Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming, on
what is an important day for
We have had extremely constructive talks during the past two days, both here
at the Office of the High Representative and in the Parliament building.
I am deliberately speaking to you in front of the Office of the High
Representative together with the political directors of the
I am doing this because we have decided to close the Office of the High
Representative.
The Office of the High Representative will close on 30 June next year and
preparations for closure will start immediately. There will be a final review of
the situation to confirm this in or around February 2007.
In the course of the past 11-and-a-half years, this institution has achieved
an enormous amount. Here, I must pay tribute to all who have worked for it.
I must pay tribute to the staff – international staff but in particular the
Bosnians and Herzegovinians, who have given so much over the years and whose
commitment, dedication and expertise have helped bring
Herzegovina
situation.
Today, the nature of the International Community’s involvement in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
from peace implementation to Euro-Atlantic integration.
This is a road that goes from
Luka
in
The closure of the Office of the High Representative does not mean that the
International Community is withdrawing from
and Herzegovina
The International Community will remain fully engaged with a reinforced
engagement by the European Union and the continued presence of EUFOR, the EU
Police Mission, NATO and other international actors.
And I will remain the EU Special Representative, continuing the work of
coordinating the activities of the International Community, facilitating
progress and advising the BiH authorities.
But the International Community engagement is changing and it is changing in
a fundamental way.
What does this mean for the people of
and Herzegovina
It means opportunity.
Now is the time to seize the opportunity and take full ownership of
this country’s destiny.
The October elections will offer citizens the direct means to do
this.
Between now and October, citizens must judge candidates on clear
criteria.
Can they solve problems or are they more likely to create them?
Let me say it again – the International Community will stay engaged; the
International Community wants to work with BiH partners to forward an ambitious
reform agenda that will being benefits to the people of this country and move
Bosnia and Herzegovina further along the path of Euro-Atlantic integration.
Citizens must ask – is this or that politician for this agenda or
against it?
Easy enough to get a sense of where politicians stand – simply observe which
ones work over the summer to bring about progress on
- enacting the Higher Education Law
- enacting the Law on Obligations
- enacting the Pharmaceuticals Law
- ensuring centralisation of banking supervision
- resolving the dispute over revenue allocation
- advancing PBS reform
- advancing police reform
In our discussions today we also dealt with the need for full cooperation
with the ICTY, and full implementation of BiH Human Rights Chamber Decisions.
This issue isn’t going to go away.
The message to BiH political leaders from the
Work With Us!
There are pressing issues that affect the livelihood of the citizens of BiH –
issues of employment and social services and educational opportunities.
Deal with these issues through reforms. We will help you.
BiH’s borders are settled and its internal organisation will only change
following agreement by all its constituent peoples. The task of political
leaders is to make this reality positive – by creating jobs and improving living
standards.
The message from today’s
PIC is that we
will work willingly with all BiH partners who wish to take this agenda
forward.
Thank you
