“The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina still merits close watch,” said High Representative Valentin Inzko.
The United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of the European peacekeepers.
The United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of the European peacekeepers tasked with ensuring continued peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Progress Needed In Bosnia-Herzegovina
“The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina still merits close watch,” said High Representative Valentin Inzko, “if we are to ensure that the gains made after the war in terms of stability, rebuilding the country and reconciling its peoples are not lost.”
On a positive note, Bosnia and Herzegovina completed its first census since 1991. Reliably quantifying the demographic changes that have occurred over the past 22 years is essential for formulating effective social and economic policy. The United States, said U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Rosemary DiCarlo, “hopes the census results will be used constructively to inform policy decisions as the results are released in the coming months.”
With less than a year left until the next general elections it is critical for Bosnia and Herzegovina to pass key reforms ending discriminatory provisions in the electoral system. High Representative Inzko said not only are such changes a condition for the country to move towards European Union candidacy, they are a test of its ability to apply basic human rights standards in the conduct of elections.
The United States strongly supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s integration into the European Union and NATO. In spite of recent obstacles, the U.S. continues to view the Euro-Atlantic process as the surest and most expeditious path to the country’s and the region’s long-term stability and prosperity.
The United States also looks forward to progress on registration of defense properties to meet NATO’s condition for activating Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Membership Action Plan. With the Bosnian Constitutional Court’s ruling confirming state ownership of all former Yugoslav state property, including defense properties, a path was cleared to register those properties with the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as possible.
The international community must remain committed to supporting the aspirations of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a peaceful and prosperous Euro-Atlantic future and their efforts to promote reconciliation.
