Transcript of the International Agencies’ Joint Press Conference

 

OHR, Mario Brkic


ICTY, Matias Hellman


 


OHR


Schwarz-Schilling, Solana, Rehn to Discuss Anti-Dayton
Rhetoric


High Representative and EU Special Representative,
Christian Schwarz-Schilling, is currently in
Brussels
where he will be meeting with both Javier
Solana, the European Union’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, and Oli Rehn, the Enlargement Commissioner, to brief them on
the situation in
Bosnia and Herzegovina

in advance of February’s meeting of
the Peace Implementation Council.


One issue that he will be taking up in the meetings, which are scheduled for
tomorrow, is the increasing use of anti-Dayton rhetoric both in
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.


The Office of the High Representative is monitoring closely all anti-Dayton
language in the run-up to the next PIC, at which a final decision on the OHR’s
closure will be taken, and has noted, among other examples, the comments of both
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic and Prime Minister Kostunica specifically
linking the fate of Republika Srpska, which is an integral part of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and Kosovo.


Serbia

is a
signatory of the Dayton Peace Agreement and should behave as such. Attempts to
undermine

Dayton

represent a threat
to Republika Srpska, since its existence as an entity was formally recognised in
the peace accord.


Bosnia and Herzegovina

’s internal structures as defined in
the country’s constitution may be altered according to the provisions contained
therein, that is through internal democratic processes and the agreement of all
peoples and stakeholders.


 


Third Entity Spectre of The Past


OHR notes the interview given by Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad
Dodik to Vecernji List today and his call for a third entity.


This call again raises spectres of the past, which brought no benefit for the
Croat people in
Bosnia
and Herzegovina

. Mr Dodik would do better to
dedicate his energy towards reform processes that will bring BiH closer to
Euro-Atlantic integrations


The international community has repeatedly stressed that it would not
tolerate any attempt to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement. The PIC Steering
Board has repeatedly made it clear that
Bosnia and Herzegovina

is a recognised sovereign state
whose territorial integrity is guaranteed by the Dayton Peace Agreement.


 


OHR Looks To
Canton

7 To
Nominate HoP Delegates Tomorrow


Last week, the parties elected to the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly
agreed to hold a session tomorrow at which they would nominate the

Canton

’s delegates to the FBiH House
of Peoples (HoP).


As you know, the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is the only

Canton

that has not started the
process of election of delegates to the FBiH House of Peoples. Assembly
delegates and the political parties they represent must ensure the legal
requirements attached to their functions are fully upheld.


The FBiH House of Peoples must be convened as soon as possible so that it can
adopt a decision on temporary financing, thereby heading off serious fiscal
crisis in the FbiH. It must also forward nominations to the BiH House of Peoples
so that the State- level Parliament can be formed.


Under the FBiH Constitution, the HoP is bound to meet within 20 days of the
announcement of the election results. In the event that the Canton 7 Assembly
fails to nominate its HoP delegates tomorrow, the OHR would expect the House of
Peoples to convene as soon as a sufficient number of delegates has been
certified to constitute a quorum.


According to the OHR’s legal interpretation of the Federation’s constitution,
the FBiH House of Peoples could hold its constituent session with a simple
majority of delegates appointed from the FBiH Cantons. A simple majority is
achieved when over 50 per cent of the delegates have been appointed, that is 30
delegates in all.


 


ICTY


Statement is not available in english at this moment.


 


RTQs


Danka Polovina-Mandic, Dnevni list:


You said that HR would speak on anti-Dayton rhetoric. Can you be more
specific? Who, when, where?


OHR:


I gave you two examples. This rhetoric happened before too.

Europa.ba