HR-EUSR Briefs EU, US and UN On BiH Progress

High Representative and EU Special Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, leaves for Brussels this afternoon on the first part of a trip which will take him on to Washington and then to New York next week.

Tomorrow, the High Representative and EU Special Representative will address the European Council’s Political and Security Committee (PSC), the European Union’s key foreign policy body. In addition, he will meet with Javier Solana, the European Union’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The High Representative and EU Special Representative will brief the PSC on the overall situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the failure to agree key reforms. While the text of the SAA has been agreed, concrete progress on police reform and ICTY cooperation is needed in order for the SAA to be initialled and signed, as Commissioner Rehn has pointed out in a letter delivered to BiH authorities this week.

On Saturday, Mr Schwarz-Schilling will attend a ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany, at which Reis Effendi Ceric will be awarded the Theodor-Heuss Medal. He will also meet with the Reis in the margins of this event.

On Monday, the High Representative and EU Special Representative will be in Washington to meet with senior State Department Officials. Constitutional and police reform will be key topics of his discussions with US policy-makers.

The High Representative and EU Special Representative will also meet Roberts Owen, the Brcko Arbitrator to discuss draft legislation regulating relations between Brcko District and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This legislation should provide the District with a means to protect its interests in State institutions and thereby create the conditions for ending the Supervisory regime in the District.

On Wednesday, the High Representative and EU Special Representative will address the UN Security Council. In addition to an overall briefing on the situation, he will highlight the need for full cooperation with the ICTY. In this context, he will also draw attention to the recent judgment of the International Court of Justice.

As usual, we will advise you of all media opportunities and will be making as much information available as possible from these visits.