Mostar Process Continues
As you know, the High Representative addressed the UN
Security Council yesterday. This was his last address to the Council in his
capacity as High Representative. In his review of the progress that has been
made in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
since the beginning of this year
the High Representative identified the steps taken to unify Mostar as a
significant example of overall progress in BiH.
The High Representative noted that at the end of this month the OHR unit
dedicated to supporting the re-integration of Mostar will be closed, having
successfully completed its work. “Most of Mostar’s municipal institutions have
been unified or are in the process of being unified,” the High Representative
said. “A majority of local civil service positions have now been filled, under
the new EU-standard Civil Service Law. Nevertheless, a small but worrying number
of the most sensitive issues, such as street names and the ownership of the
local Croat television station, have still to be resolved. They should be
soon.”
The High Representative emphasised that there is more work to be done, and he
warned that some hardliners continue to try to disrupt the forward momentum that
has been achieved, by putting ethnic division above the interests of Mostar and
its long suffering citizens. But he made it clear that, despite some tasks that
are still to be completed, the Mostar process offers clear testimony that far
more unites the people of
Legal Status of Cultural Institutions of BiH Must Be
Resolved
The Senior Deputy High Representative, Martin Ney, will hold a meeting today
with the directors of the seven cultural institutions of BiH.
Despite their importance for the historical and cultural identity of the
country, the state-level status of these institutions, as provided for by the
Annex IV of the Dayton Peace Agreement, has not been acknowledged by authorities
of BiH. As a result of this they have faced and are continuing to face enormous
financial and administrative problems in providing valuable services to the
benefit of all citizens of BiH. Also, opportunities for building up tourism in
BiH are being missed.
The seven institutions are the National Museum of BiH, the BiH Museum of
History, the National and University Library of BiH, the Art Gallery of BiH, the
BiH Museum of Literature and Theatre Arts, the BiH Library for Blind and Vision
Impaired Persons, and the National Film Archives of BiH.
The meeting will focus on how to resolve the legal,
financial and administrative challenges faced by these institutions. Immediately
after the meeting, Ambassador Ney and the seven directors will hold a press
conference on Wednesday, 16 November, 2005 at 16.00 hrs, at the OHR
Sarajevo office.
