SERBIAN TV: ASHDOWN PLANS FURTHER POLITICAL SACKINGS IN BOSNIA WITH UK, US HELP
BBC Monitoring International Reports - December 22, 2004

Text of report by Belgrade-based private BKTV on 21 December

(Presenter) Following (UN) High Representative for Bosnia-Hercegovina Paddy Ashdown's measures against institutions and individuals from the (Bosnian) Serb Republic last week over non-cooperation with the Hague tribunal, two members of the (Bosnia-Hercegovina) Council of Ministers tendered their resignations, and the majority of the remaining ones (Serb officials) announced their withdrawal. The idea of dismantling the Serb Republic has got an increasing number of supporters in London's political circles. Paddy Ashdown is preparing further (political) sweeps with the help of Great Britain and US.

(Phone-in Dejan Lukic, captioned BK correspondent from London) The international administrator in Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown, has carried out his latest sackings of politicians in the Serb Republic, following his consultations and the green light given from the British Foreign Office and the US State Department, authoritative sources from London have told our TV.

The same sources say that Bosnia is in a political crisis, and the idea of abolishing the Serb Republic is gaining an increasing number of supporters among the political top echelon here (London). It has been suggested to us that Ashdown's statement by which he calls into question the survival of Bosnia's Serb entity was not just a slip of the tongue. Today, we have also seen a reflection of this statement in the London Financial Times, which comments that, I quote: the Serb Republic is an entity melting away as reforms aiming to consolidate the central authority in Sarajevo advance.

Our sources have said that the international administration will continue dismissing the officials, until he gets a team ready for full cooperation in Banjski Dvori (seat of the Serb Republic government) in Banja Luka. It has been claimed that the favourite person for this role, is the leader of the Independent Social Democrats, Milorad Dodik.


Source: BKTV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1755 gmt 21 Dec 04

Copyright 2004 Financial Times Information
All rights reserved
Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire 
Copyright 2004 BBC Monitoring/BBC  

Posted for Fair Use only.