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Let me begin by thanking the German Government for its superb contribution of personnel and technical expertise to my office in Brcko to assist in the fulfillment of the Arbitral mandate. We are into the last stretch of the year of International Supervision in Brcko. We have just over three months to go to the Arbitration Award in March 1998. I want very briefly to describe the progress we have made so far, and what remains to be done. The Parties should understand the very serious and sustained efforts they must make in the remaining time, in the lead up to March. It is clearly in their interests to do so, since so much hangs in the balance. There are three main component parts to the Arbitration award for Brcko:
We have established processes for each of these areas of implementation to reverse the ravages of war in Brcko. We have now taken the first few steps to create a multi-ethnic society. The Brcko Returns Commission, with the assistance of UNHCR and the CRPC, has approved the return of 2,203 families - just under 9,000 people - to return to their former homes. Over 594 families - around 2,380 persons - have already returned. We anticipate that most of those 9,000 people who have been approved to return will do so by March of next year. These returns should not just be seen in terms of numbers but rather in terms of the reconstitution of pre-war communities and neighborhoods. This is significant - not only for Brcko, but for all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I intend that this process will remain peaceful, phased and orderly and I remind the parties that they will be held accountable for actions which would hinder the returns process or destabilize the security environment. I remind the Republika Srpska of its obligations to treat all residents of the RS Brcko Opstina in a fair and equitable manner. Any discrimination in this regard will be seen for what it is, and addressed immediately. I welcome the proposal to hold a conference next month to promote refugee return to Sarajevo. In this connection, I remind the Federation authorities of their obligation to assist the International Community - fully and without delay - in facilitating the return of those former residents of Sarajevo, and elsewhere in the Federation, now living in Brcko. The return process is not a one-way street, it's a roundabout. MULTI-ETHNIC ADMINISTRATION, JUDICIARY AND POLICE I issued three Orders in October to enhance multi-ethnic government in Brcko, based on the municipal election results. These orders, if fully implemented by the Parties - in particular the Republika Srpska - will establish fully multi-ethnic bodies which will govern all residents of Brcko, including those who have and will return to their homes of origin under the Return Process. To date, all Parties have complied with the tasks and time lines. On 13 November the multi-ethnic assembly of Brcko voted in Bosniac and Croat representatives to executive positions in the assembly, administration and police. This was a good first step that should pave the way for continued implementation. The next challenge is that, by 13 December, the staffing plan for the administration and the police force must be completed by the Parties. The ruling party in Brcko has a problem with creating this staffing plan. But this staffing plan must not only be completed by the parties by 13 December, it must be put into action by 31 December. Furthermore, the multi-ethnic police force - with 120 Serbs, 90 Bosniacs and 20 Croats - will be formed and start working by 31 December. The municipal election results have also been applied to the Judiciary in Brcko which will contain a Croat Vice-President of the Brcko Court, a Bosniac as Public Prosecutor, with a Bosniac and a Croat judge as two of three judges in the Magistrates Court. These have been appointed and must start work by 31 December. During this conference, however, my office in Brcko informed me yesterday that the spokesman for the SDS has publicly refuted the legitimacy of my Order on Multi-ethnic Judiciary, confirming other indications that we may face resistance to the implementation of this Order. Such resistance, regrettably, is not unexpected; but I remind the parties that my orders are just that: orders. They are not up for negotiation. If the parties, and in particular the present caretaker government of the Republika Srpska, does not comply with the multi-ethnic Supervisory orders, then implementation of the Arbitration Award will be incomplete - and significantly so. I hope that the new government of the RS will recognize the damage this would do to their interests and those of the citizens of Brcko. ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION: We all know that economic revitalization will be crucial to reducing ethnic and other tensions in the Brcko area. Working to promote such revitalization has been the other priority of my mission. But I cannot do this without the active and continued engagement of donors and development agencies; nor can I do it without adequate funding. We sought funds at the Brussels conference in July this year. We received a trickle that has always been on the verge of drying up. We sought funds - for specific, concrete and visible projects which would improve the quality of people's lives - at the mini-conference held in Brcko in early November. The trickle has started to flow again. I am grateful for that. Please do not make this a case of too little too late. Funding now will build in Brcko's successes and allow implementation - stable and enduring - to show all of BiH that multi-ethnicity is not a dream from the past, but that Brcko provides a model for the future. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Robert W. Farrand
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