SARAJEVO, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Adnan Terzic, on Tuesday withdrew the candidacy of Branko Stevic for Bosnia's first minister of defence following numerous negative reactions to
Stevic's role in war events in the northern town of Bijeljina.
SARAJEVO, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Adnan Terzic, on Tuesday withdrew the candidacy of
Branko Stevic for Bosnia's first minister of defence following
numerous negative reactions to Stevic's role in war events in the
northern town of Bijeljina.#L#
In a statement carried by all Sarajevo media, Terzic said that he
decided to withdraw the proposal for Stevic's appointment following a
check-up of details from his resume.
Terzic believes that Stevic's nomination would not help
Bosnia-Herzegovina in its efforts to draw closer to NATO's Partnership
for Peace programme.
Stevic had been nominated by the Serb Democratic Party despite the
fact that during the war he was chief of the police in Bijeljina,
where mass-scale ethnic cleansing of Muslims took place.
In a statement to the Bijeljina-based TV station BN, Stevic said he
was surprised at Terzic's decision, stressing that he was proud of his
role in the war.
A similar reaction came from the Serb member of the Bosnian state
presidency, Borislav Paravac, whose advisor told reporters that a
detailed explanation of Terzic's decision was expected.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) welcomed the decision on
the withdrawal of Stevic's candidacy.
A spokesman for the OHR said the office was eagerly awaiting the names
of new candidates, adding that the appointment of defence minister
would be the last of the basic requirements for the continuation of
the country's efforts to join NATO.
(Hina) rml