Bosnia and Herzegovina

Thank you, Mr. President.

I would like to thank SRSG Klein and High Representative Ashdown for their presentations and I have three questions. But first, as UNMIBH comes to a close, I would like to especially praise Jacques Klein for his dedication, resolve and tenacity. His leadership has made a positive difference in Bosnia.

Now to my questions. First, what will be the response of the High Representative if coalitions emerge from the October elections that include nationalist parties that have refused to cooperate with the ICTY? My government does not subscribe to some of the views of some in the international community that have accepted certain outcomes as inevitable. As Lord Ashdown has said himself, we should judge parties by their deeds, not their words. We believe that the international community and the Council should continue to demand active cooperation with the ICTY—not just meaningless gestures—by parties that have long-standing associations with persons indicted of war crimes, such as Radovan Karadzic. As far as the United States is concerned, the presence of obstructionist parties in government and in bureaucracies has triggered legal restrictions on assistance to the Republika Srpska. Let us hope that this does not need to be extended to an additional different level. If local governments do not take appropriate action, will the High Representative use his Bonn powers to remove Dayton obstructers, including those found to have transferred military items to Iraq, which would constitute a violation of requirements to keep SFOR informed regarding exports of military items, but also is a violation of the UN sanctions agreed by this Council?

Second, is the EUPM ready to take over the residual police tasks from the IPTF, especially in the critical areas of counter terrorism, organized crime and trafficking in persons? We congratulate Jacques Klein on his successful completion of UNMIBH’s mandate and we support the High Representative’s comprehensive rule of law program, which we are supporting with considerable resources. Is the EUPM ready in terms of resources and organization to take over this critical function?

Finally, third we would like to ask SRSG Klein whether he sees any problems between now and the end of the year in bringing UNMIBH’s operations to a close? As we have indicated, we are satisfied with the considerable progress that has been made in UNMIBH’s operations but we would like to hear his assessment of any developments that will receive special attention in the transition period between IPTF and EUPM.