OHR’s Statement at the International Agency’s Joint Press Conference in Banja Luka and Mostar

SDHR Monitors Progress on Return

The Senior Deputy High Representative, Werner Wnendt, is travelling today to Pozarnica Village, some 10 km east of Tuzla on the road to Bijeljina, where he will meet returnees to the area. Ambassador Wnendt will meet returnee organizations, the mayors of Tuzla and Bijeljina and representatives of the BiH Ministry for Refugees and Human Rights.

Tomorrow, Ambassador Wnendt will be in Bijeljina, where he will hear from returnees about their living situation and the challenges they have to face on a daily basis.

As of 1 January 2004, sole responsibility for the implementation of Annex VII of the GFAP has rested with the BiH authorities. This is the result of a number of activities and reforms undertaken in previous years to create a sustainable framework for domestic leadership on Annex VII. The State Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees (MHRR) opened four regional centres – in Mostar, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Tuzla – in order to meet the demands of displaced persons.

The OHR continues to monitor the performance of domestic institutions, especially given the ongoing scale of the return process and the goal of the MHRR to achieve substantial completion of Annex VII by 2006.