04/10/1996 OHR Sarajevo

Statement by the High Representative

STATEMENT

BY CARL BILDT, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE

Sarajevo, 10 April 1996

Three days after the Federation side, the Republika Srpska side has since yesterday afternoon also been in full compliance with the terms set by my office concerning the release of remaining prisoniers under the Peace Agreement.

In accordance with what was agreed at the meeting of Joint Interim Commission in Banja Luka March 30, I thus forsee that Bosnia and Herzegovina will be represented at the Donors Conference in Brussels on Friday and Saturday by a delegation with the three Prime Ministers as well as one additional representative of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and two additional representatives from both the Federation and the Republika Srpska.

All those persons that the parties suspecting of war crimes are now held in two locations in the Sarajevo/Pale area with a constant presence form the UN-IPTF awaiting the decisions of ICTY on whether thay should be held or released. The parties have undertaken to immediately release those ICTY does not ask them to keep. I will ensure that those releases also take place.

At the time of the Moscow meeting March 23, there were still 219 prisoniers held in a very clear case of non-compliance with the Peace Agreement and in direct contradiction of the promises made by the parties in Geneva March 18.

The strategy agreed upon then has proved to be a success. The prisoniers of war issue should thus be behind us, and we can concentrate fully on the important tasks for the future, notably economic reconstruction and the preparations for free and fair elections.