The High Representative today announced the start of a process designed to address the systemic weaknesses in BiH’s law enforcement and security institutions. This follows last week’s announcement by NATO foreign ministers that for the second time running BiH has failed to make progress in its efforts to join theAlliance’s Partnership for Peace as a result of the continued failure of Republika Srpska’s authorities to comply fully with the ICTY.
“We are here today because yet again NATO has given this country a “No” to PFP membership because of its continued lack of co-operation with The Hague ,”said the High Representative. The recent press reports of the RS Army continuing to employ Ratko Mladic until 2002, and VRS soldiers harbouring him in Han Pijesak in June-July 2004 were “shocking examples of the RS’s institutional complicity in the evasion of justice of ICTY fugitives.” He explained that today’s measures will remove individuals involved with helping war criminals and their networks, and begin to address the systemic weaknesses of the RS’s security institutions. This process will run into the spring of next year.
The measure include:
- The removal of 9 officials believed to have helped war criminals and their networks.
- The blocking of bank accounts of individuals for the same reasons.
- An instruction to RS Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic to set up a group under the supervision of the EU Police Mission to study documentation produced by the Srebrenica Commission and identify those officials whose names appear in connection to the events of July 1995. The work of this commission should be complete by the end of February 2005 when a decision will be taken on further action, including if needed criminal prosecutions and suspensions.
- A request to BiH Defence Minister Radovanovic to investigate the assistance given by some in the RS Army to fugitives at large and to suggest concrete measures to prevent this happening again.
- An acceleration of Defence Reform. Functions currently carried out by the Entity MoD’s must be transferred to the State MoD, and the Entity MoD’s closed down. This process should be complete by the autumn of next year.
- The creation of a single system of policing as recommended by the Police Restructuring Commission, in accordance with the EC criteria laid out in its Feasibility Study. These reforms should also be adopted early next year.
- An amendment of the RS Law on Auditing to the payment provisions in the RS Law on Auditing and Public Sector of Republika Srpska to ensure tht it will be possible to fund special audits of key companies in coming months and years. Six companies have already been identified. These are RS Telekom, RS Post, Elektroprivreda RS, RS Railways, Oil Refinery Brod, RS Post and Srpske Sume.
- An amendment to the BiH and Entity Criminal Codes to require all family members except the spouses, parents and children of the accused to co-operate with police investigations and to give evidence in war crimes trials.
If BiH fails to qualify for a third time for PFP then the High Representative said that he will not hesitate to take further measures that deal “directly and powerfully” with the assets and institutions of the RS. “I can tell you now, no options are currently ruled out if it comes to this,” said the High Representative.