAJDZIC: OHR'S MANDATE SHOULD BE EXPANDED

BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 28,2008) – The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Managing Board and members of the Bosnian Presidency stated yesterday that the Dayton Peace Agreement needs to be implemented and that the EU and NATO associations are the only alternative Bosnia has.

Differences regarding dynamics, methodology, necessary conditions and the role of the International Community in the process have remained mainly the same.

The International Community's High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak stated that there is an enormous misbalance between the citizens’ expectations and practical actions of their elected political representatives, in relation to reform processes like reconstruction of police forces and administrative reform. “Leaders are absolutely responsible”, Lajcak concluded.

The President of the Bosnian Presidency Zeljko Komsic advocated that the conditions for a serious step forward to the EU should be made as son as possible. In that sense, he mentioned signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the European Union. He also expressed reserves that the most important priorities in the process are “listed” the best way.

For him, the most important issue and the main priority of all the factors in the country, including the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR), should be the country’s security and personal security of all Bosnian citizens.

The Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic is of the opinion that the OHR’s mandate is not disputable, and neither is reorganization of the present Office in the process of Bosnia’s association to the EU, for, Komsic stated,the OHR has not been acting as efficiently as necessary lately.

Haris Silajdzic, a member of the Bosnian Presidency, is of the opinion that the OHR’s mandate should be expanded and that the Office should use all the Bonn Powers singed December 1997.

A member of the Bosnian Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic is of the opinion that the transformation of the OHR to the EU Office is a natural process and that the International Community’s authorities in Bosnia will be “in accordance to the conditions the country is in”.

At the end of the meeting yesterday,the Peace Implementation Council Main Board condemned a resolution against Kosovo independence proclamation adopted recently by the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia ("RS").
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BOSNIAN PRESIDENT KOMSIC CRITICIZED LAJCAK FOR HIS RELUCTANCE TO USE BONN POWERS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 28,2008) – The Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic – criticized the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak for his reluctance to use the Bonn powers. In his blog,http://zeljkokomsic.blogger.ba, President Komsic wrote that not using the Bonn authorities to the benefit of the Bosnian citizens is as good as not having them at all.

President Komsic also wrote how Lajcak is a great disappointment to him, because of being passive and scared, either of the prime minister of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia (RS) Milorad Dodik, or his bosses.

Lajcak has definitely decided not to interfere with his own work, and he is mostly dealing with some virtual reforms,
President Komsic concluded, and announced that his Brussels speech before the PIC was titled “How to bring a smile back to the face of Miroslav Lajcak”.
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SPIRIC URGED PIC TO SUPPORT BOSNIA'S EU INTEGRATION

BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 28,2008) – Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric stated that the political situation in Bosnia is much better now comparing the situation at the time of the last session of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Managing Board.

Spiric stated that the activities of the Bosnian Council of Ministers are based on two ideas – further integration of Bosnia into the EU and the full membership in the NATO.

”Bosnia on December 4 2007 initialed the Stabilisation a nd Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU and the Bosnian Council of Ministers took obligations derived from it very seriously”, stated Spiric.

Regarding the police reform, he informed PIC that based on the Mostar Declaration and Action Plan for police reform,the Bosnian Council of Ministers on February 14 confirmed and sent into parliamentary procedure draft law on the Direction for police bodies coordination and agencies for the support to the police structure in Bosnia as well as the draft law on independent supervisory bodies of the police structure.

”Both laws were adopted in the first reading in the Bosnian Parliament's House of Representatives and House of Peoples. I expect for these laws to be presented in the House of Representatives for the second reading in the session’s Agenda on March 5”, stated Spiric.

He added that every reform is a matter of process, not moment. “I have appealed to all chosen authorities to choose further integrations over ideal laws”, added Spiric.

He estimated that the issue of further integrations needs a wide consensus but that no one has the right to stop the processes and for Bosnia to waste the chance given by Brussels. He expressed optimism that reason and responsibility will prevail and both laws would be adopted at the second reading.

”I appeal to you to encourage those political forces which expressed doubts since it is clear that these two laws do not complete the police reform but they make those first steps which would not allow us to go back any more”, added Spiric.

He concluded that there is progress in the public management reform which was noted in the report of European Commission last week.

Spiric underlined that the basic program goal of the Bosnian government, except from the EU integrations processes, is the full membership in NATO.

He informed PIC that the Bosnian Council of Ministers concluded a number of other important draft laws such as budget law, law on criminal proceedings, law on medications and other medical supplies, law on salaries and employment fees in the Bosnian state institutions, as well as the law on fiscal council.

Spiric stated that the Bosnian Council of Ministers has the list of priorities such as solving the status the state property, attracting foreign investments, economic development, and census, strategy for the fight against corruption and framework employment strategy.

He added that these days the issue of the future of the Office of the International Community's High Representative in bosnia (OHR) is very much discussed.

Spiric appealed to PIC to support Bosnia on its road towards the EU and again underlined the importance of signing the SAA as soon as possible.

"As I have already mentioned, after the Dayton Agreement, the SAA is the most important agreement for Bosnia which should bring together all creative potentials and ensure that Bosnia rises above futile and somewhat hysteric political games”, concluded Spiric.
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BOSNIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SVEN ALKALAJ DISCUSSED POLITICAL SITUATION IN BOSNIA WITH EU OFFICIALS

BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 28,2008)– The Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj had a meeting in Brussels with a member of the European Parliament and President of the European Parliament’s Delegation for the southeastern Europe Doris Pack.

Alkalaj informed her on the political situation in Bosnia and development of the events in the light of police reform. Bills of the police reform passed in the first reading in both the Bosnian state parliamentary houses.

Pack emphasized that she has been monitoring the processes in Bosnia with great attention. She added expectations that Bosnia will successfully continue the European integration processes.

She informed Alkalaj about her recent visit to Bihac which occurred as a part of the activities aimed to promote the educational reform in Bosnia.

They exchanged opinions on the political situation in the region and emphasized the need of preserving the stability which is a precondition for further progress of the southeastern European countries to the EU.

Alkalaj also met in Brussels with Michael Leigh, European Commission’s General Directorate for Expansion Director General.

Alkalaj emphasized the need of continuation of negotiations on visa regime facilitation for the Bosnian citizens.

Leigh expressed pleasure over a positive development regarding the Bosnian police reform and added that the European Commission is willing to provide help and support in the sector.

He emphasized the importance of stability of Bosnia and of the entire region, for that will enable progress of the EU association processes of all the southeastern European countries.
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TRIAL OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL NOVAK DJUKIC TO BEGIN ON MARCH 11

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 28,2008) – Trial in the case against Serbian war criminal Novak Djukic, accused of war crimes against Bosnian civilians will begin on March 11, the Bosnian State court announced on Tuesday at the status conference.

The Bosnian state Prosecutor's Office alleges that, during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia, on May 25, 1995, in the capacity of Commander of the genocidal paramilitary formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia (VRS), Serbian war criminal Novak Djukic ordered the genocidal Serbian aggressor's soldiers, located on Cerovo Brdo, Vrbak village at the mountain of Ozren, to fire a missile at a location in the centre of the eastern Bosnian city of Tuzla known as „Tuzlanska Kapija.“

As a result of the explosion of the missile, 71 Bosnian civilians were killed while 240 sustained injuries.Tuzla was declared a safe zone by a Resolution of the United Nations Secutiy Council issued on May 6, 1993.

Serbian war criminal Novak Djukic was arrested last year in the northern Bosnian city of Banja Luka by the Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency’s (SIPA).

Indictment against Serbian war criminal was raised on December 27,2007. It was confirmed bythe Bosnian State Court on January 4,2008.
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DEVELOPING A STATE STRATEGY FOR PROCESSING OF WAR CRIMES IS A PRIORITY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 28,2008) – Development of state strategy for processing cases of war crimes and development of a catalogue of all war crimes in Bosnia are the priorities that will help a faster processing of war crimes in Bosnia, participants of the conference of chief prosecutors and prosecutors in charge of cases of war crimes stated in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

The Bosnian Deputy Chief Prosecutor and Prosecutor of the Special Department of War Crimes Milorad Barasin expects that Bosnia should soon get a state strategy for processing the war crimes.

Draft of the strategy should be submitted to the Bosnian Council of Ministers for adoption in the first half of 2008, Barasin hopes.

This document, partially developed by the Bosnian State Prosecutor’s Office, will define models for an accelerated and more efficient solving of the cases. It will also determine priorities for the cases that are yet to be solved.

”That is a very important issue, for solving of those cases and of all the issues that are related to war crimes greatly influences co-existence and creation of a legal state”, Barasin is of the opinion.

He emphasized the importance of war crimes’ catalogue, which should contain a list that will serve as a base for development of state strategy and solving of all cases of war crimes.

Barasin could not give any concrete details to the press about the number of war crimes cases in Bosnia, keepinh in mind the fact that the figures vary daily. An inventory of all the cases should be made and then decide on the priorities, he added.

Also, there are war crimes that have not yet been discovered and reported. Some of them are discovered and reported on the daily basis through the law implementation agencies.

Barasin named another problem in the process of solving the cases – the lack of material evidence. It is hard to obtain them, so investigations and all other procedures are conducted on the basis of witnesses’ statements.

It is unknown how many indictments are to be raised this year at the Bosnian State Prosecutor’s Office. Barasin stated that all the cases “are enormous” and that he would be satisfied if “every prosecutor rose an indictment per a year”.

The Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) Deputy Head Miroslav Pejcinovic stated that the agency has been executing per 580 orders annually. 25 persons have been arrested, mainly on the basis of the state Prosecutor’s Office. In January, four persons were arrested.

Pejcinovic emphasized that a difficulty is that the witnesses are scattered throughout Bosnia or in the foreign countries.

Also, some of the archives were eliminated and that resulted in unavailability of some data on possible war crimes perpetrators.
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BOSNIAN CENTRAL BANK: BORROWING DECREASED IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 28,2008) - Recent data from the Bosnian Central Bank show every Bosnian citizen has average 1,470 Bosnian Marks borrowed from banks, and the credit burden of every employed person is average 8,000 Bosnian Marks.

The Bosnian Central Bank does not find these figures worrying, and reports that borrowing slightly decreased in November and December.

By the end of December, retail loans amounted to 5.685 billion Bosnian Marks and growth rate dropped from 29.5 per cent to 28 per cent. There is no way to claim with certainty that the drop was due to required reserves ratio for commercial banks being raised from 15 per cent to 18 per cent, head of the Statistic Department of the Bosnian Central Bank said.

The banks in Bosnia still have no problem meeting this requirement, and the reserve surplus is around 750 million Bosnian Marks. Also, banks are becoming more flexible, requiring guarantors and other securities for their loans less often.
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