Untitled Document

Zitomislici: Road to Renewal
Press Reports 1992-2002 (Partial List)

April 8, 2002, Monday

Reconstruction of Bosnian Serb monastery south of Mostar begins
Federation News Agency, Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croat 1300 gmt 8 Apr 02

Text of report by Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation News Agency FENA

Mostar, 8 April: Reconstruction of the Serb Orthodox monastery in Zitomislici most important Serb shrine in Bosnia near
Mostar started yesterday, a statement issued by the Serb National Community says.

A part of the financial funds for the reconstruction of the monastery, which was built in the 14th century and destroyed in
the war by Croat forces in 1992 , was donated by the Episcopate of the Zahum-Hercegovina, while considerable means
were given by the government of Germany.

The new foundations of the monastery were blessed by the former bishop of the Zahum-Herzegovina, Atanasije Jeftic,
while the ceremony was attended by numerous believers from the Hercegovina-Neretva canton as well as from
neighbouring cantons. Today the building-site will be visited by the High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, as well as by
Bishop of Zahum-Hercegovina Gligorije Djuric.

Cpyright 2001 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Europe - Political
May 12, 2001, Saturday

Bosnian friar calls for simultaneous reconstruction of religious facilities
from BH Radio 1, Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croat 1330 gmt 12 May 01

Text of report by Bosnia-Hercegovina public radio on 12 May

Announcer Bosnian friars today launched an initiative that three very important religious facilities, demolished during the
war, be reconstructed at the same time. Friar Petar Andjelovic talked about this initiative for BHR1:

Friar Andjelovic We have returned to an idea which I supported even before the Madrid conference on reconstruction
programme for Bosnia-Hercegovina, held in May 1999 that three extremely important religious facilities should be
reconstructed: the Catholic monastery and church in Zitomislici near Mostar, the Ferhadija mosque in Banja Luka and the
Serbian Orthodox monastery and church in Plehan in Bosanska Posavina northern Bosnia .

We believe that a simultaneous reconstruction and laying of foundation stones would be a signal that all sides, and not
only the Serb, or the Bosniak Muslim , or the Croat are being helped, and that the UN and everyone else wanting to help
us is simultaneously helping the reconstruction of the three facilities I have just mentioned.

RADISIC VISITS MONASTERY ZITOMISLICI DEBRIS

MOSTAR, Jan. 3 (ONASA) - In the scope of his visit to Mostar, Chairman of BiH Presidency Zivko Radisic visited the debris of
the Zitomislic orthodox monastery, south of Mostar.

The Zitomislic monastery was devastated in 1992 in the territory controlled by the Croat Defense Council (HVO). Radisic
said that the monastery was the first-class memorial of culture and spirituality, not just for the Serbs but also for the
whole BiH. He added that the visit was "an effort to move towards the future." "We have to see what we can do together
to reconstruct the spiritual, cultural and other centers, especially because BiH obliged to reconstruct cultural-historic
monuments, in accordance with the Brussels Declaration and the 'road map.' One of such monuments is this monastery,"
Radisic said.

Asked whether this concerns the Ferhadija mosque in Banja Luka, Radisic said that this concerned "all religious facilities,
because no one must be discriminated".

Radisic said that the BiH Presidency was "on the path to implement its obligations in reconstruction of the historical
facilities, required for the admission of BiH into the Council of Europe." Radisic announced a meeting of the BiH Presidency
and members of the BiH Inter-Religious Council soon, when the reconstruction of cultural and religious facilities should be
discussed.

SGV-GPR AND GREEK AMBASSADOR VISIT MOSTAR

SARAJEVO, Feb. 12 (ONASA) - The delegation of the Serb Civic Council - Civic Movement for Equality (SGV-GPR) and Greek
Ambassador to BiH Prokopios Mantzouranis arrived on Friday Mostar to meet with Mostar Mayor Safet Orucevic and Deputy
Mayor Ivan Prskalo.

The officials discussed refugee return to Mostar and construction of a church in Mostar, and the Greek government would
initiate activities on providing the means for building of a monastery in Zitomislici.

Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
September 21, 1998, Monday
Part 2 Central Europe, the Balkans; BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA; FEDERATION; EE/D3337/A

Serb refugees return to Mostar

Source: HINA news agency, Zagreb, in English 1614 gmt 19 Sep 98

Text of report by the Croatian news agency HINA

Mostar, 19th September: A group of 25 Serb refugees returned to their homes in the Mostar settlement of Zitomislici on
Saturday [19th September].

The settlement is part of a majority-Croat municipality, Jug. The refugees, who were in exile for the past six years in
eastern parts of the Bosnian Serb entity, returned under escort of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Stabilization Force
and International Police Task Force.

There were no problems whatsoever during the return, return coordinator for Mostar Serbs Vujadin Berberovic said.

The returnees now expect the international community to help them reconstruct their houses so that they could move in
before winter, he added.

The Serbs were today visited by Mostar Mayor Safet Orucevic.

Zitomislici is the sixth Mostar settlement where Serbs have been returning for the past three months.

So far, several hundred Serbs have returned to the Mostar settlements of Ortijes, Bacevici, Zeljusa, Malo Polje and
Hodbina.

Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
August 4, 1998, Tuesday
Part 2 Central Europe, the Balkains; BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA; FEDERATION; EE/D3296/A

New Croat party urges joint efforts to rebuild Bosnia

Source: TV Bosnia-Hercegovina via satellite, Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croat 1900 gmt 2 Aug 98

Text of report by Bosnian TV (Sarajevo) on 2nd August

The New [Bosnian] Croat Initiative promotional meeting in Gradacac was an opportunity for the party's leaders to reiterate
that Bosnian Posavina [the Sava river basin in northern Bosnia] and the return of people to the region were among the
key commitments of the New Croat Initiative. As the presidents of the municipal committees for Bosnian Posavina and
Tuzla-Podrinje canton, Ivo Zivkovic and Mijo Anic said, the Croats have never given up the idea of returning to their homes
in the area and to their homeland of Bosnia. Owing to political mistakes, the county of Posavina is now under sanctions
and cannot avail itself of expected international donations. According to Anic, the HDZ's [Croatian Democratic Union; main
Bosnian Croat party] centralized way of conducting business was particularly devastating for Bosnian Posavina as was the
lack of effort to secure the return of refugees. We must work with Bosniaks [Muslims] and Serbs to rebuild Bosnia. Bosnian
Posavina paid dearly for the earlier secessionist behaviour. The Croats cannot aspire to build a wall near Zitomislici or in
Central Bosnia, Ivo Lozancic, the party vice-president, said. The president of the New Croat Initiative, Kresimir Zubak, said
that the rift with the HDZ was not a conflict between individuals, as the media wanted to present it. It is all about a totally
different approach to the new concept of Bosnia-Hercegovina, the return of people to their homes, securing equality for all
three peoples and establishing links with the democratic world. According to Zubak, the world is of the view that most
problems are to be found within the ruling circles which must be replaced. This is borne out by the fact that changes are
made only when the international community decides to exert pressure. Still, it is not fair to lump everyone together but at
the moment this is how the international community views us, Kresimir Zubak said. In Gradacac today he also said: We
must make sure that everything we want for our people is guaranteed for others as well. Our guidelines should come from
the European charters on regional development and minority languages and other documents.

Copyright 1997 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
April 25, 1997, Friday
P art 2 Central Europe, the Balkans; FORMER YUGOSLAVIA; BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA; FEDERATION; EE/D2902/A

Canton official responds over reporter's arrest in Mostar

Source: Radio Bosnia-Hercegovina, Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croat 1700 gmt 23 Apr 97

Text of report by Bosnian radio (Sarajevo) on 23rd April

Valentin Coric, interior minister of Hercegovina-Neretva Canton, has written to Martin Garrod, head of the high
representative's regional office in Mostar, clarifying the arrest of an Australian reporter and the attack on a 'Ljiljan'
[Bosnian weekly] correspondent.

The letter claims that the Australian reporter was arrested because he was filming an Orthodox church in Zitomislici near
Mostar without authorization. In his letter, Minister Coric denied Garrod's claims that the police in Western Mostar had
beaten up the 'Ljiljan' correspondent. The letter further states that in connection with the case, Coric had submitted the
police report to Garrod, which states that the 'Ljiljan'correspondent and his driver were threatening traffic safety, which is
why they were apprehended in the first place.

[For the detention of the 'Liljan' correspondent, see the report by ' Dnevni avaz', Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croat on 21st April
1997, in SWB issue EE/2900 section A page 7]

Part 2 Central Europe, the Balkans; FORMER YUGOSLAVIA; BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA; EE/D2554/A

MOSTAR: Muslim refugees find houses, graveyards, mosques destroyed by Croats

Source: Radio-TV Mostar in Serbo-Croat 1530 gmt 5 Mar 96

[17] Excerpts from Bosnian Muslim radio (Mostar)

Reporter Senada Kajic We have had many opportunities to see how and in what way the agreed freedom of movement is
being respected in Mostar municipality. Today 5th March , in line with the programme of visits to graveyards and family
homes, 200 inhabitants of the Buna local community southern Mostar paid their second visit to the part of the city where
they used to live. What happened to them today cannot be called freedom of movement. Once again, their greatest wish,
to see the family homes from which they were expelled, was not fulfilled...

Mehmed Ljevo told us about his experiences during a four-day visit to Zitomislici and Buna local communities:

Ljevo After several days the local committee of Gubavica organized a visit to our former places of residence, family homes
and graveyards. We went to Gubavica on Saturday 2nd March and we visited graveyards in Gubavica and Stanojevici. The
situation is terrible. Houses are totally burned down. Private property has been destroyed. Four houses in Gubavica have
been blown up in the last few days, probably since Christmas. The graveyard in Stanojevici is completely destroyed. In
Privjesi trees have been felled deliberately to destroy tombstones and other grave markings.

The graveyard in Gubavica is partially destroyed. The mosque has been blown up, the minaret levelled to the ground.

The worst incident happened in Buna on the last day of the visit . What happened was really awful. In our zone we are
not even allowed to don uniforms, while they the Croats are armed. Our people felt so miserable, as if they were being
taken to prison. Some 50 policemen were guarding the women, children and elderly who came to see their land, their
houses, and to say prayers for their dead and killed...

Part 2 Eastern Europe; C. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT; BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA; EE/1531/C1/ 1;

Other reportsin brief;
Belgrade daily says Croats expelling Muslims from Grude in Western Hercegovina

Excerpts

Yugoslav News Agency in English 0936 gmt 5 Nov 92

Belgrade, 5th November The local Croat authorities [in] the village of Grude in Western Hercegovina are expelling Muslims
who refuse to sign a statement of loyalty to the self-proclaimed Croat republic [as received] Herceg-Bosna, the Belgrade
daily 'Vecernje Novosti' said on Thursday. The daily quoted the command of the Army of the Serbian Republic in
Bosnia-Hercegovina as saying fighting continued between Croats and Muslims in the town of Blagaj (near Mostar), but
abated in Mostar itself...

According to 'Vecernje Novosti', the Croat-Muslim forces destroyed property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, some of it
invaluable, in the valley of the Neretva River which divides ''Herceg-Bosna'' from the Serbian Republic in Eastern
Hercegovina. The Serbian cathedral in Mostar was completely ruined, and the 16th-century monastery in Zitomislici
shelled and then burned down. Explosives were planted in and fire set to a church in Blagaj, and a crypt in Prebilovci near
Capljina in which Serb victims of the Second World War Ustashe were buried, 'Vecernje Novosti' said...

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