NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.
| The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for material released since President George W. Bush took office on that date. This site is not updated so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein. |
I want to thank President Zubak, Vice President Ganic, Foreign Minister Granic once again for their efforts to make today's meeting such a success.
Let me also recognize a number of other people who have made important contributions to the progress we have made. I want to thank Christian Schwartz Schilling, the Federation mediator, Deputy High Representative Steiner, as well as the representatives of the Contact Group, the UN, the UNHCR, and the OSCE. Assistant Secretary Kornblum deserves immense credit for getting the Federation Forum off the ground. Let me say a special word of thanks to my good friend Roberts Owen, whose personal involvement has been so indispensable to this whole process.
Our success today builds on the progress we have all made since the first meeting of the Federation Forum in Sarajevo. It reflects our determination to see the Federation thrive as a cornerstone of a peaceful and democratic Bosnia.
The Federation leaders have agreed on a Federation defense law that will unite all their military forces under a single Ministry of Defense and a joint command structure. They have agreed on the need to establish by May 31 the financial structures that are essential to economic recovery in Bosnia. They also agreed to conditions that will allow goods to move freely throughout the Federation. And I am very pleased to announce that, at the President's direction, Commerce Secretary Kantor will lead a delegation of business leaders to Bosnia and Croatia to continue Secretary Brown's vital work. The delegation will include executives from some of the very companies whose leaders lost their lives with Secretary Brown.
So that free and fair elections can be held, the Federation officials have also agreed to specific steps to ensure equal access to the media as well as freedom of movement to candidates, to journalists, and most important, to voters. They agreed to implement fully the UNHCR's guidelines for the return of refugees and displaced persons. They reached final agreement on the structure and symbols of the Federation's institutions.
In short, the parties have resolved many of the most vexing issues on their agenda. That is a significant achievement --in principle. The confidence of the United States and the international community, and our ability to support the Federation, will depend on the implementation of these commitments. Our work today will not truly be complete until it is seen and felt on the ground by the people of Bosnia.
We understand that the progress the Federation has made has not come easily. We know that the agreements we have reached, from Dayton six months ago to Blair House today, are not self-implementing. That is why the Federation Forum will be a continuing process. That is why we are determined to stick with this process day in and day out, until we finish what we have started.
Once again, I want to thank you for your commitment thus far. And I look forward to working with you in the weeks and months to come, as we build steadily to our goal of lasting peace, with justice, for the people of Bosnia.
[end of document]
Need help? Have a foreign policy opinion? Email us at AskPublicAffairs@state.gov
Please direct your technical questions to Webmaster at doswork@uic.edu
Last Updated: May 15, 1996