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
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