OHR’s Statement at the International Agencies’ Joint Press Conference in Mostar

High Representative Press Conference on
BiH Council of Ministers

The composition of the government in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a matter for
this country’s elected leaders, not the OHR’s, but we cannot see
how yesterday’s decision will help advance reforms at this key
moment in BiH’s relations with the European Union.


Similarly we can not see how early elections as a result of yesterday’s
announcement would help BiH’s attempt to reform.


Early elections will only shift the focus away from the reforms that BiH
needs to implement in order to complete the Feasibility Study requirements.


BiH Election Law stipulates a fixed period of four years between General
Elections. The object of this provision is to ensure stability. Amending the
Election Law to allow new elections would produce multiple elections and
revolving-door administrations – with subsequent long term and destabilising
consequences.  


The labour-hours, political capital and effort required to get the required
changes through Parliament would be much better spent on raising living
standards for BiH’s citizens and making sure BiH completes is Feasibility Study
and joins PfP in the near future.


No one has yet mentioned how the costs of early elections, and each election
costs around KM 10 million, would be covered. We need to be clear that it would
be the BiH tax payer who would be footing the bill for this political dance.


It also takes time to prepare elections: the current Law gives 170 days, over
five months, for the preparation of elections. It would be impossible to expect
to hold elections before the spring of 2006 – just months ahead of the elections
that are already scheduled for October.   


The municipal elections organised by BiH last year were universally
welcomed as a sign of BiH’s burgeoning democratic maturity. Holding early
elections for short-term political gain now would risk undermining
this achievement.


 


PDHR Butler to visit Banja Luka


The Principal Deputy High Representative, Larry Butler,
is visiting

Banja Luka

today and tomorrow. He will hold talks with RS
officials, including the Supreme Auditor Bosko Ceko, and senior politicians.
Ambassador Butler will discuss progress (or the lack of it) in key economic
areas, including privatisation, the urgent need for full RS participation in the
current drive to make BiH fiscally sustainable, and efforts to improve the
standard of municipal government. He will emphasise in his discussions with RS
politicians that the economic ramifications of the RSNA’s decision to stall
BiH’s path to

Europe are not inconsiderable. The RS
leadership has sent a terrible message to prospective investors that they are
not committed to moving decisively forward towards a European future.


At the conclusion of his visit, Ambassador Butler will chair a round table
discussion with students from

Banja Luka

University

‘s
Faculties of Economics and Business Engineering and Management. Discussion will
focus on the business environment in BiH — what is wrong with it and what has
to be done to make it better. The round table will take place on


Thursday 9
June 2005
at 11.00


at the Faculty of Philosophy, 1st floor, room 26


Bana Lazarevica 1, Banja
Luka


All media are cordially invited to participate in the final half an hour of
the debate, from 11:30 to 12:00 hrs.

Europa.ba