OHR

No statement.

OSCE

Public Outreach Initiative seeks to improve government
communication

The OSCE Mission in BiH, during February and March continues Public Outreach
Initiative project aiming to increase citizen engagement and participation in
BiH. A series of five one-day training will gather over 40 representatives of
municipal administration, non-governmental activists and journalists across the
country.

The goal of the Public Outreach Initiative programme is to stimulate
interactive communication between administrative bodies and citizens through the
media and NGOs. During the workshops, participants will discuss the significance
of two-way communication in a democratic society and the creation of a positive
social environment.

Citizens rarely communicate with representatives at a higher level of
authority. For that reason, the OSCE Mission to BiH continues to work at the
local authority level, but is also planning to work with the higher levels of
government on the improvement of their communication with the public as well.

In two-way communication, when there is a message that is supposed to be sent
from government to citizens, or the other way around, media can play a key role.
The OSCE Mission to BiH hopes that the message the participants will take away
from the workshops is that good communication between all players is one of the
pre-conditions needed to strengthen democracy. 

The sessions will be taking place for five weeks, every Tuesday in Banja Luka
and every Thursday in Mostar starting today, on 21 February.

EUPM

BG Coppola visits Zenica-Doboj Canton on Thursday

In the scope of his visits to the EUPM collocations across Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Brigadier General Vincenzo Coppola, EUPM Head of Mission, will pay
his first official visit to Zenica-Doboj Canton on Thursday, 23 February.

During his visit BG Coppola will meet with the EUPM staff in Zenica, and with
Muhidin Alic, Minister of Interior and Fahrudin Becirovic on behalf of Police
Commissioner’s Office.  He will use this opportunity to discuss the current
situation in the area, the activities of police in the Canton and their
cooperation with the EUPM.  BG Coppola will also brief the interlocutors
about the new re-focused approach in the implementation of the EUPM mandate, new
priorities and plans for the upcoming period.

Further details on the press/photo opportunity will be issued tomorrow, on 22
February 2006.  

EUFOR

No statement.

RTQ:

AFP:

Oleg, with regard the negotiations on constitutional changes – I know
the OHR is not directly involved in this process – but I would like to know the
following; if any advance in the negotiations is made in the course of this
week, is there a possibility that you will then propose amendments to for
example, the Election Law? Especially considering that if constitutional changes
are the made, the subsequent amendments must be made to the Election Law at
least six months prior to the date the elections are to be held. That deadline
is in a few days? Have you given that any thought?  

OHR:

Well, you are right – the OHR is not directly involved in that
process. However, let me explain the process: first an agreement would have to
be reached on the constitutional changes which would then have to be put before
the Parliament; after which all the other Laws would be amended in accordance
with those changes.

AFP:

Question’s recording sound not
clear

OHR:

That is a question, which the Parliament and
party leaders involved in this process should answer. A legal course of action,
which should be adhered to, exists. It is now up to them to pass the amendments
as soon as possible in order for this to happen.  

AFP:

I am not
sure if you know whether the deadline is the 1st of March, or exactly six month
before the exact date when the elections will be held – I do not know what date
the first Saturday in October exactly is.

OHR:

I
would have to check that, but I would prefer if the Election Commission answered
that question for you – all of that is under their jurisdiction.