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Communique Issued by the Political Directors of the
Peace Implementation Council Steering Board and the BiH Authorities
Following an
ExtraordinaryPIC Session to Mark the 10th
Anniversary of the Dayton-Paris Peace Accords
The Political Directors of the Peace Implementation Council
Steering Board, together with the BiH authorities represented by Presidency
Chairman Ivo Miro Jovic, Prime Minister Adnan Terzic, and Foreign Minister
Mladen Ivanic, met in
Paris
on 14
December in extraordinary session, under the chairmanship of Stanislas de
Laboulaye, French Political Director, to mark the tenth anniversary of the
Dayton-Paris Peace Accords.
Recalling that at the end of 1995 Bosnia and Herzegovina lay in ruins, its
people traumatized and its infrastructure devastated by three and a half years
of war, the Political Directors and the BiH representatives stressed that, ten
years on, the extent of recovery has been remarkable, and is powerful testimony
to the commitment of the International Community and the courage and
resourcefulness of the people of BiH since the Dayton-Paris Accords were
signed
Today,
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
is at peace, more than a million refugees and displaced
persons have returned to their homes, the economy is growing, and the EU has
launched Stablisation and Association Agreement negotiations with the
country.
The people of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
– by their own efforts and with
practical and political help from their partners in the International Community
– have placed a distance between themselves and the catastrophe of political
collapse and violence. They are on a path that leads to prosperity and security
as a full member of the Euro-Atlantic community.
The citizens of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
have made sacrifices; they have
supported transition; they have accepted the hardships that are unavoidable in
the initial stages of reform. Now they are entitled to expect faster and more
substantial improvements in living standards. Though much has been achieved,
much remains to be done. It is incumbent on the political authorities to ensure
that these improvements are delivered.
The Steering Board and the BiH authorities agreed that the priorities now
must be overcoming residual inter-ethnic prejudices in favour of a
Bosnia and Herzegovina which is home to all its citizens, to
- Modernise the Dayton
constitution in order to increase the functionality and efficiency of BiH’s
institutions and of BiH itself so as to create a state that puts citizens
first
- Transfer remaining war crimes indictees, including Ratko Mladic and
Radovan Karadzic, to The
Hague
- Maintain the return process at the forefront of political priorities; this
process will not be complete until the last citizen who wishes to return has
had an opportunity to do so.
- Complete the administrative process that will provide BiH with a modern
and efficient police service
- Complete the implementation of defence and intelligence reform and
increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the army, bringing them
under full state control.
- Complete the unification of Mostar and provide its residents with the
services and amenities of a normal European city
- Adopt the process that has been established by the Srebrenica Commission,
as a model that can be applied to other episodes that occurred during the war,
including through a State Commission, and take related steps to promote truth
and reconciliation as indispensable elements in the country’s postwar recovery
- Accelerate economic reforms, including debt restructuring, tax reforms,
and corporate restructuring, in order to bring prosperity to all of
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens
- Foster and strengthen civil society so that BiH citizens will participate
fully in the democratic process and take the initiative in promoting economic
development
- End the damaging delay in fulfilling BiH’s obligations under the
Bologna declaration, channel
desperately needed resources into education, and stop the serious political
and administrative neglect of school children and students
- Ensure that the BiH authorities reassume political responsibility for
undertaking tasks that are currently being carried out by the International
Community, while maintaining the International Community’s engagement at a
meaningful and constructive level consistent with the needs of
Bosnia and Herzegovina ’s transition to market democracy
The people of
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
have done much to bind up the
wounds of the war that engulfed them. They have shown fortitude and patience,
ingenuity and a capacity to forgive. They have won the battle of the last ten
years. It is now up to their leaders to guide their country into a new
phase.
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