OHR

OHR and NATO on BOSS Amendments
to Defence Reform Laws

The FBiH House of Peoples will tomorrow discuss proposed
amendments to the already adopted and enacted Defence Reform
Laws.   

These amendments, proposed by BOSS, would roll back what has
now been achieved by the successful defence reform process and would
revive the FBiH Ministry of Defence. The closure of this Ministry, together with
the RS MoD, was central to creating a single, NATO-compatible military structure
in BiH

If the FBiH Parliament were to pass these amendments, they would create
institutional and legal confusion.

The proposed amendments, if adopted, would send a negative signal about
BiH’s readiness to be a credible candidate for NATO’s Partnership for Peace
programme and the requirement for effective state level command and
control. 

OHR and NATO view these amendments as a threat to the defence
reforms which have put BiH at the threshold of PfP, and which are
currently being implemented by the BiH Ministry of
Defence. 

OSCE statement

Sixteen history textbook
authors from BiH at training workshop inGermany

The Georg-Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research in
Germany, in
collaboration with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Europe, is
organising a training seminar for 16 history textbook authors from BiH in
Braunschweig,
Germany from 13 to
17 February
2006.

The purpose of the seminar is to provide training in basic methodology and
skills of history textbook writing.

The seminar is a result of the recently signed Guidelines for Writing and
Evaluation of History Textbooks for Primary and Secondary Schools in
Bosnia and Herzegovina and represents a practical
implementation of the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on history teaching in
twenty-first-century Europe,which has been adopted by its
member States, including Bosnia and
Herzegovina.

EUPM

No statement.

EUFOR

No statement

RTQs

Antonio Prlenda, Oslobođenje:

Mario, you mentioned that «legal confusion» would be created. Could you
please comment on this, since at this moment legal confusion really does exist,
for example – when a former member of the armed forces requests a certificate
confirming that he had been a member of the army he does not know wether to turn
to, that is address his request to the State Ministry or Federal Ministry. That
would be one thing. My second question relates to the issue of seals in the
Federal Ministry – how can you certify any documents if the seals are no longer
valid? My colleague is actually already writing about this issue. Many other
similar problems also exist, so a real legal confusion currently exists.

Mario Brkić, OHR:

All of that is currently undergoing a process of transition, all those things
are being transferred from the Entity Ministries to the State level. That is why
we believe that these amendments would only create further confusion. 

Antonio Prlenda, Oslobođenje:

Considering the fact that a transition process is underway, do you expect
that any deadlines will be set so that the administrative problems that now
exist may be solved as soon as possible?

Mario Brkić, OHR:

I am sure that certain deadlines for the completion of the transition process
from the entity ministries have been set. I do not know the exact deadlines.
However, if these amendments are passed it is certain that this process will be
even more prolonged.

Antonio Prlenda, Oslobođenje:

Could you tell me one more thing, the people who have filed a lawsuit against
the Federal Ministry of Defense claiming unpaid wages – who is representing the
former Federal Ministry of Defense in the court proceedings? So, when you talked
about «legal confusion» it is clear that the legal confusion already
exists.  

Mario Brkić, OHR:

Yes, and these amendments would only worsen the situation.