BOSNIAN PRESIDENT HARIS SILAJDZIC MET WITH NUMEROUS HEADS OF DELEGATIONS OF OIC MEMBER COUNTRIES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – The Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic held meetings with numerous heads of delegations attending the 11th Summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) held in Dakar,the Bosnian State Presidency said.President Silajdzic met with the President of the Republic of Senegal, Emir of Qatar, presidents of Iran, Algeria, Sudan, Turkey, as well as with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the OIC Secretary General Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu.

The Bosnian State Presidency announced that President Silajdzic met also with a delegation from the USA, led by Sada Cumber, US President’s Special Envoy to the OIC.

During the meetings lead at the margins of the summit, President Silajdzic emphasized determination of Bosnia for a better cooperation with the OIC countries, especially in the investment sector.

President Silajdzic urged the OIC member countries to transform the Refugee Return Fund into an investment fund for Bosnia and thus give a stronger support to a sustainable return of refugees to Bosnia.
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GREGORIAN: BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY SHOULD PROPOSE AMENDMENTS TO BOSNIAN STATE CONSTITUTION AND LAW ON BRCKO DISTRICT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – The First Deputy High Representative and the Brcko District Supervisor Raffi Gregorian told a member of the Bosnian State Presidency Zeljko Komsic,that the Bosnian State Presidency should propose amendments to the Bosnian State Constitution and the Brcko District Law.

Gregorian and Komsic had a meeting in the bosnian capital Sarajevo on proposal of amendments to the Bosnian Constitution and on the Brcko District Law, which is to be passed yet, Bosnian Presidency member Zeljko Komsic’s Office announced.

”PIC has already ordered that the arbitrary decision for the area of Brcko district is to be finalized through a law on Brcko District, that has been in the parliamentary procedure for two years now”, Gregorian stated.

He emphasized that the Brcko District supervision should end after the October elections if the Bosnian Parliament adopts the amendments to the Bosnian Constitution and the Brcko District Law. He added that most of the changes and amendments are of the technical nature.

According to him, the first amendment describes the Brcko District and defines clear basis for passing of the law on the District and the second amendment adds the list of institutions which could directly address the Bosnian Constitutional Court. He emphasized that passing of those laws should further define those amendments.

Komsic stated that his opinion is that the Brcko District is a successful model that needs to be defined legally and constitutionally.
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OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL VISITS BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General, Ambassador Marc Perrin de Brichambaut shall be visiting Bosnia from March 17 to 18.

During the visit he will inspect the ways in which 56 member states of the OSCE could contribute development of democratic structures and rule of law in Bosnia.

De Brichambaut shall meet with the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, Ambassador Hido Biscevic, the Bosnian Presidency members, the Bosnian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Alkalaj, the prime minister of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia (RS) Milorad Dodik and representatives of international community, announced the OSCE press release.
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US EXPECTS BOSNIA'S POLITICAL LEADERS TO FULFIL OBLIGATIONS FROM THE MOSTAR DECLARATION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – The United States expects Bosnia's political leaders to fulfil all the obligations which arise from the Mostar Declaration, for police reform is a necessary precondition for signing of the stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the EU, the US Embassy stated.

”A compromise is needed. The process is still running and we strongly encourage all the politicians to reach a consensus”, the US Embassy officials told Bosnian media, commenting the situation which arose after the Bosnian Parliament's Joint commission for Defence and Security failed to support the two proposals in the Bosnian police reform sector.

The US officials warned that all those who fail to engage constructively in the process of reaching an agreement will bear responsibility if Bosnia fails to fulfil conditions for singing of the SAA.
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INDICTMENT RAISED AGAINST SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL MIODRAG NIKACEVIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – The Bosnian State Court's Special Department for War Crimes has raised an indictment against Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic (44). He has been indicted of crimes against humanity, the Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office announced.

The accused has been indicted of rape and illegal imprisonment of Bosnian civilians in the area of Foca municipality in 1992, during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

He was then a member of the genocidal Serbian aggressor's formations.

The Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office stated that there is grounded suspicion that Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic, in 1992,raped two Bosnian women.

Also,on August 2, 1992, as alleged in the Bosnian Prosecutor’s motion, armed and together with two other members of the genocidal Serbian aggressor's formations , Serbian war criminal Miodrag Nikacevic took part in the unlawful detention of a Bosnian civilian who was then murdered.

Serbian war criminal Mioodrag Nikacevic has been imprisoned by the Bosnian authorities in February.The indictment has been submitted to the Bosnian State Court for confirmation.
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EMPLOYMENT RATE IN BOSNIA SLIGHTLY INCREASED IN 2007

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – Unemployment rate has slightly decreased in Bosnia in the year 2007. Comapred to 2006, the rate decreased per 2,1 per cent; employment rate increased per 1,5 per cent.

The unemployment rate in Bosnia mounted to 27 per cent in 2007. In 2006, the rate was even bigger – 31 per cent. 43,9 per cent was the activity rate.

Head of the Bosnian Employment Bureau Zdenko Milinovic stated at a press conference in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo that there were 849.570 registered employed and 346.745 registered unemployed persons in Bosnia.

Milinovic stated that the rates are significantly higher with men. Activity rate is 26 per cent; unemployment rate with men is per 21 per cent higher.

Unemployment rate with women was 32,9 per cent.

The highest unemployment rate is with young people, aged between 15 and 24 (58,4 per cent), the lowest was with the persons aged between 50 and 64 (17,8 per cent). Employment and activities’ rates were the highest with the people aged between 25 and 49 (67 and 48,8 per cent).

Most of the employed persons have the high school education completed (62 per cent), and are followed by employees who have the primary school education completed (23,5 per cent). 13,9 per cent of people have obtained higher education.

Commercial sector has the highest employment rate (47,6 per cent) and is followed by the non-agricultural sector (32,6 per cent). There are 19,8 per cent of the employees in the agricultural sector.

The survey shows that 13 per cent of the unemployed persons have been looking for job in the period shorter than 18 moths. 50 per cent of them have been looking for a job longer than five years. That is the consequence of the post-war situation and transition.

BiH Statistics Bureau officials expressed concerns over the high participation of the inactive persons. Most of them are aged between 15 and 49 and make 46 per cent of the non-active persons.

The survey encompassed 9.999 households in Bosnia. The survey was conducted for the purpose of monitoring, measuring and estimating the economic and social situation in Bosnia. On the basis of the survey, an estimate of the number of people who are able to work is being conducted, as well as data on demographic, education and social and economic characteristics of the population.

This survey is a part of several years’ long program “Creation of Basis for Statistic System in Bosnia”, financed by the World Bank,the British DFID, theJapanese government and UN’s Development program.

UNDP Resident Ambassador Christine McNab and DFID representative Gus McKay stated this project is extremely successful and important for Bosnia and added that it is one of the projects aimed to support construction of Bosnia's institutional capacities.
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AUSTRIAN MILITARY ATTACHE MET WITH BOSNIAN DEFENCE MINISTER

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) – The Austrian Military Attaché to Bosnia colonel Thomas Rois visited the Bosnian Defence Ministry.

He met with the Bosnian Defence Minister Selmo Cikotic, who informed Colonel Rois on the results of the Bosnia’s NATO association results and on the plans related to the nomination of the Bosnian Military Attaché to Austria.
The Austrian Military Attaché presented the Bosnian Minister of Defence Cikotic to the planned activities of the Austrian Defence Ministry and Armed Forces in the following period.

The “Blue Helmets” meeting is on the agenda. The meeting will be held in Austria in late March.

The two officials emphasized a positive cooperation between the ministries of defence and armed forces of the two countries, as well as the need of the Bosnian soldiers to learn German.
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BOSNIAN STATE BONDS WILL BE ISSUED ON MARCH 31

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) - The Bosnian government adopted a decision about the procedure of issuing and managing Bosnia’s bonds for the purpose of covering the old foreign savings debt in the FBIH entity and the Brcko District. It was decided that the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia the "RS" entity, would be excluded from it, until a decision is reached by the Bosnian Constitutional Court. The bond issuing process will commence on March 31.

Another decision by the Bosnian government was the adoption of a platform for starting negotiations with the Russian Federation in relation to a bilateral agreement regulating liabilities from the period of the former Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. The Russian Federation owes 125,157,834.38 US Dollars to Bosnia.
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AMBASSADOR VODUSEK: BOSNIA IS AN IMPORTANT PARTNER TO SLOVENIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 17,2008) - Natasa Vodusek, the Slovenian Ambassador to Bosnia said Bosnia is an important partner to Slovenian entrepreneurs. With a billion Euros in both directions , the level of import and export between Bosnia and Slovenia is almost as high as between Slovenia and Russia.

Ambassador Vodusek announced Slovenia will do all in its power to enhance this cooperation and to raise it to the next level. They plan launching licensed production and various capital investments. Slovenia is with half a billion Euros among the biggest foreign investors in Bosnia.
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