12/13/2005 OHR Sarajevo

Transcript of the International Agencies’ Joint Press Conference

OHR, Mario Brkic
OSCE, Mersiha Causevic-Podzic
EUPM, Zinaida Ilaria
EUFOR, Jem Thomas

 

 

OHR

PIC meeting in Paris 

As you know, the Political Directors of the Peace Implementation Council will meet in Paris on Wednesday,  14 December. The BiH authorities, led by Chairman of the BiH Presidency Ivo Miro Jovic and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adnan Terzic, will participate in part of the meeting.

This meeting of the Political Directors will be the first since the launch of Stabilisation and Association negotiations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union; and will take place ten years to the day since the Dayton-Paris Peace Accords were signed.

Unusually, there will be two cummuniqes – one will be issued at the conclusion of commemorative session in the morning and will focus on the progress that has been made in the last 10 years and the broad policy priorities that now exist.

The second communique will be issued on the conclusion of the afternoon session which will look at the detailed policy issues connected to BiH’s strategic transition to a new phase in its post war recovery and Euro  – atlantic integration.  

Police Directorate appointments

OHR calls on the Federation government at its session tomorrow to propose nominees to the relevant positions on the Policing Directorate Executive, so that the Policing Directorate can meet in full before the December 31st deadline. OHR also calls on cantonal governments to propose their representatives on the Executive also.

Minor Offences Reform

In order for the entire Minor Offence reform to be fully implemented, with the financial support of international donors, two important Laws currently before the Entity governments must be passed. The Federation government should discuss these tomorrow, and the RS should discuss them at its next session. These are the Law on Amendments to the Law on Courts, and the Laws on Minor Offences. Until these laws are adopted, the minor offences courts cannot be merged with the regular court system and HJPC cannot appoint any  judges to minor offences courts. 

 

OSCE

No statement.

 

EUPM

European Union Police Mission (EUPM) has been working with Muhidin Alic, Minister of Interior in Zenica-Doboj Canton in the effort to establish returnee forum in this Canton since December 2004. EUPM supported Minister Alic in initiating talks between the police authorities and the returnee community.  Since then, the initiative has proven to be a success story and was also mirrored in Tuzla Canton.

Commissioner Kevin Carty, Head of the EUPM, today attended the first working session of first such Forum in the RS, which took place in Doboj.  Both, Ministers of Interior of Zenica-Doboj and Tuzla Canton attended the event, expressing their support to the RS police and returnees in Doboj region.

The Forums bring returnees, police officers and other authorities together – where they have an opportunity to discuss security issues and look at the way to resolve existing problems, thus strengthening not only the overall security situation, but also the whole concept of community policing in BiH.

EUPM is happy to see that the process has moved forward in the RS and will continue to urge the local police authorities in other areas of the country to follow the practice of their colleagues in Zenica-Doboj, Tuzla Canton and the RS.

 

EUFOR

No statement.