REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PM RS Government Wants Coordination ... · PM Zeljka Cvijanovic (SNSD) said that...

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PM Zeljka Cvijanovic (SNSD) said that the RS government will reconsider its position when the coordination govern- ment is "fixed", because "the govern- ment decided so". She said that the enti- ty Assembly will back the government's decision, and "it is the problem of the BiH (state) level that they ignore the positions of RS institutions". "That is not our problem anymore. We will participate (in the coordination mechanism) when they fix what they made wrong and in secrecy; and it can only be fixed in consultations with us and with our institutional participation, not unilaterally by the Council of Ministers. Simply, decisions that define the position and participation of Republika Srpska institutions can't be passed on the BiH level - that can be done only by the RS institutions. BiH (state) institutions are not superior to us in any segment, and that matter is clear," said PM Cvijanovic. "Also, there is a problem if (the Council of Ministers) told (the EU) that we dis- cussed concrete solutions, because we didn't in any of the meetings. The prob- lem is that, unfortunately, after the com- ments (of lower levels on the coordina- tion mechanism) were delivered, a meet- ing wasn't scheduled to define the final version acceptable to all government lev- els; instead, the decision (on coordina- tion mechanism) was simply published," said PM Cvijanovic. Daily e-newspaper N° 3739 Sarajevo, February 22, 2016 Mladen Ivanic, BiH Presidency: I am convinced that the RS government will participate in the working bodies of the coordination mechanism, because there were similar situations in the past, when the RS government objected, but then they agreed to cooperate Branislav Borenovic, PDP: As far as we know, there will be no special ses- sion of the RS Assembly on the coordi- nation mechanism, and there is no need for it, although we were willing to participate in it, even initiate it, but I am afraid that would be waste of time and energy Dragan Covic, HDZ BiH: I am sure that we must do everything to keep the (ruling) coalition, because it is a guarantor of further reforms. But, the fact is that every day somebody makes sure to create a "little problem" that might create impression that (the coalition) doesn't function REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PM Republika Srpska Prime Minister said that her government will not be part of the coordination mechanism because it didn't participate in its creation RS Government Wants Coordination Mechanism "Fixed" Zeljka Cvijanovic

Transcript of REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PM RS Government Wants Coordination ... · PM Zeljka Cvijanovic (SNSD) said that...

Page 1: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PM RS Government Wants Coordination ... · PM Zeljka Cvijanovic (SNSD) said that the RS government will reconsider its position when the coordination govern-ment

PM Zeljka Cvijanovic (SNSD) said thatthe RS government will reconsider itsposition when the coordination govern-ment is "fixed", because "the govern-ment decided so". She said that the enti-ty Assembly will back the government'sdecision, and "it is the problem of theBiH (state) level that they ignore thepositions of RS institutions"."That is not our problem anymore. Wewill participate (in the coordinationmechanism) when they fix what theymade wrong and in secrecy; and it canonly be fixed in consultations with usand with our institutional participation,not unilaterally by the Council ofMinisters. Simply, decisions that definethe position and participation ofRepublika Srpska institutions can't bepassed on the BiH level - that can bedone only by the RS institutions. BiH(state) institutions are not superior to usin any segment, and that matter is clear,"said PM Cvijanovic.

"Also, there is a problem if (the Councilof Ministers) told (the EU) that we dis-cussed concrete solutions, because wedidn't in any of the meetings. The prob-lem is that, unfortunately, after the com-ments (of lower levels on the coordina-

tion mechanism) were delivered, a meet-ing wasn't scheduled to define the finalversion acceptable to all government lev-els; instead, the decision (on coordina-tion mechanism) was simply published,"said PM Cvijanovic.

Daily e-newspaper • N° 3739 • Sarajevo, February 22, 2016

Mladen Ivanic, BiH Presidency: I amconvinced that the RS governmentwill participate in the working bodiesof the coordination mechanism,because there were similar situationsin the past, when the RS governmentobjected, but then they agreed tocooperate

Branislav Borenovic, PDP: As far aswe know, there will be no special ses-sion of the RS Assembly on the coordi-nation mechanism, and there is noneed for it, although we were willingto participate in it, even initiate it, butI am afraid that would be waste oftime and energy

Dragan Covic, HDZ BiH: I am surethat we must do everything to keepthe (ruling) coalition, because it is aguarantor of further reforms. But, thefact is that every day somebody makessure to create a "little problem" thatmight create impression that (thecoalition) doesn't function

REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PM

Republika Srpska Prime Minister said that her government will not be part of the coordination mechanism because it didn't participate in its creation

RS Government WantsCoordination Mechanism "Fixed"

Zeljka Cvijanovic

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2Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

BOSNIA NEWS

BiH Presidency member and the leader of the SDA, Bakir Izetbegovic, said in an interview with N1 television

that there was no agreement with the leader of SBB, Fahrudin Radoncic, to have a joint presidential candidate

of SDA and SBB in the next general elections

SDA Will Have Its Own PresidencyCandidate in 2018: Izetbegovic

At a recent hearing in the BiH Court,Radoncic said that SDA and SBB

agreed to have him as a joint candidatebecause Izetbegovic cannot run for the thirdtime in the elections for the Presidency ofBosnia and Herzegovina."There was no agreement that I or SDAsup-port Radoncic as a joint candidate in 2018.SDA is the strongest party in BiH, and hadits candidate for the Presidency of Bosniaand Herzegovina regularly, and will haveone in 2018," Izetbegovic said.On the other hand, Izetbegovic believes thatthe SDA-SBB coalition will survive."It is in the interest of Bosnia and Herzegov-ina, Bosniaks that these two parties repre-sent, it goes far beyond petty personal inter-ests, it is the wall against possible attacks onthe stability and territorial integrity of Bos-nia and Herzegovina," said Izetbegovic.He noted that the atmosphere in the SDA is

very good."I don't think we ever had such energy, con-sensus and good atmosphere in the work ofthe party as it is now. There is nothing thatresembles a split," said Izetbegovic.Izetbegovic also commented on a recentstatement of the President of Republika Srp-ska Milorad Dodik that the city of Sarajevois unsafe and should be avoided."Sarajevo has a stronger economy than theentire Republika Srpska. Dodik shouldcome to Sarajevo and learn some thingsfrom Sarajevans who had the power toovercome what they have survived. TheRS pension fund is in a state of collapse,decaying railways, banking system, thecollapse of refineries; their pensioners arethe poorest in Europe, so Dodik has a lotto clean up in his own backyard and hecould learn a lot from Sarajevans alone,"said Izetbegovic.

Persons from Republika Srpska who arein the custody of the InternationalCriminal Court for War Crimes in TheHague will be awarded one-time finan-cial assistance in the amount of 40,000KM, the RS Government said."The rules, criteria and conditions for theuse of individual financial assistance to

persons who are in custody of theInternational Criminal Court for WarCrimes in The Hague will be defined ina special ordinance that will be adoptedby the RS Center for Research of WarCrimes and Search for Missing Persons,with the approval of the RS govern-ment", said the entity government.

RS Government Pledges FinancialAssistance to The Hague Defendants

Two Titles Arrive in BiH

Successes in sports, arts and showbusiness are reserved for big coun-

tries and big nations. Therefore, the joywith which Bosnia and Herzegovina wel-comes every international success of itscitizens in the fierce global competition isunderstandable.We are used to awards of film directorDanis Tanovic. Two years ago, he alsowon a "Silver Bear" at the Berlin FilmFestival. Film "An Episode in the Life ofan Iron Picker" was made in 2013 with abudget of only 17,000 Euros. "Death inSarajevo" is also a low-budget produc-tion, which the film critics, the audienceand the jury recognized this week as aquality film and awarded the same "Sil-ver Bear" to our director. Also, Tanovicgot the award for best film, awarded bythe International Association of FilmCritics (FIPRESCI).The story of Tanovic's film focuses on thefamous Sarajevo assassination and itsreflection on our society today. The film isbased on a play by French philosopherBernard-Henry Levy, "Hotel Europe". Inaddition to some ten Sarajevo actors, themain role in the film is played by the leg-endary French theater actor Jacques Weber.At the same time, news came from Ger-many about a new success of boxer AdnanCatic (Felix Sturm), who took back the titleof world champion by the WBA version ofthe super middleweight division. This isthe fifth time that the German born in ourcountry takes back that title, which makeshim a phenomenon in the world of boxing.That was also met with enthusiasm in Bos-nia and Herzegovina, from where dozensof his supporters traveled to the match inOberhausen, in which he was better thanRussian Chudinov.Bosnia and Herzegovina has alwaysbeen a country of talents. Before the war,many of our athletes and artists receivedinternational awards. Today, little ornothing is invested in them, the social cli-mate is depressing... Therefore, their suc-cesses are much more valuable thanthose achieved in BiH's brighter past.

By Amra ZimicEditor-in-Chief

Abu Hamza May Sue Governmentover Years in Detention

The Syrian citizen Imad Al-Husin betterknown as Abu Hamza told the TV net-work Aljazeera Balkans that he may filea lawsuit against the Bosnian authoritiesfor keeping him for more than sevenyears in detention, on suspicion that herepresented a threat to national security."I challenge the Bosnian authorities tohold a fair trial," Al-Husin told Aljazeera."I'm ready to give them my head if theycan prove I am a menace to nationalsecurity. If I'm guilty, they can condemnme. If not, I will sue them because they

held me [in detention] for seven-and-a-half years," he said.Abu Hamza denied claims made by theMinistry of Security on Thursday that he stillrepresented a menace to national security."Back in 2014 my legal team asked theBosnian authorities to produce evidence thatI represented a threat," Abu Hamza said. "Allthey could do was present two newspapersarticles dating from 2006 and 2007. Apartfrom that, they didn't provide any evidence tojustify the idea that I represent a threat toBosnian national security," he stated.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia andHerzegovina Igor Crnadak participated inBelgrade at the international seminar "Bri-tain, Belgrade and Western Balkans", heldunder the auspices of the Group of SerbiaParliament of Great Britain and Ministerwithout portfolio in charge for Europeanintegration of the Republic of Serbia Jadran-ka Joksimovic. Minister Crnadak spoke atthe opening of the seminar, followed by apanel discussion on "The limits of publicdiplomacy in strengthening economic andpolitical cooperation," when he stressed theimportance of regional cooperation, especial-ly in economics, infrastructure and Europeanintegration.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bos-nia and Herzegovina Josip Brkic received theSecretary of State for European Integrationand chief negotiator for the Accession ofMontenegro to the EU Aleksandar AndrijaPejovic. Brkic informed his counterpart onthe submission of application of Bosnia andHerzegovina for membership in the Euro-pean Union and stressed that the applicationis a confirmation of all the previous efforts byall levels of government in BiH on the Euro-pean path.

Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosniaand Herzegovina Fadil Novalic and FBiHMinister of Energy, Mining and IndustryNermin Dzindic received a delegation of theEuropean Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment, headed by Director for BiHIan Brown. The delegation also includedadvisers from the Initiative for the invest-ment climate and management of EBRDFranklin Steves and Anastasia Rodina.

HIGHLIGHTS

Aggressive fools were once, two decadesago, stopped here. On the morning in

April 1992 when the inscription appeared onthe facade of Sarajevo's main post office:"This is Serbia!" a patriotic hand humorous-ly replied: "This is a post office, you fool!"And those who planned to capture Bosniaand Herzegovina and its capital cityovernight turned out to be fools. I fear, how-ever, that in the new era, seemingly peaceful,other miners of Bosnia and Herzegovina canbecome winners. So far, the fools are we thattolerate the unprecedented arroganceof our official head of state, Chair-man of the BiH Presidency, DraganCovic, at the epicenter of our coun-try. For more than a year, a flag of theso-called Herceg-Bosna standsprominently next to the stateflag of Bosnia and Herzegov-ina in his office.If words lie, pictures do not.And a reporter of klix.ba news website cap-tured with his camera the situation in Covic'scabinet. The notorious flag of officially non-existent "third entity" (which the Constitu-tional Court has twice declared illegal) standsequally with the national flag of Bosnia andHerzegovina.Now the hypocrisy of the alleged advocate ofthe statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina,Dragan Covic, is even more clear, and hisalleged rejection of the idea of creating athird, exclusively Croatian entity. Why pur-suing that when he already has it in practice:the flag in official statesman's cabinet, callingour cantons the counties, which was longdeclared unconstitutional, the unobstructeduse of the Croatian kuna as a means of pay-ment, also illegal, but very alive in the areaunder Covic's baton.Let's stick to the flag. I really do not remem-ber such a political prank and such defama-tion of our country's reputation. And by a for-mal chief of our country!But why Bakir Izetbegovic and Mladen Ivan-ic, Covic's housemates in the building in cen-tral Sarajevo, never told his colleague toremove the intruder? Why didn't they informthe public about that? Why didn't they reportCovic to the prosecutor's office, due to theunconstitutional actions?Also, if he didn't know by now about thishumiliation of BiH and the unconstitutional,

anti-Dayton behavior, will the High Represen-tative Valentin Inzko order Covic tomorrow tostop that? In fact, it would be normal if heremoved him from the Presidency with a veryshort and precise decision, to which he has theright, because the gravely violated the code ofconduct in the highest office in the country.Thirdly, if none of the abovementionedreacts, with which explanation will the policedispel offended Bosnians, loyal to their coun-try, if tomorrow they go to forcibly removethe provocative prop from Covic's Cabinet?

If the state will not move a finger, itscitizens could try and do the jobsome day.In addition to Covic, on this occasioncriticized were also Bakir Izetbegovic,Fahrudin Radoncic, Mladen Ivanic and

Milorad Dodik, who praiseCovic and work closely withhim. In that way, they becomecomplicit in his arrogance and

illegal actions. Together with the redundant flag inthe said cabinet, they could also be swept away!Their rivals from the SDP also have no rea-son to gloat. In the previous term of govern-ment, they cooperated with even biggerscum, the followers of Ustasha in the Croat-ian Party of Rights (HSP). Those would havebrought Pavelic's picture and the flag of thecriminal NDH in the BiH Presidency, if theyhad an office there.I wrote several times about the chief of HDZas a politician worth every contempt, achameleon and primordial enemy of an inde-pendent, unified Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahypocrite who says one thing and does anoth-er. He is well aware that the Republic ofCroatia, his "mother", strictly prohibits andpunishes display of anyone's national flag inplaces where there can only be the local one.He apparently thinks that it is not a rule here,that we are some kind of a fictional country,a political cartoon, the butt of jokes.I know that the mentioned politicians fromother peoples know all about Covic. Are theyany better than him, if they tolerate such hispolicy?If they think they are, they have a chance totake the test again. They can at least verbally,with some statement and announcement, repri-mand Covic. Until they do that, they are hisallies in the dirty work of mocking and under-mining the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The Third Entity" in Covic's CabinetHow to respect the head of state who, like Covic,

places next to the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina a symbol of his separatist creation Herceg-Bosna?

Editor - in - ChiefAMRA ZIMICPublisherPOENTA d.o.o.Sarajevo, Augusta Brauna 3Senior EditorsVLASTIMIR MIJOVICRASID KRUPALIJAEditorsDANIJELA MRKICIBRAHIM AYDOGANOffice AssistantMUSTAFA BAHTANOVICDTPBEKIR TVRTKOVICMarketingAJNA NUHANOVICGSM: 061 145 464Phone: 033 843 642, 033 846 430Web site: www.bosniadaily.co.baE-mail: [email protected]

OPINION

By Vlastimir MijovicSenior Editor

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4Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

INTERNATIONALS IN BOSNIA

PDP leader Branislav Borenovic and High Representative Valentin Inzko said that the coordination mechanism is a document that reflects the Dayton structure of BiH

and gives full significance and capacity of Republika Srpska in adopting the harmonized positions on the path towards the European Union

Coordination Mechanism Reflects Dayton Structure: Borenovic and Inzko

At a meeting in Banja Luka, it wasnoted that the judiciary should be

independent, impartial and act in a pro-fessional manner in order to respond tothe challenge of fighting corruption andcrime, said the PDP."The proposed coordination mechanism cor-responds with the document which wasadopted in the RS Assembly in October2013, with a team that is further enhanced bydefining consensus vote of each level of gov-ernment in accordance with its constitution-al jurisdiction, which means that no deci-sions at the Collegium, Committee, sub-committees and task forces for Europeanintegration, as well as ministerial confer-ences can be adopted without the vote of theRS i.e. representatives of the Government ofRepublika Srpska," said Borenovic.He added that a new law on theConstitutional Court of Bosnia andHerzegovina should be adopted in orderto eliminate the ways of decision-making

by majority vote against any nation orentity, and expressed his expectation thatthis issue is resolved as soon as possible.According to Borenovic, PDP is serious-ly preparing for a new phase of develop-ment of the RS in which priority shouldbe solving pressing economic and socialproblems of the citizens of the RSinstead of meaningless and empty politi-

cal issues that were exhausted and ledRS to the difficult economic situation.The meeting was attended by ZoranTalic, a member of the Presidency of thePDP, and he emphasized that the PDP,together with the parties of the Alliancefor Change, is seriously preparing for thenext local elections in October 2016, andgeneral elections no later than 2018.

US Ambassador to BiH MaureenCormack congratulated Bosnia andHerzegovina on the submission of theapplication for EU membership andpointed out that this is a very importantstep for the country."We all know that real reforms and theimplementation of real reforms shouldcome after this. The next step in theaccession process is the process of com-pleting the questionnaire, then there mustbe a complete consent in connection with

the coordination mechanism and theadaptation of the Stabilization andAssociation Agreement," said Cormackin an interview with Oslobodjenje daily.She believes that one of the benefits of thewhole process is the fight against corrup-tion. She stresses that a transparent busi-ness environment must be created to fightand eliminate corruption, because mod-ern companies do not allow corruption."We cooperate with the justice system,work through institutions, we are work-

ing with the courts, the prosecutor'soffice, to help the judicial system toidentify cases of internal or corruption,then it builds and builds up so that it isable to fight and to prosecute corruptioncases. The key is the highest level ofprofessionalism in the judiciary and toindeed prevent political interference inthe judicial process. We are trying,through the USAID, to raise publicawareness that corruption is not normalto be accepted," said Cormack.

Implement Real Reforms: Cormack

HNC PM Meets with Deputy Head of OSCE Mission to BiH Prime Minister of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC), NevenkoHerceg, met with Alexander Chuplygin,Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission toBosnia and Herzegovina, and representa-tives of the OSCE Office in Mostar. PMHerceg informed Chuplygin about thecurrent situation in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and activities and work

of the new Government. He pointed outthe adoption of the Action Plan for theReform Agenda and the adoption of theHNC Budget. He also spoke about theGovernment's plans in the current year,stressing that special attention will bepaid to the adoption of legislation,among others, the Civil Service Law, theLaw on Salaries and Labor Law.

Chuplygin stressed the good cooperationof the OSCE Office in Mostar and theGovernment of the Herzegovina-NeretvaCanton, pointing out the need for astronger mutual engagement when itcomes to protection of human rights, andvoiced expectations that the issue of theso-called two schools under one roof willbe resolved soon.

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5Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

A photo titled "Gornja pecina Bijambare" (Bijambare Upper Cave) by Susanne Mattis from the German Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina was declared the best among more than

150 photographs presented at the international exhibition "Bosnia and Herzegovina in the eyes of diplomats", which opened at the Bosnian Cultural Center in Sarajevo

Exhibition "Bosnia and Herzegovina inthe Eyes of Diplomats" Opens in Sarajevo

"I took the photo two weeks ago inBijambare, where I went to get awayfrom the smog in Sarajevo. I also hikeregularly and at this exhibition I present-ed photos from Bjelasnica and Jahorina.These are the places where I always havemy camera with me," told FENASuzanne Mattis.According to the jury's decision, chairedby BiH painter Zekerijah Nalic, the sec-ond place went to two photos, one wastaken by an advisor in the SpanishEmbassy in Bosnia and HerzegovinaEsther Iguierdo Martinez, titled "Lonelysnowman" and the second photo wastaken by Andrew Mayne, UNHCRRepresentative, who's photo portrayscats sunbathing.The photos titled "Homes and the shel-ter" and "Strangers on the road" took thethird place, authored by Representativeof the Embassy of Norway Anne Havnorand Second Secretary of the Embassy ofRussia in BiH Anton Sokolov. Althoughshe did not win any of the prizes,Ambassador of Norway Vibeke Lilloewas pleased that the exhibition featuredthree of her photographs and that shealso as a member of the jury voted on thebest photos of the exhibition "Bosnia and

Herzegovina in the eyes of diplomats.""I try to focus on small details andmotifs, which can also be artistic. WhileI was riding in my car on Mt Vlasic I wasfascinated with colors, and I had to tellthe driver to stop to get out of the car andmake some photos which symbolizewinter. This is what I love the most," saidthe Norwegian Ambassador to BiH.The exhibition, open until March 4, wasorganized by the Russian Embassy inBiH with the support of the diplomaticcorps and the Public Institution Centerfor Culture of the Sarajevo Canton.The photos depict true values and posi-

tive experiences in Bosnia andHerzegovina, said the RussianAmbassador to BiH Peter Ivantsov andadded that this will help citizens of BiHto see how much natural treasure thiscountry in fact has."Representatives of the embassies andinternational organizations, as well as theauthors have demonstrated with this exhi-bition that the international communitydoes not see Bosnia and Herzegovina as apolitical problem, but as a fascinatingcountry with friendly and interesting peo-ple," said the Russian ambassador at theopening of the exhibition.

The coordination mechanism should beunblocked as soon as possible, it was saidat a meeting of the President of NDP Dra-gan Cavic and the High Representative inBiH Valentin Inzko."Tensions are rising unnecessarily and itblocks the EU path of BiH and reducesthe chance that the economy and theoverall economic and social developmentbecomes a focus of interest of citizensand elected officials," said NDP in thepress release.

Cavic and InzkoDiscuss

CoordinationMechanism

INTERNATIONALS IN BOSNIA

High Representative, Valentin Inzko,and Principal Deputy HighRepresentative, Bruce Berton, visitedthe BiH Deposit Insurance Agency inBanja Luka. Both praised the Agencyfor its dedicated work and achieve-ments to the benefit of the country, itseconomy and all of its citizens. "The continued increase of the depositinsurance limit to today's 50,000 KMhas built public confidence in thebanking sector and encouraged sav-ings, which in turn has contributed tothe loaning capacity of banks and has

kept the banking sector stable, as evi-dent at the time of the economic crisis.This clearly shows how state-levelinstitutions work to the benefit of allcitizens in BiH. The BiH DepositInsurance Agency's efficiency andeffectiveness in reimbursing BobarBank depositors after the bank's bank-ruptcy is the most recent and obviousevidence of this, and once again stress-es the necessity of preserving the fullindependence and highest professionalstandards of this crucial state institu-tion", said High Representative.

BiH Deposit Insurance Agency Is In Service of Citizens

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6Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

Special units of the police of Republika Srpska will be trained in Russia from where the governmentof the entity is keen to buy military equipment, the Ministry of Interior said, reports BIRN

Russia to Train Republika SrpskaSpecial Police

Dragan Lukac, Interior Minister ofRepublika Srpska, said the entity gov-

ernment will soon send its special policeunits for training in Russia and is also keento buy military equipment from Moscow."It's a really important opportunity to trainthe special units of our police with Russianunits, which are known and respected allover the world," Lukac told the Banja Luka-based newspaper Nezavisne Novine.He added that working with the Russianpolice would be of great importance, espe-cially in terms of dealing with terrorism,Nezavisne Novine reported. Details of thecooperation between the two police forceswere included in a protocol signed last yearin Moscow by the Russian and RS Min-istries of Interior, Lukac explained. Accord-ing to Lukac, cooperation with the Russianpolice should also concern exchanges ofinformation in the fight against narcoticsand human trafficking.The RS police units will also get specifictrainings on investigation techniques andforensic analysis. Lukac explained also thatthe authorities in RS are interested in buyingmilitary equipment from Russia, includingarmored vehicles equipped with water can-nons and Kalashnikov rifles, which are com-monly used by police in the region, he noted.

According to Milos Solaja, professor ofPolitical Sciences of Banja Luka and anexpert in international relations, closercooperation between the police of Republi-ka Srpska and Russia is not surprising."Russia is trying to consolidate its presencein the international scene, not only in theBalkans but in other regions as well," Sola-ja told BIRN."There is no doubt that Moscow is interest-ed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and inRepublika Srpska, for at least three reasons:first, the country is still not in NATO, so thissituation gives Moscow more freedom

when it has to deal with us, " Solaja said."Second, there are common characteris-tics between Russia and RS - their resi-dents are Slavs, orthodox, and have acommon Socialist past; finally, Russiahas some commercial interests in thisentity, like the refineries in Brod andModrica," he said.

The Presidency of the SocialDemocratic Party of BiH said that theapplication for membership in theEuropean Union is an important step forthe country. The strategic interest ofBosnia and Herzegovina is membershipin the EU and NATO, and thereforeSDP said they will always supporteverything that will contribute thatcountry becomes part of these integra-tions as soon as possible, said the party.Members of the SDP Presidency calledon the current ruling coalition to demon-strate seriousness in relation to the appli-cation for the EU and resolve the accumu-lated problems as quickly as possible,including traditional trade as part of theStabilization and Association Agreement.

The Presidency of SDP also discussedthe proposed formation of three ethnicchannels within BHRT, which they saidwas absolutely unacceptable and anattempt to further divide the country.It is yet another attempt of segregationof BiH media space and an attack on thepublic broadcasting service, which,because the Council of Ministers hasnot yet appointed a new Minister ofCommunications and Transport, ispractically dying. These proposals callinto question the basic premise of thepublic broadcasting services in Bosniaand Herzegovina, which in their entireprogram content must be available to allcitizens, regardless of their ethnic orreligious affiliation, the party said.

SDP Criticizes Plans to Create ThreeEthnic Public Broadcasters

A former member of the CroatianDefense Council (HVO) was extraditedfrom the United States to Bosnia due tosuspicions that he committed war crimesin Pocitelj and Capljina. The state prose-cution suspects Edin Sakoc, a formermember of the HVO military police, ofwar crimes against Serbs in the Pociteljand Capljina area in 1992."He is suspected of rape and sexual abuseof a Serb woman in the Pocitelj area andparticipation in the murder of two Serbsin Capljina with individuals known tohim," the Bosnian state prosecution said.After his extradition to Bosnian judicialbodies, Sakoc was handed over to thecompetent prosecution. The prosecutionwill examine him and decide whether tofile a custody order motion. Sakoc wasarrested in the United States in 2013because he gave false information on hisrole in the Bosnian war to US authorities,stated the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

The United StatesExtradites WarCrimes Suspect

BOSNIA NEWS

Dragan Lukac

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7Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

ECONOMY

Prime Minister of Bosnia's Federation Fadil Novalic and entity's minister of energy, mining andindustry Nermin Dzindic met in Sarajevo with a delegation of the European Bank for

Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), led by head of the bank's office in Ian Brown

EBRD Works on a Program to Assist Reform Implementation

BiH assuredly has enormous economicpotential which, unfortunately, is furthernot sufficiently used. Though the per-centage of foreign investments is grow-ing, the strategy to attract new invest-ments must be more efficient. TheForeign Investment Promotion Agency(FIPA) says that the country can attractinvestments worth up to ten billioneuros in the field of energy production

alone. According to latest official dataon the percentage of foreign directinvestments in BiH, investments mostlytarget production sector (36%), bankingsector (20%), telecommunications sec-tor (14%) and trade sector (11%).Extremely low percentage of foreigndirect investments was recorded intourism sector, only two percent of totalinvestments. This data is concerning

bearing in mind that BiH has rich touristpotential. However, potentials are notexclusively required for the arrival oftourists and investments in tourism sec-tor, but a harmonized policy and legisla-tion that will enable tourism develop-ment. Besides tourism, the potentialBiH definitely must use is energy pro-duction, having in mind the numerousnatural advantages.

Energy Production Potential Can Attract Investments Worth Ten Billion Euro

The delegation also included advisersfrom EBRD's Investment Climate and

Governance Initiative (ICGI) FranklinSteves and Anastasia Rodina. Goal of thevisit of this team, which deals in EBRDwith capacity building in promoting eco-nomic transition by improving the invest-ment climate and good governance, is toassess the potential and the need for theassistance of EBRD in the implementationof the Reform Agenda, in part concerningthe improvement of the business climateand economic governance. Steves said thatthe initiative is being implemented in sever-al European countries, adding that BiH is

among the potential partners. "Conditionsfor the program to be applied is the need forreforms, space and will of the host or thegovernment for EBRD to provide its assis-tance," said Steves, pointing out they haveidentified some common goals through theReform Agenda implementation. Express-ing satisfaction with the offer from EBRD,Novalic said that this is one of the mostconcrete offers that the Federation govern-ment has received from international insti-tutions and organizations. "The goals out-lined by EBRD are consistent with theReform Agenda and I think that we aretouching upon the essence of the problem,"

said Novalic. He stressed the government iscommitted to reforms and is ready to dealwith key economic issues of the societysuch as enhancing the business environ-ment, where certain steps have alreadybeen made, as well as strengthening thecorporative governance. "We did a lotwhen it comes to corporative governance,but we need your assistance. What needs tobe improved is the competition council,company registration through one-stopshops in every municipality and particular-ly judiciary," the prime minister noted,adding the latter is further not capable todeal with commercial law.

Foreign Investments Depend on Competitiveness Minister of Foreign Trade and EconomicRelations of BiH Mirko Sarovic said inSarajevo on Friday the majority of countriesin the region have surpassed BiH and thatthe issue of foreign investments should getmore importance than it has now. "BiH isthe most non-competitive country in theregion, there isn't anyone worse than usworse in the region and it is true that certainprocedures last for months. We were sur-passed by everyone in the region, includingAlbania, Kosovo and Macedonia. The issueof business environment competitiveness isa constant job, it never ends and we mustalways be in the focus of these things,"Sarovic said. He added that in this regard theWorld Bank, International Finance Corpo-ration (IFC) respectively and as of recentlythe European Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment will follow BiH in technical

assistance, specifically in projects related tobusiness environment, economic freedomsand general competitiveness of the countryin order to lift it to a higher level. Sarovicvisited the Foreign Investment PromotionAgency (FIPA) with the aim to provide sup-port to FIPAto present BiH as a country thatis ready for foreign investments. "We talkedon specific projects or target groups becausewe think that FIPA, together with otherstakeholders, should work on improvingsectors such as agriculture and food indus-try, military industry, tourism and energy asa potential sector for investments, but alsothose fields that have been recording growthin recent years such as footwear, textiles,wood and furniture industry," said Sarovic,expressing readiness for making a majorstep forward in this regard this year. Hewent on to say that special attention will be

paid to barriers present in BiH for years asan obstacle to greater investments in orderto determine how to overcome them. FIPA's director Gordan Milinic said theagency was pleased with the ministry's supportand cooperation. "The country's Directoratefor Economic Planning plans for BiH to thisyear attract 880-920 million KM in foreigninvestments, while our goal is to exceed onebillion. We already made huge steps and weexpect significant investments in variousfields," Milinic underscored. He stressed thatFIPA, in cooperation with the chamber systemand the Foreign Investors Council, is examin-ing all complaints with the aim to encourageexisting investors and attract new investments.Head of the Foreign Investors Council Bran-imir Muidza noted that the level of foreigndirect investments has been declining fromyear to year, particularly since 2008.

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8Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

FEATURE

The minister of industry in Bosnia-Podrinje Canton (BPK) Esed Radeljas is a rich man who holds valuable real property. He acquired some assets through fraud. While double-dealing

in real property sales Radeljaš made nearly 1.9 million KM over seven years

Radeljas' Real Property Fraud

The Center for Investigative Reportingin Sarajevo uncovered that Radeljas

sold other people's property and keptmoney to himself. He also sold a parcel ofland to multiple buyers. The Radeljas fam-ily have property in Sarajevo, Ustikolinaand Foca. They've built several buildingswithout a construction license. Instead ofbeing held accountable, Radeljaš is servinga ministerial term that allows him to directthe allocation of public funds worth twomillion KM and draft laws and regulationsimportant for the development of a regionin Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Duped Buyers

In 1999, Radeljaš received the power ofattorney from the older members of twoSarajevo families to sell their land. He soldit for 95,000 KM, but kept the money tohimself. The Supreme Court of Federationof Bosnia and Herzegovina sentencedRadeljas to a year in prison in 2005, but henever went to jail because his name wasmisspelled in the judgment making itunenforceable. It took four years to correctthe typo and by this time the statute of lim-itations on the judgment's execution hadexpired. It seems that prosecution did notwise up Radeljas because soon after hereturned to business as usual. He bought1,500 square meters of land in a Sarajevoneighborhood Nedzarici for 163,000 KM.Then he sold it twice collecting a total of700,000 KM. He sold the land first toMeho Omerovic and Reiz Djuderija for450,000 KM. The bill of sale that CINobtained reveals that Omerovic and Djud-erija could get a deed in their name onlyafter May 15, 2006 i.e. six months after thedeal.On the same day, a Slovene businessmanMarijan Pisljar incorporated a firm Zeuz inSarajevo that bought the same parcel ofland from Radeljas for 250,000 KM. Pisl-jar told CIN reporters that he had set up afirm to buy the land from Radeljas. He saidhe did not know that the property hadalready been sold. "When I bought it, everything was fine inthe title register." He deeded it into his name in 2007.

He said that he had not previously knownRadeljas and that he was told by a friendthat Radeljaš was selling a parcel of land.In a brief interview for CIN, Omerovic saidhe was aware of the fraud but he was notgoing to sue Radeljas. He hopes that he'dget his money back."I asked him for it - it'll be today, it'll betomorrow…it's been dragging on," saidOmerovic.

Near this plot of land, Novi Grad boroughleased Radeljas another parcel of land ofthe similar size for 51,340 KM. Since hedid not build an office building within ayear on it, the borough denied him the rightto dispose of property and he demandedone million KM in damages from the bor-ough. At the time when Radeljaš receivedthe compensatory damages in 2010, hewas an MP with the borough's council.According to the records CIN hasobtained, this is not the only public plot ofland in Nedzarici that the Novi Grad bor-ough leased to Radeljas. Radeljas has builta 781-square meters office building on thegovernment land without permits. He thenapproached the borough to legalize it andasked for property rights which hereceived for a fee of 50,000 KM. Two anda half month after he got the land, Radel-jas sold it to Musan Seen for 100,000 KM,only to buy a part of it from him six yearslater for 13,500 KM. Seen lives inSwitzerland and did not respond to CIN'scalls for interview. Nowadays there's athree-story house with offices on theground floor on this land. Near the houseRadeljas's daughter Amra owns a car washand maintenance. In mid-2009, the Town

Inspection told him to tear it down. How-ever, this has never happened and the carwash and maintenance have been operat-ing to this day. Neither Radeljas nor theborough officials wanted to talk to CIN onthe subject. It seems that Radeljas's 23-year old son Admir is following in hisfather footsteps - he has also built a villawithout a construction license. The villa islocated in Ustikolina, Bosnia-PodrinjeCanton, where Radeljas senior hasbecome the cantonal minister of com-merce in the meantime. It is built on a par-cel of land that Admir paid nearly 124,000KM in 2013. The land is located near theDrina River and one enters the estatethrough a wrought iron gate under thegaze of a CCTV camera. The inside of theestate is made out of a mix of wood andstone and includes a swimming pool, twogarages and a roofed fountain. The wholeestate is encircled in a stone fence with aretaining wall on the Drina side.

Construction without Permits

According to the documents that CINobtained, the estate was built withoutlicenses as it is located in the protectedarea of the Drina River. This is why theCantonal Inspection ordered the works toend and closed down the constructionsite. However, the construction continueddespite displayed signs about the closedconstruction which is why the Inspectionfiled a criminal complaint against Radel-jas junior in Oct. 2013. Four months later,the Cantonal Prosecutor's Officeinformed the Inspection that it would notcontinue investigation against AdmirRadeljas on account of taking down anofficial sign. The building subsequentlyreceived construction approval fromFoca-Ustikolina municipality in April2015. The approval procedure firstbegins with zoning agricultural land forconstruction. The ministry of industryheaded by Radeljas was in charge of zon-ing, so the Cantonal government decidedto exclude him from the decision processby a resolution issued in Feb. 2015. Then,the council granted its approval to Admir.The luxury estate is for sale.

By The Centerfor Investigative Reporting

Esed Radeljas

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9Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

ANALYSIS

THE MEMORIALIZATION OF SRDJAN ALEKSIC IN POST-YUGOSLAV COUNTRIES (III)

Even if Srdjan Aleksic has emerged as a largely consensual memory site in several successor-statesof Yugoslavia, this does not mean that this consensus does not have its limits

The Limits of the Consensus

Geographically, the memorializationprocess mainly takes place in Serbia

and BiH, partially also in Montenegro,while other countries of the post-Yugoslav space, such as Croatia, are notso much concerned with it. But also inBiH and Serbia there are hesitations andresistances in relation to the memorial-ization of Aleksic. This appears, forexample, in the fact that many streetname initiatives, as those in Mostar andBihac in BiH, or in Maglic in Serbia,have not succeeded. It also appears insocial media and on internet forums,when after articles on Aleksic the com-ments are not necessarily unanimous. Itespecially appears in Trebinje where theidea of building a monument to Aleksichas existed for nearly ten years, but hasso far not been implemented; and wherethe Organization of War Veterans fromthe City of Trebinje (BorackaOrganizacija Opstine Trebinje) has open-ly called for a boycott of the film Circles.

Reluctances and Resistances

Considering more precisely the contentand the reasons for these hesitations andresistances, different levels of criticaldiscourse can be found. On internetforums comments sometimes appearasking why Aleksic should be honoredconsidering he was part of the BosnianSerb Army which was fighting againstCroatia and BiH, or stating that his casehas been an absolute exception: "And

now my Bosniaks should fall for that0.00001% of nice stories (…) All Serbsare Chetniks, 0.00001% of Serbs aren't."The fact that Aleksic is from Trebinjeand was fighting on the Dubrovnik frontdoes not constitute a good preconditionto make him popular in Croatia andamong more nationalist Bosnian Croats,and the fact that the rescue story con-cerns a Serb and a Muslim makes it alsoless attractive for a Croatian public. Ifthe saved person had been a Croat,Aleksic would probably be more knownand honored also in Croatia. Other criti-cal comments focus on the strongemphasis placed on Aleksic which isseen as problematic for different reason.A citizen from Sarajevo told me of beingskeptical towards the promotion ofAleksic, arguing that "it is too early topromote and honor a good Serb, as Serbsociety hasn't critically addressed itscriminal past yet." Others estimate thatthe strong emphasis on Aleksic is prob-lematic because it is overshadowing thefact that there were also other rescuers:"I think it has become too much. It looksas if there has been only him, which isnot true."The memorialization of Aleksic presentsalso a problem for some more nationalistSerbian and Bosnian Serb circles, whichappears for example if we look at thereluctance toward commemorative activ-

ities in Trebinje. A sport center inTrebinje was named in 2007 afterAleksic, but a specific monument has notyet been constructed, despite the fact thatsince 2007 the mayor of the town hasmade public declarations upon numerousoccasions that he would support thisidea, at the same time having done noth-ing to implement it. Is Aleksic consid-ered a traitor who deserved his fatebecause he defended a Muslim? It issometimes reported that a defendant ofone of the aggressors had declared:"That is what you deserve when youdefend a Balija".

Attempts to Relativize theRescue Story

This kind of perception may still existtoday in Trebinje, but other attitudes arearticulated more explicitly which explainthe existing reluctances. On the onehand, the fact that Glavovic and thenAleksic were assaulted by Bosnian Serbsoldiers sheds a bad light on the Army ofRepublika Srpska and its soldiers, espe-cially when they are painted as undisci-plined and drunk, as in Circles. "We have to defend the honor, the digni-ty, the pride and the patriotism of Serbsoldiers. (…) The Serb soldiers areshown in the movie as drunks, criminalsand brigands, which is a big lie",declared the Organization of WarVeterans from the City of Trebinje intheir press communique where they

By Nicolas MollContemporary Southeastern Europe

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10Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

called for a boycott of Circles.On the other hand, putting Aleksic'sexample forward threatens to diminishthe role of the "normal" soldiers of theArmy of RS: "Why should he be morehonored for what he did than the soldierswho died defending our town and father-land?" Resistance to the honoring of Aleksic iseven stronger, as in both liberal andBosniak nationalist circles Aleksic isregularly praised in contrast to national-ist Serb war heroes. Due to these differ-ent reasons Aleksic's story is regularlyperceived as "anti-Serb" both in Serbiaand the RS, even if this is rarely loudlydeclared.Combined with these resistances existattempts to relativize the rescue storyand to discredit Srdjan Aleksic by insin-uating that everything was very differentfrom what is generally portrayed. I heardthis kind of discourse during my fieldresearch in Trebinje. It can also be foundin internet comments and has been mostexplicitly articulated in a lengthy text byMiroljub Petrovic published on aBelgrade-based internet portal onFebruary 2014. Concerning SrdjanAleksic, the author pretends that he "didnot spend one day in the theater of war",but that he was active in black marke-teering during the war, and that AlenGlavovic was working for him to sell hisgoods. Building on this, the author thensays that the Bosnian Serb soldiers didn'tstop Glavovic on 21st January 1993because he was a Muslim, but becausehe was selling black market goods,which leads also to the conclusion that"Srdjan Aleksic jumped in to protect hisgoods, and not Alen Glavovic". Theauthor then says that Aleksic's interven-tion was followed by a brawl, whereAleksic fell down and unfortunately hishead hit on the concrete, thus presentinghis injuries not as the consequence of anassault but of an unfortunate accident.Consequently, the author qualifies thewhole publicly promoted Srdjan Aleksicstory as a "lie" and as another piece ofanti-Serb propaganda.

Critical Voices

Other dissonant voices have sometimesbeen expressed by persons who sympa-thize with the person and act of Aleksicbut who have problems with the general

consensus around his memory and/orwith the apolitical way in which he ismemorialized. In 2013, the writer EliBektas evoked his "feeling of nausea"when seeing how "Serb liberals andBosniak-Bosnian patriots (…) and thosein love with Serbhood and the RepublikaSrpska" are all trying, like "vultures", toappropriate Aleksic for their own pur-poses. The journalist Ugljesa Vukovic

heavily criticized Golubovic's statementthat Aleksic's act was not a political act,but just a human one. Vukovic claimedthat it is necessary to recognize that itwas "a human and a political act, espe-cially in the circumstances that strength-ened the ethnic division of BiH in whichwe still live today, and when his life waslost because of ethnic and political oppo-sition to this strengthening". He furtherqualified Golubovic's will to present thestory as a psychological drama whichdoesn't take into account the politicalcontext as "a lie" and "hypocrisy". Alsoin Trebinje some friends of Aleksic viewwith skepticism all the hype surrounding hismemory, wondering what Aleksic wouldhave thought about it. Significantly,since the publication of Srdjo in 2007,they have not participated in other pub-lic promotion activities. Sometimes,also the participation of some memoryentrepreneurs has been critically per-ceived. When Milorad Dodik awardedAleksic with the highest decoration ofthe RS, the Human Rights activist SinanAlic criticized it as "political hypocrisy,boldness and a lie" and as a shamefulattempt to manipulate the story ofAleksic for the nationalist goals ofDodik and the RS alike. These variousdissonant and critical voices, comingfrom different sides, illustrate that theconsensus around the memory ofAleksic is not unanimous, and must alsobe seen as fragile. This experience wasalso noted by Golubovic concerning his

film Circles. In an interview he declaredthat he hadn't expected that the negativereactions and anti-Serb accusationswould be so strong, which would cer-tainly also explain his many depoliticiz-ing comments around the movie, and atthe same time his insistence to present itas a "very Serb" movie. Beyond themovie Circles, this potential fragilitymust also be seen in general as a majorreason for the human-depoliticizingapproach in public discourses aboutAleksic, in order to make the story asun-attackable as possible. But even ifthere have been and are different disso-nant and critical voices, what is alsovery striking is how little they resonatein the public sphere. Resistances aremore often articulated silently thanopenly as in the case of Mostar, wherethe request for a street name was neverformally rejected by the municipality, -it was simply never answered. The dis-creetness of the critics and resistances isanother illustration of the strength of thepositive consensus which has beenachieved around the memory of Aleksic,which also appears in the fact that thestory is rarely explicitly used againstothers in the political arena. As men-tioned, it is sometimes used in com-ments against Karadzic and Mladic, andsometimes from the Bosniak nationalistside his case is highlighted in order toimplicitly stigmatize the Serb majoritywho didn't act as him. That Aleksic canbe used in inner-Serb conflicts and alsoin anti-Bosniak perspective appeared ina controversial television debatebetween Milorad Dodik and the Serbianliberal politician Cedomir Jovanovic inJanuary 2012. The latter tried to attackDodik by claiming that Aleksic shouldbe considered a Serb hero and notMladic; Dodik replied that indeed it isimportant to honor Aleksic, and thenadded: "But find me one case of aBosniak who sacrificed himself for aSerb." This kind of polemical remark inrelation to Aleksic can also be found ininternet comments, but they are veryrare in the public sphere, as are alsodirect controversies around Aleksic'smemory. The mentioned televisiondebate was so far one of the very rareexceptions for a direct controversywhere Aleksic was used as an argument,and it is important to note that the factthat Jovanovic had used Aleksic in his

Stefica Galic

ANALYSIS

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11Bosnia Dai ly, February 22, 2016

ANALYSIS

attack against Dodik triggered an imme-diate and strong reaction by RadeAleksic, who openly condemnedJovanovic for having "misused the nameof my son for political aims." RadeAleksic's reaction is another illustrationof how strong the will is to keepAleksic's memory away from politicalcontroversies. The rarity of public con-troversies so far allows us also to saythat there exists not only a consensusaround the memory of Aleksic, butwidely also a consensus to maintain thisconsensus.

Why Srdjan Aleksic?

The success of the Srdjan Aleksic storycan be mainly explained by its universal-depoliticizing approach, which is basedon the de-contextualization and individ-ualization of the story as well as theromanticization of its main protagonist,and by the fact that it matches differentsocio-political needs in the post-Yugoslav sphere. But why did Aleksic inparticular succeed in becoming such aconsensual hero-figure and not, forexample, Nedeljko Galic from Ljubuski?There are also other aspects which needto be mentioned in order to understandwhy it is precisely the story of SrdjanAleksic which has become so popular,and not other figures of rescuers.On the one hand, there is the simplicityof the story and also its tragic dimension:a man is attacked, another intervenes tosave him, and dies because of that.Several persons, among them also thewriter Miljenko Jergovic, have assimilat-ed Aleksic's story with a classic "antiquetragedy". The blood sacrifice makes thisindividual act particularly striking, andalso the fact that the act of rescuing wasperformed openly and publicly. In con-trast to this, Nedeljko Galic's rescueactions were undertaken secretly andGalic survived the war. Furthermore hisact is also more difficult to de-contextu-alize and depoliticize than Aleksic's act.When promoting the story of a man whosucceeded to liberate several hundredpersons from a camp, you have toexplain about the context of the camp'sexistence.On the other hand, there is the fact thatSrdjan Aleksic is a Serb. There isundoubtedly a bigger need to find andpromote "good Serbs" than to find "good

Bosniaks" or "good Croats", as Serbs aregenerally seen as "the villains" in rela-tion to the wars of the 1990s. This alsomakes Aleksic more attractive thanGalic.Furthermore, there is Aleksic's personal-ity and biography (at least the partswhich are emphasized in the public nar-ratives). He was not only young, goodlooking and talented, he was also well-integrated in the society, and, as a sol-dier, appears as part of the system, butalso with his own taste and style as anamateur theater actor, and displaying

civic courage through his intervention infavor of Alen Glavovic. Taken together,this offers identification possibilities formany different persons, includingnationalist and antinationalist circles.On the contrary, Nedeljko Galic is, ingeneral, described as an outsider in hishometown, which makes him a moreone-dimensional figure and offers lessidentification possibilities. Concerningthe (re)presentation of Aleksic's person,it is also interesting to note the choice ofthe photos which are regularly used toillustrate media reports about him, andwhich show him much younger than hewas at the moment of his death. Theseare mainly two photos from the 1980s:one as a teenager of approximately 14years of age, and the other a portrait ofhim in the uniform of the JNA when heundertook his military service at the ageof 18. The latter photo is the one mostused in media reports. It has the advan-tage of emphasizing Aleksic's youthwhile also showing him as a soldier, butas a soldier from before the war, duringhis JNA military service, which is anexperience each family from formerYugoslavia can relate to and identifywith. Significantly, another photo ofAleksic from the early 1990s, whichshows him unshaved and more adult, isused much more rarely in current mediareports. The choice of photos is another

illustration of the need and the will topromote a perfectly pure and consensualhero. Finally, it is important to comeback and to emphasize again the role ofAleksic's father as a key actor in thememorialization process within andbetween many of the memory entrepre-neurs. Srdjan Aleksic being dead, RadeAleksic as his father appears to be themost legitimate person to represent him,and he is fulfilling this role in a veryspecific way: with dignity, where griefover the loss of his son is not turned intovictimhood but into pride in the deed ofhis son and active promotion of hishuman legacy, without accusing any-body or being aggressive. For examplein the debate about a monument to hisson in Trebinje, he holds a very moder-ate position, often declaring that moreimportant than a monument itself is thathis son "is living in the heart of the townof Trebinje and of its inhabitants." His personality and attitude earns him alot of respect, and regularly the admira-tion towards Srdjan Aleksic is alsoexplicitly directed towards his father,with comments that with such a father itis no surprise that Srdjan acted as he didto save his neighbor. This respect for andthe consensus around Rade Aleksic isundoubtedly a strong factor in theachieved consensus around SrdjanAleksic.

"The Son of All of Us"

Regarding Nedeljko Galic, who died in2010, there is also someone to representhis memory. His wife Stefica Galic. Butshe was involved in his rescue actions,which makes her automatically moreexposed and attackable, and she is alsomuch more political and less consensualthan Rade Aleksic, as she is for exampleopenly confrontational toward national-ist attitudes.The strong presence of the father empha-sizes also another aspect in the represent-ed figure of Srdjan Aleksic, which goestogether with the focus on his youth,namely Srdjan's identity as a son, whichis also strongly emphasized, constitutingan additional factor of identification andattraction. Significantly, Rade Aleksichas declared several times in the lastyears that he considers Srdjan not only ashis son, but that he has now become "theson of all of us".

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Syrian government forces hold aportrait of late president Hafez al-Assad as they drive near smoke bil-lowing from Aleppo's thermal powerplant after re-taking the area on theeastern outskirts of embattled cityfrom Islamic State group fighters

A thick blanket of fog covers thebrightly lit city of Sofia in Bulgaria

Participant rests after the CuopPhet (Ball Scrambling) Festival inPhu Tho province, Vietnam

Vikings from different eras practicetheir drop-dead stares prior to march-ing to battle at York's annual festival

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