To: Mr. Dragan Meter, Mayor Prozor Rama
Sarajevo, November 29, 1999
Dear Mr. Dragan Meter,
For reasons outlined in the attached Decision, we herewith notify you of the following: under the powers vested in the High Representative, you are removed from public office with immediate effect. In addition, in accordance with the Provisional Election Commission Rules and Regulations, this Decision bars you from being a candidate in the upcoming municipal elections.
It is with great regret that we are forced to acknowledge that during your term in office not only have you failed to show any commitment to the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace, but you have also seriously and persistently obstructed its implementation.
Sincerely,
| Wolfgang Petritsch | Robert L. Barry |
| High Representative | Chairman of the PEC |
| OSCE Head of Mission |
In the exercise of the powers vested in the High Representative by Article 5 of the Annex 10 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to which the High Representative ‘is the final authority in the theater regarding interpretation of [the] Agreement on the civilian implementation of the peace agreement‘;
Endorsing the interpretation of these powers given in paragraph XI, 2 of the Conclusions of the Peace Implementation Conference held in Bonn on 10 December 1997, in particular, sub-paragraph c thereof, by means of which the High Representative is entitled to take actions against persons holding public office who are found by the High Representative to be in violation of legal commitments made under the Peace Agreement or the terms of its implementation;
Noting the reiteration of the acknowledgement of such powers by the Peace Implementation Council in Chapter X of the Annex to the Madrid Declaration of 16 December 1998;
Considering the mandate entrusted with the Provisional Election Commission under Article III of the Annex 3 to the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and article 7.10 of the Rules and Regulations adopted thereafter which provides that no person who has been removed by the High Representative shall be permitted to be a candidate in the elections.
We hereby issue the following
Decision
To remove Mr. Dragan Meter from his position as Mayor of Prozor Rama and to ban him from being a candidate for the next municipal elections or to hold any executive office at any level unless authorised to do so.
This decision has immediate effect.
Reasons for removal
Mr. Dragan Meter has abused his power by persistently and seriously obstructing implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace. By pursuing an extra-legal agenda, he has consistently refused to take ownership of the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In particular Mr. Dragan Meter, in his capacity of Mayor of Prozor Rama, has obstructed the establishment of a joint municipal administration and has systematically failed to implement agreements signed with the International Mediator. Mr. Dragan Meter is also responsible for the unacceptably slow implementation record of property laws in Prozor Rama and for obstructing minority return.
- The Mayor continues to discriminate against the five Bosniak Heads of Department with regard to their remuneration and integration in the work place. The Mayor is, therefore, not fulfilling his obligations required by the Law on Employment and Salaries of Officers Employed in the Administration of the Federation of BiH and the Law on Administration of the Federation of BiH.
- Mr. Dragan Meter has personally attempted to obstruct the education of Bosniak children in Prozor Rama by continuously choosing to ignore a number of requests that education facilities be provided for Bosniak children.
- Although the Mayor has made a number of commitments to proceed with all property claims, the number of property cases solved so far is far from acceptable and not a single double occupancy case involving socially owned property has been addressed.
All of the above establishes a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of deliberate attempts to obstruct the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace. For these reasons, we hereby remove Mr. Dragan Meter from the position of Mayor of Prozor Rama. The decision will be effective immediately and will not require any further procedural steps.
The position left vacant by Mr. Dragan Meter’s removal will be filled by the Municipal Council in accordance with the legal regulations governing this election. In order to protect the institution to which a replacement is to be elected, no further actions are to be taken by the relevant authorities until OHR and OSCE communicate that there are no objections and that the proposed name can proceed further through the legislative process.
Sarajevo, 29 November 1999
| Wolfgang Petritsch | Robert L. Barry |
| High Representative | Chairman of the PEC |
| OSCE Head of Mission |