Scheffer recalled that NATO's last summit in Riga, by deciding to accept Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro into the Partnership for Peace programme, had given an important incentive towards the realisation of that goal. He added, however, that it was now up to the countries in the region to show readiness to implement the reforms.
Scheffer said that in Bosnia and Herzegovina's case the reforms concerned the defence sector, including the provision of a sufficient budget, constitutional changes, and primarily full cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Accession to the Partnership for Peace does not mean that Bosnia and Herzegovina is exempt from the obligation to fully cooperate with the Hague tribunal, said Scheffer.
He pledged all the necessary assistance to the Bosnian authorities in the implementation of reforms, but underlined that responsibility for their success lay primarily with domestic politicians.
During the visit to Sarajevo, where he arrived after a brief visit to Podgorica, Scheffer and Bosnia's Security Minister Tarik Sadovic signed a security agreement between NATO and Bosnia and Herzegovina which defines the rules and procedures of exchanging security data in keeping with NATO standards.