Press Conferences

Thank you all for coming. I’ve got one statement to make. The Board of Principals meets every week. I want to explain what the Board of Principals is. The Board of Principals is chaired by the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, and it includes the heads or the deputy heads of the leading international institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [...]

I would just like to set out Paddy Ashdown’s views on ministerial responsibility. You have probably read about it in the papers in the past few days. The first point I would like to make is that this is about setting standards, it is not about personalities.

I have three points for you today, so we will kick off with the inaugural session of The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is to be officially inaugurated today at 1600 hours at the Joint Institutions Building. The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, will address the inaugural session.

To those of you who do not know me, my name is Julian Braithwaite and I am the new Chief Spokesman at the Office of the High Representative. I would like to begin with a readout of an interview that Paddy Ashdown has just given to Radio BiH1, part of which will be going out at 1800 hours this evening and the rest of it will be going out on Saturda [...]

There is an impressive press corps in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have met on previous occasions that I have been here. But I think that the dialogue that I hope to develop with my colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an essential part of the work that I want to do as the High Representative, working with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to [...]

I have a few things for you this morning. First of all, you are all aware of the statements made by the Republika Srpska leadership regarding the High Representative’s decisions on judicial reform. We want to put on the record and firmly so: The High Representative Paddy Ashdown fully supports last week’s decisions on judicial reform. [...]

On the off chance that any of you have not heard: the new High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, assumed office at lunchtime yesterday. After addressing the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliament in Sarajevo, the High Representative set off on a tour of the country which will take him to Banja Luka, Mostar, Citluk, Brcko, Bijeljina and Tuzla, before he re [...]

Wolfgang Petritsch, High Representative: This today is not only the last press conference, this is a farewell press conference. Let me start out, and also apologize for being a bit late, but I visited the Euro Info Center on my way here. I was very much impressed, I must tell you, by what has been achieved with the creation of this Center. In a way [...]

Alexandra Stiglmayer, OHR Senior Spokesperson: Thank you for coming. You all know what the reason for this press conference is. It is the constitutional developments in the two Entities. And now I’m handing over to the High Representative.

Well, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I am of course very honoured and I must say also very glad it is exactly today the 18th April which is such a defining moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina that I am having the opportunity to meet with the Secretary General.