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FEDERATION DEFENSE LAW: Officials at the Forum agreed on a Federation Defense Law which establishes a single Ministry of Defense and a joint command structure. It also calls for integration of all Federation military forces within three years. Ministry personnel will be moved to Sarajevo by May 31.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND INTEGRATION: Officials at the Forum welcomed the upcoming visit of Secretary Kantor to continue the mission of Secretary Brown. In addition they agreed to establish financial institutions which would promote economic recovery including:
In addition, officials at the Forum agreed to take measures to ensure the unrestricted flow of goods throughout the Federation and improve the operation of customs systems.
ELECTIONS: The importance of the elections was underscored and agreement was reached to establish the institutions needed to conduct the elections. Officials also agreed to ensure freedom of movement for displaced persons and refugees to vote.
MEDIA: Officials at the Forum reiterated their commitment to guarantee a politically neutral environment and freedom of speech. In order to further the establishment of a free and independent media, they agreed to provide one hour of prime time radio and TV programming from May 21 until the election for information relevant to the elections; to ensure that equitable and significant amounts of prime time TV and radio are made available to opposition parties and candidates; to take measures to expedite requests for frequencies and other issues involving communications infrastructure; and to ensure freedom of movement for journalists.
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT: In addition to the commitments noted above, the officials at the Forum pledged to continue implementation of UNHCR guidelines for freedom of movement and accelerate the restoration of regular bus services, particularly between the Federation and Republika Srpska.
FEDERATION INSTITUTIONS: In order to underscore the importance of making continued progress on the establishment of Federation institutions, officials present agreed to urge the Federation Assembly to stay in continual session and to redouble efforts to move forward on Constitutional issues, improvement of training and resources for a united Federation police force, finding solutions for the organization and responsibilities for cantons, cities and the city of Sarajevo, and take decisions on flag, coat of arms and other symbols of Federation institutions.NON-IMPLEMENTATION: In acknowledgment of the importance of implementation of the Peace Agreement, Federation officials agreed to focus attention on officials alleged to be blocking implementation of Federation agreements and to submit a proposal to establish a Federation Implementation Council to the Federal Assembly for approval.
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