Ambassador Roderick Moore today suspended his functions as Supervisor for Brčko District, in line with the decision he announced following consultations with the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board on May 23, 2012. Supervision of Brcko District has been in place since 14 February 1997.
The Supervisor has sent a letter to all households in Brcko explaining that, as of today, he does not intend to intervene in the work of the District, nor will he issue binding orders or mediate solutions. He also announced that the Final Award Office in Brčko has closed as of today. The Supervisor emphasized that it is now up to the District’s authorities to assume full responsibility for governance in the District. “Democratically-elected Brcanke and Brcaci – not appointed foreigners – will assume full responsibility for governing the District,” he stated.
The Supervisor underscores that the International Community recognises that the people of the District continue to face many challenges – including poverty, unemployment, corruption, and many others — but that it also believes that the District’s institutions now have the capacity to address these challenges on their own.
The Supervisor stressed that a series of mechanisms have been retained in order to protect the progress that has been made in Brcko during the 15 years of Supervision. The international community will continue to be actively engaged in Brcko, he stressed, including through a continued on-the-ground presence of representatives of EUFOR, OSCE, and the EU Delegation. In addition, the High Representative, the Arbitral Tribunal, and the BiH Constitutional Court all possess powers to safeguard the interests of the District and its residents, if necessary. Moreover, Ambassador Moore, who concurrently serves as Principal Deputy High Representative, will formally remain Supervisor with all of the authorities defined in the Awards of the Brcko Arbitral Tribunal. Moore emphasized, however, that “Although I remain as Supervisor with the same authority as always, I expect that there will be no need to use that authority in the future.”
The Supervisor expressed his enormous gratitude and admiration for the work of his predecessors and the team that has faithfully and professionally served at the Brcko Final Award Office over the years. He also thanked the many thousands of local partners and ordinary citizens in Brcko who have contributed so much to the success of the District since the end of the war. The Supervisor said that the residents of Brcko should be proud of what they have achieved: “You have transformed Brcko; you have made it possible for your neighbours to come home and for multi-ethnic institutions to be established… your courage, decency, and tolerance have changed Brcko tremendously for the better over the last 15 years.”
Supervisor Moore called on citizens of Brcko to demand from their public officials that they govern honestly, transparently, and in the interest of the whole community.
Before suspending his functions, the Supervisor today issued an Order transferring to the District the right to interpret and amend certain legal acts resulting from orders issued by previous Supervisors. This technical measure ensures that there will be no legal vacuum following the suspension.