Statement
of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina held its tenth meeting in Sarajevo on December 12, 1996.
Following its decision on the organisation of the Council of Ministers of 30 November, the Presidency decided to nominate Dr. Haris Silajdzic and Boro Bosic as Co-Chairs of the Council of Ministers. The Co-Chair of the Council of Ministers will nominate other members of the Council by 17 December 1996 when the session of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be held. The House of Representatives will approve the nominations of the Co-Chairs of the Council of Ministers, Ministers and their deputies. The Presidency reserves the right to replace the co-chairs of the Council of Ministers in accordance with its authorizations. Mr. Boro Bosic will chair the Council of Ministers in the first week.
The Law and the Rules of Procedures of the Council of Ministers will be passed for the organization, rights and duties of the Council of Ministers. Until those regulations are passed, the Co-Chairs will work jointly, convene the meetings in turns, chair the sessions of the Council of Ministers and define the agenda for the sessions. The Co-Chair and Deputy-Chair may require the position of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the issues for which the Council of Ministers cannot agree upon, as well as for the issues which are very important for the Council of Ministers.
The Presidency requested the Working Group on the Organization of the Council of Ministers to present at the next meeting of the Presidency a proposal concerning the organizational aspects of the Council of Ministers, as well as the establishment of secretariat, protocol and technical services of the Presidency itself.
In accordance with the Conclusions of the 4-5 December London Peace Implementation Conference, the Presidency requested the competent authorities to urgently lift the ‘ State of Immediate Threat of War ‘, in so far as this has not yet been done.
The Presidency expects that the Council of Ministers will prepare a proposal for appointing Ambassadors and other international representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where applicable.
The Presidency requested the Working Group on Foreign Policy, to present a proposal on the establishment of a Commission on Succession Issues.
The Presidency took note of the report by the BiH delegation on the Summit Meeting of the Central European Initiative in Graz on November 8-9, 1996.
The Presidency agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the level of Ambassadors between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Russian Federation, and instructed the Minister for Foreign Affairs to exchange diplomatic notes to that effect.
The Presidency decided to accept the accreditation of Mr. Nils Eliasson as Ambassador of Sweden to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mr. Knut Morkved as the non-resident Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Bosnia and Herzegovina.