BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4585

BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4585 HINA Zagreb 11 April 2002 ORTYNSKI RELIEVED OF DUTY, GOVERNMENT NOMINATES MLADEN BAJIC AS STATE ATTORNEY ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday negatively assessed a report on the work of the State Attorney's Office and relieved State Attorney Radovan Ortynski of duty, nominating Split County Attorney Mladen Bajic his successor. Commenting on the annual report on the work of the State Attorney's Office, Deputy Justice Minister Miljenko Kovac said the main objection referred to the fact that the Attorney's Office had processed 34.6 percent or 20,543 less cases. The report contains no data on how much the State Attorney's Office has contributed to the discovery and prosecuting of different types of crime, he added. Another objection refers to the poor prevention of white-collar crime and corruption, which resulted in the failure to prosecute those crimes. Speaking about the nomination of Mladen Bajic, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said that Bajic had excellent references, particularly in the prosecution of white-collar crime. The government accepted a proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic that parameters on the State Attorney's work programme be defined more precisely. The parliament also adopted a conclusion binding the State Attorney to submit to the government his Office's work programme within a month's time. PROFILE OF CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY CANDIDATE MLADEN BAJIC ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - Split County Attorney Mladen Bajic was recommended by the government to the parliament as a candidate for the post of Chief State Attorney, after the government relieved Radovan Ortynski of duty as State Attorney on Thursday. Bajic was born in 1950 in Split, where he graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1975, upon which he was employed in the County's Office in Dubrovnik and then in the Split County Attorney's Office as a law clerk and expert advisor. He was appointed Deputy Municipal Attorney for Split in 1979. He worked exclusively on white-collar crime cases at the Section for Economic Crime. In 1987 he was appointed deputy to the then Split County Attorney Prosecutor. Between 1992 and 1996 he worked as Deputy Military Attorney at the Split Military Attorney's Office. He was honoured with a Memento of the Homeland War and the "Summer 95" and "Storm" medals. Following the end of the Homeland War, he worked as deputy to the County Attorney in Split and was appointed Split County Attorney last August. CROATIAN GOVERNMENT WELCOMES EC REPORT ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday welcomed last week's report by the European Commission (EC) on the Process of Stabilisation and Association and progress made by countries included in the process. The Croatian government particularly welcomes the fact that the prospect of membership in the European Union is based on individual progress made by every country in adjusting with European standards. The government also accepts suggestions and comments contained in the part of the report referring to Croatia and has entrusted all competent ministries to pay special attention to priority tasks. The government is confident that regional cooperation as specified in the report, which undoubtedly excludes the EU's intention or interest to establish or impose Balkan or any other sub-regional structures, would be a very good foundation for strengthening the Stabilisation and Association Process, to which Croatia is willing to contribute itself. In that context, the Croatian government welcomes the EC proposal for the establishment of a new political forum - the Zagreb Process - which would hold regular meetings at which ministers from countries included in the Stabilisation and Association Process would discuss issues of common interest with their colleagues from EU countries. PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN INTEGRATION SUPPORTS EC REPORT ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The parliamentary European Integration Committee on Thursday welcomed a report by the European Commission on the process of stabilisation and association in Croatia, calling on the government to intensify efforts with regard to the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The key elements of the EC report were presented to the Committee by EC Ambassador to Zagreb Jacques Wunenburger, who said that the prevailing tone of the report was very positive, although it also noted certain less favourable elements, particularly with regard to the situation in the judiciary, refugee return, and the creation of an investment-stimulating environment. Croatia has been making efforts gradually towards becoming a credible candidate for European Union membership, Wunenburger said. Committee chairman Mate Granic said that the EC report was "realistic, objective and detailed" and took into account Croatia's individual efforts. He described as realistic objections regarding delays in the adoption of a law on minorities, the situation in the judiciary, and refugee return. "Nevertheless, I believe that the report fails to note that part of the problems regarding refugee return are connected with the fact that there is no progress in that field in Republika Srpska, in Bosnia-Herzegovina," Granic said. He supported the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the region, however, he dismissed the possibility of institutionalising that cooperation. "Croatia strongly refuses to wait for a whole group of countries from the Stabilisation and Association Process, but wants to be evaluated individually. Institutional association is unacceptable, Croatia exclusively supports active regional policy and cooperation, which should be intensified," Granic said and other Committee members supported his opinion. Despite Wunenburger's claim that the EU was not considering institutional association, Committee members wanted an additional explanation about the nature of a political forum of countries in the region and the EU that was mentioned in the EC report. The Committee also supported a draft decision on the rules of conduct of a provisional committee in charge of supervising and implementing a provisional trade and transport agreement between Croatia and the EU. HNB COUNCIL: HNB ACTED IN LINE WITH LAW IN RIJECKA BANK CASE ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The expert services of the Croatian National Bank (HNB) that investigated the case of Rijecka Bank have acted in line with the law, relevant regulations and supervision standards, the HNB Council said on Thursday after considering the issue of responsibility in the Rijecka Bank affair. As in previous cases, the HNB expert services have acted in line with the law, relevant regulations and supervision standards, the HNB Council said in a statement released after today's session. It is completely unreasonable to expect from the central bank and its expert services to assume responsibility for what is exclusively the responsibility of a bank's management and its internal control or an external auditor. This is why the issue of responsibility of the supervisor, which is within the scope of responsibilities of the central bank, was never mentioned in similar foreign currency fraud cases in other countries, the Council said. The HNB Council concluded that all available measures should be taken to complete, as soon as possible, the investigation into the affair and circumstances which led to it, as well as to establish responsibility for the scandal, punish the perpetrators, and inform the public about the findings. The highest organs and expert services of the central bank will contribute to that in any way they can, reads the statement. HNB LEADERS READY TO RESIGN IF PARLIAMENT ESTABLISHES THEIR RESPONSIBILITY ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Central Bank (HNB) is not responsible for the Rijecka Bank case, HNB governor Zeljko Rohatinski said on Thursday. He said, however, should the parliament decide by a majority vote that the HNB is absolutely or subjectively responsible, the governor, deputy governor and all four vice governors would immediately submit their resignations. Rohatinski told reporters that since the beginning of the Rijecka Bank affair, the president of the bank's management board withdrew the funds from his savings account, while the management board enabled small shareholders to sell their shares to the bank at a much higher price than the market price. In line with a decision of the Rijecka Bank management board of March 8, the bank purchased 20,189 shares for 5.5 million kuna (EUR0.74 million), at a price of 260, 268 and 270 kuna per share, even though they were informed of the results of the internal control on irregularities. CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR: I HAVEN'T HEARD OF BLB'S CLAIM FOR DAMAGES ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The governor of the Croatian National Bank (HNB), Zeljko Rohatinski, on Thursday said he had not heard of any possible claim for damages by Bayerische Landesbank (BLB) related to the Rijecka Bank affair. He noted that the contract between the State Agency for Bank Rehabilitation and BLB contained a protective clause about any possible damages to BLB in precisely defined circumstances and at an amount of 20 per cent of the amount paid for stocks obtained. Rohatinski reminded that when BLB purchased 60 percent of Rijecka Bank stocks in May 2000 it conducted a complete inspection of the Bank's due diligence and did not find any irregularities. If conditions that could activate the protective clause in the contract arose, BLB could demand compensation of US$8 million. However, it would be necessary to establish that the state knew about the irregularities in Rijecka Bank and that it failed to inform the buyer, Rohatinski emphasised. The amount of possible damages, he said, is symbolical in relation to the damages ascertained (amounting to US$98 million). SABOR DISCUSSES CHANGES TO LAW ON CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The proposed changes to the Law on Criminal Procedure will make the judiciary more efficient in criminal proceedings and secure the stability of and trust in the judiciary, Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic said in parliament, presenting a bill on changes to the Law on Criminal Procedure. "Slow and inefficient criminal procedure prevents the implementation of criminal legislation, and overdue sentences are considered unjust," the minister said. The stalling of criminal procedure has been ignored for a long time, she said. This has caused great damage to state and individual interests and encouraged crime, making the citizens believe that the state is incapable of dealing with crime, she added. The proposed changes define types of violation of process rights and their prevention, simultaneously protecting the legitimate interests of parties in a dispute. "The judge must control the situation in the courtroom and not allow other participants to determine the course of proceedings," she said. The changes to the Law, which was adopted in 1998, enable the defendant to face the court and receive a sentence as soon as possible, without the unnecessary stalling of the procedure. The judge is enabled to permanently strip the party abusing a procedural right of that right. The law extends the powers of the judge in trials for criminal acts which are punished with a prison sentence of up to five years and envisages the possibility of processing socially less dangerous criminal acts in summary proceedings without investigation. The law also envisages "a pure functional cooperation" between the police and the State Prosecutor in discovering criminal acts and perpetrators, and in initiating criminal proceedings, Anticevic Marinovic said. GOVERNMENT ADOPTS BILL ON AGRICULTURE LAW ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - In an effort to more efficiently implement agricultural reforms, which is of vital importance if Croatian products are to be competitive on foreign markets, the Croatian government adopted a set of bills on agricultural incentives as well as conclusions on the financial consolidation of the state- owned agricultural industry. Between 1999 and the end of last year, agricultural incentives increased several times, from 490 million to 1.69 billion kuna, yet despite these moves, there are no results, Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said. He suggested that the bill was a good one but that a series of other steps would be required to guarantee the successful implementation of reforms in agriculture. The government adopted a report on the financial consolidation of agricultural companies that once employed 13,500 workers. Of a total of nine companies, six were successfully consolidated. The total amount of their debt prior to consolidation amounted to 3.9 billion kuna, of which state-owned companies owed 2.7 billion. The state exchanged its debts for new ownership shares. In the conclusions adopted, the government notes that the privatisation of these companies should be conducted as soon as possible and that new management teams should be introduced to guarantee successful business. The government also adopted a report on relations between Croatia and the International Monetary Fund and decided that before the month's end, the Finance Ministry should come up with new provisions for any possible new stand-by arrangement to be presented to parliament. An IMF mission is expected to visit Croatia in mid-May this year. The government adopted information on the first annual report of the European Commission on the Process of Stabilisation and Association in Southeast Europe. (EUR1 = 7.4 kuna) GOVERNMENT ADOPTS REPORT ON DE-MINING ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - Last year Croatia spent a total of 230 million kuna for de-mining, which is 23.5 percent more than the year before. The area cleared of mines was 28.32 percent larger than the year before. A total of 23 companies were involved in de-mining activities, the "Mungos" mine-removal company clearing most mine- infested areas. These are data from a report on the implementation of a plan on de- mining and funds spent for that purpose in 2001 and a plan on de- mining for 2002 the government adopted on Thursday. According to the report, suspicious areas cover 1,700 square kilometres. It is estimated that around ten percent of those areas are actually mined while the rest are believed to be mine- infested. This year's plan includes the de-mining of 69 square kilometres in 14 counties and it is expected that Dubrovnik County will be completely cleared of mines. Mine-removal activities will require 882 million kuna. So far, donors have provided 330 million, while the other 138 million will be secured from the budget. CROATIA'S FOREIGN DEBT BELOW USD 11 BILLION ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - Croatia's foreign debt at the beginning of this year decreased to below 11 billion US dollars, totalling US$10.924 billion at the end of January. This is a decrease of US$217 million in relation to the end of December last year, reads the latest Bulletin of the Croatian National Bank (HNB). Although the foreign debt totalled close to US$12 billion in the course of last year, it decreased significantly after the payment of a short-term loan for the completion of the second round of privatisation of the Croatian Telecom. In late December last year the total debt amounted to US$11.14 billion, which was US$613 million less than last September, and this trend continued in January. The stagnation of the debt has been enabled by value adjustments. The value of the foreign debt decreased by around US$450 million due to an increase in the share of the euro in the debt and the appreciation of the dollar in relation to the euro in the last quarter of 2001. The state accounts for around 45 percent of the foreign debt while banks account for around 16.3 percent. According to projections regarding the payment of the debt, Croatia will have to pay US$1.54 billion of the principal amount and US$452 million of interest this year. CROATIAN OIL COMPANY INA SIGNS CONTRACT WITH BELGRADE'S BEOPETROL ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The Croatian oil company INA presented its production programme for the automobile and accompanying oil industry at the 41st International Automobile Salon in Belgrade, which features 700 exhibitors, including 260 from abroad. Representatives of the recently established Maziva Zagreb lubricant company signed a contract with the Belgrade-based Beopetrol on business and technical cooperation in the placement of INA's engine and industrial oils and lubricants through Beopetrol's retail network, INA said in a statement. The contract, which is valid until the end of the year and is automatically renewed in 2003, envisages joint presentations on other markets. SWITZERLAND HELPS RECONSTRUCT KNIN KNIN, April 11 (Hina) - Switzerland will continue to offer financial support for refugee returns and integration in the Knin region so that the town could be revived as soon as possible. This year, Switzerland will invest 17 million kuna in the reconstruction programme, Swiss Ambassador Paul Widmer said at a press conference in Knin on Thursday after talks with mayor Vinko Maric and his associates. The Swiss have so far invested 26 million kuna in the Knin region and this year's funds, worth 17 million kuna, will be earmarked to reconstruct and build infrastructure and housing units as well as orchards, vegetable farms, cattle farms, and co-operatives. Widmer announced that 10 million kuna will be invested in the infrastructure. Since 1999 the Swiss government has reconstructed 230 houses for local Croats and Serbs. This year, another 50 houses will be rebuilt and a building with eight apartments will be built in Golubic, Widmer said. Expressing satisfaction with the assistance provided by the Swiss government to date, mayor Maric said that Switzerland was one of the few countries truly helping the region to recover from war damage with material aid. This summer, 100 Knin children will take an organised holiday to the Swiss Alps. TEMPORARY HEAD OF USKOK APPOINTED ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - On Wednesday, the day before his resignation, State Attorney Radovan Ortynski appointed Zagreb County Deputy Attorney Marinka Orlic acting head of the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK), which had been headed by Dragan Novosel since its establishment last December. USKOK's former head, Dragan Novosel, is to return to his office as Deputy State Attorney. Novosel told Hina that USKOK's results were still not evident, adding that the institution was investigating "over one hundred persons". Marinka Orlic told Hina that she, like her predecessor, would accept this duty for a period of no longer than six months. According to law, the head of USKOK is appointed by the Chief State Attorney for a four year mandate with the prior opinion of the Justice Minister and the State Attorney's Office Board. The head of USKOK is chosen amongst deputy state attorneys, county attorneys and their deputies. IVANKOVIC AGAIN CLAIMS SFOR DOCUMENT ON GOTOVINA IS NOT FAKE ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The president of the HONOS association for the protection of Homeland War values, Nenad Ivankovic, on Thursday claimed that he had evidence proving the authenticity of Stabilisation Force (SFOR) documents which note that the Croatian authorities, assisted by intelligence services, wish to implement an "operation not only to arrest but liquidate General Gotovina". HONOS released the alleged SFOR document at a press conference on January 29. However, the same day the authenticity of the document was disputed by the Croatian government's spokeswoman and SFOR, the president of the parliamentary Committee for Internal Affairs and National Security, Djurdja Adlesic, and the former head of the Office for National Security (UNS), Tomislav Karamarko. On Thursday, Ivankovic presented journalists with an alleged letter that Karamarko forwarded to President Stjepan Mesic after conducting an inspection of the SFOR document. In the letter, Ivankovic claims, there is evidence that the SFOR document is authentic. The date, registry number and other indicators have been removed from the "Karamarko letter" that Ivankovic allegedly received in the post. This was obviously done so the sender could not be disclosed, said Ivankovic. Copies handed over to journalists carry Karamarko's alleged signature although just barely visible. Karamarko told Hina that the letter Ivankovic presented today was a forgery and that he never forwarded any such letter to President Mesic. He said that UNS never dealt with the question of General Ante Gotovina, an indictee of the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague, and that the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS) had in fact inspected the contentious SFOR document. "That service sent a report indicating that the document was falsified to several state officials, including myself", Karamarko said. GONG CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF ACTIVITY ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - GONG, a non-governmental organisation of citizens monitoring elections, celebrates its fifth year of activity this month. Besides the non-partisan monitoring of elections, GONG in the past two years organised a series of projects aimed at bolstering the citizens' confidence in democratic institutions and elected representatives. As part of GONG's programmes, more than 3,000 citizens visited parliament and more than 500 took part in parliament's work. The organisation, which was officially registered only in 1998, also staged more than 150 meetings between citizens and their elected representatives. As part of the Internship Programme, which introduced in Croatia the possibility of volunteering in state institutions, 30 students volunteered in parliament, government offices, and local bodies. Those are just a few of GONG's projects. The NGO is financed through international donations, with the budget depending on election monitoring campaigns. GONG's budget last year, when a local ballot was held, totalled EUR400,000. This year it amounts to EUR350,000. FILM DIRECTOR BRANKO BAUER DIES ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - Croatian film and TV director Branko Bauer died in Zagreb on Thursday at the age of 82, the Croatian Film Directors' Association confirmed today. Bauer, one of the most prolific Croatian film directors, was the first Croatian children movie director. He also worked as a TV editor of documentaries and feature-length films. He won the Pula Golden Arena award for his films "Ne okreci se sine" (Don't Look Back, Son) and "Licem u lice" (Face to Face). In 1960 he won the Vladimir Nazor life achievement award. OSCE MISSION MEMBER TESTIFIES IN MILOSEVIC TRIAL ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina)- Testifying at the trial of Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague on Thursday, retired British general Karol John Drewienkiewicz, a member of the OSCE Mission, described the discovery of the slaughter of more than a dozen residents of the Racak village, which the former Yugoslav president is being charged with. The Mission turned toward a ditch and saw the bodies of 23 persons, Drewienkiewicz said, describing the arrival of the Mission headed by Ambassador William Walker and journalists to Racak, the day after the crime had been committed. The victims were all shot in the head or neck and all were dressed in civilian clothing. There were not any signs indicating any struggle, he said. The OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) concluded the slaughter had been committed by Yugoslav forces. Milosevic is charged with crimes against humanity which, in addition to the deportation of 800,000 Albanians from Kosovo in the first half of 1999, includes the slaughter of a total of 45 Kosovo Albanians in Racak on January 15th, 1999. Several times during the trial, Milosevic claimed the murder of Albanians in Racak was directed by Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Drewienkiewicz said that the day after the attack, villagers told him that the KLA retreated from Racak once the Serb army entered the village. General Drewienkiewicz was William Walker's deputy chief in the OSCE Mission from October 1998. During his testimony, he described how at the end of 1998 and early 1999, the OSCE Mission recorded a series of examples of excessive use of force against civilians and violations of the agreement to withdraw Yugoslav forces. Drewienkiewicz described his meetings with the Yugoslav Army commander when the OSCE objected to the attacks on civilians. ICTY RELEASES BANOVIC AFTER FIVE MONTHS OF DETENTION ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Trial Chamber on Thursday decided to release Bosnian Serb Nenad Banovic from detention, the ICTY said in a statement. A day earlier the Trial Chamber approved the withdrawal of the indictment for war crimes committed in the Karaterm detention camp near the north-western Bosnian town of Prijedor. After revising the indictment against Nenad Banovic and his brother Predrag, at the end of last month the ICTY Prosecution assessed that evidence against Banovic as insufficient and demanded the withdrawal of the indictment. The Banovic brothers were arrested and transferred to the Hague- based tribunal on November 8, 2001. YUGOSLAV WAR CRIMES SUICIDE ACCUSES "PUPPET AUTHORITIES" BELGRADE, April 11 (Hina) - Vlajko Stojiljkovic, the former Serbian interior minister accused of war crimes who shot himself in the head in front of the Yugoslav parliament building on Thursday evening, is in critical condition and doctors are fighting for his life, doctor Ana Sijacki told Serbian television. The vice president of the Serb Radical Party, Aleksandar Vucic, read Stojiljkovic's farewell letter to reporters in front of the parliament building. In the letter, Stojiljkovic accuses the incumbent "puppet" authorities, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica first of all, for his suicide attempt. Stojiljkovic says in the letter his act is a protest "against the breaking up of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with the participation of the biggest enemy of our people, Javier Solana, the ruthless trampling of the constitution and laws of this country, the waging of a policy of treason and capitulation, the losing of national dignity, the destruction of national economy and the bringing of millions of citizens into social misery." Stojiljkovic is accused of war crimes in Kosovo in 1999, alongside former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and another three officials. The Yugoslav parliament's Council of Citizens earlier today adopted a law on cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague, which envisages the extradition of indicted Yugoslav citizens to the tribunal. The law is set to come into effect on Saturday, with the first extraditions expected, according to official announcements, later this month. YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT ADOPTS LAW ON COOPERATION WITH ICTY BELGRADE, April 11 (Hina) - After a 15-month crisis in the ruling DOS coalition on the federal level, the Yugoslav parliamentary Council of Citizens on Thursday adopted a law on cooperation with the Hague-based U.N. war crimes tribunal with 80 votes for and 39 against. The Council of Republics, the parliament's upper house, adopted the law a day earlier. The law envisages the hand-over of Yugoslav citizens who will have been indicted by the Tribunal by the law's going into force, as well as all other indictees who are not Yugoslav citizens but are caught on Yugoslav territory. The law was rejected by opposition deputies from the Socialist Party of Slobodan Milosevic, the Yugoslav Left of Mirjana Markovic and the Serb Radical Party of Vojislav Seselj. They described the adoption of the law as "treason". Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus dismissed the Opposition's objections about the illegitimacy of the Hague tribunal and objections that those who support the law are not patriots and insult the nation's dignity. "I agree with you that this insults the nation's dignity, but we have to be fair and honest to ourselves. Had we done this on time, no one else would have had to do it in our stead," Labus said. Commenting on the criticism from the Opposition, the head of DOS deputies at the Council of Citizens and Serbian Justice Minister, Vladan Batic, said that the law was opposed exactly by those who once wielded power and were "responsible for hundreds of thousands of refugees and tens of thousands of casualties", and who he said were "a disgrace to the nation and committed treason". Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic said that the law would take effect on Saturday, a day after its publication in the National Gazette. The interior ministries of Serbia and Montenegro are in charge of implementing the law, while the federal justice minister is responsible for making decisions on the hand-over of indictees. Under the law, the time between the delivery of the indictment to the indictee and his hand-over is ten days. According to a previous statement by Interior Minister Zivkovic, the hand-over of first indictees can be expected in late April. EU CALLS ON BOSNIA TO ACCELERATE NECESSARY REFORMS SARAJEVO, April 11 (Hina) - The European Union is ready to do everything in order for Bosnia-Herzegovina to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, however, this now depends exclusively on Bosnian politicians, European Union Foreign Affairs' Commissioner Chris Patten said in Sarajevo on Thursday. At a news conference, held after talks with High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Wolfgang Petritsch, Patten said Bosnian authorities were expected to fulfil their obligations last year to help the establishment of relations between Sarajevo and Brussels. Patten said the European Union was still prepared to fulfil its obligations because it wanted close relations with Bosnia. Should Bosnian authorities fulfil the obligations in the next two to three months, a working group could meet in July and start preparing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The Agreement could be signed next year, Patten said. High Representative Petritsch said Bosnia had no other choice apart from integrating into the European Union. Patten said the EU entirely supported Petritsch's efforts invested in the implementation of constitutional reforms in Bosnia. Petritsch reiterated that the international community will not accept anything below the so-called "Sarajevo Agreement". He confirmed the amendments adopted by the Republika Srpska parliament last week would have to be changed. PATTEN CALLS ON BOSNIAN POLITICAL LEADERS TO BE LOYAL TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PLANS MOSTAR, April 11 (Hina) - The European commissioner for foreign affairs, Chris Patten, on Thursday for the first time officially visited the southern Bosnian town of Mostar, calling on Bosnian political leaders to be loyal to international community plans. Patten said the European Commission had donated EUR150 million thus far for the reconstruction of Mostar. The Commission is willing to financially assist the development of Mostar and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the future but will require the loyalty of domestic political leaders to the Commission's plans, he added. PATTEN IN SARAJEVO ON NEAR EAST CONFLICT SARAJEVO, April 11 (Hina) - The European Union Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Chris Patten, on Thursday called upon Israel and Palestina to stop the bloodshed in the Near East. During his official visit to Sarajevo, Patten told reporters the Israeli army was violating international legal norms, including the Geneva convention. He said the European Union, the United States, the UN and Russia demanded that conflicts stop in line with the Security Council Resolution 1402. ICTY CHIEF PROSECUTOR TO TRAVEL TO BELGRADE, SARAJEVO AND PRISTINA ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Chief Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, will travel to Belgrade, Sarajevo and Pristina at the end of next week, the ICTY said in a statement on Thursday. Commenting on a law on cooperation of Serbia and Montenegro with the tribunal, Del Ponte's spokeswoman Florence Hartman said the ICTY Prosecution believes that a law is not necessary as a condition for fulfilling obligations towards the ICTY. The Prosecutor's Office expects Belgrade, as all other UN member countries, to fulfil its obligations and cooperate with the ICTY, Hartman said. ICTY spokesman Jim Landale said the cooperation should be complete and unconditional. According to him, this primarily includes the extradition of war crimes suspects. KOSOVO OFFICIALS CONDEMN VIOLENCE IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA PRISTINA, April 11 (Hina) - Senior representatives of Kosovo institutions and politicians on Wednesday condemned protests of Serb extremists in Kosovska Mitrovica in which UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) policemen were injured. In a television interview, Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova sent a message to Serbs saying they too were citizens of Kosovo and called on them to respect the law, order and peace. Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi said the attack of Serb extremists on the international police in Kosovska Mitrovica was an act of terrorism. The Kosovo officials called upon the UNMIK to accelerate the process of uniting the divided town. IN OTHER NEWS: ZAGREB - Croatian President Stipe Mesic on Thursday received credentials from Cuban Ambassador to Croatia Jose Ramon Cabanas Rodriguez and Korean Ambassador Kim Ha Dong. Mesic handed credentials to Mario Mikolic, Croatia's newly appointed ambassador to Ukraine, the president's office said in a statement. ZAGREB - President Stjepan Mesic on Thursday received Bavaria's state minister for the economy, transport and technology, Otto Wiesheu, who was accompanied by a delegation of many businessmen, financial and banking experts from the south-west German state. ZAGREB - Deputy Prime Minister Drazen Budisa on Thursday received the Sofia-based incoming Korean Ambassador Kim Ha Dong. ZAGREB - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on Wednesday held talks with the Cuban Ambassador to Croatia, Jose R. Cabanas, about strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries. During the meeting, the Vienna-based ambassador expressed satisfaction with relations between Croatia and Cuba. He said there were no open issues, and that he expected economic cooperation to grow. ZAGREB - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on Wednesday received the incoming head of the UNHCR Mission to Croatia, Oluseya Bajaulaiye. Bajaulaiye handed Picula a letter from Ruud Lubbers, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Foreign Ministry reported. ZAGREB - The Croatian Ambassador to China and accredited to Mongolia, Zeljko Kirincic, on Thursday presented credentials to the President of Mongolia, Natsagiin Bagabandi. ZAGREB - Since last June 15,000 cows older than 30 months have undergone so-called quick tests for "mad cow" disease and all results were negative, said Matko Brstilo, head of the Veterinary Science Directorate at the Croatian Agriculture Ministry, at a seminar about the disease. Another lecture at the seminar was held by Jan Venneman, director of the Dutch centre for cattle-breeding, VEEPRO HOLLAND. ZAGREB - A collection of remembrances, documents and papers entitled "The Unknown Truth About the Black Day for Croatian Patriots - 11 January 1972/About the Attack on the Croatian Cultural Society and the Croatian Spring/About Croatia Today" was published on Thursday. The collection was published by "A.G.Matos" and the "11 January 1972" association. ZAGREB - Students of the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Faculty of Economics won an award by the "Carole Fielding University Film & Video" international organisation for the production of the animated motion picture "Mina je nevidljivi ubojica!" (The Mine is an Invisible Killer!). ZAGREB - French singer Ghislaine Daisile sang several classical and her own songs at Zagreb's Mimara Museum on Wednesday night, as part of the French Chansons Night. Funds from the sale of tickets to the concert will be directed to the reconstruction of Vukovar's hospital. SARAJEVO - The European Union's commissioner for foreign and defence policy, Javier Solana, will make an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 16-17, the Bosnian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. SARAJEVO - The head of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Michael Steiner, will arrive in Bosnia on April 15 on a one-day visit, the UN Mission in Sarajevo said in a statement on Thursday. THIS BULLETIN INCLUDES ITEMS RELEASED BY 2200 HOURS ON THURSDAY