BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO.5258

SEKS TO PROPOSE PARLIAMENT'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE DEBATE HAGUE TRIBUNAL INDICTMENTS ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Parliament President Vladimir Seks said on Monday he would propose that the political assessments made in the latest indictments from the war crimes tribunal in The Hague be discussed by parliament's foreign affairs committee but did not rule out the possibility of the issue being included in the agenda of parliament's forthcoming session.#L# Seks spoke to reporters after a session of the parliamentary presidency which considered the possibility of a parliamentary debate which would discuss the indictments against generals Mladen Markac and Ivan Cermak. The session was attended by Seks, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, the presidents of parliamentary parties and the leaders of the parties' clubs of deputies. A parliamentary debate on the indictments was requested by the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). Seks told reporters there were various opinions and that serious consideration was being given to arguments for and against a debate on what was appropriate for Croatia and its credibility and for the defence of Markac and Cermak before the Hague tribunal. Asked when he would decide about the debate, Seks said he had a 30-day deadline from receipt of the request, March 9. PM Sanader told reporters he explained at today's meeting what the government intended to do in order to defend the truth about the Homeland War from the unacceptable parts of the indictments. He added that in his capacity as leader of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party, he said the issue should first be addressed by the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and that only then should the final decision on the holding of a parliamentary debate be made. Ivica Racan, the leader of the strongest opposition party, the Social Democrats, said the issue should be debated and that everyone must bear the responsibility for their statements about "an issue as delicate as Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal". HSS leader Zlatko Tomcic said he had suggested holding a debate on what he said were political incriminations contained in the latest indictments, notably the part speaking of "criminal enterprises". Anto Djapic said his HSP felt a parliamentary debate was necessary because the indictments questioned parliament's Declaration on the Homeland War. Parliament cannot stand aside when the defence of the Homeland War is at stake, he added. Djapic said he did not question the government's moves but expressed surprise that the ruling majority was trying to avoid a parliamentary debate on the indictments. CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES UN ASSISTANT HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Monday received UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Kamel Morjane, who arrived in Croatia on Sunday for a two-day visit, the President's Office said in a statement.#L# Mesic informed Morjane of the process of the return of refugees, as well as of the need for creating employment conditions in the areas to which refugees are returning. Mesic said he expected the international community to become more involved in the process. The president also expressed his opinion about the situation in the region and relations with neighbouring countries, particularly within the European association process. He informed the UNHCR delegation of the new Asylum Act which will become effective on July 1 and which is in accordance with European standards. During the talks, Morjane said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees would help Croatia in the return process, particularly regarding finding accommodation for returnees. The UNHCR delegation also included the deputy director of the regional office for Europe, Robert Robinson, and the new UNHCR representative in Croatia, Catherine Bertrand. This is Morjane's first visit to Croatia since his appointment in August 2001. He arrived in Croatia to confirm the UNHCR's commitment to helping the Croatian government in the implementation of the return process and to reiterate the UNHCR's support to Croatia in the application of national legislation regarding the issue of asylum and the organisation of the asylum system in accordance with international standards. CROATIAN, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN JERUSALEM JERUSALEM, March 15 (Hina) - Croatia and Israel have good relations in all fields but there is also great untapped potential, Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom said in Jerusalem on Monday after talks with his Croatian counterpart Miomir Zuzul.#L# Zuzul began his visit of several days to Israel by meeting his host, Shalom. Shalom said he believed relations between the two countries were moving in the right direction. "I stressed the importance Israel attaches to its relations with Europe and I hope Croatia will soon become an integral part of the European Union," he said, voicing confidence that once it joined the EU Croatia would work together with Israel towards having the EU develop a more balanced approach to Israel. Zuzul said Croatia wanted to intensify cooperation with Israel and expected Israel to invest further in Croatia. Last year's trade between the two countries was a mere US15 million. Croatia could be the Israeli economy's gateway to Europe, he added. Zuzul said political and economic talks between the two countries would continue. He announced Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was likely to visit Israel this spring and Parliament President Vladimir Seks in the autumn. Zuzul added Shalom accepted his invitation to visit Croatia. Shalom said Israel might open its embassy in Zagreb by the end of the year. The two ministers talked also about the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the rampant danger of global terrorism. Shalom said among other things that last week's terror attack in Madrid once again showed the horrors of terrorism. "Terrorism is the enemy of all countries that love peace and value human life," he said. Zuzul said the Croatian government had a firm stand on the matter. "There is no alternative to combating terrorism. The only way is forming a big global anti-terror coalition". "Croatia fully supports Israel's willingness to continue implementing peace guidelines, but also understands the Israeli government's obligation to protect its citizens and stop further terrorist attacks," Zuzul said. Responding to a journalist's question about his opinion of the president of the Palestinian self-government, Yasser Arafat, Zuzul said Croatia hoped the Palestinians would succeed in finding a leadership that was capable of negotiating and achieving peace. Shalom reiterated the Israeli government's position that negotiations were not possible until the Palestinian leadership dealt with the issue of terrorism. CROATIA AND ISRAEL WANT TO STRENGTHEN BILATERAL RELATIONS JERUSALEM, March 15 (Hina) - Croatia and Israel expressed wish to strengthen the overall bilateral relations, Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said on Monday evening after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.#L# Zuzul who is on a visit to Israel, meet Sharon in Isreal's Kneset for talks which lasted several hours. "We talked about all issues and confirmed our wish to strengthen bilateral relations," Zuzul told reporters after the talks. Zuzul and Sharon also talked about the two countries economic cooperation which, according to Zuzul, is surprisingly low. The Croatia-Israel trade last year amounted to only US15 million. Zuzul said Sharon had officially invited his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader to visit Israel. The invitation was accepted in agreement with Sanader. Sanader could visit Israel later in the summer or in early spring. Zuzul said Sharon also confirmed his country would open its embassy in Zagreb by the end of the year. KOSOR MEETS U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES IN GENEVA GENEVA, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor met UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers in Geneva on Monday where she was attending the 60th session of the Human Rights Commission, the Croatian Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement.#L# Kosor informed Lubbers of the process of return of refugees and displaced persons to Croatia and the firm intention of the Croatian government to complete this process by the end of 2006. She also spoke of the return of refugees from Croatia to Bosnia-Herzegovina and the other way round, the establishing of a separate government commission to monitor this process, the existing legislation regarding minority rights and human rights in general, and proposed legislation aimed at reviving the economy and opening up prospects for young families in areas previously ravaged by war. Lubbers welcomed the progress Croatia had made in the process of refugee return. He was particularly interested in solving the problem of temporarily seized property. Based on the success he had achieved as a Dutch prime minister in raising the birth rate in his country, Lubbers stressed as key preconditions the creation of optimism and a positive social climate, and more favourable working hours. He said that on average Dutch men worked four days a week and women three days a week. Kosor also informed her host of the steps the Croatian government was taking in the area of the population policy, the statement said. CROATIA'S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION MINISTER HOLDS FIRST MEETING WITH FOREIGN DONORS ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatia's European integration minister and coordinator of aid and cooperation projects with the EU, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, held her first meeting with representatives of foreign donors and international financial institutions in Zagreb on Monday.#L# The meeting involved EU ambassadors in Zagreb and representatives of the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, USAID and other organisations. Speaking to reporters after the talks, Grabar-Kitarovic said that Croatian representatives had presented a medium-term plan for the use of foreign aid during the period from 2004 to 2006. "It is necessary for us to coordinate our activities in the best possible way in order to direct all the aid to economic and social priorities and to ensure that it is used as effectively as possible," she said, adding that the priorities concerned promotion of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship, financial consolidation, job creation and increasing living standards. "We have met today to better organise ourselves in achieving our common goal, and that is the successful integration of Croatia into the EU. It is important for us to known Croatian priorities, because Croatian priorities are our priorities," Swedish ambassador Sture Theolin said. USAID representative William Jeffers said that the meeting discussed joint work on stepping up the implementation of programmes and ambitious goals of the Croatian government. HOME POLICY COMMITTEE GIVES POSITIVE OPINION FOR APPOINTMENT OF NEW POA DIRECTOR ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament's Home Policy and National Security Committee has given a positive opinion on the proposal of President Stjepan Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader that Josko Podbevsek be appointed as new director of the Counterintelligence Agency (POA), Committee Chairman Ivan Jarnjak told reporters after a session of the Committee on Monday.#L# "Committee members discussed Podbevsek's CV and his view of the functioning of the POA and gave a positive opinion accordingly," Jarnjak said, adding that it was good that a replacement had been found quickly and that both the president and the prime minister had agreed on the candidate. Last week, Mesic and Sanader co-signed a decision relieving Franjo Turek of his duties as POA director at his personal request. JOSKO PODBEVSEK APPOINTED HEAD OF COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AGENCY ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Monday signed a decision appointing Josko Podbevsek head of the Counterintelligence Agency (POA), the President's Office said in a statement.#L# HUMAN RIGHTS CURRICULUM PRESENTED AT AUSTRIAN EMBASSY ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - A project called "A Curriculum for Human Rights and a Democratic Citizenry at University", was presented at the Austrian Embassy in Zagreb on Monday.#L# The main purpose of the project is to introduce education in human rights and strengthen the Research Education Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Citizenry at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. The head of the Office for Technical Cooperation at the Austrian Embassy, Michael Weiner, said that the project was a continuation of long and successful cooperation between Croatia and Austria, and that through the project Austria supported the education of Croatian teachers in human rights, in dissemination of information on human rights, and in methods of teaching on human rights in Croatia. ZET TRADE UNIONS POSTPONE GENERAL STRIKE FOR A WEEK ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - The coordinating body of four trade unions of workers employed in the Zagreb municipal transport company ZET has decided to postpone a general strike for a week.#L# Agreement to postpone the strike, which has been announced for today, was reached at a meeting on Sunday night. Union leaders told a press conference that the city authorities stuck to their position that wages could be increased by not more than 8.5 per cent and that they would agree to the unions' demand for a 10-percent pay rise only if the prices of ZET services were increased by five per cent. The four trade unions therefore decided to hold a referendum among the workers this week to see whether they would agree to the proposal or would insist on a 10-percent pay rise. NIKOLA RADOVANOVIC APPOINTED AS BOSNIA'S FIRST DEFENCE MINISTER SARAJEVO, March 15 (Hina) - The lower chamber of parliament on Monday appointed Nikola Radovanovic as Bosnia-Herzegovina's first defence minister, fulfilling one of the key conditions for the country's admission to NATO's Partnership for Peace programme.#L# In addition to Radovanovic, who was proposed by the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), the lower house also appointed his deputies, Enes Becirbasic, a Muslim, and Marina Pendes, a Croat. Radovanovic completed Army Academy, attended courses at the Royal College for Defence Studies in London and completed postgraduate studies in international relations and diplomacy at Oxford University. Radovanovic was proposed as defence minister after two previous candidates nominated by the SDS had not received approval from the Office of the High Representative because of their dubious roles during the war. Since the signing of the Dayton peace agreement in 1995, Bosnia-Herzegovina has not had a defence structure at state level. The armed forces of the Muslim-Croat federation and Republika Srpska have up to now acted as armed forces of two independent countries, with no coordination between them. The international community demanded establishment of a single defence ministry and a single armed force before it considered the possibility of Bosnia-Herzegovina joining Euro-Atlantic integration processes. ASHDOWN OFFICIALLY DISSOLVES MOSTAR'S SIX MUNICIPALITIES MOSTAR, March 15 (Hina) - The international community's High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, on Monday officially dissolved Mostar's six municipalities, three of which had a majority Muslim and three a majority Croat population.#L# The abolition of the southern city's six municipalities was carried out on the basis of the new city statute, which Ashdown imposed in late January and which envisages the unification of the until now divided city. Ashdown said today was an historic day for Mostar. Today Mostar has given itself a chance to start again, he said, stressing that after years of divisions and stagnation Mostar now had the opportunity to move ahead. The reorganisation of Mostar will result in a better management of public funds, namely more money for citizens' services and less money for local politicians, Ashdown said. Mostar will have one mayor, one budget and a united administration, he said, adding that mayor Hamdija Jahic and deputy mayor Ljubo Beslin would remain at their posts until municipal elections in October. Until the polls, the city's previous six municipal councils will be replaced by municipal offices, Ashdown said, adding that as of today these offices would be managed by the city council and not by municipalities. A new, united Mostar city council will be elected in October, Ashdown said, stressing that under the new statute none of the constituent peoples would be able to dominate one another. This statement was an indirect dismissal of criticism from the Bosnian Croatian Democratic Union party that under the new statute Croats, which account for 60 percent of Mostar's population, would have only a 42-percent share in the city government. Asked if he would advocate the same national equality in the government of the Bosnian Federation -- the Croat-Muslim entity, Ashdown said that under the Dayton peace agreement his responsibility was to resolve the Mostar issue, not the federal government issue, which he added was the domestic politicians' task. ASHDOWN DOESN'T OPPOSE PLACEMENT OF MONUMENT TO CROATIAN SOLDIERS IN MOSTAR MOSTAR, March 15 (Hina) - The international community's High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, said on Monday he would not object to the placement of a monument to Croatian soldiers in the southern city of Mostar.#L# The monument, which incorporates the sign of the cross, was brought to Mostar's Croatian Great Men Square late last week. When the placement of the monument began local media argued that it might upset Mostar's non-Catholics and disrupt the unification of the city. Ashdown said in Mostar today he felt the placement of the monument was not wrong since Croat politicians informed him it was not unlawful while Muslim leaders convinced him they did not find the monument provocative. LABUS SAYS SERBIAN GOVERNMENT WANTS COOPERATION AND STABILITY IN REGION SARAJEVO, March 15 (Hina) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus said on Monday that the new government in Serbia would insist on strengthening stability and cooperation in the region and would fully meet its commitments towards the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.#L# "The new Serbian government is democratic, reform-minded and pro-European," Labus told reporters in Sarajevo after meeting the Chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic. Labus is the first member of the new government to visit other countries in the region to convince them of Serbia's readiness to continue cooperation and maintain stability. He said that all countries in the region shared the goal of joining the European Union and NATO, and that therefore they should work together on achieving this objective. Responding to questions from the press, Labus said there were no major differences between him and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and that this would be clear from their efforts to strengthen the union of Serbia and Montenegro. Asked what his government would do in view of the fact that Belgrade had been given the March 31 deadline to prove its readiness for cooperation with the Hague tribunal, Labus said he did not expect any dramatic changes before that date, but pointed out that the government would cooperate with the tribunal. He explicitly said that the new government in Serbia would make every effort to arrest Bosnian Serb wartime military commander Ratko Mladic, who is sought by the tribunal and who the international community believes is hiding in Serbia. "All our intelligence services have been ordered to check if Ratko Mladic is in Serbia. If he really is, there will be no obstacles to implementing the law," he said. Terzic said the authorities in Sarajevo welcomed the readiness of the new Serbian government to cooperate and promote economic and political relations. Terzic stressed that Bosnia-Herzegovina was of crucial importance to the stability of the entire Balkans, including Serbia. Labus also met other senior officials of the State of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its two entities -- the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska. Later in the day he was scheduled to visit Banja Luka. SFOR TROOPS SEARCH SEVERAL HOUSES IN ZENICA AREA FOR HIDDEN WEAPONS SARAJEVO, March 15 (Hina) - NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) troops searched several residential buildings in the Zenica area of central Bosnia on Monday.#L# SFOR said in a statement that it was a routine unannounced check to prevent any attempts at obstructing the peace process. Local police were also involved in the search. According to local media reports, SFOR troops searched several houses in the village of Nemila, inhabited by naturalised citizens of Arab origin, for hidden weapons and ammunition. CROATIAN CITIZENS AMONG 50 PROSECUTION WITNESSES IN OVCARA TRIAL BELGRADE, March 15 (Hina) - Some of the 50 witnesses proposed by the Special Prosecutor's Office for War Crimes in the trial of six people charged with committing war crimes at the Ovcara farm near the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar in 1991, are citizens of Croatia, Belgrade District Court registrar Sonja Prostran said on Monday.#L# "We do not want to reveal the identity and origin of the witnesses for now for their own safety," Prostran told the Beta news agency, adding that there was a possibility of witnesses being heard via video link if the necessary equipment was procured. Spokesman for the Special Prosecutor's Office Bruno Vekaric expressed satisfaction with the start of the trial, adding that it was expected that the accused would deny their involvement in the crimes against at least 192 civilians from Vukovar and that he expected the outcome of the trial to be favourable to the prosecution. ICTY: KOVACEVIC WILL UNDERGO PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Former Yugoslav People's Army Captain Vladimir Kovacevic aka Rambo, whom the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted for shelling the southern Croatia's seaside resort of Dubrovnik in 1991, will undergo psychiatric treatment or be provisionally released with mandatory medical treatment, an ICTY status conference heard on Monday.#L# The Trial Chamber in the case will adopt a decision on the legal framework for Kovacevic's treatment, namely whether he is to undergo treatment in ICTY detention or during his provisional release, it was decided at the conference. Kovacevic, aged 43, was arrested on September 25, 2003. Since his initial appearance before the tribunal on November 3 last year, Kovacevic failed to enter his plea due to psychological difficulties.. His attorneys submitted to court the findings of Yugoslav psychiatrists who diagnosed Kovacevic with post-traumatic stress disorder, IN OTHER NEWS: ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic sent a letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, congratulating him on his victory in Sunday's presidential election, the President's Office said in a statement. Mesic expressed confidence that bilateral relations and cooperation between Croatia and Russia would continue to strengthen. He also extended an invitation to Putin to visit Croatia.#L# ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian citizens observed three minutes of silence at noon on Monday in tribute to the victims of last week's train bombings in Madrid, joining citizens of other European countries in paying their respects. Last Friday, a day after the bomb attacks that left 200 people killed and around 1,500 wounded, Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern called on EU member states to observe a three-minute silence for the victims and show solidarity with Spain.#L# ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - The apostolic nuncio in Croatia, Archbishop Francisco-Javier Lozano, in Zagreb's Cathedral on Monday celebrated Holy Mass for the victims of the terrorist attack which took place in Madrid last Thursday. The mass was organised by the Spanish Embassy in Zagreb. The mass was attended by representatives of the Spanish Embassy, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and his wife, Parliament President Vladimir Seks, Parliament Vice President Luka Bebic, Culture Minister and chairman of the government commission for relations with religious communities Bozo Biskupic, Interior Minister Marijan Mlinaric, European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of international organisations.#L# ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian Parliament President Vladimir Seks on Monday called the fifth parliamentary session which starts on March 23 and ends on April 2. The 22 items on the agenda include a final bill of amendments to the Law on the Rights of Homeland War Veterans and Their Families, which the government formulated at its last session. Among other things, the bill would put an end to the revision of the disabled war veteran status, which was introduced by the previous government. MPs are also due to tackle last year's spending of budgetary funds, a report on the work of the State Audit Office in 2003, audits done in 2002, and a State Audit Office report on the auditing of ownership transformation and privatisation. The agenda also includes a number of bills whereby parliament is expected to ratify agreements between the government and international institutions.#L# VIENNA, March 15 (Hina) - A more efficient international supervision over drug smuggling can be achieved if the entire society is actively involved in the combating of drug abuse. This is the message delivered at the beginning of the 47th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) which started in Vienna on Monday. Croatia joined the CND on January 1, 2004 for a four-year mandate. At this year's session Croatia is represented by a 12-member delegation which includes representatives of the ministries of justice, foreign affairs, interior affairs, economy, and health. It is led by the head of the government's office for the prevention of drug abuse, Bernardica Juretic.#L# ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader will visit Bratislava on Thursday and Friday and attend a conference of the Vilnius and Visegrad groups called "Towards a Larger Europe: The New Agenda", the government's public relations office said in a statement on Monday.#L# ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatian Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic on Monday received the architect of the "Jasenovac Flower" monument, Bogdan Bogdanovic, on the occasion of Tuesday's ceremony marking the completion of works on the reconstruction of the monument erected in the memory of the victims of the Ustashi regime who were detained in the Jasenovac concentration camp during WWII. The ceremony will also be attended by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader,. Bogdanovic's "definition" of the "Jasenovac Flower" -- "Insult no one, threaten no one, call not for revenge, but hide not the truth" -- was accepted as one of the basic ideas of the revitalisation of the memorial centre in Jasenovac.#L# BELGRADE, March 15 (Hina) - Serbia's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday it had stepped up anti-terror measures at border crossings, facilities of special social significance and areas where larger numbers of people assemble on Serbia's territory.#L# BEGOVO RAZDOLJE, March 15 (Hina) - A seminar for young Roma, organised by the Croatian government's office for national minorities, started in Begovo Razdolje, 50 kilometres east of Rijeka, on Monday. The Council of Europe's Coordinator for Roma, Henry Scicluna, who attended the opening of the seminar, said that Croatia's national programme for Roma was of good quality, stressing that the Roma culture and language were appropriately represented. He added, however, that the most important thing was to ensure the funds for its implementation. The seminar, which is attended by 14 people from several Roma communities in the country, will also be addressed by representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who will speak about the exercising of minority rights. The seminar is co-financed by the Council of Europe and the OSCE Mission in Croatia..#L# THIS BULLETIN INCLUDES ITEMS RELEASED BY 23.15 HRS MONDAY