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In the exercise of the powers vested
in me by Article V of Annex 10 (Agreement on Civilian Implementation of the
Peace Settlement) to the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, according to which the High Representative is the final authority
in theatre regarding interpretation of the said Agreement on Civilian
Implementation of the Peace Settlement; and considering in particular Article
II.1.(d) of the last said Agreement, according to the terms of which the High
Representative shall "Facilitate, as the High Representative judges necessary,
the resolution of any difficulties arising in connection with civilian
implementation";
Recalling paragraph XI.2 of the Conclusions of the Peace Implementation Conference
held in Bonn on 9 and 10 December 1997, in which the Peace Implementation
Council welcomed the High Representative’s intention to use his final authority
in theatre regarding interpretation of the Agreement on the Civilian
Implementation of the Peace Settlement in order to facilitate the resolution of
any difficulties as aforesaid "by making binding decisions, as he judges
necessary" on certain issues including (under sub-paragraph (c) thereof)
"measures to ensure implementation of the Peace Agreement throughout Bosnia and
Herzegovina and its Entities";
Recalling further Article I:1 of the said Annex 10,
referring explicitly to the promotion of respect for human rights and the return
of displaced persons and refugees;
Considering the emphasis placed by the Peace Implementation Council on accelerating
refugee return and on ensuring full and non-discriminatory implementation of the
property laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Considering further the need to
implement in the most efficient and equitable manner legislation concerning
repossession of property throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to ensure that
the same is undertaken in a harmonised manner in each Entity;
Conscious that after months of
negotiation the Entity officials responsible for refugee and housing issues have
been unable to reach agreement on the specific provisions necessary for
harmonisation as aforesaid, and that the deadline of 15 November 2001 as set by
the Entities at the Teslic Property Conference for full harmonization has
passed;
Noting that the Ministry for Human
Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina has requested action by the Office
of the High Representative to harmonise Entity legislation governing the
repossession of property in order to safeguard basic human rights and expedite
refugee return.
Having considered and borne in mind all the matters aforesaid,
I hereby issue the following
DECISION ON AMENDMENTS TO THE
INSTRUCTION OF THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW ON THE CESSATION OF APPLICATION OF THE
LAW ON THE USE OF ABANDONED PROPERTY
Article 1
The following Articles of the Instruction of the Application of the Law on
Further Amendments to the Law on Cessation of Application of the Law on the Use
of Abandoned Property and the Law on the Cessation of Application of the Law on
the Use of Abandoned Property (Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska 38/98,
12/99) shall be deleted: Articles 13 through 17, 20 through 21, 26 through 31
and 37 through 40.
Article 2
This Decision shall be published as soon as possible in the Official Gazette
of the Republika Srpska and the amendments contained herein shall enter into
force eight days after the date of such publication.
Sarajevo, 4 December 2001
Wolfgang Petritsch
High Representative
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