HR/EUSR Inzko gathers political leaders

The High Representative and EU Special Representative, Valentin Inzko, met in Sarajevo today with leaders of five BiH political parties; Sulejman Tihić, SDA; Dragan Čović, HDZ BiH; Milorad Dodik, SNSD; Božo Ljubić, HDZ 1990 and Safet Halilović on behalf of the President of the SBiH. PDP President Mladen Ivanić, and Democratic Party president Dragan Čavić justified their absence and made a commitment to attending the next meeting. The purpose of today’s meeting was to find speedy solutions to the problems now facing Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The fact that the European Commission recommended abolition of the visa’s for citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia only underscores the urgency of constructive engagement by BiH political leaders to find solutions for the remaining issues from the Visa Liberalisation road map. If the BiH authorities commit to resolving these issues it will be possible for Bosnia and Herzegovina to catch up with its neighbours as early as the middle of next year,” HR/EUSR Inzko said.

Inzko emphasised that this issue is of crucial importance for BiH citizens and that this opportunity must not be wasted. Today’s meeting focused therefore on how to speed up efforts to resolve the remaining issues; the problems that exist within the institutions with regard the fight against organised crime and corruption, the difficulties relating to issuing of biometric passports, border management and migration.

Another issue discussed at today’s meeting in Sarajevo was the fulfilment of conditions and goals necessary for the transition of the OHR into the Office of the EU Special Representative, namely resolving issues relating to state and defence property.

Participants agreed to continue their dialogue and to hold the next meeting in the second half of August. At their participants will discuss mechanisms, format and coordination of future meetings and how to include the relevant parliamentary bodies, thereby bringing the institutions into the discussion and achieving greater transparency.