OHR Press Releases

Extension of the Deadline for Reclaiming Socially-Owned Apartments High Representative Carlos Westendorp is seriously concerned by the letter he received from Federation Prime Minister Edhem Bicakcic with regards to his decision to extend the October 4 deadline for filing requests for the restoration of occupancy rights on socially-owned apartments [...]

Today is the anniversary of the helicopter crash near Fojnica when twelve members of the Office of the High Representative and the United Nations Mission were killed whilst en route to Bugojno. The High Representative, Carlos Westendorp, and all of his staff express their most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims on this p [...]

Tomorrow, Wednesday September 16, the Reconstruction and Return Task Force (RRTF) for Central Bosnia will hold two important meetings. At 9.00 hours, the group representing the OHR, UNHCR and other international organizations will meet with the mayors of Travnik and Vitez to discuss the time-table and modalities for returning some 30 Bosnian Croat [...]

As you recall, DDRR was a RBiH state institution which purchased and stored strategic goods for use during war or national emergencies and also to stabilize prices through market intervention.

Senior Deputy High Representative Hanns Schumacher notes with satisfaction the recent smooth return of Bosniak families to the village of Gacice near Vitez and expects that this process will, as agreed, continue after the elections. Ambassador Schumacher emphasizes that Bosnian Croat refugees and displaced people enjoy the same right to return.

The High Representative wishes to point out that there is no discrepancy between the statement by his office of 8 September on implementation of the Sarajevo Declaration and the discussion on this issue by the Steering Board of the same day.

Today, the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council met in Sarajevo at the level of political directors to review the latest developments in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. In spite of the present focus on election campaigns, Steering Board members noted that some progress has been achieved since their last meeting in Ju [...]

Senior Deputy High Representative Ambassador Hanns Schumacher met today with Dr. Haris Silajdzic, Co-Chair of the Council of Ministers, and representatives of the Alternative Council of Ministers, to start discussing ways of restructuring the Council of Ministers after the elections. "We are focussing on chairmanship, number of ministerial portfoli [...]

The Head of the OSCE Mission Robert Barry and the High Representative Carlos Westendorp strongly condemn yesterday's incident in Zvornik in which the Bosniak vice-president of the executive board of the municipality, Izet Nakicevic, was verbally and physically attacked in his office, with the result that he had to leave the town. Initial reports su [...]

High Representative Carlos Westendorp and his Principal Deputy Jacques Paul Klein would like to stress that, in their discussions with President Franjo Tudjman of the Republic of Croatia last Tuesday, they did not suggest that President Tudjman hold a meeting with the leaders and candidates of Croatian political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I [...]