CRO TV VIOLATES AGREEMENT ON BH PRE-ELECTORAL COVERAGE - OSCE

( Editorial: --> 7397 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 1 (Hina) - Croatian Radio Television (HRT) and Radio Herceg-Bosna have violated an agreement on how to cover the pre- electoral campaign in Bosnia, the Media Expert Commission (MEC) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission in Bosnia assessed on Tuesday. The Commission requested a statement from the Election Appeals Sub- Commission (EASC). The MEC determined that last week the HRT did not cover Bosnian pre- electoral campaigns at all, and dedicated only scant attention on Monday. The HRT promised earlier on that it would comply with electoral rules and regulations concerning the media, but according to OSCE spokeswoman Nicole Szulc, it is a violation of these rules and regulations to simply stop covering electoral activities. The EASC is entitled to remove candidates from electoral lists in instances when electoral rules and regulations have been violated in any way. According to EASC's last decision of August 25, the fifth and tenth candidates for the Bosnian Serb parliament were taken off electoral lists of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS). This decision was made after a Radovan Karadzic portrait was exposed at an SDS pre-electoral rally in Bijeljina on August 8. Electoral rules strictly prohibit the exposition of pictures of persons suspected of war crimes by the international tribunal in The Hague. (hina) ha jn 011814 MET sep 98