BOSNIA NEWS

SARAJEVO,Bosnia - The Bosnian Presidency had a session yesterday and ratified an Agreement between Bosnia and Croatia on border control, the Bosnian Presidency’s press office said in a statement.

The Bosnian Presidency received concurrence about the ratification from the Bosnian parliament. The agreement will be published in the official gazette soon, which will complete the process of its adoption by Bosnia. The agreement will come into effect after Croatia has completed its process of ratification.

The following decisions were also passed: Decision on Candidacy and Nomination of the Bosnian Ambassadors, Diplomatic Mission Chiefs and Consul Generals; Decision on Issuing Credentials to Markijan Lubkivski for the Position of Ukrainian Ambassador to Bosnia situated in Croatia; Decision on Issuing Credentials to Said bin Nasser bin Mansoor Al-Sinawi Al-Harthy for the Position of Oman Sultanate Ambassador to Bosnia situated in India.

The Bosnian Presidency also passed a Decision on Initiation of Negotiations Procedure for Development Cooperation between the Bosnian government and the government of Sweden and Decision on Acceptance of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Defense Sector between Bosnia and Greece.

The Bosnian Presidency also adopted the Information of the Bosnian Ministry of Defense on Questionnaire for Complete PFP Interoperability. The Ministry is to continue with the NATO projects.

The following decisions on agreement ratification have also been adopted: Agreement on the Military Grant between Bosnia and Turkey and Implementation Protocol related to financial support between the Bosnian Ministry of Defense and Turkish Army Headquarters, Agreement between Bosnia and NATO on Information Safety, Temporary Agreement on Free Trade between the Bosnian government and UN Temporary Peace Mission to Kosovo, Agreement on the Railway Network in SE Europe, Convention for Unification of Certain Regulations in the International Air Space, Agreement on Extradition between Bosnia and Serbia and Montenegro and Agreement on Defense between Bosnia and Slovenia.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric stated yesterday in Sarajevo at a meeting with the Finish Ambassador to OSCE and the new President of the permanent Council of OSCE for 2008 Anti Turunen that he hopes the police and constitutional reforms in Bosnia will continue.

Spiric emphasized that the OSCE may be the only international organization in Bosnia present in the field through its office branches and that that is why they can understand problems in Bosnia. He especially emphasized the OSCE efforts in democratization processes and education reforms in Bosnia.

Ambassador Turunen was interested in the Srebrenica issue and emphasized that it is of a significant importance to improve the economic situation in the area.Ambassador Turunen also stated that Bosnia has made a huge progress in the past 10 years and that the country has great potentials.

Douglas Davidson, OSCE Mission Chief to Bosnia also attended the meeting.

PRIJEDOR,Bosnia – The concentration camp survivors and the victims’ families paid tribute to the victims killed by the genocidal Serbian aggressor at the “Keraterm” concentration camp in Prijedor.

President of the “Source” Association of women from Prijedor Fatima Fazlic urged the institutions responsible to ensure justice.

She called the field courts to process all the responsible persons in a chain of crimes committed by the Serbian aggressor not only in Keraterm but also in other concentration camps in the Prijedor surroundings.

According to some estimates, in three months, from May to August 1992, over 3.000 Bosnian citizens were imprisoned in the camp by the genocidal Serbian aggressor and over 300 of them were murdered.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – Associations of national minorities in Bosnia who did not answer the public call announced early June may nominate their candidates to the Bosnian National Minorities’ Council within 30 days. This was concluded at the session of members of workgroup in charge of implementation of the Decision on Forming the Bosnian National Minorities’ Council, held in Sarajevo.

National minorities’ representatives have been informed about the workgroup activities which is active at the Joint Commission for Human Rights, Rights of Children, Youth, Immigration, Refugees, Asylum and Ethics at the Bosnian parliament.

Members of the workgroup Zoran Koprivica and Samir Buljina called the national minorities’ representatives to align their proposals since one person from every national minority may be appointed a candidate.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – EUFOR Chief of Staff Pablo Bermuda and his assistants visited the Bosnian Ministry of Defence and met with the Bosnian Defence Minister Selmo Cikotic.

Cikotic informed Bermuda about results achieved in the defence reform process and further activities of Bosnia on joining NATO. He also underlined the importance of cooperation between the Bosnian Armed Forces and EUFOR.

Bermuda said that the EU forces would support Bosnia in continuing the process of defence reform and its road towards NATO membership. He offered the possibility of participation of the Bosnian Armed Forces in a joint exercise with EUFOR planned for mid August, the Bosnian Ministry of Defence stated.