No. 10, issued July 16, 1996
Table of Contents
- Mostar
Mostar Election Results officially public - Elections
Official start of the election campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina postponed until 19 July - Federation
New Defence Law foresees complete integration of the Bosnian Army and the HVO within three years. - Contact Group
Officials from the Contact Group countries hold working meeting to discuss elections. - Brcko
Arbiters appointed for the binding arbitration on the disputed portion of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line in the Brcko area. - Succession Issues
The Special Negotiator for Succession Issues met in Brussels with delegations from all five Republics to continue discussions on succession issues. - Economic Reconstruction
Disbursement of World Bank funds and World Bank-administered funds approved. - Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs
Commemorations on the anniversary of the tragedy of Srebrenica - Human Rights
Meeting of Human Rights Task Force on 10 July in Sarajevo to review work of the Human Rights Co-ordination Centre and the Task Force Subcommittees
Mostar
The results of the elections in Mostar were made officially public on 11 July with a decree from the European Union Administrator for Mostar, Ricardo Perez Casado. A total of 59.368 voters took part in the elections and of those 782 ballots were declared null and void. The SDA-led List of Citizens for Mostar won 21 of the 37 seats in the City Council while the HDZ won 16 seats
EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on 15 July at the General Affairs Council appointed Sir Martin Garrod as EU Administrator for Mostar. Sir Martin is to replace Ricardo Perez Casado whose mandate expires on 22 July. It was also agreed that the mandate of the EU Administration in Mostar should be extended for a further six months.
Elections
In his capacity as Chairman of the Provisional Election Commission (PEC), Ambassador Robert Frowick decided on 13 July to postpone the official start of the election campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 19 July, when the PEC will meet to ascertain whether all political parties are in compliance with the Peace Agreement, the Electoral Code of Conduct for Political Parties, Candidates and Election Workers, and the Rules and Regulations approved by the PEC. Ambassador Frowick announced publicly that it was his “unalterable position that any political parties who keep indicted war criminals in office shall be ineligible to participate [in the elections]”.
The Provisional Election Commission (PEC) decided on 9 July to extend the deadline for voter registration for refugees living abroad from 24 July to 31 July. Approximately 1,4 million refugees from BH are spread over more than 35 countries. Refugee voting will be organised in most of these countries by Country Representatives and Co-ordination Offices. The Host Country Governments, Embassies of BH, Bosnian organisations, NGOs and UNHCR are all involved in the process of informing refugees about the elections.
The OSCE’s Election Appeals Sub-Commission has judged on 11 July the case involving the attack on Haris Silajdzic, President of the Party for BH. On 15 June, SDA demonstrators in Donja Koprivna and Cazin disrupted campaign events of the Party for BH, culminating in a violent rampage in Cazin in which Dr. Silajdzic was injured. The Sub-Commission found that the SDA was responsible for the violent and disruptive actions of its members that took place in contravention of the Electoral Code of Conduct promulgated by the PEC in implementation of the electoral provisions of the Dayton Agreement.
As a penalty for this reprehensible and illegal conduct, the Sub-Commission ordered that the first seven names on the party list of the SDA for municipal elections in Cazin be removed and their candidacies for public office terminated. The Sub-Commission also decided tio advise the SDA Party at the national level that any repetition of this type of behaviour will lead to even stronger and broader penalties.
In reaching its decision, the Sub-Commission also agreed to censure the Chief of Police of Cazin for the police’s disgraceful failure to keep the peace.
Federation
The Federation Assembly on 10 July adopted by an overwhelming majority a Federation Defence Law. The law foresees the complete integration of the Bosnian Army and the HVO within three years. Before that, the units of both armies shall be integrated at the Corps level. Operative decisions will be taken jointly by the Minister of Defence and his Deputy. Recruits may choose whether they will serve in the Bosnian Army or in the HVO. The question of the future supreme command is not yet permanently resolved. For the interim period up to the elections, the Army will be commanded by the Presidents of BH and of the Federation. A permanent solution for the command structure will be found in the form of a further law within the next three months.
Contact Group
Officials from the Contact Group countries held a working meeting in London on 10 July. The High Representative Carl Bildt, Head of the OSCE mission in BH, Robert Frowick, and the EU Presidency also attended.
The meeting agreed on the importance of the elections taking place on schedule, and with the participation of all the political parties in both the Federation and the RS.
On Karadzic, it was agreed that responsibility for apprehending him and handing him over to The Hague rests with the Parties and that the Contact Group and the HR will continue to press the authorities of Serbia and RS on this issue.
Brcko
Under the provisions of the Peace Agreement for BH, the Entities have appointed one arbiter each for the binding arbitration on the disputed portion of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line in the Brcko area. A third arbiter, to preside over the tribunal, was to be selected by agreement of the Parties’ arbiters. The Peace Agreement envisaged that if no agreement was reached on the third arbiter within the given deadline, which expired 14 July, the President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would have authority to name an arbiter. The Parties were informed through a letter from the President of the ICJ, Mohammed Bedjaoui on 15 July, that Mr. Roberts Owen of Washington, D.C., had been appointed to serve as the third arbiter.
Succession Issues
During the month of July, Sir Arthur Watts, special negotiator for succession issues met in Brussels with delegations from all five Republics to continue discussions on succession issues. He will provide relevant experts from Steering Board countries with an oral briefing on succession issues on July 16.
Economic Reconstruction
Work under the Reconstruction Programme continues to gather pace and disbursement of $ 320 million of World Bank funds, including World Bank-administered funds (notably funds from the Dutch Government and IFAD) has now been approved. 213 civil works, goods and services contracts have been signed for a total amount of $ 70 million, with a further 280 contracts valued at $ 140 million expected to be signed by 30 September.
Work in progress includes:
- repair of the Bijela and Jasen bridges on the road from Sarajevo to Mostar
- repair of the Salakovac power station north of Mostar
- approval of loans for private enterprises totalling $ 1.7 million with a further 55 projects in the pipeline valued at $ 8.5 million
- disbursement of $ 3.2 million of social security benefits to poor families
By the end of August, a further $ 200 million of World Bank funds will be approved for projects including emergency land-mine clearance, housing repair, emergency power rehabilitation, and public works and employment and the transition assistance credit.
A World Bank economic mission visited BH from 25 June to 10 July to provide policy advice to the authorities on institutional strengthening, and policies for sustainable growth.
The mission met with representatives of key officials at both the State and Entity levels, as well as representatives of banks, chambers of commerce and enterprises. A report on their findings is to be published in October.
The European Commission last week signed accords with Bosnia and Herzegovina to the value of 21.5 million ECUs for reconstruction work in the transport and energy sectors. An “accord de sičge”, granting the Commission diplomatic status, was also signed between Commissioner Hans van den Broek and BH Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic in the course of Mr. Van den Broek’s visit to Sarajevo with the Irish Foreign Minister, Dick Spring, representing the EU Presidency.
Refugee And Humanitarian Affairs
A number of commemorations on the anniversary of the tragedy of Srebrenica were organised in the Tuzla region last week. A number of international figures and officials attended including EU Commissioner in charge of humanitarian aid, Emma Bonino, Queen Noor of Jordan and US Ambassador to Vienna, Ms. Swanee Hunt.
On the occasion of the anniversary, the UNHCR issued a statement saying “the tragedy of Srebrenica must be remembered not only because it represents one of the most barbaric chapters in the Bosnian war, but also because those responsible for it are still in charge. And sadly enough, they pursue the same policy of ethnic hatred which had led to the massacre of Srebrenica”. In conclusion, the UNHCR statement called on the leadership of the Republika Srpska to “reverse its policy of ethnic separation and respect the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes of origin”.
Human Rights
OHR chaired a meeting of the Human Rights Task Force on 10 July in Sarajevo. Attendees included representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UNHCR, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly, the Federation Ombudsmen and the Council of Europe. The meeting reviewed the work of the Human Rights Co-ordination Centre and the Task Force Subcommittees
The Property Subcommittee remains the most active with weekly meetings to devise strategies to address non-complying property laws and discriminatory administrative practices. OHR reported on efforts within the Joint Civilian Commission structure to revise property laws which are inconsistent with the Peace Agreement.
At the same meeting, the ICRC reported on the work of the Working Group on the missing which they chair. The ICRC is pursuing a number of mechanisms for tackling and resolving missing persons cases. Through the Working Group, both entities are encouraged to submit information on the fate of missing persons. The ICRC also hopes to gather information on missing persons through its public awareness campaign while also co-ordinating exhumation projects.
Looking Ahead
- 17 July: Joint Civilian Commission (JCC) South, Ljubinje
- 1 August: JCC North
- 7 August: JCC West, Banja Luka
- 13 August: JCC (at national level), Sarajevo