06/18/1999 PIC SB Political Directors Brussels

Steering Board Deeply Concerned About Lack of Progress

Meeting in Brussels on June 15 at the level of political directors, the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council expressed its deep concern about the lack of progress in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Madrid Conclusions.

Specifically, the Steering Board is alarmed by the inadequate level of functioning of the Common Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in particular the BiH Parliament. The efficiency of these Institutions must be immediately and considerably ameliorated. In that context, the Steering Board also demands the immediate establishment of a Permanent Secretariat of the Standing Committee for Military Matters. It expects it to be in place no later than July 7.

Further, the Steering Board is seriously concerned about the lack of functioning of the institutions in the Federation. Security conditions must be improved without delay, and parallel institutions as well as ethnic chains of command within the Federation institutions must be dismantled. Their continued existence five years since the Federation Agreement and almost four years since the Dayton Peace Agreement were signed is embarrassing. Further, the shortcomings in economic reforms in the Federation and the extent of corruption is appalling and can only be perceived as a provocation by donors and their hard-working taxpayers.

Lastly, the Steering Board noted with concern that refugee return, in particular minority return, has again been slow this year.

The Steering Board urges BiH’s political leader to bear in mind the criteria for admission to the Council of Europe as well as the conditions mentioned in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

At the Donor’s Conference, the disbursement of pledged funds was conditioned on the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Madrid Conclusions. Unless the situation improves considerably soon, BiH’s leaders risk losing the financial support of the International Community and their efforts to integrate BiH in Europe.

<!– {endoc}