NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Hina) - The UN Security Council on Wednesday supported the European orientation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and assessed that stability and development depended on the continuation of vital reforms.
NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Hina) - The UN Security Council on Wednesday
supported the European orientation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and
assessed that stability and development depended on the
continuation of vital reforms. #L#
A session of the council was open to all those interested countries
and so in addition to the fifteen permanent member countries the
session was attended by diplomats representing Bosnia, Croatia,
Denmark and Yugoslavia.
Introductory remarks were made regarding the situation in Bosnia by
the High Representative to that country, Paddy Ashdown, and UN co-
ordinator Jacques Klein.
They pointed out that during the pre-election campaign and recent
election in Bosnia two vital political principles were confirmed -
unity and the wholeness of that country as well as the
constitutionality of all three peoples in the entire region of
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Ashdown and Klein positively assessed Croatia's role and support in
stabilising circumstances in Bosnia and expressed hope that
Yugoslavia would soon head down the same path.
Ashdown pointed out that one of the biggest problems was the fact
that two of the main war crimes suspects - Radovan Karadzic and
Ratko Mladic - had still not been handed over to the Hague-based
Tribunal.
Croatian Ambassador to the UN Ivan Simonovic questioned what should
the UN Security Council be doing in this regard.
Ashdown assessed that their arrest would motivate reforms in Bosnia
even though he believed that Karadzic and Mladic no longer had any
influence in that country.
Klein was more specific and surprised some members of the Council
with a proposal that the SFOR be given the mandate to capture all war
crime indictees.
Actively participating in the discussion that followed, Ambassador
Simonovic pointed out that the Dayton Peace Accord should be "the
foundation and not the roof" of order in Bosnia.
He supported the programme by the international community in Bosnia
to combat corruption and respect the rule-of-law.
Bosnia's Ambassador to the UN, Mirzo Kusljugic, did not participate
in the discussion even though he was present at the meeting.
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