SARAJEVO, Nov 13 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina will be able to join NATO's Partnership for Peace programme only after the establishment of a defence ministry on the state level and its authorities ensure the extradition of all war
crimes suspects to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), High Representative to Bosnia Paddy Ashdown and the chief commander of NATO's Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia, General William Ward, said in Sarajevo on Wednesday.
SARAJEVO, Nov 13 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina will be able to join
NATO's Partnership for Peace programme only after the
establishment of a defence ministry on the state level and its
authorities ensure the extradition of all war crimes suspects to
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), High Representative to Bosnia Paddy Ashdown and the chief
commander of NATO's Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia, General
William Ward, said in Sarajevo on Wednesday. #L#
In this, their harshest-worded request to establish a state
mechanism which will control military forces in the country,
Ashdown and Ward said the message had already been sent to the
Bosnian Presidency.
Lord Ashdown told reporters the aims NATO set for the authorities in
Bosnia as a condition for joining Partnership for Peace were
crystal clear.
Should Bosnia fulfil the conditions, it might become a member of the
programme in 18 months' time, Ashdown said.
He particularly warned the authorities in Republika Srpska to give
the utmost consideration to the situation caused by the "Eagle"
affair, which involved the selling of arms to Iraq.
Indirectly telling Bosnian Serb authorities they were at fault for
the scandal which brought Bosnia-Herzegovina to the edge of
international sanctions, Ashdown warned that obstructing attempts
to integrate the two entities' military structures would no longer
be tolerated.
General Ward said NATO expected, as a transitional solution, that
the secretary-general of the Standing Commission for Military
Matters (SCMM) in Bosnia be immediately promoted to the rank of
minister and become a member of the Bosnian Council of Ministers.
The SFOR commander also said NATO would from now on communicate with
the authorities in Bosnia and its two entities exclusively through
the mediation of the SCMM and its secretary-general.
All requests can be fulfilled quickly and it is up to the Bosnian
authorities to decide whether they will draw closer to NATO or keep
their country in isolation, Ashdown said.
(hina) it sb