10.03.1996 OHR Sarajevo

Meeting to decide on lawless activities in areas of Sarajevo which are to be transerred

  1. On March 10, at the invitation of the Office of the High Representative, the following met to decide on measures to deal with the lawless activities currently occurring in the areas of Sarajevo that are being transferred to the authority of the Federation:
    • Ambassador Michael Steiner, Principal Deputy High Representative
    • General Jean Heinrich, Deputy Commander IFOR
    • Lieutenant General Sir Michael Walker, ComARRC
    • Iqbal Riza, UN Special Representative
    • Peter Fitzgerald, Commissioner of the International Police Task Force
    • Avdo Hebib, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Milan Kryzanovski, Adviser to the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

    The participants also discussed this situation with representatives of the local Serb population from these areas.

  2. The Office of the High Representative, IFOR, UN-IPTF and the UNHCR strongly condemn the lawless actions, including threats to civilians and the looting and burning of homes and factories, that are currently occurring in these areas of Sarajevo being transferred to the Federation. They demand that all those engaging in such actions stop immediately. They also insist that the existing police forces in these areas until the transfer of police authority take action to prevent this lawless behaviour.

    They stress that the right of complete freedom of movement exists in these areas and will be maintained not only until March 19 but also in the period after the full transfer of civil authority on March 19. They further agree that Federation police must take action to assure the free departure of those who wish to leave these areas.

    They further decided on the following measures that will apply to Ilidza and Grbavica:

    • In order to provide a climate of security for all residents in these areas and to allow the forces of civilian implementation to carry out the tasks assigned them under the Peace Agreement, IFOR and UN-IPTF are increasing their presence in the opcinas of Ilidza and Grbavica. IFOR and UN-IPTF will co-operate to deter lawless behaviour directed against the civilian population and property in these areas.
    • IFOR and UN-IPTF are taking measures to ensure that certain key utilities and other facilities in these areas remain secure and available for the use of the inhabitants of these areas.
    • UNHCR and UN-IPTF will co-operate to establish places of refuge to provide safety to those residents of these areas who do not feel secure in their own homes.
    • In cases of fire, Federation firefighters will be allowed to promptly enter these areas, escorted by IFOR, to provide security for the firefighters. During the meeting, it was decided to dispatch a unit of Federation firefghters, escorted by IFOR, to Ilidza to deal with a reported fire there.

    The participants also stress that the entrance of the Federation police into these areas will be accomplished in a fashion that will provide security and full rights to all the population of these areas, in full conformity with the Peace Agreement and the Rome Statement. Federation police will wear the new dark-grey uniform as soon as it is available. Until these new uniforms are ready, Federation police will wear the existing uniforms with the symbol of the Federation. The Federation police will consist of Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, reflecting the ethnic composition of these areas.

    In accordance with the Peace Agreement and the Rome Statement, existing civil authorities may continue to function in these areas until March 19. Professional Serb police from these areas have the right to join these Federation police, on the same basis as other members of the force.