Random Bosnian Thoughts

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Last days of OHR?

The eventual closure of the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) is up for discussion at a meeting of the top international body supervising peace in Bosnia.

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) is made of representatives of organisations and countries involved in enforcing peace in Bosnia. They are holding their meeting in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo today and tomorrow. They are also scheduled to meet all the key Bosnian political leaders.

According to sources close to the OHR, the Peace Implementation Council meeting will also review all key conditions which have been set for the closure of the OHR – including respect of the rule of law and political stability. However, no final decision related to the fate of OHR should be expected until later this year, diplomatic sources said.

The OHR was set up in late 1995 as part of the Dayton Peace accord which ended the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia, as the international community’s top envoy in Bosnia and to oversee peace and stability in the country. As of 1998 the OHR received broad governing powers and the ability to impose laws and sack local officials.

The OHR was supposed to be abolished by 2007 but its mandate was prolonged indefinitely as political infighting in Bosnia and regional tensions blocked reforms and triggered political deadlock.

This crisis was temporarily resolved and Bosnia signed its Stabilisation and Association Agreement,considered the first big step towards European Union membership,on June 17. Yet this development renewed pressure from some local and international officials for the abolishment of the OHR.

To save Zimbabwe

African leaders can still save Zimbabwe by holding an emergency summit to broker a legitimate government. Click below to join the call:

On Friday, 27th June, Zimbabwe will hold a cruel sham of a vote for President. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has just withdrawn from the run-off -- not in a concession of victory, but rather in recognition that Mugabe's campaign of violence and terror has erased any hope for a democratic election.

But against the odds, hope survives. Amidst growing international pressure, Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and the opposition have entered private talks. A unity government may be possible yet.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously held on Monday that free and fair elections are now impossible in Zimbabwe. The UN Secretary-General spoke out. But it is African leaders, most of all Thabo Mbeki, who hold the key. Even Mugabe cannot cling to power without their cooperation. Today, we're launching an emergency campaign, petitioning these leaders to call an immediate summit, isolate Mugabe, and broker a legitimate government for Zimbabwe. Our call will be published in big newspaper advertisements in South Africa, Tanzania, Angola, and Mozambique this week -- click here to see the ads and endorse their message:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_zimbabwe/6.php?cl=100988298

Zimbabwe's neighbours supply its electricity and goods, and control the borders. Many Southern African leaders are already calling for the postponement of the election -- but there's a real danger that they will end up accepting this charade. This would be a grave miscalculation: if Mugabe succeeds in his de facto coup, Zimbabwe's implosion will accelerate, and chaos could spread throughout the region.

So our campaign will publicly name those African leaders who hold Mugabe's last remaining lifeline. If these leaders step up strongly now, they can convince enough of Mugabe's officials that change is coming one way or another -- and set the stage for Morgan Tsvangirai to lead a unity government to pull Zimbabwe back together.

Robert Mugabe saved Zimbabwe from colonialism. Now it's time for African leaders to save Zimbabwe from him.

Help us raise 250,000 voices this week, including a great roar from every country in Africa, to be delivered in an immediate multi-country ad campaign. Click to see the ads, sign, and then forward this to friends:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_zimbabwe/6.php?cl=100988298

PS: For more information and sources for the facts above, see:

Thabo Mbeki and the emergency talks for a settlement:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4200177.ece

United Nations Security Council declares free and fair elections "impossible":
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL2026827820080624

Elections going ahead despite MDC pull-out:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7468849.stm

Mugabe: "Only God will remove me!"
http://www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/Zimbabwe/Article.aspx?id=788598

Regional leaders criticizing Mugabe:
Tanzania's Kikwete - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806200336.html
Rwanda's Kagame - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190003.html
Kenya's Odinga - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190949.html
Uganada's Museveni - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806120016.html

New Bookstore

I finally managed to set up my very own bookstore on related topics.

You can find it here.

Stop Trichet - a worthy cause

An online petition urging the European Central Bank not to raise interest rates in July has collected almost 1,500 signatures.

The petition at www.stoptrichet.com, conceived by French economist Marc Touati, argues that given the current economic situation, rate hikes will only aggravate inflation in the euro zone and harm fragile economic growth.

"If the ECB's (refinancing) rate increases the euro will rise again, the dollar will fall, therefore oil prices will rise," the petition said.

"In other words, in wanting to fight against inflation by increasing interest rates the ECB would actually increase the latter," it said.

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet shocked markets this month when he said the central bank might raise rates from 4.0 percent in July to stop current record high inflation -- fuelled by high oil prices -- from feeding into wage and price demands.

Launched on Friday, the petition had collected 1,473 virtual signatures by 11:00 a.m. EDT on Monday. Touati told Reuters most signatories were French, but there was also support from Italy, Spain and English-speaking countries.

"It's really taking off," he said.

You can sign here.

Live: Jam Session at Zwe's

Tonight, at one of the nicest Jazz-places in town (at Zwe's)

there will be a jam-session.

Somehow I found a way to stream video live via my cellphone, so I'll broadcast parts of it - the whole thing starts at 8:30 P.M. Vienna time, which is app. 2:30 P.M. E.S.T. So, if you are interested and have time - enjoy...

"Loddar" to become new coach of Bosnia's soccer team

According to today's Nezavisne Novine, Lothar "Loddar" Matthäus", German record soccer player, is to become the new coach of the BiH soccer team, as successor to Fuad Muzurovic.

The decision is to be finalised on Friday's meeting of the executive board of the Bosnian National Soccer Association.

Bogdan Ceko. vice president of the Bosnian Soccer Association, said that allthe details already had been clarified - should the Association decide for Matthäus, the contract could be signed within five minutes.

While very successful as a player, Matthäus' carreer as a coach gives a mixed impression:

In December 2002 he was hired by Partizan Belgrade in mid-season to replace recently sacked Ljubiša Tumbaković. Matthäus achieved the required success by steering the team to the 2002/03 title, but his finest hour with the club came in August 2003 when Partizan eliminated favourites Newcastle United in the 3rd qualifying round to reach the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League. Though drawn in a tough group with powerhouse Real Madrid, eventual champions FC Porto, and Olympique de Marseille, Partizan played some inspired football that autumn, only narrowly missing out on the UEFA Cup spot.

In December 2003, Matthäus made an abrupt announcement about leaving his post at Partizan only to follow it the next day with another of signing on to coach the national squad of Hungary. A country once synonymous with world class football was trying to return its national team on the path of former 1950s glory, and Matthäus was given the task of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After being drawn in a tough group with Sweden, Croatia and Bulgaria that goal looked increasingly difficult. The campaign started in the autumn of 2004 and fairly quickly it became obvious Hungary were in over their heads. However, Matthäus was not fired until the end of the campaign, and was even offered Hungarian citizenship, which he at the time said he would accept. There's no word whether he actually did.

On 11 January 2006, Matthäus signed a one-year contract to coach Atlético Paranaense of Brazil. However, after only 7 matches in charge (5 wins, 2 draws) he quit the club in March 2006 citing the need to be closer to his family. The way he left the club raised some questions about his professionalism. Apparently, only 5 weeks after signing a contract he informed club officials about a need to rush back to Europe in order to deal with an urgent personal problem, but assured them he'd be back in 3-4 days. After missing for two weeks, he faxed in his resignation and never even went back to Brazil to pick up his personal belongings.^[3]

On May 19, 2006, Matthäus was announced as coach of Red Bull Salzburg (formerly Austria Salzburg) for the 2006/2007 season. The Austrian Bundesliga side named Giovanni Trapattoni as their sporting director on the same day. Notably, Trapattoni coached Matthäus in the late 1980s (when at Internazionale) and from 1994-1996 and 1997-1998 (when at Bayern Munich). Despite co-leading the team to the Austrian league title by a large margin, Matthäus would eventually be fired on June 12, 2007 by unanimous decision of the Red Bull Salzburg's board of directors.

He is without a job in the moment.

Merry Christmas to you all!

And whoever thought that Wham's Last Christmas is the worst that can happen in this time of the year will be proven wrong: Dutch group Bearforce1 (see below) can top them any ol' time. Still: wishing you all a Christmas full of love with the people close to you!

Kosovo's doubtful future - Serbs to make up their minds

The meeting ended up going exactly as expected. The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday came together yet again to address the future of Kosovo. And since a series of UN-sponsored negotiations ended with no agreement earlier this month, all that was left was for the main protagonists to present their irreconcilable positions one last time.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's contribution was an appeal to international law. "Will, for the first time in UN's history, a decision be taken -- contrary to the will of a democratic state and, what is more, of a UN founding member -- to redraw its internationally recognized borders, to abolish its internationally recognized sovereignty and to amputate 15 percent of its territory?" he asked.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu countered with a plea that the final status of Kosovo, 90 percent of whose residents are ethnic Albanians, be determined sooner rather than later. "We are exhausted after nearly two decades of isolation, war and political limbo," Sejdiu said. "Lack of clarity about our status has held back our economy, discouraged international investment and prevented us from accessing international financial institution lending."

But nobody quite knows what will happen next. The European Union has rushed to find a common position on handling the Serbian province, which has been administered by the UN since 1999. Most EU member states are prepared to recognize a declaration of independence by the province. On Thursday, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country takes over the rotating European Union presidency on Jan. 1, said that an independent Kosovo is inevitable.

"The EU and Kosovo have to agree what to do next in a reasonable manner and without any blackmail," he said. "It's clear that certain processes cannot be held back."

Rupel also threw a carrot Belgrade's way, suggesting that the criteria for Serbia's entrance into the European Union be relaxed. The country's accession has long been dependent on handing over Ratko Mladic and other Balkan war criminals to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Rupel pointed to the fact that Croatia was allowed to sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement -- a precursor to EU accession -- before it had turned over all those wanted by The Hague. The same standard should hold true for Serbia, Rupel said on Thursday.

"It is not a matter of being more tolerant of former Yugoslav (war) crimes," Rupel said according to the German news agency dpa. "We are talking about the stability of the Western Balkans."

But it is unclear whether Belgrade even wants closer association with the EU. Tomislav Nikolic, head of Serbia's ultranationalist Radical Party, suggested on Wednesday that the Russians be allowed to build a military base inside Serbia -- and some would like to see closer ties between Belgrade and Moscow. Russia has consistently backed the Serbian position on possible Kosovo independence. According to recent polls carried out ahead of the Serbian presidential elections set for Jan. 20, 75 percent of Serbs say that the country should not trade Kosovo for EU membership.

The polls, though, also reveal a deep split in the country. Even as Serbs want to hang on to Kosovo, 69 percent of them likewise are in favor of joining the EU. In the current campaign for the presidency, Nikolic is virtually even in the polls with the pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic. Some 75 percent of Nikolic's supporters favor alignment with Russia, according to Reuters, whereas 90 percent of Tadic's supporters want to join the EU as soon as possible.

Kosovo has indicated that it will wait until after the Serbian elections to declare independence in an effort to avoid driving Serbs toward Nikolic. With UN-sponsored negotiations at an end, however, such a declaration now seems just a matter of time.

Shoplifting Squirrel Steals 'Kinder Surprise' Eggs

A squirrel in Finland is nuts about "Kinder Surprise" chocolate eggs -- so much so it has taken to shoplifting them from a grocery shop.

Even worse, the furry varmint is a repeat offender, going into the store in Jyvaskyla at least twice a day to steal the treats.

The candies, which are made by the Italian company Ferrero, take the form of a hollow chocolate egg containing a toy in a capsule inside. They are intended for children -- "Kinder" translates as "children" in German -- and are hugely popular in Europe where the toys have even become collectors items among adults.

The manager Irene Lindroos, who has dubbed the bushy-tailed thief the "Kinder squirrel," told Reuters that the animal always goes straight for the Kinder eggs. "Other sweets do not seem to interest it as much," she said. Surprisingly for an animal which is supposed to like nuts so much, it appears to prefer the plain chocolate Kinder eggs over other products by the company, such as Ferrero Rocher chocolates which contain a whole hazelnut.

"It removes the foil carefully, eats the chocolate and leaves the store with the toy," Lindroos said. However the tiny delinquent -- who clearly has no social conscience -- leaves the wrappers behind.

'tis the season, but be cautious!

A cautionary tale about mulled wine: A German man who drank too much at a Christmas market got lost on his way home, fell over and got his head stuck in a hole in the ground. His mobile phone -- and an elaborate police operation -- saved his life.

A German man walking home drunk from a Christmas market fell over and got his head and upper body stuck in a hole in the ground, sparking a frantic police operation to locate him while he communicated with them by mobile phone.

"He was severely inebriated and had somehow got trapped in a hole on the edge of a forest with his legs sticking out," said Klaus Laackman, spokesman for the police in the western city of Münster.

"He was able to see with the light from his mobile phone and rang the police, but he had no idea where he was," the spokesman explained. "A sober person may have been able to free himself -- but for someone that drunk it was clearly a different story."

The 24-year-old man had been walking with a friend, but the friend was too drunk to remember where he had lost him.

Police established his general whereabouts by locating his mobile phone signal and dispatched squad cars with their sirens blaring so that the hole-bound man -- and the police officers speaking to him back at HQ -- could hear them.

The plan worked. They were able to locate and free him after he spent a total of 45 minutes trapped in freezing temperatures. "He was starting to suffer from hypothermia and was taken to hospital," said Laackman. "Without his mobile phone he probably wouldn't have survived."

Explanation

to all my non-German speaking readers: in the top righthand
side of the next few entries you'll find a drop-down menu that
might seem a bit odd at first.

It is a reaction of some friends and me on the latest developments in Austrian police and media law (Link here, alas only in German), an online demonstration and the possibility for readers to sign a petition against the most recent developments:

If everything goes alongside our government's ideas, in the future the following measures can be taken by the police without any order from a court:

• cellphone tracking
• the use of IMSI-catchers
• spying on IP-addresses

Therefore, some friends produced an online petition, to fight against an Orwellian scheme - we're not the US anyway.

Some might ask: why Metternich 2.0? Well, Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein was an Austrian chancellor in the Habsburg era, who from 1848 onwards fought against any potential revolutionary movements and introduced a highly elaborate spying system throughout the Monarchy. There are some similarities, nowadays, you see.