Transcript of the International Agencies’ Joint Press Conference

 

OHR, Mario Brkic

ICTY, Matias Hellman

 

OHR

Schwarz-Schilling, Solana, Rehn to Discuss Anti-Dayton Rhetoric

High Representative and EU Special Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, is currently in Brussels where he will be meeting with both Javier Solana, the European Union’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Oli Rehn, the Enlargement Commissioner, to brief them on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in advance of February’s meeting of the Peace Implementation Council.

One issue that he will be taking up in the meetings, which are scheduled for tomorrow, is the increasing use of anti-Dayton rhetoric both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.

The Office of the High Representative is monitoring closely all anti-Dayton language in the run-up to the next PIC, at which a final decision on the OHR’s closure will be taken, and has noted, among other examples, the comments of both Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic and Prime Minister Kostunica specifically linking the fate of Republika Srpska, which is an integral part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

Serbia is a signatory of the Dayton Peace Agreement and should behave as such. Attempts to undermine Dayton represent a threat to Republika Srpska, since its existence as an entity was formally recognised in the peace accord.

Bosnia and Herzegovina ’s internal structures as defined in the country’s constitution may be altered according to the provisions contained therein, that is through internal democratic processes and the agreement of all peoples and stakeholders.

 

Third Entity Spectre of The Past

OHR notes the interview given by Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik to Vecernji List today and his call for a third entity.

This call again raises spectres of the past, which brought no benefit for the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Mr Dodik would do better to dedicate his energy towards reform processes that will bring BiH closer to Euro-Atlantic integrations

The international community has repeatedly stressed that it would not tolerate any attempt to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement. The PIC Steering Board has repeatedly made it clear that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a recognised sovereign state whose territorial integrity is guaranteed by the Dayton Peace Agreement.

 

OHR Looks To Canton 7 To Nominate HoP Delegates Tomorrow

Last week, the parties elected to the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly agreed to hold a session tomorrow at which they would nominate the Canton ’s delegates to the FBiH House of Peoples (HoP).

As you know, the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is the only Canton that has not started the process of election of delegates to the FBiH House of Peoples. Assembly delegates and the political parties they represent must ensure the legal requirements attached to their functions are fully upheld.

The FBiH House of Peoples must be convened as soon as possible so that it can adopt a decision on temporary financing, thereby heading off serious fiscal crisis in the FbiH. It must also forward nominations to the BiH House of Peoples so that the State- level Parliament can be formed.

Under the FBiH Constitution, the HoP is bound to meet within 20 days of the announcement of the election results. In the event that the Canton 7 Assembly fails to nominate its HoP delegates tomorrow, the OHR would expect the House of Peoples to convene as soon as a sufficient number of delegates has been certified to constitute a quorum.

According to the OHR’s legal interpretation of the Federation’s constitution, the FBiH House of Peoples could hold its constituent session with a simple majority of delegates appointed from the FBiH Cantons. A simple majority is achieved when over 50 per cent of the delegates have been appointed, that is 30 delegates in all.

 

ICTY

Statement is not available in english at this moment.

 

RTQs

Danka Polovina-Mandic, Dnevni list:

You said that HR would speak on anti-Dayton rhetoric. Can you be more specific? Who, when, where?

OHR:

I gave you two examples. This rhetoric happened before too.