PEACE IMPLEMENTATION COUNCIL TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF OHR

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - The eventual closure of the Office of the Internationa Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) is up for discussion at a meeting of the top international body supervising peace in Bosnia.

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) is made of representatives of organisations and countries involved in enforcing peace in Bosnia. They are holding their meeting in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo today and tomorrow. They are also scheduled to meet all the key Bosnian political leaders.

According to sources close to the OHR, the Peace Implementation Council meeting will also review all key conditions which have been set for the closure of the OHR – including respect of the rule of law and political stability. However, no final decision related to the fate of OHR should be expected until later this year, diplomatic sources said.

The OHR was set up in late 1995 as part of the Dayton Peace accord which ended the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia, as the international community’s top envoy in Bosnia and to oversee peace and stability in the country. As of 1998 the OHR received broad governing powers and the ability to impose laws and sack local officials.

The OHR was supposed to be abolished by 2007 but its mandate was prolonged indefinitely as political infighting in Bosnia and regional tensions blocked reforms and triggered political deadlock.

This crisis was temporarily resolved and Bosnia signed its Stabilisation and Association Agreement,considered the first big step towards European Union membership,on June 17. Yet this development renewed pressure from some local and international officials for the abolishment of the OHR.
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BRCKO SUPERVISOR AND TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION

BRCKO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - A Memorandum of Understanding for implementation of an anti-corruption project called “Strengthening integrity of the District institutions” was signed at the Brcko Final Award Office yesterday.

The signatories of the Memorandum are the Brcko District Supervisor Raffi Gregorian and Executive Director of Transparency International in Bosnia Srdjan Blagovcanin.

The Project’s goal is to assist citizens in achieving improved governance and transparency in Brcko District.

Transparency International will help identify causes and scope of corruption and its consequences for the society, assist in evaluating the integrity of District institutions and guide citizens in methods of fighting corruption and creating a climate where corruption will not be tolerated.

“We are pleased that Transparency International has established a presence in Brcko and believe that this project will enable the citizens to take things into their own hands after Supervision ends. I encourage Brcko District institutions and residents to strongly support this project,” said Supervisor Gregorian.
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ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN BOSNIA AND BULGARIA TO BE IMPROVED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - Foreign ministers of Bosnia and Bulgaria, Sven Alkalaj and Ivailo Kalfin met yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and agreed to intensify economic cooperation between the two countries and initiated organization of a business forum.

"We discussed organising a big business forum in Bosnia so that the Bulgarian companies can get to know on the spot the investment opportunities,” Kalfin said. He also said Bulgaria planned to increase the staff of its embassy in Bosnia by adding a trade and a military affairs attache.

Economic cooperation between Bosnia and Bulgaria does not catch up with political cooperation, stated Alkalaj and added that this business forum can help to improve this cooperation.

Alkalaj and Kalfin agreed to speed up the process of signing of agreements in the segment of investments and protection from double taxation and transport services. They also agreed that there are possibilities in economic cooperation in segments of metal and wood industry and tourism.

”There is a great interest in Bulgaria when it comes to investing in Bosnia and increase of trade exchange between the two countries”, stated Kalfin.

He added that Bulgaria will continue to support Bosnia on its road towards EU intergradations and welcomed the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the EU.

He supported the visa liberalization process and announced that Bulgaria will work within European processes on termination of visa payment for Bosnian citizens until the full visa liberalization.
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AVERAGE GROSS SALARY IN BOSNIA WAS 1,O94 BOSNIAN MARKS IN APRIL

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) – Average gross salary in Bosnia in April amounted to 1.094 Bosnian Marks (869 US Dollars) which shows nominal growth by 8.6% comparing to last December

Average monthly salary for April amounted to 739 Bosnian Marks (587 US Dollars) which shows nominal growth by 8.5% comparing to December last year.

According to the data published by Bosnian Agency for Statistics, average monthly salary in April comparing to the same month last year is higher by 16.4%.
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SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL STOJAN ZUPLJANIN DECLINED TO ENTER A PLEA YESTERDAY AT THE ICTY

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (June 24,2008) - A former Security chief of the genocidal paramilitary fascist formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin declined to enter a plea yesterday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin is charged by the ICTY with genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of the laws and customs of war and grave breacees of the Geneva Conventions,committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin, 56, arrested earlier this month after more than eight years as a fugitive from justice, told the court in The Hague he had lived in constant fear of assassination and almost welcomed being in prison.

During his time in hiding, "sometimes I would wish to be taken to the tribunal in The Hague as soon as possible," Serbian war criminal said.

But he wished the other Serbian war criminals on the run from justice "a long life in freedom."

"I wish they remain at large forever," he said.

Appearing for the first time in court, Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin said he would delay entering a plea for the 30 days allowed by law, but indicated he would fight the charges against him.

Prosecutors say he had also overall responsibility for the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor's concentration camps in Bosnia where thousands of Bosnian civilians were mass murdered.

"I am going to prove all the untruths of this indictment," Zupljanin said. By the time the trial is finished, he said Bosnians, Croatians and and
Serbians would erect a monument in his honor.

The indictment accuses him of joining a campaign of genocide against Bosnian civilian population between April and December 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

It says Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin was responsible for 38 concentration camps where Bosnian and Croatian civilians were mass murdered,beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor.

"I am very unhappy that war broke out in the former territory Yugoslavia," Serbian war criminal told the judge.

Zupljanin is the 43rd Serbian war criminal brought to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia so far. Others include former President of the genocidal Serbia Slobodan Milosevic, who was ousted in 2000 and died in 2006 while on trial for war crimes charges.
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RAMA HYDRO-ELECTRIC PLANT TO BE RECONSTRUCTED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - Bosnian authorities have signed an agreement with the German national bank KFW securing EUR 17 million for reconstruction of the hydro-electric power plant Rama.

According to the agreement, EUR 7 million are non-returnable funds, while EUR 10 million is granted as a loan that will become due in 2011.

The reconstruction will extend the lifetime of the power plant by at least another 20 years, but it will not boost its output. The project is expected to be completed by 2012, and the loan will be paid back in the course of 12 years.
Also, it was announced that another contract will be signed with KfW, this time on the contruction on a wind farm in Mesihovina.
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SERBIAN FASCIST MLADEN IVANIC SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN PRISON

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - The Bosnian State Court sentenced fomer leader of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia "RS",Serbian fascist Mladen Ivanic to one year and six months in prison for mismanaging a forest company , while he was acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery.

According to the indictment,Serbian criminal incurred the damage of more than half a million Bosnian Marks on the Ribnik municipality.
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PRESIDENT SILAJDZIC: DODIK VIOLATED BOSNIAN CONSTITUTION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - The Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic said in a press release that the leader of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia "RS",Serbian fascist Milorad Dodik violated the Bosnian Constitution by talking to the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa about the issues concerning the Bosnian foreign policy and the Bosnian foreign trade policy.

"These policies fall within the scope of authority of Bosnia, and not its entities, so Milorad Dodik did not have the competence to speak with Jansa about EU integrations, foreign policy, and especially about the possibility of establishing a general consulate of Slovenia in Banja Luka," President Silajdzic said.
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CITIZEN ORGANIZATION FRONT CALLS ON LAJCAK TO PUT SALARY ACT OUT OF FORCE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 24,2008) - Citizen organization Front has called on the International Community's High Representative and EU Special Representative in Bosnia, Miroslav Lajčák to put the Act on Salaries and Compensations of Employees in the Bosnian state institutions out of force and thus directly prevent the legal plunder of Bosnian citizens by "despots who do nothing and receive hefty pays".

The organization also called on the political representatives of the Serbians living in Bosnia who have been saying that "Bosnia is not their country" to give up their benefits.

Citizen organization Front says that it is high time Lajcak stopped expressing his concern and starts taking concrete measures to protect Bosnian citizens or let somebody more capable take concrete measures.
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