Bosnia and Herzegovina - Media Review – November 13

NEZAVISNE NOVINE

- Bosnia has registered 137 cases of infection with the A (H1N1) virus since the outbreak of the diesease– 74 in the Muslim-Croat Federation, 44 in the Serb Republic and 19 in the Brcko district, the daily said.

- The sixth attempt to sell 56% of state-owned Sarajevo-based auto components producer Famos Holding was pronounced unsuccessful after the offer failed to attract any interest, the privatisation agency of the Sarajevo canton said. The asset-selling agency will now seek government approval to sell the company through a direct agreement with a potential buyer.

DNEVNI AVAZ

- The President of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation Borjana Kristo has been declining to appoint an Urban Planning Minister of the Federation, which will result in blocking motorway construction in Bosnia, the daily said. It added the Federation has not adopted an urban plan yet and will be unable to determine the final location of the Pocitelj bridge by the November 20, which is a European Investment Bank condition to lend 240 million euro for the construction of three road sections in Bosnia.

- The net profit of Bosnian state-controlled telecoms company HT Mostar plunged to 4.27 million marka in 2008 from 17.5 million a year earlier. At the company’s shareholders meeting held earlier this week its majority owner, the Muslim-Croat Federation government, failed to answer the question why the net profit decreased by 13 million marka and why the net profit of the Federation’s other telco, BH Telecom, is 33.5% bigger than HT Mostar’s one, while BH Telecom's revenue was only 2.3% higher.

(1 euro=1.95583 marka)