SRNA REVIEW OF DAILY NEWS, Aug. 24, 1996

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From: Mirjana Petrovic <almirja@cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu>

SARAJEVO - A member of the branch of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and minister without portfolio in the government of Republika Srpska (RS), Miroslav Toholj, warned that any change to the adopted electoral rules could seriously bring the elections into a question.

VISEGRAD - President of the Visegrad branch of the SDS, Branimir Savovic expressed his protest for the OSCE officials have not yet presented the list of deputies of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) which ran in this city. "Such behaviour on the part of OSCE is particularly worrying us, especially, when we have in mind the possibility that there are on the SDA lists even the persons who committed war crimes upon the Visegrad residents.

ZVORNIK - The Zvornik branch of the Democratic Patriotic Block (DPB) is opposed to the return of Muslims in RS, for there are about 1,000 burned Serb villages in the CroatMuslim Federa- tion to which the Serbs can not return and are forced to stay in places where they are presently living. "The aim of the DPB is that the boundary line between the two entities be finally de fined. We can live with the Muslims as their neighbours, but not at all as their brothers", added Stevo Pasalic, DPS's candidate for the RS Assembly.

SOKOLAC - Members of the Management Group for refugee vot ing, Hans Peter and Kleiner and William Hyde specified in their written report that about 641,010 voters have registered so far in 55 counties for the elections in RS and the CroatMuslim Federation, of which 137, 569 registered on the basis of the Form 2, this is meaning that they are not willing to vote in their prewar place of residence.

SOKOLAC - The Electoral Appeals SubCommission received on August 18, a complaint by the Joint List concerning propaganda material which was taken away from them in Bihac on August 15, by Muslim police. This SubCommission undertook all adequate meas- ures so that similar incident would not happen again.

SARAJEVO - OSCE's chairman, Flavio Cotti, stated that he is seriously concerned with the situation just before the September elections in RS and the CroatMuslim Federation, reports AFP.

SARAJEVO - RS vicepremier for economic affairs, Milomir Draganic and the ministers in charge of economy talked in Pale with a delegation from Sweden about the present and future eco nomic cooperation between the two countries. "One more delegation comprised by Sweden businessmen is expected to alive on Tuesday. We will discuss with them about their financial possibilities for investing in RS. They are interested in law regulations that are making it possible for foreign companies to join in building new factories in RS. Law regulations will also make possible a common disposal of goods on foreign and domestic markets", explained Draganic.

PARIS - The greatest problem just before the September elections in the CroatMuslim Federation is Alija Izetbegovic's SDA party which is by all possible means hindering opposition parties' work, writes the paper, Liberation. "Behaviour on the part of the SDA is surprising us, for we thought that it [SDA] has in the war learned something", said Ivo Komsic, the president of the Croatian Peasant Party, adding that the SDA can not get rid of its plan - "one party, one leader, one entity".

CLEVELAND - The organisers of the September elections in RS and the CroatMuslim Federation suggested that the Serb refugees, who are presently living out of RS, be banned to vote in towns which they have chosen, writes The New York Times. They are justifying their proposal with their intention to mend alleged gaps in electoral law which the Serb refugees in Serbia used for registering to vote in towns such as Brcko and Srebrenica are.

BONN - German defence minister Volker Ruehe, stated in an interview for the German weekly, Bild am Sonntag, that NATO will at the end of September start talks about the different mandate for new multinational troops that will next year be despatched to RS and the CroatMuslim Federation.

SARAJEVO - After a new mayor of Croatian affiliation was appointed for Mostar, Serbs and Muslims are again being expelled from the Croatcontrolled part of the city, report UNHCR repre- sentatives.

PARIS - The normalisation of relations between Croatia and Yugoslavia is assessed by the Liberation as "blessing and Bel grade's agreeing to everything". "It is quite possible that President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia will the day before the elections officially recognise Alija Izetbegovic's Bosnia", reports RFI.

BANJALUKA - The president of the Association for the fami lies of the captured and missing Serb soldiers and civilians, Branko Panic, warned that none of the international representa tives has done anything so that the agreement reached in Banja

luka on the release of all prisoners and the exhumation of graves be implemented.

/end/

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