FBIH ENTITY PRIME MINISTER NEDZAD BRANKOVIC RESIGNS?

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 16,2008) – The FBIH Entity Prime Minister Nedzad Brankovic will resign after several months of problems in the biggest Bosnian party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA),a high-ranking international official told the Croatian Vecernji List newspaper.

The forcible resignation will be handed in by the beginning of the summer, the paper notes.It is still not clear who will replace him and how the resignation will affect the FBIH entity government’s stability.
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BOSNIAN STATE COURT POSTPONES TRIAL OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINALS MLADEN BLAGOJEVIC,ZDRAVKO BOZIC,ZELJKO ZARIC AND ZORAN ZIVANOVIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 16,2008) – The continuation of the trial of Serbian war criminals Mladen Blagojevic, Zdravko Bozic, Zeljko Zaric and Zoran Zivanovic, former members of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor's formations, has been postponed by the Bosnian State Court until further notice, as the electronic copies of the evidence from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) have not been obtained yet.

As requested by Serbian war criminal Mladen Blagojevic's Defence, the trial of four former members of the genocidal paramilitary forces of the Serbians living in Bosnia (VRS) has been postponed until further notice, in order for the Defence to obtain sealed electronic copies of the documents from the Hague Tribunal.

"The Criminal Defence Section of the Bosnian State Court has asked the ICTY to submit endorsed electronic copies of the documents, which were used for preparation of court expert Radovan Radinovic's findings and opinion," said attorney Goran Neskovic, who represents Serbian war criminal Mladen Blagojevic.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor charges Serbian war criminals Mladen Blagojevic, Zdravko Bozic, Zeljko Zaric and Zoran Zivanovic with having participated in the genocide against Bosnian civilians from Srebrenica,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The indictment alleges that these four Serbian war criminals and the others were responsible for the guarding of the school in Bratunac, in which the detained Bosnian civilians were held,tortured and mass murdered by tthe genocidal Serbian aggressor.

The Defence of Serbian war criminal Zdravko Bozic will also invite Milica Jurosevic to appear as a witness and testify about the Serbian war criminal's hiding from justice in the United States.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor objected this proposal, claiming the witness' statement is irrelevant for the indictment, but the Bosnian State Court decided to accept the Defence's proposal to invite this witness.

Prosecutor Kwai Hong Ip suggested that additional material evidence be presented, but he did not say which ones. These documents were mentioned in the findings and opinion of court expert Richard Butler, which were presented at the Bosnian State Court on March 18 this year.

The Defence teams objected the proposal, claiming that "the court expert's report has already been included among the evidence and it is therefore unnecessary to introduce additional pieces of evidence, as the court expert was not asked about them in the course of his examination."

The Bosnian State Court will render a decision concerning this proposal at a later stage.
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A PROTECTED WITNESS TESTIFIED BEFORE BOSNIAN STATE COURT YESTERDAY AT TRIAL OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINALS DUSKO KNEZEVIC,ZELJKO MEJAKIC AND MOMCILO GRUBAN

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 16,2008) – At the trial of Serbian war criminals Dusko Knezevic, Zeljko Mejakic and Momcilo Gruban, who are charged with crimes committed against Bosnian civilians in the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia, witness K057 testified yesterday before the Bosnian State Court with no presence of the public.

This witness was the last witness of Serbian war criminal Dusko Knezevic's Defence. The presentation of the closing arguments of the Prosecution and Defence is due to take place next week.

"As proposed by Knezevic's Defence and agreed by the Prosecution, we have decided to examine witness K057 at a closed session," said Trial Chamber Chairman Saban Maksumic.

Serbian war criminals Dusko Knezevic, Zeljko Mejakic and Momcilo Gruban are charged with having participated in murder, rape, torture and forcible detention of Bosnian civilians from the northern Bosnian city of Prijedor to the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps in 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The indictment alleges that Serbian war criminal Dusko Knezevic uninterruptedly visited those detention camps every day and participated in the torture of detained Bosnian civilians.

The trial of the three Serbian war criminals began in February 2007. The Bosnian State Court confirmed the indictment in July 2006.

The trial is due to continue on Monday, May 19, when the Bosnian State Prosecutor will present closing arguments.
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NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN BOSNIA AND EU ON VISA CANCELLATION TO START ON MAY 26

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 16,2008) – The European Commission has informed Bosnia that negotiations about the process of visa liberalization will commence on May 26, Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric confirmed yesterday.

Also yesterday, the Bosnian government didn't form EU integration offices with all government departments. The decision has once again been postponed for the next government meeting.
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LANGE: BOSNIA IS READY TO SIGN PRE-ACCESSION ACCORD WITH EU

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 16,2008) – Dirk Lange, Head of the EU General Direction for Expansion, in charge of Bosnia thinks that Bosnia is ready to sign the Stabilisation and Association agreement(SAA) with the EU, but in order for the November report to be positive, the country will need to continue with reforms,he said.

He expects the enforcement of that part of the SAA which refers to commerce to start very soon, and in the process of preparations the most work needs to be carried out by the Bosnian Customs Administration.

Once the SAA is ratified, the level of commitment will be greater, and that will certainly present a greater challenge, Lange said yesterday.
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PALESTINIAN POET AWARDED IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 16,2008) – The International Poetry Festival “Sarajevo Poetry Days” ended on Wednesday night by presenting the “Bosanski Stećak” award to Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. The festival was held for 47th time from May 7 to 14.

The “Bosanski Stećak” award is presented to a prominent Bosnian or foreign poet recognized by his esthetical and ethical principles in literature.

Those are the prophets of poetical and public word, who are characterized by virtues of a profound writer, thinker, and humanist in the time he lives in.

The award was presented to Darwish by President of the Bosnian Association of Writers Gradimir Gojer.

Darwish stated that the award is a sign of a special love and friendship and that he is truly greatful and happy about it.

”I only signed the verses of my people”, Darwish emphasized and added that the recognition came at the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian tragedy.

Professor Esad Durakovic, who translated the poems stated that he holds Darwish the greatest living Arab writer.

The Sarajevo Poetry Days is an international festival which was first held in 1962.
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