Sarajevo, 10. novembar/studeni 2000.

BICAKCIC REGARDING "THE WASHINGTON POST'S" WRITING

Addressing today the journalists on the occasion of the article published by "The Washington Post" and accusations related to utilization of public funds allegedly controlled by him, the Prime Minister of the Federation BiH Edhem Bicakcic said: "I am very pleased that such a respectable American daily dedicated three pages to me as a Prime Minister". In his opinion, the journalist Geoffrey Smith has correctly reported his denial regarding these accusations that he called the ordinary lies. "The text was ordered by the strategic center of the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP), that made an estimation how its tomorrow's elections expectations would not be fulfilled, what is eloquently supported by the fact that it was launched to public in the pre-election silence period". According to the Prime Minister's assertion, the authors of the article are Dr Murat Praso and Dr Mesud Sabitovic. With clarification that the Federal Employment Bureau since month of May last year has been under control of the Federal Authorities, while the state Employment Bureau has been managed by two above named authors of the article and by a phantomic Managing Board, Bicakcic announced that the epilogue of all this would be best seen in the process that follows.

On the occasion of the accusations impeaching him for removing from the office the leading people in the Federal Finance Police, Bicakcic explained that it was not any removal from the office, since the Government F BiH, upon proposal of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Head Finance Inspector, dismissed them from those duties because they were charged with the new ones.

Moreover, the control of federal institutions' work does not fall under competence of the Federal Finance Police, said Bicakcic, mentioning that similar attempts were made before as well, like the case was with the Federal Agency for Banking.
"This is a job of the Federal Auditor and of the appropriate Parliamentary Commission", said the Prime Minister decidedly. In addition, he reminded that in the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation, when the Draft Employment Law was discussed, the Chairman of that House gave the floor to Dr Murat Praso, although it was without any basis.

"There are many things here connected to corruption and we will clear it up in post-election period", added Bicakcic.
Referring to the allegations made by "The Washington Post" saying he was a hard-line nationalist, the Prime Minister Bicakcic said he would not like to justify himself, because that was in 1983 undoubtedly proved by the communist court of law that convicted him to seven year prison sentence. Those who at the time had conducted the legal enquiry now are nominated candidates for the Police Commissioner Office in Sarajevo. What kind of people are them can be better explained with the fact that, performing their regular duty, they had failed to submit any record on arms found in the houses in Sarajevo.

To the question why he did not speak of this when weeklies "Slobodna Bosna " and "Dani", and daily "Avaz" had written about it, the Prime Minister said he was always willing to answer and used to answer to the questions coming from serious newspapers like "Oslobodjenje", "Ljiljan", or press agencies like BH PRESS, HABENA and similar, while it is more than obvious that "Avaz" for quite some time now has been conducting an open campaign against him. In addition, he reminded that his positions regarding the operations of the Federal Employment Bureau were explained in the recent interview given to the newspaper "Oslobodjenje" that reported them correctly.

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