BOSNIAN PRESIDENT HARIS SILAJDZIC ATTENDS NATO SUMMIT IN ROMANIA

BUCHAREST, Romania (April 3,2008) – The Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic is leading Bosnian delegation at the NATO summit in Bucharest,Romania, that started yesterday.During the summit Bosnia is expected to receive the status of Intensive Dialogue with NATO.

President Silajdzic shall hold several bilatrral meetings during this summit.On Tuesday evening he attended the dinner in the honor of states’ presidents participating at the NATO summit and organized in Cotroceni palace by the Romanian President Traian Basescu.

For today, a meeting is planned with heads of states and members of Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC).The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council,a NATO institution, is a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries in Europe and those parts of Asia on the European periphery. The member states meet to cooperate and consult on a range of political and security issues. It was formed on May 29, 1997 as the successor to the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and works alongside the Partnership for Peace (PFP).
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BOSNIAN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON POLICE REFORM LAWS NEXT WEEK

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 3,2008) – The Bosnian Parliament’s House of Representatives didn't on yesterday’s session debate on the police reform draft laws which were sent into parliamentary procedure by tree different parties with the demand for urgent procedure.

Draft law on independent and supervisory bodies of the police structure in Bosnia and draft law on direction for coordination of police bodies and support agencies to the police structure were sent by SNSD delegates chair Drago Kalabic,SBiH party delegates chair Azra Hadziahmetovic and deputy chair of the House, Niko Lozancic.

After the SBIH and the SNSD parties submitted Bills on Independent and Supervisory Bodies of Bosnia's Police Structure and on Direction for Coordination of Police Bodies and Agency for Support to the Bosnian Police Structures, with a demand that they are discussed in an emergency parliamentary procedure, third Bill was submitted on Tuesday afternoon.

In accordance with the House of Representatives’ Rules of Procedure, and after consultations that have been conducted in the past few days, it has been concluded that SNSD party delegates SBiH’s proposals unacceptable, while SNSD party’s proposals are unacceptable for SBiH party delegates.

The Bosnian Parliament's House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Niko Lozancic also submitted the two laws on Tuesday to the parliamentary procedure with a demand that they are discussed in an emergency procedure, Lozancic’s Cabinet announced.

Bills have been developed in an attempt to find a compromising solution to the police reform issue, which would be acceptable to the majority of delegates at House of Representatives, all for the purpose of passing the two laws and opening the European perspective for BiH and all its peoples and citizens, the announcement states.

Lozancic also submitted the Article 21 contents, which provide a compromising proposal of the transitional reforms which would be valid for both the laws:

1) “After this law is put in force, all the laws relevant for functioning of bodies that are formed by this law will be aligned in accordance to the decrees of this law within 6 months from the day the law becomes operative”;

2) “Relations between the police bodies formed by this law and other police bodies in Bosnia will be regulated through a new and reformed police structure in Bosnia, which will be based on the relevant decrees of the Bosnian Constitution and which will be aimed to form a professional, functional and multiethnic police, in accordance with the best European experience and standards at multinational and decentralized states”.

The Bosnian Parliament is expected to vote on the police reform laws next week.
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517,000 UNEMPLOYED IN BOSNIA IN FEBRUARY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 3,2008) – The Bosnian National Statistics Agency has reported that there were about 517,181 officially registered unemployed persons in the country in February. In comparison to January, their number increased by 495 (0.10 per cent).

The latest data show that 48.54 per cent of the job-seekers are women (0.62 per cent more compared to the January statistics). 47.93 per cent of persons that were removed from the unemployment registry last month found employment.
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30 NGOs SENT AN OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF BOSNIAN PARLIAMENT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 3,2008) – Some 30 NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) sent an open letter to delegates of both houses of the Bosnian Parliament in which they state their concern because of enormous greed of elected officials which these days escalated in shocking demands for extremely high salaries and pensions.

In the letter they comment on the lack of measure, self control, social sensitivity and distance from the people they belong to and whose representatives they should be. Taking this into account it is only even more shocking that all of this is happening after the public was informed about catastrophic results of their work or to say lack of work, incompetence and inefficiency.

"Instead of changing the attitude towards their work, introduction of restrictive measures to those who do not want to work, resignations and lay offs, the government is laughing in our faces by reaching for even more money from us, showing a complete loss of reality. Government which ignores the needs of its citizens, robs these very citizens of their money and almost openly invites for rebellion, social disturbances and violence of this unbearable state," stated the open letter to the members of the Bosnian Parliament.
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BOSNIAN CENTRAL BANK TRANSFERRED 59,9 MILLION BOSNIAN MARKS TO THE BUDGET OF STATE INSTITUTIONS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 3,2008) - The Bosnian Central Bank transferred yesterday 59, 9 million to the budget of the Bosnian state institutions, in line with the Decision on distribution of the net profit which the Bosnian Central Bank earned in 2007.

The profit for the last year was 142,6 million Bosnian Marks. After reaching the threshold of the capital and monetary liabilities ratio of 5%, distribution of a part of the net profit was performed, of which 60%, or 59,9 million Bosnian Marks was transferred to the account of the budget of the Bosnian state institutions, while 40%, or 39,9 milion Bosnian Marks is kept for the general reserves of the Bosnian Central Bank.

Distribution of the earned profit was made in accordance with the criteria which were established by the provisions of the Law on the Bosnian Central Bank.
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BOSNIA'S TRADE EXCHANGE WITH HUNGARY NEEDS TO IMPROVE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 3,2008) - The joint Bosnian-Hungarian committee for economic cooperation had its first meeting in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo , on the basis of the Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2006. A protocol and rules of procedure were signed by representatives of the two sides.

Although Bosnia's trade exchange with Hungary grew by 21.6 per cent last year, there is still need for improvements in its structure, and finding new models of cooperation, it was said during the meeting.

The value of Hungarian exports to Bosnia was 487 million Bosnian Marks last year, while Bosnia exported to Hungary goods worth 220 million Bosnian Marks.
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