Statement on Sarajevo
Rome, 18 February 1996
Reflecting the Work of the Joint Civilian Commission Sarajevo
- Supported by
- President Izetbegovic
- President Milosevic
- Prime Minister Muratovic
- President Zubak
- Prime Minister Kasagic
- President Milosevic
Sarajevo will be a united city in accordance with the Peace Agreement. It is our common conviction that this will give better possibilities for all – Bosniacs, Serbs, Croats and Others – and will be an important contribution to peace in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We are determined to work for the reconciliation and peaceful living together in Sarajevo. We appeal to all to stay in the city, and rest assured that their legitimate rights will be taken into account.
There will be equal treatment for Bosniacs, Croats, Serbs and Others in Sarajevo. There will be equal opportunity and non-discrimination for all peoples and citizens of Sarajevo, as well as for all citizens of all regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This means that the Serbs also will have the opportunity to participate fully in the governance of the city. Serbs in Sarajevo will also be assured participation in local self-rule at the opcina level in accordance with the Federation constitution, which can afford them the opportunity for education, social welfare and healthcare and the appropriate use of the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet.
Sarajevo will be a city open in itself and open to the outside. There will be full freedom of movement of persons, goods, services and capital between the Federation and the Republika Srpska also in the Sarajevo area. Neither the Federation nor the Republika Srpska will establish controls at the boundaries between the two Entities. Residents of one Entity will have the right to work also in the other Entity.
The areas to be transferred to the Federation in Sarajevo will be part of the unified city of Sarajevo. From March 19 until the elections that will take place later in this year, Federation authorities will act together with the Serb representatives elected in these areas in 1990. If the opcina “nacelnik” is from the Federation, the President of the opcina Council will be from the Serb council members elected in 1990, and all questions affecting civil, legal or national rights of the local population will be decided through consultation between the opcina “nacelnik” and the President of the council.
The details of the future organisation of the unified Sarajevo are yet to be decided. Bosniacs, Croats, Serbs and Others from Sarajevo will participate fully through their elected representatives in determining the details of the organisation of the city of Sarajevo in accordance with the constitution of the Federaion. The Joint Civilian Commission Sarajevo will provide a forum for discussing these questions in all their aspects with a view to reassure all peoples and citizens in Sarajevo that their legitimate interests and concerns are duly taken into account.
The return of refugees and displaced persons will happen in a voluntary, orderly and phased manner and will work in both directions. No one, including refugees and displaced persons from other regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be required to leave their present accommodation without being offered alternatives.
The protection of the human and political rights of each and everyone in Sarajevo will be assured. The rights and freedoms set forth in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights apply directly.
The transfer of authority to the Federation in the five suburbs will be completed by 19 March. During the preceding period, a plan will be finalised and implemented to establish an integrated and representative Federation police force, the composition of which will approximate the ratio of Bosniac, Serb and Croat population shown in the 1991 election census in each opcina.
During this transition period the police to be established in accordance with the Federation laws will be formed and introduced into the opcinas on a gradual basis as determined by the situation in the respective opcinas. We will actively encourage existing and qualified officers and men in the present Serb police force, subject to certification of the IPTF, to join.
This police force will operate under the active monitoring of the International Police Task Force. Individual policemen will have ID cards issued by the IPTF and will operate according to the guidelines issued by the IPTF. IFOR will maintain an enhanced presence in these areas in order to contribute to the general security.
There will be mechanisms for individual complaints to be heard and addressed by representatives of the international community.