Overview of the week's top stories since 7 Sept. 2003

After more that two years, arrests made in Petek affair

After more than two years, police finally arrested several people this week in connection with the February 2001 attack on journalist Miro Petek. Nine people allegedly connected to the attack were arrested by Maribor and Slovenj Gradec police on Tuesday, marking the first concrete step forward towards solving the crime thus far. The names of those arrested have not been released as of yet.

Petek, a journalist with the Maribor-based daily newspaper Vecer, was brutally attacked on February 28, 2001, near his home in Slovenj Gradec. Until now, the case has remained unresolved and no suspects were found.

The regional court in Slovenj Gradec has charged four of those arrested with attempted murder and is keeping them in custody due to public safety concerns, and concerns that they will influence witnesses. If convicted, they face ten to 30 years in prison. The others who were arrested are still being questioned.

Speaking to the press, Petek expressed satisfaction that there seems to be forward movement in the case. "This will be a great event for Slovene journalism as well, and for press freedom," he said, "because if these people are also convicted with due process, no one will be able to raise a hand against journalists."

Aside from Petek himself, journalist organizations including the Society of Slovene Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists were also pleased at the arrests. The IFJ, however, pointed out that there have still been no convictions, and therefore it is too early to celebrate.

From January to June 2002, the International Federation of Journalists conducted an inquiry into the police investigation and concluded that the attack was directly motivated by Petek’s journalism. The fact that the case remains unsolved has led some journalists to be concerned about their safety and could lead to an increase in self-censorship, the report concluded.

A special parliamentary commission also began work in February 2002 to investigate the role of the police and the possibility of involvement by public officials in the Petek affair. Mirko Zamernik, who heads that commission, told the press this week that regardless of whether those in custody are convicted, his commission’s work will remain on-going until questions surrounding the police’s handling of the case are resolved.

Croatia, Slovenia hold talks over Adriatic controversy

On 16 September, planned talks between Slovenia and Croatia over a controversial Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) plan for the Adriatic were held at Šmarješke Toplice, near Novo Mesto. Legal experts from both countries’ Foreign Ministries met, despite Croatia’s suggestion that talks be held between the countries’ foreign ministers themselves.

Croatia announced the EEZ plan on 1 August. The plan would split the Adriatic down the middle between Croatia and Italy, cutting Slovenia off from international waters. Should the plan go forward, Slovenia would find itself nearly 500 km from international waters. Slovene vessels would still have navigation rights, and aircraft would still have over flight rights, but fishermen could face quotas, licensing fees and other restrictions.

On 18 September, Italian representatives met with their Croatian counterparts in Rome to further discuss the plan. The Italians do not question Croatia’s right to declare an EEZ, but are urging Zagreb to do so within the context of the European Union, as opposed to making a unilateral declaration.

Bosnians demand Sarajevo sue Ljubljana in Strasbourg

Despite last week’s visit by the presidency of Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH), which highlighted the good relations between Sarajevo and Ljubljana, a Bosnian non-governmental organization demanded this week that the Bosnian government take the Slovene government to court.

At issue is the fate of funds deposited in the Yugoslav-era Ljubljanska Banka – a problem shared by the other former Yugoslav republics as well. Last week, the three members of the Bosnian presidency touched on the issue, and President Drnovšek reiterated Slovenia’s position that since the problem with Ljubljanska Banka also affects former clients in Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro, it must be resolved on a multilateral level, together with other issues surrounding the dissolution of the former Yugoslav federation.

The Association for the Defense of Savings Bank Depositors of BiH is demanding a quicker resolution. They called on the Bosnian government to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to resolve the issue. According to the Association, about 165,000 Bosnian citizens had the equivalent of more than 90 million euros in Ljubljanska Banka at the time of Slovene independence. The Association is threatening protests, a blockade of BiH state institutions and a boycott of Slovene goods if its demands are not met.

Ljubljana host spatial planning conference

At the meeting, ministers issued the Ljubljana Declaration, which resolves that spatial planning – particularly trans-border – is an important element of sustainable development. The declaration is intended to show governments’ willingness to use sustainable development principles in their national policies and to work across borders to ensure that they are applied Europe-wide.

CEMAT is a body of the Council of Europe, which brings together representatives of the organization’s 45 Member States. This conference marked the end of Slovenia’s three-year mandate as chair of the group.

Festival of Slovene Film kicks off on 24 September

The ninth feature is Rezervni deli (Spare Parts, Damjan Kozole). On 17 September, the Society of Slovene Filmmakers voted the film Slovenia’s official candidate for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar, awarded by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Accompanying the festival are a number of side events, including workshops for students, several roundtable discussions and also exhibits on Slovene cinematographic history and on the as-yet unnamed winner of this year’s Badjur Award for Lifetime Achievement.

The festival will take place in Celje from 24 to 27 September. Films will be screened in the Celje theatres Metropol, Union and Mini Kino, as well as in the multiplex Planet Tuš.

And in other news…

• On Sunday, voters around the country will go to the polls to participate in a referendum on the working hours of stores. Public-opinion polls indicate that unions’ initiative to close shops on Sunday has wide appeal and likely will pass. According to the State Election Commission, 1,613,000 people have the right to vote in the referendum. However, turnout rates for referenda are notoriously low, normally well below 40 percent.

• The council of the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia formally voted to introduce various amendments to its statute on Friday in Izola to change the party’s name to the Slovene Democratic Party. The Slovene acronym for the party, SDS, will remain the same. The new name will take effect after at least two-thirds of the 250 members of the council confirm it. The change was done to promote the name of the Slovene state, as well as to bring the party closer to its European-level partners, the European Democratic Union and the European People’s Party.

• On Friday, the Krško youth center opened the country’s first multimedia center. The center’s goal is to provide access to information technology to as much of the public as possible. The center was financed in part by the Ministries of Culture and of Information Society, which are planning an entire network of such centers across the country.