Overview of top stories since 7 March 2004

by brian J. požun

This week’s headlines…

• Slovenia reacts to Madrid bombing

• Bosnians call for a boycott of Slovene goods…

• …and protest Ljubljanska Banka

• Bohinc answers critics

• Slovenia best-prepared new EU member

• Nato entry on 29 March

And in other news…

• Rop will not vote in Izbrisani referendum

• Center “Slovenia is Ours” party founded

• International Press Institute releases report on press freedom

• Alenka Paulin to run on SMS ticket in Euro Parliament elections

• Thomas Bolling Robertson to be US ambassador

Slovenia reacts to Madrid bombing

Slovene officials expressed condolences last Wednesday following the tragic bombings in Madrid. At least 186 people were killed and more than 1000 were injured.

President Janez Drnovšek sent a cable to Spain’s King Juan Carlos I to express condolences for the victims and outrage at the attacks. Drnovšek wrote that the tragedy only reinforced “the need for a decisive and comprehensive fight against all forms of terrorism.” At the time, Drnovšek was in Paris on an official visit.

Prime Minister Anton Rop stated that he was appalled at the “horrific and senseless acts,” in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. Rop also wrote that “[s]uch incomparable and callous acts of violence keep reaffirming our staunch conviction that the ruthless savagery and absolute injustice of terrorism have no justification whatsoever.”

According to a 12 March report by Radio Slovenija, Slovene authorities do not see the Madrid bombings as a sign that Slovenia is at a higher risk of a terrorist attack. Neither Slovene Railways nor Ljubljana’s Brnik airport deemed it necessary to increase security, and Deputy Director General of Police Andrej Anžič told Radio Slovenija that “we shall warn our officers to be more vigilant” but no other steps were deemed necessary.

Bosnians call for a boycott of Slovene goods…

Mercator opened its second shopping center in Bosnia on 10 March, in Tuzla. The occasion was not celebrated in Sarajevo, however.

Nearly simultaneously, Bosnia’s Social Democratic Party threatened a boycott of Slovene goods if a mosque is not built in Ljubljana. If politics threaten the mosque, the party intends to call on the assembly of Sarajevo canton and other cantons to pass resolutions declaring a boycott of Slovene goods.

The party noted that Bosnia is a major market for Slovene goods, and urged Slovene companies which do business in Bosnia to publicly support the construction of the mosque. In a press release, the party listed the Slovene firms Mercator, Petrol, Droga Portorož, Ljubljanske mlekarne, Pivovarna Laško and others.

Bosnia’s Social Democrats praised the efforts of Slovenia’s United List of Social Democrats – particularly Ljubljana mayor Danica Simšič – to see that the mosque is in fact built.

On 9 March, Simšič formally submitted a request to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia to determine the constitutionality of the city council's demand for a referendum on the entry into force of the decision which altered the zoning and was to enable the building of the mosque on the outskirts of the city. Simšič is also asking for a ruling on the constitutionality of the Law on Local Self-Administration, which the Ljubljana city council passed on 4 March.

…and protest Ljubljanska Banka

On 11 March, Bosnians again expressed dissatisfaction with Slovenia by staging a protest of between 200 and 300 people in front of the Slovene embassy in Sarajevo. At issue is the fate of deposits made by Bosnian citizens in Yugoslavia-era Ljubljana Banka branches throughout Bosnia and Hercegovina.

After protesting in front of the Slovene embassy, the crowd moved on to the Bosnian Presidency building and then to the office of the High Representative of the international community.

The problem of the fate of funds deposited in Ljubljanska Banka is shared by the other former Yugoslav republics as well. Last September, meeting with the three members of the Bosnian presidency, 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 protest was organized by the Association for the Defense of Savings Bank Depositors of BiH. The group is demanding a quick resolution, at least for Bosnians. Back in September 2003, they called on the Bosnian government to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. They also staged a similar public protest in March 2003.

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 group is again threatening protests, a blockade of BiH state institutions and a boycott of Slovene goods if the Council of Ministers of Bosnia does not send a special delegation to the 15 March meeting of the Council of Europe’s Commission for Questions of Human Rights.

Bohinc answers critics

Internal Minister Rado Bohinc responded this week to the call for an interpellation motion against him. The motion was filed on 27 February by the opposition Slovene Democrat Party (SDS) and New Slovenia. Bohinc is a member of the United List of Social Democrats (ZLSD).

On 9 March, the minister released a 65-page response denying any wrongdoing. Several days later, on 12 March, the head of the ZLSD parliamentary delegation, Miran Potrč, held a press conference where he announced the party’s support for Bohinc. Potrč said that the interpellation motion was baseless, and that it should be withdrawn.

The SDS remains unconvinced. The opposition has lobbed several accusations against Bohinc. They allege that he acted improperly in issuing residency permits in February 2004 to Izbrisani victims on the basis of an April 2003 Constitutional Court ruling without waiting for legislation necessary to enact the ruling. Other complaints cited in the interpellation motion include mismanagement of the civil servants’ pension fund, problems in the system of salaries in the public sector, and a recent rise in police brutality.

According to the constitution, a group of no less than ten members of parliament can initiate interpellation hearings against the government or an individual minister. The hearings are followed by a vote of confidence; if the government or minister fails the vote, they must be removed from office. A simple majority of 46 members of parliament would have to vote no-confidence in order for the action to pass.

The press is generally viewing the interpellation motions as pre-election positioning by the opposition in the run-up to this fall’s parliamentary election. The opposition maintains that it has only the best interests of the country in mind.

Minister of Health Dušan Keber is also facing interpellation, but has yet to respond. The opposition is accusing Keber of eight violations which have destabilized the healthcare system in the country.

Slovenia best-prepared new EU member

According to European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur on Slovenia Demetrio Volčič, Slovenia is the best prepared to join the European Union (EU) of all ten acceding countries. Volčič was speaking at a session of the EP in Strasbourg on 10 March.

Volčič rattled off a list of achievements to support his case: the European Commission gave Slovenia the highest marks in the final round of accession reports last fall; Slovene legislation has nearly been completely harmonized with that of the EU; the Slovene economy is the strongest in the region; and the fact that preparations for entry into the euro zone are already underway.

The following day, the EP passed Volčič’s report and urged Slovenia to continue its progress. The EP also hinted that Slovenia and Croatia should settle their differences as soon as possible. The report was part of a comprehensive report on the acceding countries’ preparedness to join the EU, which will take place on 1 May 2004.

Nato entry on 29 March

Although the media reported last week that Nato expansion would take place on 2 April, however this week it pushed the date up to 29 March. Also, the ten new members, among them Slovenia, will not formally join Nato in Brussels as was previously reported, but in Washington, D.C.

The 2 April Nato summit in Brussels will be the first in which the ten new members will participate as full-fledged members.

The National Assembly ratified the North Atlantic Treaty on 24 February with a vote of 68:3, clearing the way for Slovene entry into Nato. The three votes cast against ratification came from the ranks of the far-right Nationalist Party, which opposes Nato membership.

Nevertheless, Slovenia’s membership in the defense alliance enjoys wide support from across the political spectrum. Ratification needed only a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, or sixty votes. Around 66 percent of the electorate supported Slovene membership in Nato in a March 2003 referendum.

And in other news…

• Prime Minister Anton Rop told Radio Slovenija on 9 March that he will not vote in the 4 April referendum on the Technicalities Bill, which is part of parliament’s resolution to the Izbrisani situation. Since the Constitutional Court has ruled that the outcome of the referendum will not have any bearing on the fact that the matter must be resolved, Rop deems the referendum an unnecessary waste of public funds.

• On 6 March, Koper mayor Boris Popovič was elected president of the newly-founded Slovenia is Ours party. The new center party will field candidates in this year’s elections to the European Parliament and elections to the National Assembly.

• The International Press Institute released a report on the status of press freedom in 2003, on 11 March. According to the report, media and journalists in Slovenia suffer from pressure from the part of the government, and from media owners. Journalistic standards are also falling in Slovenia according to the report.

• Press Secretary of the Slovene Democratic Party (SDS) Alenka Paulin announced on 9 March that she will leave the SDS and run on the Slovene Youth Party (SMS) ticket in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. The SMS will participate in the elections as part of the European Green Party.

• Thomas Bolling Robertson will succeed Johnny Young as the United States ambassador to Slovenia this fall. Young arrived in Ljubljana in October 2001, taking over from Nancy Ely-Rafael. He caused waves in Slovenia even before he arrived, however, by making several controversial statements during his Senate confirmation hearing in August 2001. The focus of Young’s stay in Ljubljana seems to have been on improving the environment for US businesses in Slovenia. He defended the intellectual property rights of US companies and sought to secure a foothold for American firms in the telecom, banking and insurance sectors. He also represented US interests as Slovenia geared up for membership in the EU and Nato entry, participation in the International Criminal Court and in the War Against Terrorism and the war in Iraq.

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