Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2000

At the

outset I would like to extend my warmest

congratulations to the President on his well-deserved

election. I also wish to express our sincere appreciation

to His Excellency Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab for his

devoted work, tireless efforts and dedication while

successfully presiding over the fifty-fourth United

Nations General Assembly.

The Millennium Summit that concluded only a

few days ago has reaffirmed the unanimous belief of

the world leaders that only together, guided by the

spirit and the objectives of the founding fathers of the

United Nations and respecting the established system

of principles, norms and standards of international

relations and international law, can we successfully

respond to the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Despite its weaknesses, imperfections, inadequate

efficiency and sometimes missed opportunities, the

consequences of which were partly felt in my country,

the United Nations succeeded in maintaining global

security, in containing several local and regional

conflicts, in preserving peace and in facilitating the

normalization of life. It has been successful in offering

relief and hope to the most unfortunate ones. Again,

my country experienced this side of the United Nations

as well. In this respect, we again welcome the

Srebrenica Report and subsequent Brahimi Report.

28

If all this was achieved mostly under the

conditions of the confrontations of the cold war, in a

climate of mistrust and in the century during which

humanity not only achieved the highest objectives but

also touched the lowest depths, there should be no

doubt that the United Nations can fulfil its new tasks.

Addressing this Assembly on behalf of the country that

in the memory of humankind is associated with the

eruption of the First World War an event that was an

early omen of the entire tragedy of the twentieth

century I would like to express hope that at the very

end of this century, after all the horrors of the Second

World War and after the inconceivably tragic conflicts

following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina has

exhausted all the misfortune of being at the epicentre

of historic earthquakes. And I hope that, under the

auspices of the United Nations, Bosnia and

Herzegovina is ready to gain anonymity through a

speedy recovery and blessed, long-lasting and happy

progress.

The United Nations through its activities has and

will continue to influence the developments in the

world. It has to follow the rapid and very often radical

changes in international relations and to adjust

accordingly and find the best ways to exercise its

duties and its role. The reform of the United Nations no

doubt is a very delicate issue. But its postponement and

endless debates that only maintain the status quo are an

even greater issue. Furthermore, these things bring into

question the ability of the United Nations to modernize

and democratize in order to improve its capacity and

efficiency. An agreement has been reached on some of

the most crucial issues regarding the reform of the

Security Council, including the increase in its

membership both its permanent and non-permanent

seats to include the representatives of the developed

and the developing countries and to provide more

equitable geographical representation of the countries.

I believe that by adopting this minimum of initial

reforms of the Security Council and through

continuous work on the other related issues such as

the issue of the veto a favourable atmosphere would

be created and this would positively influence relations

within and all the activities of the United Nations.

In our address to the General Assembly a year

ago, our delegation announced that we would like to

become a more active member of the international

community, primarily of the United Nations. We said

that we were determined to move from the position of

the recipient of the concern and attention of the

international organizations and forums a position in

which we were placed for more or less well-known

reasons to the position of a contributor to

international efforts. The fact that we are in a position

to consider the need or even the imperative of taking a

more active and creative role, and thus a bigger share

of responsibility, testifies to the trend of normalization

of the situation in our country, which was ravaged by a

war only five years ago. Although small in number, an

integrated group of 13 policemen from both entities,

comprising representatives of all three constituent

peoples who only recently were fighting each

other have been deployed with the international

peacekeeping force in East Timor. Furthermore, with

significant assistance from and the endorsement of the

United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

(UNMIBH), efforts to form a joint unit composed of

the military from both entities are under way. Once

established, the unit would be sent to a peacekeeping

mission under the United Nations flag. We are

considering very seriously the possibility of presenting

the candidature of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a non-

permanent seat in the Security Council after the year

2010. In this way, we are confirming our commitment

to the stabilization and normalization of life in our

country, and particularly our commitment to economic

and democratic development. We are confident that, as

early as 10 years from now, Bosnia and Herzegovina

will succeed in becoming a member of the most

important body of the United Nations.

Although we display courage in expressing

readiness to take a larger share of responsibility as a

Member of the United Nations and of other regional

organizations, we are fully aware that we still need the

international presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that

we still need its assistance and support in the

normalization of life, in eliminating the consequences

of war and in preparing ourselves for self-sustainable

development and progress. Implementation of the

Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement still remains the main

focus of the activities of the authorities in Bosnia and

Herzegovina at all levels. Its implementation is also the

primary focus of the international community and its

representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Imperfect

as the Peace Agreement undoubtedly is, this cannot be

an excuse for a lack of commitment to its

implementation. For it is exactly its consistent

implementation that can bring us closer to the point at

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which it would be normal, and even unavoidable, to

establish a new framework and new directions for

Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress towards higher

levels of development and higher living standards.

However, this will only be possible when the common

institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina become a place

and an instrument for the realization of common

interests and objectives of both of its entities and of all

of its constituent nations and peoples instead of

being a locus for very costly obstructions and

confrontations to the detriment of all, in particular

those who want to return to their homes.

In many areas throughout Bosnia and

Herzegovina in the past 12 months progress has been

made. This is encouraging and indicative of the fact

that in many fields of life things could advance faster

and more successfully along the road towards desired

and needed progress.

The return of refugees and internally displaced

persons still remains the priority. There continue to be

cases in which returnees have to flee their only recently

rebuilt homes when faced with brutal attacks by

neighbours of different ethnicities or religions. But at

the same time it is encouraging that more often the

returnees are welcomed by their neighbours and

offered assistance and support. During the first six

months of this year three times more so-called minority

returns were registered compared to the same period

last year. However, the number of returns is considered

to be even larger, since not all returns have been

registered or have not been fully completed as yet. The

other positive development noticed in the returns is the

fact that among the returnees there are more and more

young people and families with school-age children,

which was not the case in the past, when only so-called

elderly households returned to their homes. This

progress, of course, may be the result of improved

security conditions, freedom of movement, somewhat

better infrastructure or offering assistance with the

repairing of houses or apartments; but, above all, this

progress is the result of a growing awareness on the

part of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina that it is

savage, illegal and inhuman to deprive people of their

sacred rights to home, life and security.

Returns were also significantly increased because

indicted war criminals were more successfully brought

to justice and because of a more independent, more

reasonable and more constructive engagement on the

part of the media. Still, the role of the international

community in achieving all that has been mentioned

in particular the role of the High Representative, the

Peace Implementation Council, the United Nations

Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Stabilization

Force, the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees and the Organization for

Security and Cooperation in Europe is irreplaceable.

In this context, I would like to take this

opportunity to express our gratitude to the members of

the Security Council for inviting the three members of

the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to New

York last November on the occasion of the fourth

anniversary of the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement. That

visit resulted in the adoption of the New York

Declaration. Implementation of the provisions of the

Declaration brought about major achievements: the

establishment of the State Border Service, the

formation of the Secretariat of the Presidency and

improvements that facilitated the functioning of this

joint institution, the reconstruction and enlargement of

the Council of Ministers, and the creation of conditions

conducive to the return of refugees and internally

displaced persons. Also, as a related activity, the first

steps in organizing the battle against corruption have

been taken.

The decision of the Constitutional Court of

Bosnia and Herzegovina on the constituency of all the

three nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina will have far-

reaching consequences for overall developments in

Bosnia and Herzegovina. This decision should reduce

the unique ethnic and religious apartheid and

disenfranchisement of citizens belonging to the so-

called minority nations. Among the achievements that

encourage and have a positive impact on the change of

the overall climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina must be

mentioned those made in the area of the judicial

system. Those achievements are reflected in the

professionalization of judges and prosecutors and in

their modernization. Through the establishment of

multi-ethnic police comprising uncompromised

professionals, training and education of young

policemen in police academies, composition of police

forces that reflect the demographic picture of the local

population, the space for abuses is thereby narrowed,

and an environment favourable to arbitrary behaviour

and unpunished harassment and oppression of citizens

belonging to so called minority nations is eliminated.

It is my pleasure to inform the Assembly that

significant efforts are being made in the promotion and

30

protection of human rights and civil freedoms in

Bosnia and Herzegovina in all fields.

In the course of preparing for the World

Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,

Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, we will request

that government bodies, courts, the police force,

schools and universities, non-governmental

organizations, religious institutions and their leaders

and distinguished individuals from different spheres of

life, challenge those who still advocate and practise

different forms of discrimination and intolerance and

step on human rights, freedoms and human dignity.

We, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are aware that

healing the consequences of war and post-war

stagnation and removal of impediments to faster

stabilization and progress rests primarily with the

domestic political leadership.

We are also aware that the future of Bosnia and

Herzegovina is in its integration into European and

other institutions. The Stability Pact for south-eastern

Europe has therefore been accepted as a framework

conducive to regional cooperation, elimination of

mistrust, strengthening of security conditions and for

catching up with missed opportunities in the spheres of

human rights and democratic emancipation and

economic progress. Bosnia and Herzegovina

wholeheartedly embraces the Stability Pact as the most

important regional endeavour so far, convinced that,

despite the slow realization of a number of projects and

despite the slower inflow of contributions, its

objectives are fully consistent with the objectives of

Bosnia and Herzegovina's foreign policy. The

achievement of these objectives would embark us on

the road to faster integration into the Council of

Europe, the European Union, the World Trade

Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization. There is no doubt whatsoever that the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) should

participate in the Stability Pact, but we share the views

of those who condition its participation on the

necessary democratic changes in that country. At the

same time, we consider that the other countries of the

region should not be kept hostage by the FRY on their

way to Euro-Atlantic integration. In this context, we

would like to recall that, at the early stages of the

establishment of the European Union, there was no

waiting list for the present members of the Union and

that they did not have to pass the entering examination

successfully and simultaneously. At this point in time,

the waiting lists and admission procedures could be

counterproductive and could encourage those forces in

the region, including in my own country, to persist in

continuing the state of chaos and exclusion.

At the beginning of this year, the situation in the

neighouring Republic of Croatia has been significantly

improved by the opposition victory in the elections. A

number of issues that burdened the relations between

the two countries have practically been resolved, since

some of the issues were tackled in the bilateral

meetings at the highest levels immediately after the

elections. The change brought about by the elections

also positively influenced the return of refugees,

although more visible results in this area are still to

come.

However, regrettably, there is still no

improvement in relations with the FRY and, at this

point, it is still uncertain when the improvement might

occur. For sure, without democratic changes in Serbia,

the establishment of full diplomatic relations between

Bosnia and Herzegovina and the FRY could hardly

occur. The democratic changes in the FRY certainly

would positively reflect on the internal relations

between the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina as

well as on overall relations in the region. The

democratic changes in the Bosnia and Herzegovina

neighbourhood have certainly cut off the influx of

exported elements of destabilization and crisis. I have

already referred to the positive example of changes in

Croatia.

We, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, must gather the

courage and strength to face our reality and to choose

the path and the direction that would lead us speedily

towards the achievements that would compensate for

the decade of suffering, deprivation and missed

opportunities. In the process of making this clear and

rational choice, we would like to count on the

unreserved support of the international community, and

on a rather sooner than later integration into Euro-

Atlantic institutions. We have to say that this

integration is already very much behind schedule and

we do not have a lot of time to waste.