BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR

UNCLAS STATE 119650 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PGOV PREL BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR NOVEMBER 23 SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ¶1. (U) This is an action request: USUN is instructed to draw from the points below during the UN Security Council debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina scheduled for November 23, 2009. ¶2. (U) Begin points: Thank you, Mr. President, I would like to welcome back to the Council Prime Minister Spiric (SHPI-rich) and to thank him for his comments. I would also like to welcome High Representative Inzko back to the Council today and thank him for his comprehensive briefing and for his hard work and dedication. Mr. President, Bosnia and Herzegovina has made remarkable progress since the war that tore the country apart in the early 1990s and which resulted in so much suffering for all of its constituent peoples. Since the signing of the Peace Agreement fourteen years ago, Bosnia has worked hard to rebuild its economy and its infrastructure, and it has begun the long and difficult process of reconciliation. Bosnia has assumed its obligations as a responsible member of the international community and has dedicated itself to playing a constructive role in the region and in the world. For example, the members of NATO have welcomed Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Partnership for Peace, and Bosnia has signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU. At the UN, we are proud to sit on the Human Rights Council with Bosnia, and we look forward to welcoming Bosnia to the Security Council in January. The United States is dedicated to helping Bosnia achieve its full aspirations on its path to EU and NATO integration. In this spirit, the United States and the European Union have been engaged with party leaders, civil society and parliamentary committees in Bosnia in what has become known to many as the Butmir process, so named for the military base outside of Sarajevo, which has hosted some of the meetings and which has served the headquarters of international peacekeepers since IFOR. The Butmir process is an effort to help Bosnia's leaders to not only resolve the remaining issues in the five plus two agenda set by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) for the closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR),but also to reform Bosnia's constitution within the Dayton framework so that the state can advance towards joining the EU and NATO. Mr. President, There are several aspects of the High Representative's report that are troubling. First, we are greatly concerned by the High Representative's assessment that very limited progress has been made towards meeting the outstanding requirements set by the PIC for transition from the OHR to an enhanced EU Special Representative (EUSR) mission as well as on the priorities and conditions which are required for Euro-Atlantic integration. We have also witnessed a sharp and dangerous increase in nationalist political rhetoric that has the potential to stir up anger and resentment, and could undermine the very state institutions which must be strengthened for Bosnia to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This divisive and aggressive rhetoric is of particular concern as Bosnia approaches the campaign season for the October 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections. Third, the High Representative has noted that war crimes prosecution and justice sector reform have suffered due to the inability of leaders to reach political decisions that advance national goals. We agree with the view of the highest state-level judicial and prosecutorial officials, that the mandates of international judges and prosecutors in the war crimes and organized crime chambers of the State Court and prosecutor's office should be extended past December. The extension of the mandates of these international officials is critical to the successful completion of related investigations, since the practical, political and budgetary preconditions for this vital work to continue without international assistance are not yet in place. Fourth, Mr. President, we are very concerned about the lack of support for the authority of the Office of the High Representative. The United States continues to fully support the Office of the High Representative. We look forward to the day when OHR can transition to an enhanced EUSR mission, but first the agreed reform agenda ) the five objectives and two conditions ) must be completed. The successful transition will require action and support on the part of all Bosnians, including its leaders. As the High Representative points out, there have been some recent positive steps, including the recent adoption of legislation, that will help to fulfill conditions necessary for visa-free travel in the EU, and steps toward resolving issues between the entities which had threatened the state electric transmission company, Transco. Lastly, Mr. President, I want to note the one-year extension of the EUFOR mandate, which the Council adopted last week. As High Representative Inzko has pointed out, EUFOR plays a key role in contributing to a safe and secure environment. EUFOR should remain in its current executive mandate and configuration for the time being. Mr. President, The United States remains fully committed to supporting peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to supporting Bosnia's greater integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. We stand ready to assist Bosnia in these efforts. CLINTON