“PRES-SING” d.o.o. Sarajevo
(published on 14 July 2004)
1. Your next week visit to Sarajevo is connected to the recent NATO decision to terminate
SFOR and to follow up the mission with EUFOR. What is the message that you and the
Secretary General of NATO will deliver to Bosnia this time?
-
Our joint visit to Sarajevo today is a sign that the transformation of the international
security presence we are now planning – the transition from SFOR to EUFOR – is a
common project of the EU and NATO. The visit is also a sign that we want the authorities
of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take full part in this transformation. This is not about the
future of EU or NATO; it is about the future of this country. We can promise effective
international support through close co-operation between the EU and NATO. But in the
end the challenges of the new era can only be met by the people and political leaders of
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2. Is it possible to have more details about EUFOR mission in B&H? Public in BH still do
not have enough info about it. Can you explain the role of EUFOR related to the arresting
of the war criminals indicted by ICTY?
-
This mission is the third military operation carried out by the European Union. It will have
a robust mandate and resources similar to those of the departing SFOR. Indeed, 80 per
cent of SFOR’s troops at present come from EU countries. The EU-led force would also
be responsible for safeguarding NATO’s remarkable achievement – a safe and secure
environment in BiH.
-
The EU-led force will assume the responsibility to fulfil the military role specified in
Annexes 1A and 2 of the Dayton Peace Agreement. It is expected to comprise around
7,000 troops. It will also support civilian implementation of the Peace Agreement along
the same lines as SFOR does at present. And it will support BiH’s European future.
-
Together with the Union’s already considerable political engagement, all its assistance
projects, and its ongoing police advisory mission (EUPM), the new military operation will
be part of a comprehensive support package. This package, which will be co-ordinated by
Lord Ashdown in his role as EU Special Representative, is designed to assist the country
as it moves from Dayton implementation to European integration. There is a clear
framework for the journey towards the EU: the Stabilisation and Association Process. The
EU will do all it can to help BiH along the way. But BiH must progress on the road to
Europe by its own means; on its own merit.
- The EU military operation has been prepared in close consultation with NATO. The
headquarters will, as was the case with SFOR, be located at Camp Butmir in Sarajevo.
And on some important issues, such as the arrest of war criminals, the EU and NATO
will work closely together.
Bosna i Hercegovina / 71000 Sarajevo / ^ekalu{a ~ikma 6 / Tel: 44 40 41, 26 26 30 / Fax: 44 48 95 1
E-mail: [email protected] / Internet: www.slobodna-bosna.ba.
“PRES-SING” d.o.o. Sarajevo
3. In the last nine years, neither domestic nor international forces succeeded in arresting
war criminals (the two most wanted). Even though we can blame RS, we have to admit
that SFOR did try more than once to arrest Karadzic and Mladic in the last nine years,
but without any success. Even some foreign diplomats mentioned a couple of times the
lack of political will in Europe as a main cause for this. Can you comment on this?
-
I can assure assure you that there is great political will to capture Karadzic and Mladic
both in Brussels and in the EU’s other capitals. And we will together to our utmost to
make that happen.
-
I sincerely hope that the political will, and the readiness to act, is equally strong in
Sarajevo and Banja Luka. It is a regrettable fact that eight years after the Peace
Agreement was signed, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be held
hostage by those, especially in the Republika Srpska (RS), that have failed to meet a
key obligation of the Peace Agreement – to uphold BiH’s obligations with regard to
the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Karadzic and
Mladic, and those few helping them to avoid justice, are doing enormous harm to the
people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The EU fully supports the sanctions applied by
High Representative and EU Special Representative Lord Ashdown against the key
persons and institutions in the RS who are obstructing co-operation with ICTY
4. What do you think, will they (Karadzic, Mladic, even Gotovina) be arrested soon?
-
Yes.
5. Recently, the International Community in BH came out with the number of sanctions
against RS and SDS party. Even though many in Bosnia did find it as a very good
decision, some are afraid that this is a little bit too late and some people on the list are
missing. Do you expect that something will be changed after this?
-
It is high time to turn towards the future, not the past. Your country is gradually
moving out of the Dayton era and into the era of Brussels. This means new challenges,
but also great opportunities. I trust that all political leaders will be ready to meet these
new challenges and seize the opportunities. As a first step, Bosnia and Herzegovina
must now rapidly fulfil the conditions to negotiate a Stabilisation and Association
Agreement with the European Union.
Bosna i Hercegovina / 71000 Sarajevo / ^ekalu{a ~ikma 6 / Tel: 44 40 41, 26 26 30 / Fax: 44 48 95 2
E-mail: [email protected] / Internet: www.slobodna-bosna.ba.
“PRES-SING” d.o.o. Sarajevo
6. You have been involved in Balkans for quite a long period of time. And your role is very
respected. Nine years after the wars are over, looking from the inside, the situation in
Bosnia does not look much better. What is, in your opinion, the solution for BH at this
moment? Some people are talking about need to change Dayton Peace Agreement, some
to change Constitution.
-
As a frequent visitor to Bosnia and Herzegovina, I think the situation now is much
better than it was before. The security situation has improved immeasurably. Refugees
and internally displaced persons continue to return to their homes in significant
numbers. Freedom of movement has been restored. However, all of this is of course
not enough. Reforms in a multitude of areas are urgently required. Some of these may
be quite far-reaching. But it will primarily be up to the elected representatives of this
country, not the international community, to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina is
prepared to meet the challenges of the new era.
7. How do you see the Balkans in relation to EU integration at this moment? Is there still
possibility for a major crisis coming from the Balkans?
-
Since I took up the post as EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security
Policy five years ago, I have seen the Western Balkans develop in a very positive
direction. Authoritarian regimes have disappeared and democratically elected leaders
co-operate closely with each other. Instead of remaining mired in past politics,
Government and Parliaments have started to work on the reform agendas of the future,
allowing progress in the process of integration with, and eventually into, the European
Union.
-
On the EU side, we have made clear our commitment. We have developed the
Stabilisation and Association Process. We have taken on new political responsibilities,
also in the area of hard security. And we have made clear that the future of the region
is within the European Union. I think this increased EU involvement, and the
perspective we can offer, has played a major positive role in the region over the past
five years.
-
I am also optimistic about the future. Croatia is setting a good example for the region.
While the pace of reform is generally not high enough, and while some difficult
political obstacles remain to be overcome, I am convinced that all the countries of the
Western Balkans will eventually show the determination and muster the tenacity that
will allow them to follow the ten countries in Central and Eastern Europe that joined
the EU on 1 May this year.
Bosna i Hercegovina / 71000 Sarajevo / ^ekalu{a ~ikma 6 / Tel: 44 40 41, 26 26 30 / Fax: 44 48 95 3
E-mail: [email protected] / Internet: www.slobodna-bosna.ba.