PRESIDENT SILAJDZIC TO ATTEND THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 29TH OLYMPIC GAMES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (August 6,2008) — The Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić has left yesterday for Beijing upon invitation of China, where he will lead the Bosnian Delegation at the opening ceremony of the 29th Summer Olympic Games and hold a series of meetings with the political and economic representatives of China,the Bosnian State Presidency said.

At the opening day of the Olympic Games, President Silajdžić will attend the luncheon organized by the President of China Hu Jintao for the heads of states visiting China and afterwards the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

The Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić is planned to attend the breakfast also organized by the host - the Chinese President Hu Jintao, in honor of the European countries’ presidents attending the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

During his visit to China, President Silajdžić will also meet with the “Huawei” company representatives, which is one of the biggest telecommunication equipment producers in the world and visit that company’s premises.

The Bosnian President will also meet with the President of the Chinese Economic Chamber and talk about strengthening economic cooperation between Bosnia and China.
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ICTY TO IGNORE SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL RADOVAN KARADZIC'S LETTER

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (August 6,2008) — The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Prosecution have said they will not officially react to a letter sent by former leader and creator of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia "RS" and one of the masterminds of the genocide against Bosnians,committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic to the court last week, unless the Trial Chamber orders them to do so.

The Prosecution said they considered the letter had not been submitted according to the court rules and asked the pre-trial chamber to "consider issuing instructions" to Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic on how to submit motions in future.

"The correspondence is not a motion grounded on any of the rules… and would require the Prosecution to speculate about its procedural and factual basis, as well as the relief sought. Accordingly, the Prosecution will not be responding,” the Prosecution said.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic submitted the letter on July 31, following his first appearance in the front of the tribunal. In his letter, he wrote about alleged irregularities occurring before his arrest on July 21.

Serbian war criminal also mentioned an agreement he made with the former US special envoy for the southeastern Europe, Richard Holbrooke, about his non-arrest if he were to stay out of the political and public life. Serbian war criminal also said he had been arrested three day before the officially announced date, adding that he was kidnapped and held in an unknown place without basic rights, before being taken into the custody.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic is indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, for genocide, compliance in genocide and crimes against humanity. In the letter his expressed concerns about the fairness and regularity of his future trial. He was arrested last month in the genocidal Serbia holding false documents under the name Dragan Dabic.

The ICTY is still looking for two other top Serbian war criminals, former commander of the genocidal paramilitary fascist formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic and former leader of the Serbians living in Croatia,Serbian war criminal Goran Hadzic who are still hiding from justice.
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RAMADAN UNITES EUROPEAN MUSLIMS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (August 6,2008) — In a show of unity, Muslim religious authorities in Bosnia,Macedonia,Montenegro,Kosovo,Sandzak,Croatia and Slovenia have agreed to observe the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on September 1.

"We follow astronomical calculations to determine the beginning of the lunar months," Subhi Wassim, an official with the Islamic Community of Bosnia, said.

"Therefore, the first day of Ramadan will be observed in Bosnia on September 1," he added.

Muslims make up 44 percent of Bosnia's 3.8 million population.

During Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Neighboring Sandzak's nearly half a million Muslims will start the dawn-to-dusk fast on the same day as Bosnia.

"We consider ourselves part of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and coordinate with them in all things," said Hajrudin Balic, a media officer of the Islamic Community in Sandzak.

The Islamic Community in Croatia will also follow neighboring Bosnia in observing the beginning of Ramadan, said sources in the Islamic Community of Bosnia.

Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries, and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.

While one group of scholars sees that Muslims in other regions and countries are to follow the same moon sighting as long as these countries share one part of the night, another states that Muslims everywhere should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.

A third, however, disputes both views, arguing that the authority in charge of ascertaining the sighting of the moon in a given country announces the sighting of the new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.

Muslims who make up 33 percent of Macedonia’s two million population will follow Turkey in determining the start of Ramadan.

"The Islamic Community of Macedonia and Dar al-Ifta in Turkey have an agreement to unify all Islamic occasions according to astronomic calculations," Afrim Alija, a teacher in a school affiliated to the sheikdom, said.

Turkey’s Presidency of Religion Affairs, the country’s highest religious institution, has announced on its website that Ramadan will fall on September 1.

The Islamic Community of Slovenia, where Muslims make up 2.4 percent of two million population, agrees with Turkey and Bosnia on the start of the fasting month.

Montenegro Mufti Jusuf Gjoken said the country's 140,000 Muslims, who constitute up to 20 percent of the population, will coordinate with both Bosnia and Turkey on Ramadan start.

"We are living in neighboring countries and it would be wrong to disagree on the beginning of the fast," he said.

"The unity of Muslims in the southeastern Europe is a top priority to all Islamic Communities in the region," Montenegro Mufti Jusuf Gjoken said.
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FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IN BOSNIA COULD REACH 1,68 BILLION BOSNIAN MARKS IN 2008

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (August 6,2008) - Information from the Bosnian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) show that in the first half of the year foreign investments in Bosnia totalled 300 million Euros. The same as earlier, the production sector accounted for a biggest share - 61 per cent.

Furthermore, Austrian investors have kept their lead, with 98 million Euros invested in this period. Slovenia was the second-biggest foreign investor with 69 million Euros and Croatia third with 40 million Euros.

The biggest single foreign investor in Bosnia in the first six months was Austrian Alas International, which is in the process of upgrading the Lukavac cement plant (a new kiln).

FIPA’s head Haris Basic says foreign investments in Bosnia could reach 1.63 billion Euros by the end of 2008, if some of the strategically important companies are privatized in the second half (primarily the telecoms in the FBIH entity).
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PRICE OF CORRIDOR VC HIGHWAY JUMPS BY 650 MILLION BOSNIAN MARKS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (August 6,2008) - Inflation and growing prices in local and global markets have pushed the cost of building the Corridor Vc (Corridor 5c) highway up by around BAM 650 million Bosnian Marks, the FBIH Entity’s Transport Minister Nail Seckanovic claims.

According to him, the higher prices of energy and construction material have raised the total price of the highway by ten per cent. A precise figure is not available without a more detailed analysis, he says.

6.5 billion Bosnian Marks is the valuation for this project given in the Feasibility Study. Seckanovic has announced that the government would try to cover these increasing costs through fresh negotiations with representatives of the international financial institutions funding the project.

Corridor Vc (Corridor 5c) is a branch of the fifth Pan-European corridor. The path of the corridor is presently the European route E73, and a new highway is being constructed as part of the upgrade of the corridor.

Corridor Vc connects Budapest in Hungary to the Adriatic Sea at the Croatian port of Ploče. The corridor does not only feature the highway, but rail upgrades and airports of significance along the way. The longest part of this corridor goes through Bosnia and is widely touted as a road instrumental to the development of the country.


PROJECT CORRIDOR VC - "NEW DEAL" FOR BOSNIA

As for Bosnia, the Corridor Vc highway is one of the most significant and project of the highest priority. The construction works on the road have already begun, but intensified beginning of the construction will be a key starter of economic and social activities, and will enable Bosnia to be connected to main European traffic network, as well as to global European economic and social structure.

Construction of the highway, whose total length is 340 km, will provide: rational connecting to neighboring countries and regions; stabilizing and developing effects will be reached; transport conditions and quality of life improvement; economy competitiveness enhancement; new projects launched and national and international private investments enhancement.
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