OHR related Articles

Friday May 16 Train from Brussels to London in the morning for briefings with the new Labour government. First the new Secretary of Defence Mr. Robertson. He was planned to be Secretary of State for Scotland, but ended up with Defence, and seemed happy with it.

A new gloom about the prospects of Bosnia seems to have descended on western capitals. Representatives of the three constituent peoples of the country constantly point out the failures of the other two to implement the peace agreement fully. Politicians used to the clear-cut policies of war have had difficulty adjusting to the more complex politics [...]

The events on the streets of Belgrade reflect a crisis in Serbia which could have far-reaching consequences for the stability of the Balkans. The demonstrations, ostensibly about the results of the November 17 local elections, are a manifestation of the deep unease which is becoming stronger throughout Serbian society. And rightly so.

The European Union is the greatest force for peace and stability in the western part of the continent. By its integrating force it has managed to turn nations which for hundreds of years were enemies into partners and friends within just one generation. But the job is far from finished.

Within 24 hours of the certification of the nation-wide election results, Bosnia's new three-person presidency met for the first time on Monday. Thus began the process of setting up common institutions for the country and fully implementing the constitution drawn up in the Dayton peace agreement.

Response to Dr Henry Kissinger's article in the Washington Post of 8 September entitled, "In the Eye of a Hurricane" Sarajevo, 14 September 1996 While Henry Kissinger - "America in the Eye of a Hurricane" - is strong on analysis of the basic dilemmas of Bosnian peacemaking, as well as on how we ended up were we are, he is notably short on policies [...]

Carl Bildt arrives at NATO headquarters on 8 July for meetings with Secretary General Solana and to attend a session of the Council with NATO and Cooperation Partner Ambassadors. (NATO Photo 46Kb) Arriving in Sarajevo at the end of last year to take up his duties as High Representative, Carl Bildt had to act quickly to set up, virtually from scratc [...]

Can it work? This is by far the most frequently asked question about the peace process in Bosnia. And can the countries contributing to the IFOR peace implementation force count on their troops leaving at the end of the the ear? The record after almost eight months of implementing the peace accord agreed at Dayton is a mixed one. Mr Radovan Karadzi [...]

George Soros has done a great deal of good for Bosnia through his Foundation. But he makes the mistake of shooting at the pianist when he expresses his anger that implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement has not yet brought Mr. Karadzic to the Hague.

Is Dayton a failure? Has the peace process stalled in Bosnia? These will be the questions on people's minds when the governments of the Peace Implementation Council meet in Florence later this week. I have two ways of answering. One is to compare the newspaper headlines of today with those a year ago.