BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBER ZELJKO KOMSIC VISITS CZECH REPUBLIC

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (April 16,2008) – A member of the Bosnian State Presidency Željko Komšić has started his two-day working visit to the Czech Republic and on that occasion, he will meet with Václav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic.

Bosnian State Presidency Member Željko Komšić will also have meetings with the representatives of the Bosnian diplomatic mission in the Czech Republic and the Diaspora representatives who live and work in the Czech Republic.

At the end of his working visit, Komšić will open a painting exhibition of Safet Zec, one of the most famous Bosnian painters, in the “Kampa” Museum in Prague.
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EU AWAITS VOTE ON POLICE REFORM LAWS IN BOSNIAN PARLIAMENT'S UPPER HOUSE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 16,2008) – Head of the Unit for Bosnia in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement Dirk Lange said yesterday that the European Commission would only start procedures for a recommendation to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia after the adoption process for police reform laws is completed.

Although welcoming the results of voting by the Bosnian Parliament's House of Representatives, the European Commission points out that they would only have legal power when the Bosnian Parliament's House of Peoples confirms it. Lange declined to put a date on the SAA signing.
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BOSNIA TO START ISSUING BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS BY APRIL 2009

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 16,2008) –The Bosnian Minister of Civil Affairs Sredoje Novic announced that it is realistic to expect that biometric passports would be in use in Bosnia by April next year.

Judging by all the features they are expected to have, these will be the highest-quality passports not only in Europe, but in the world, the Minister underlined, saying how this is an extremely serious and important project for Bosnia.

A decision to introduce biometric passports in Bosnia was adopted by the Bosnian government last year.Existing passports shall be valid until their expiry but for those who wish to travel to countries for which visa is needed, they will have to own biometric passport. This is obligation taken over by the liberalization of visa regime.

A biometric passport is a combined paper and electronic identity document that uses biometrics to authenticate the citizenship of travelers. The passport's critical information is stored on a tiny computer chip, much like information stored on smartcards. Like some smartcards, the passport book design calls for an embedded contactless chip that is able to hold digital signature data to ensure the integrity of the passport and the biometric data.

Initially, the Bosnian Ministry of Civil Affairs planned to start issuing biometric passports by November 1,2008.
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AGREEMENT ON CONSOLIDATION OF OVER 38 MILLION BOSNIAN MARKS FOR 2008 RETURN PROCESS SIGNED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 16,2008) – The Bosnian Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, entity ministries for issues of refugees and displaced persons and the Brcko District joined funds in the amount of 38.800.000 Bosnian Marks for return process in 2008.

The agreement on association and the way of realization of the funds for reconstruction of apartment facilities in this year was adopted and signed in Sarajevo, at a session of Commission for Refugees and Displaced Persons.

President of the Commission for Refugees and Displaced Persons Slavko Marin stated after the session that the agreement will be financially and technically realized through the Return Fund and the Commission will be in charge of the entire return process and will pass the relevant decisions.

In the process of reallocation of funds, it has been planned that 21.800.000 Bosnian Marks is provided for the joint reconstruction of apartment facilities for refugees and displaced persons, which will, according to the current prices at the market, reach the amount of about 1.000 flat units.

Four million Bosnian Marks will be ensured for the completion of CEB Bank’s project completion – the reconstruction of 1.1000 houses. Eight million Bosnian Marks will be invested into reconstruction of apartment units for the persons who used to have the tenant rights.

Five million Bosnian Marks will be ensured for sustainable return. Funds for this year will become operative in the following 30 days.

”This is the first time since 1995 that we have a serious state approach to the issue of returnees and refugees. More than double of the amount of money has been ensured for the return process this year, compared to all the previous years from 2000 until today”, the Bosnian Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Safet Halilovic stated.

He added that 40.000 families have been registered in Bosnia, that is, 136.000 persons who want to return to their homes. Over one billion Bosnian Marks is necessary for sustainable return.

”That is the amount of money that needs to be ensured in the following three years, for without that, there is no Annex 7 realization”, Minister Halilovic emphasized.
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OSCE CO-ORGANISES EXPERT MEETING ON USE OF PLEA AGREEMENTS IN WAR CRIMES CASES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 16,2008) - The use of plea agreements in war crimes cases in Bosnia was examined yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at an expert meeting organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the German Foundation for International Legal Co-operation and the Rule of Law Initiative.

“War crimes trials present a difficult challenge for justice systems and society as a whole. The interest of the prosecution has to be balanced with the right of the victims and the desire of the wider public to learn the truth about all aspects of what happened and why it happened,” said Lars Gerold, ODIHR Rule of Law Officer.

Plea agreements, possible under Bosnian law since 2005, allow for settlements between the prosecution and suspected war criminals, often involving a lesser sentence in exchange for an at least partial confession. This can increase the likelihood of war criminals being convicted, but may not always lead to uncovering the full truth about war crimes cases, OSCE said.

Research shows that just five of nearly 100 completed war crimes cases ended with plea agreements between the prosecutor’s office and the defence, according to Nebojsa Milanovic, Director of the Rule of Law Initiative.

The meeting brought together prosecutors, judges, defence lawyers and experts from the United States, Germany and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, as well as journalists and representatives of associations of war crime victims.

Participants discussed the challenges war crime cases present to the justice system and society, and how the rights of the victims can be respected.
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EXPENSIVE LOANS HINDER BOSNIAN ECONOMY

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (April 16,2008) - High interest rates that commercial banks in Bosnia charge to entrepreneurs and the customs policy not protecting domestic industry are only some of the many obstacles the Bosnian economy is dealing with daily, it was heard during a roundtable discussion in the northern Bosnian city of Banja Luka, about furthering the business environment.

The roundtable was called by the Bosnian Business Transparency Promotion Association (UPTE) and the Pro Educa business education centre.

“An absurd situation in which importers are forced to pay import tariffs and VAT (Value Added Tax) on a lot of material not available locally continues, while other countries of the world which implement good business policies look for ways to stimulate equipment recovery, imports and new investments”, one of the participants pointed out.
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BOSNIA TO TAKE CROATIA TO COURT OVER ELECTRICITY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 16,2008) - A member of the Bosnian Parliament's House of Peoples Slobodan Saraba has stated that the Bosnian government should immediately solve the issue of distribution of electricity generated by the Trebisnjica hydro power station with Croatia, through the Bosnian-Croatian interstate council.

He said that, the Bosnia should sue Croatia for stealing electricity if no solution is found by mid 2009.

According to an agreement Bosnia and Croatia signed in 1965, 78 per cent of electricity from the Trebisnjica power system should go to Bosnia, and 22 per cent to Croatia, on the basis of their respective investments. However, Saraba argues, in 1993 Croatia built a separate unit within the Dubrovnik power station, and the previous distribution deal therefore became invalid.

He claims that Bosnia suffered damage worth 200 million Bosnian Marks (160 million USD) in the past years because of this.
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