2 July 2006

Naser Orić returns to a warm welcome in Sarajevo, where his two-year ICTY sentence for failing to prevent abuse of prisoners in Srebrenica under siege is generally received with relief (although his lawyer announces an appeal). The verdict, which exonerated him on the more serious charges, is meanwhile loudly condemned by leading politicians in RS and also in Belgrade.

HR Christian Schwarz-Schilling lifts a ban from holding public office on seven individuals, notably including Edhem Bičakčić.

Croatian president Stipe Mesić says that his country should construct a motorway across Herzegovina in preference to one involving a new bridge to the Pelješac peninsula in southern Dalmatia.

3 July 2006

Milorad Dodik and other RS politicians attack the recent resolution of the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly calling for an end to entity voting

6 July 2006

HR Schwarz-Schilling appoints Peter Nicholl, a former head of the B-H national bank who holds dual NZ and B-H nationality, to head the Indirect Taxation Authority

7 July 2006

B-H defence minister announces decision of presidency on future composition of B-H armed forces: 10,000 active personnel, 5,000 reservists and 1,000 civilian employees, with ethnic quotas (45.9% Bosniaks, 19.8% Croats, 33.6% Serbs, 0.7% others), and including 20% officers, 30% NCOs and 50% ordinary soldiers

8 July 2006

B-H public prosecutor indicts former RS wartime justice minister Momčilo Mandić for war crimes committed in a number of RS gaols

11 July 2006

Ceremony commemorating the eleventh anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre is attended by international representatives and ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, but no official representatives from RS; the remains of 505 identified victims are buried.

16 July 2006

ICTY prosecutor’s office files an appeal against verdict reducing sentence on Tihomir Blaškić from 45 to 9 years, on the grounds that documents presented in his defence are forged

Retrial ordered in case against Ante Jelavić, former HDZ leader and Croat member of B-H presidency, sentenced by B-H court to 14 years for misappropriation of funds

B-H court sentences Samir Bejtić to 14 years for war crimes against Serb civilians at Kazani

20 July 2006

Sarajevo film director Benjamin Filipović dies at the age of 45

21 July 2006

Mortal remains of 305 identified Bosniak, Croat and Roma victims of ethnic cleansing are buried at Prijedor

22 July 2006

Croatian premier Ivo Sanader suggests to EU leaders that a new international conference be organized on B-H administrative and political structures

31 July 2006

ICTY prosecutor’s office announces appeal against sentence passed on Naser Orić, which Carla Del Ponte condemns as inadequate

4 August 2006

Amateur video clips broadcast on Belgrade and Bijeljina TV stations apparently show Croatian and Bosnian soldiers committing war crimes against Serb civilians in the wake of Operation Storm, following which the B-H public prosecutor announces an official investigation

11 August 2006

Refik Hodžć is nominated to become the new ICTY spokesperson from 1 September 2006

18 August 2006

The creation of two new B-H ministries is postponed because of RS obstruction

The HR lifts more bans imposed by his predecessor

A new national park is set up in the Una valley

B-H Tourist Board announces that tourism is up 75% on the previous year

18-26 August 2006

Sarajevo Film Festival

25 August 2006

A new mass grave is located near Prijedor, apparently containing the remains of prisoners from the Trnopolje concentration camp

1 September 2006

It is announced that from 1 October 2006 Raffi Gregorian will replace Susan Johnson as supervisor for Brčko district

5 September 2006

RS premier Dodik says that a referendum on RS secession is inevitable sooner or later

7 September 2006

New York district court orders the extradition to B-H of former foreign minister Muhamed Š aćirbegović - the decision is referred to the State Department

10 September 2006

Milo Đukanović’s party (DPS) wins absolute majority in general elections in Montenegro

11 September 2006

On his return from a trade fair at Bari, RS premier Milorad Dodik claims that Italian prime minister Roman Prodi supports Italian investment specifically directed towards RS

15 September 2006

HR Schwarz-Schilling raises the threat of removing Milorad Dodik from the RS premiership because of his repeated invocations of a possible referendum on RS secession from B-H - but no action follows

16 September 2006

Norbert Winterstein is nominated as the HR’s special envoy in Mostar

22 September 2006

Serbian political leaders - president Boris Tadić and premier Vojislav Koštunica - visit RS and sign an agreement on special relations, entirely bypassing Sarajevo

25 September 2006

OHR states that it has no fault to find with Serbia-RS agreement

30 September - 1 October 2006

General elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina

5 October 2006

Commission is established to investigate - under international supervision - the sufferings of Bosniak, Croat, Serb and other civilians in wartime Sarajevo

19 October 2006

HR Schwarz-Schilling calls a meeting of party leaders to press them to move ahead with political and constitutional reforms

Prominent Montenegrin writer Jevrem Brković is beaten up in Podgorica, and his bodyguard killed

26 October 2006

US ambassador Douglas McElhaney visits the site of the former Ferhadija mosque in Banja Luka and pledges 50,000 Euros towards its reconstruction

27 October 2006

Momčilo Mandić is sentenced to 9 years for misappropriation of funds, but his co-accused former RS presidency member Mirko Š arović is found not guilty