Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2005

At

the outset, allow me to express my great pleasure in

attending this sixtieth session of the General Assembly

and in addressing you on behalf of the Council of

Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I should also

like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your

election and at the same time to express my sincere

appreciation to Mr. Jean Ping for his successful

presiding over the fifty-ninth session of the General

Assembly.

Let me start by making reference to the historic

summit that took place last week. In its sixtieth year of

striving for global peace, the United Nations has

reached maturity. Our planet is not what it was 60

years ago, and we will leave it to historians to say

whether our generation is better than earlier

generations.

We need to be able to face the challenges of

globalization in the twenty-first century armed with

capacity and competence. We need to show

multilateralism and cooperation, relying on the basic

values outlined in the Charter. Above all, we need to

identify explicit obligations and ensure that they are

fulfilled. The United Nations, unique and uncontested

when it comes to global credibility and capacity,

should not be content to be simply what it used to be.

This Organization needs to be reformed, not only to

quiet the criticism but also more importantly to earn

unequivocal respect.

The strength and efficiency of the United

Nations, like in any other organization, depend on the

collective strength of its Members. Its strength stems

from the unity of the Member States. Our

Organization, as imperfect as it is, reflects today's

world, the international community and our entire

generation. The High-level Plenary Meeting's outcome

document is encouraging because it summarizes the

issues on which we reached consensus, but it has fallen

short of providing the timeframe and methods for

achieving important goals.

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It is a pity that reform of the Security Council has

lost momentum and has been postponed to the future.

Our enthusiasm in supporting the establishment of the

Human Rights Council was overshadowed by the fact

that the final document has not defined the modalities

for realizing this idea in a precise timeframe. We

strongly urge the appointment of a facilitator who will

streamline the General Assembly's efforts to see this

newborn get on its feet.

As for the responsibility to protect, which found

its rightful place in the outcome document, we would

like to point out the paramount role of preventive

diplomacy. From our painful experience we have come

to realize the importance of fact-finding missions and

early warning systems for potential or imminent

conflicts.

In order to have efficient early warning, we need

to strengthen the Secretariat's Department of Political

Affairs. Staff from countries emerging from conflict or

from post-conflict societies, staff with first-hand

experience could be an asset to that Department. That

would allow us to restore the credibility of the United

Nations, which was in great part overshadowed by non-

government organizations such as the International

Crisis Group.

Having travelled the path from being the subject

of Security Council emergency meetings to being a

potential candidate for a non-permanent seat on the

Security Council in 2010-2011, Bosnia and

Herzegovina strongly supports the outcome document's

conclusion that the Council should stay committed to

its primary responsibility under the Charter and

maintain international peace and security, rather than

expand its agenda at the expense of the General

Assembly.

Another of today's serious challenges, one that

Bosnia and Herzegovina is dealing with quite

successfully, is the war on terrorism. It is certain that a

global threat requires a global response, and that is

possible only through the United Nations. The

definition of terrorist acts, the unequivocal

condemnation of such acts by the international

community, the identification of means of international

cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the

unhindered functioning of international justice can be

achieved only through the United Nations. A special

Ministry for Security has been established in Bosnia

and Herzegovina, aimed not only at improving

domestic security but also at contributing more

effectively to the global fight against terrorism. The

anti-terrorist team that operates under this Ministry has

already blocked the bank accounts of suspect

individuals and organizations and has brought a

number of charges. We have signed all the international

conventions against terrorism, and we stand ready to

make a constructive contribution to the drafting the

United Nations Comprehensive Convention on

Terrorism, as agreed in the outcome document.

The summit's accomplishments are quite

encouraging, demonstrating the power of universalism

and multilateralism and their superiority over

unilateralism. We made this Assembly an arena of

agreement, instead of an arena of conflict. The lesson

learned in Bosnia and Herzegovina has taught us that if

we find enough strength and courage in ourselves to

prove our commitment to these principles in practice,

the course of history can be changed towards peace,

stability and prosperity for all.

With no intention to go too far into the past or

interpret facts that already belong to the archives, I

must remind you that we are marking two anniversaries

this year: Srebrenica and Dayton. The close to 8,000

names of Bosniacs on the list in the Srebrenica report

confirm the terrible truth about the genocide that took

place in that city. That crime was committed 50 years

after the liberation of Auschwitz, when it was vowed

that that would never again happen. Yet it happened

again: not once but twice. We now have the power and

instruments to prevent anything similar from ever

happening again.

The Dayton Agreement, the peace agreement that

was reached in Dayton and signed in Paris and often

criticized for its complicated and unfeasible provisions,

did stop the war and enabled freedom of movement. It

meant a new beginning for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However imperfect, it provided the framework that

enabled us, 10 years down the line, to turn the situation

around and complete fundamental reforms that have

become part of our everyday life, namely, the creation

of a single defence system with a Ministry of Defence,

the unification of two economic spaces, the merger of

two intelligence services, a single Customs service and

revenue system, standardization, to mention but a few.

Obvious limitations imposed by the Dayton

framework, for example the problems faced in police

reform, will be dealt with in accordance with

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international standards, just as we did with defence

reform. International standards and good democratic

practices will take us to the future, free of fear and

tension. We believe that the road that Bosnia and

Herzegovina is resolutely following provides an

important international experience. Peace is now firm

and the State reintegrated, as the situation in Bosnia

and Herzegovina clearly shows.

We have done more in terms of integration and

nation building over the past three years than in the

previous seven. I would like to bring to your attention

the important fact that the international affirmation of

Bosnia and Herzegovina and fulfilment of our

obligations are interconnected. There is a correlation

between encouragement and obligations on the one

side and multiple reforms on the other.

A key feature of all reforms to date is the fact that

they have all been implemented through political

agreement. They were not a result of international

pressure and they were not imposed by the current

High Representative. Entities have agreed to transfer

their jurisdictions to the State. Establishing and

running the State-level Ministry of Defence was a

crucial step forward in terms of NATO's Partnership

for Peace programme. Numerous institutions and

agencies in the field of public health now operate with

State-level mandates as well. We are in the final phases

of introducing a single-rate value-added tax in Bosnia

and Herzegovina, which will strengthen and

accommodate the business environment for foreign

investment. We have recorded continued growth in

foreign direct investment over the past two years,

whereas growth in the gross domestic product for 2004

was almost 6 per cent ó a record for our region.

Of course, one of our most important

international obligations is cooperation with the

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former

Yugoslavia (ICTY), and we pay a great deal of

attention to it. Despite the fact that the Republika

Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina has also made

substantial progress in this area this year, we are

discouraged by the fact that the two most wanted war

criminals have not yet been brought to justice. Obvious

improvement in cooperation with The Hague, sudden

voluntary surrenders to the Tribunal after years of

hiding and the locations from which runaway criminals

are being extradited clearly point to the level of

responsibility of Serbia and Montenegro with regard to

this entire matter, especially as compared to the

responsibility of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are

extremely concerned by the fact that many criminals

still at large have obviously used Belgrade as an escape

route and to secure hideouts outside the region.

The reform of the justice system has resulted in

the establishment of the institutions of State

Prosecutor, the National Court and the High Judicial

and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We are the first country in the region to meet the

international standards required for the processing of

war crimes cases. The State-level Council will operate

under optimal technical conditions and in accordance

with the best European practices.

The process of organizing trials in the countries

where crimes have been committed is somewhat

hindered by the dual citizenship issue. However, we

hope to have that matter resolved shortly, with the

assistance of the relevant international institutions.

Acting in accordance with its international

obligations, Bosnia and Herzegovina supports all

activities and peace initiatives aimed at conflict

prevention, peacebuilding and safety in post-conflict

zones. Despite our limited capacities, Bosnia and

Herzegovina participates in international peacekeeping

operations. We have military observers in Congo,

Cyprus, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as civilian police

officers in Liberia and Haiti as part of United Nations

operations there. We also sent a mine-clearance team to

Iraq as a sign of our support for Iraqis in the process of

establishing a democratic State.

With regard to the situation in Iraq, we are

pleased to see consensus among members of the

Security Council in connection with the transfer of

authority from the occupation forces to the legitimately

elected judicial and executive authorities, as that will

led to establishing Iraq as a sovereign and democratic

country. That is a necessary precondition for the

beginning of comprehensive reforms of the Iraqi State

and society.

Reconstruction will still remain the key issue for

Iraq's citizens. The United Nations should play a more

important role in that connection. The Organization

provides humanitarian aid to Iraq and is helping to

rebuild its infrastructure and Government institutions.

The firm determination of the Members of the United

Nations to assist in establishing stability and security

by participating in reconstruction and providing

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assistance in the form of human resources or technical

support is vital.

Bosnia and Herzegovina supports the

comprehensive implementation of the Programme of

Action adopted at the United Nations Conference on

the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in

All Its Aspects.

We have also supported the outcome of the

special session of the General Assembly devoted to

AIDS by creating a special national council for the

prevention of AIDS. The council will meet all required

international obligations in that area by the end of this

year.

With regard to the financing of international

peacekeeping operations, we are quite aware that that

issue is key to accomplishing the goals of the United

Nations. We also recognize that a shortfall in funds can

indeed hinder the protection of human lives. We call

for a more balanced and fair basis for contributions.

We also call upon developed countries to set a good

example for other countries as they need to

demonstrate clearly that we all share this obligation.

Being an underrepresented country at United

Nations Headquarters, and in the United Nations

system overall, we would like to see more balanced

representation. Bosnia and Herzegovina is keen to see

its nationals being selected for high-ranking positions

in the Organization, as we in fact have high-quality

personnel to offer.

On behalf of the citizens of Bosnia and

Herzegovina, allow me to take this opportunity to once

again express the gratitude that we feel for the

assistance that the international community has

provided us during times of hardship.

The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina will

take immediate steps to prepare, by the end of next

year, a national strategy to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals. That strategy will include special

emphasis on transparency, good governance, better

employment and better use of domestic resources.

Lastly, allow me to share a final thought. We

believe that helping underdeveloped countries and

post-conflict societies is not charity, but rather an

investment in the future of the entire world.