BOSNIA AND KUWAIT TO INTENSIFY COOPERATION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 19,2008) - Kuwait plans to intensify cooperation with Bosnia, especially in business, Kuwaiti the Ambassador of Kuwait to Bosnia Yasin Rawashde announced yesterday.

Things have started moving in the past few months, he said, after several years of inertia.

There are a number of projects, according to Rawashde, waiting to be implemented, and collaboration is therefore expected to intensify considerably. He reminded that the Kuwaiti fund for development had already accepted to invest in the Corridor 5c highway. Other infrastructural projects in Bosnia will be co-funded, as well.

Tourism is another area of collaboration, and Kuwaitis will invest initial 120 million Bosnian Marks in a tourist centre in the Bihac area. A contract for this project will be signed in October.
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BOSNIAN PRESIDENT HARIS SILAJDZIC MET WITH RUSSIAN AMBASADOR TO BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 19,2008) - The Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić met in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bosnia Constantin Shuvalov.

During the very open conversation, they mentioned all current issues in the two countries’ relations, and underlined their will to find ways for enhancement of relations, as in the political field, as well as in the field of economy.
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UN WAR CRIMES PROSECUTORS TO FILE A REVISED INDICTMENT AGAINST SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL RADOVAN KARADZIC

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (September 19,2008) - UN war crimes prosecutors at The Hague are due to file a revised indictment against former leader and creator of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia "RS" and one of the masterminds of the genocide against the Bosnian people,Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic with a motion, requesting its confirmation,on Friday.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic, who made his third appearance before the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) since his arrest on July 21, said he had not read the current indictment, adding that he expected to get a new chance to enter his plea once he received the new indictment.

At the first pre-trial status conference Serbian fascist was not accompanied by his legal team or Defence attorney. Despite judge Ian Bonomy's advice, he once again said that he wanted to represent himself during the course of the entire process.

"Nobody could defend me better than me, because nobody knows all the facts as well as I know them," Serbian fascist Radovan Karadzic said.

He said, just like the first time he appeared before the Court that he was not alone as he had "invisible allies".

Once again, Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic mentioned his agreement with US Special Envoy Richard Hoolbrok, claiming that this agreement guaranteed him that he would not be arrested and adding that he had opened a personal investigation on this issue.

"I do not think that Holbrook spoke to me as a US Envoy only, but rather as a representative of the Contact Group. Therefore I want this to be taken into consideration," he said.

Judge Bonomy announced that his next appearance would be scheduled within the next 30 days.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic was arrested after having been on the run from justice for 13 years. When the arrest took place he had personal documents, issued in the name of Dragan Dabic, with him. He was handed over to the Tribunal on July 31 this year.

After he had refused to enter his plea on August 29, judge Bonomy, following the existing procedure, recorded a plea of not guilty.

The indictment against Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic, which was last amended in 2000, charges him, under 11 counts, including Genocide and crimes against humanity,committed the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

On 11 October 2002, following a request from the Office of the Prosecutor, Duty Judge Gunawardana issued an "Order to Lift the Seal of Confidentiality of the Amended Indictment, Arrest Warrants, and Non-Disclosure Order", with regard to an Amended Indictment against Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic that was confirmed on 31 May 2000 by Judge Patricia Wald, but kept under seal.

On 18 May 2000 the Prosecutor filed her "Motion for Leave to File an Amended Indictment; Confirmation of the Amended Indictment; An Order in Terms of Rule 53 (B)", which sought leave to amend two outstanding Indictments against Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic and submitted one, new consolidated Indictment, asking for confirmation of that Amended Indictment. These submissions were assigned to Judge Wald for consideration.

The first Indictment against Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic was originally filed on 24 July 1995 and was confirmed by Judge Jorda on 25 July 1995.

The sixteen-count Indictment charged Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic with:

- One count of genocide.

- Three counts of crimes against humanity, including persecution on political, racial and religious grounds and the sniping campaign against the civilian population of Sarajevo.

- Five counts of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including the unlawful confinement of civilians in detention facilities, the extensive destruction of property, the appropriation and plunder of property and the unlawful taking of United Nations peacekeepers as hostages and using them as human shields.

- Seven counts of violations of the laws and customs of war, including the unlawful confinement of civilians, shelling civilian gatherings, destruction of sacred sites, appropriation and plunder of property, sniping at civilians in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and the unlawful taking of United Nations peacekeepers as hostages and using them as human shields.

The second Indictment was originally filed on 14 November 1995 and was confirmed
by Judge Riad on 16 November 1995. This twenty-count Indictment charged the Accused with:

- One count of genocide.

- Ten counts of crimes against humanity, including extermination and murder.

- Nine counts of violations of the laws and customs of war, namely murder.

The Prosecutor's Amended Indictment, filed on 18 May 2000, consolidated the first and second Indictments and reduced the total number of charges, leaving only the most serious counts. In the Prosecutor's view, these amendments were more in keeping with the current charging practices of the Office of the Prosecutor and reflected the evolving jurisprudence of the Tribunal. Moreover, the Prosecutor believed the amended Indictment would allow her office to move more quickly to trial if Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic was arrested and facilitated joinder of his case with other Indictments against fascist leaders of the Serbians living in Bosnia.

The amended Indictment charges Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic under Articles 7(1) and 7(3) with:

- One count of genocide.

- One count of complicity in genocide.

- Five counts of crimes against humanity, including extermination, murder, persecution on political, racial and religious grounds, deportation and other inhumane acts.

- Three counts of violations of the laws or customs of war, including murder, unlawfully inflicting terror upon civilians, taking of hostages.

- One count of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, wilful killing.
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NEW BOSNIAN AMBASSADOR TO VATICAN TAKES POST

VATICAN CITY, Vatican (September 19,2008) - This morning at his Castel Gandolfo summer residence, Pope Benedict XVI received Jasna Krivosic-Prpic, the new Ambassador of Bosnia to Vatican. Speaking to the Bosnian Ambassador, the Pope encouraged every effort to be made at bringing peace to the region, which has been torn by ethnic strife.

Bosnia, Benedict noted, "contains a rich mix of cultures and precious patrimonies. Tragically, however, cultural and ethnic differences throughout history have not infrequently been a source of misunderstanding and friction, ... as each of the three constitutive peoples that make up your country know only too well."

"No person wishes for war," he went on. "No civic or religious group should ever resort to violence or oppression. Yet, so many families in your land have been subjected to the suffering which results from these calamities. Listening to the voice of reason, however, and prompted by the hope that we all desire for ourselves and the generations which follow, every individual can find the strength to overcome past divisions."

Pope Benedict also offered his encouragement for the efforts being made at reconciliation in the country and called on the international community to continue its efforts to assist Bosnia regarding that issue.

"I trust that, in accepting the facts of regional history and the grave lessons to be learnt from recent years, the courage will be found to build a future with a healthy sense of solidarity,” he said.

Long lasting change was also a topic that Benedict addressed. “A State's spirit is shaped at many levels,” he explained. "The family home is where children learn the essential values of responsibility and harmonious coexistence. It is here too that prejudices are either born or broken. Every parent therefore has the grave duty to instill in their children, through example, respect for the dignity that marks every person irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social grouping."

"Good schooling not only attends to the cognitive development of children but to the civic and spiritual as well. Teachers ... can do much to discredit any false anthropological ideologies that contain seeds of hostility and to foster an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity in the life of a country."

The communications media, the Pope insisted, "can do much to overcome lingering attitudes of distrust by ensuring that they do not become tools of prejudice but rather transcend particular interests and promote broad-based and inclusive civic goals.”

The government itself must also ensure that peace is attained by pursuing “with vigor its responsibility to strengthen the institutions and extol the principles which lie at the heart of all democracies. ... I am sure that the constitutional reforms which your government is currently studying will address the legitimate aspirations of all citizens, guaranteeing both the rights of individuals and social groups," he said.

The last sector that should contribute to bringing about reconciliation, peace and prosperity is the Catholic Church in Bosnia, Benedict said.

"For her part the Church in Bosnia will continue to assist in the attainment of the goals of reconciliation, peace and prosperity. ... She exercises her mission of universal charity in its threefold form: material, intellectual and spiritual.”

The Pontiff concluded by emphasizing that the promotion of “spiritual and moral values ... not only forms part of the transmission of religious traditions but also nourishes the wider culture, motivating men and women of goodwill to strengthen ties of solidarity and to manifest how a united society can indeed arise from a plurality of peoples."
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BOSNIAN AND SLOVENIAN POLICE SEVER WEAPONS RING

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 19,2008) - Five people have been arrested and significant quantities of weapons and explosives seized in an coordinated operation carried out by Bosnian and Slovenian police forces against a weapons’ smuggling ring.

Police in the two countries are still searching for three suspects believed to be part of the group which was illegally selling weapons,ammunition and explosives to criminal organizations in western Europe.

Assistant director of the Slovenian criminal police Robert Crepinko said this operation was initiated in August 2007, when Slovenian police started monitoring one Slovenian and one Croatian citizen, with residence in France, who were trying to organize the illegal transport of weapons from Slovenia to France.

Out of the five arrested, four were arrested in Bosnia while one was apprehended in Slovenia. The four arrested in Bosnia were put in one-month detention, pending the beginning of criminal processes against them.

During the operation, enforcement agencies in both countries seized 10 automatic rifles, 18 rocket launchers, more than 60 kilos of explosives, as well as other weapons, ammunition and military materials.
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BOSNIAN TAXATION AUTHORITY REJECTS INITIATIVE FOR ZERO VAT RATE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 19,2008) - The Bosnian Indirect Taxation Authority’s Governing Board has rejected an initiative by the FBIH Entity Finance Minister to amend the VAT (Value Added Tax) Act, along with all the other initiatives for introducing zero VAT rates for certain groups of products.

Furthermore, the excise tax task force reported to the Board about its work so far. The Board reminded that the entire procedure of adopting and proclaiming amendments to that law needs to be over in time for the new excise tax act to take effect from January 1, 2009. A final proposal of amendments is therefore expected at the next meeting of the Board.
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CATHOLIC CHURCH ORGANIZES BUSINESS FORUM IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 19,2008) - The Catholic Conference of Bishops of Bosnia is the organizer of a business forum taking place in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo today. Somewhere between 120 and 150 entrepreneurs from Bosnia and Croatia are expected.

They will discuss the development of entrepreneurship, with focus on the agricultural and rural development.

The forum will also deal with the need to provide favourable funding to the agriculture and food production sector by development banks in Bosnia.
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