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FOREIGN PRESS BUREAU ZAGREB
Daily Bulletin

October 2, 1998

In todays bulletin:
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 CROATIA

1. The Popes Second Time in Croatia
2. President Tudjman Holds Interview in Lieu of Papal Visit
3. Closed Session of Government Brings Forward Several Resolutions
4. School Heads Held Accountable for Students Actions in Vukovar
5. Solution on the Utilisation of Drava for Energy Continues

� BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

6. Disqualification of Candidates Continues
7. Plavsic Blames International Community for Loss


***

 CROATIA


1. THE POPES SECOND TIME IN CROATIA

Today at 17:30 (CET) Pope John Paul II will land on Croatian soil for the
second time in democratic Croatia. His visit bears the motto "you will be
my witnesses," as he will be beatifying Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac
at Marija Bistrica. John Paul the II will also visit Split and Solin before
returning to the Vatican.


2. PRESIDENT TUDJMAN HOLDS INTERVIEW IN LIEU OF PAPAL VISIT

President Franjo Tudjman called a press conference yesterday in the
Presidential Palace for local and foreign journalists, in view of the
second visit of Pope John Paul II to Croatia.


3. CLOSED SESSION OF GOVERNMENT BRINGS FORWARD SEVERAL RESOLUTIONS

During its closed session on Thursday, the Croatian government brought a
resolution for the founding of an office responsible for associations and
societies receiving aid from the state budget. It also read the report made
by the Croatian delegation negotiating Croatias acceptance into the World
Trade Organisation and adopted the proposal to found an honorary consulate
in Nagykanizsy in Hungary. Also proposed was the founding of an honorary
consulate in Jerusalem, Israel and a general consulate in Italy.


4. SCHOOL HEADS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR STUDENTS ACTIONS IN VUKOVAR

As a result of Wednesdays events, when a student of Serbian nationality
insulted Croatian returnee children by spitting on the Croatian coats of
arms, tearing up a poster of Pope John Paul II and insulting them verbally,
it has been decided that the head mistress of the Fifth Junior School in
Vukovar Radojka Serbic and her deputy Jozo Galic should be held
accountable. At a press conference held by Vukovar deputy major Stipe
Seremet, city council deputy chairman Petar Mlinaric, and the head of the
Department of Social Services Antonija Kukuljica, Seremet told reporters
that such events should not be allowed to occur again and added that the
Vukovar authorities will do their utmost to prevent such unwanted situations.


5. SOLUTION ON THE UTILISATION OF DRAVA FOR ENERGY CONTINUES

At a meeting of the Hungarian-Croatian Commission for the Utilisation of
Drava as an Energy Source held in Budapest, opposing views on the
utilisation of the rivers Drava and Mura were expressed and it was decided
that experts on both sides would continue working on a solution which will
be acceptable to both parties. Also agreed upon, thanks to Hungarian
mediation, is the co-operation between Hungary, Croatia and Yugoslavia in
preventing the icing over of the Danube.


� BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA


6. DISQUALIFICATION OF CANDIDATES CONTINUES

The Election Appeals Subcommittee has brought down nine decisions
concerning the recently held elections linked to appeals on the counting of
votes and discrepancies at the polling booths. In Siroki Brijeg the HDZ
candidate, Pero Kozul, was disqualified from the party ticket for the West
Herzegovina County. The monitor claims that members of the election
committee had deemed ballots on which HDZ was not marked to be invalid, and
the president of the Election committee approved of such behaviour.
Allegations of violations at polling booths in Mostar and Stolac were also
forwarded though were rejected to due insufficient proof.


7. PLAVSIC BLAMES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR LOSS

Out-going Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic blames the
international community for her loss to Serbian Radical Nikola Poplasen. In
an interview with her political advisor Srdan Trifkovic, Plavsic said the
international community wanted her to work faster towards centralisation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina.


***

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