SARAJEVO, Sept 17 (Hina) - Great Britain will assist Bosnia's efforts to reform its defence system so it can create conditions for joining NATO's Partnership for Peace programme as soon as possible, British Defence Minister Goeff Hoon
and the chairman of the Bosnian Presidency, Beriz Belkic, said in Sarajevo on Tuesday.
SARAJEVO, Sept 17 (Hina) - Great Britain will assist Bosnia's
efforts to reform its defence system so it can create conditions for
joining NATO's Partnership for Peace programme as soon as possible,
British Defence Minister Goeff Hoon and the chairman of the Bosnian
Presidency, Beriz Belkic, said in Sarajevo on Tuesday. #L#
During Hoon's visit to Sarajevo, Bosnian officials informed him
about the country's efforts to establish a state coordinating body
for defence policy, which is currently the key condition for
Bosnia's accession into NATO programme.
Top NATO officials, including Secretary-General George Robertson,
have announced that Bosnia can count on joining the PfP programme,
under the condition that it establishes a defence ministry at the
state level.
Belkic said on Tuesday, however, that Great Britain had offered a
new solution.
"The important issue is to realise the content, while the form will
be less important," Belkic said.
Although it was not clearly stated, it is evident that the issue is
an attempt of conciliation between opposing stances of the two
Bosnian entities surrounding the founding of a unified defence
ministry. Bosnian Serbs have adamantly opposed the idea.
Belkic said that the country's leadership would in any case ensure
that state institutions have complete control over Bosnia's armed
forces, which would, in the current phase, be done by the Commission
for Military Issues.
This body includes members of the Presidency, highest officials of
the Bosnian Council of Ministers, and officials of the two
entities, the Bosnian Federation and Republika Srpska.
The commission will also have a secretary-general, who will
directly coordinate cooperation between Bosnia and NATO
structures.
The Presidency chairman said that for now Bosnia had no official
information about an alleged new American initiative according to
which all countries in the region which are not NATO members as yet
would join the organisation by 2006, as some Croatian media wrote.
"We heard about that from the media, but have received no official
information on the issue," Belkic said.
(hina) lml