SARAJEVO, Nov 18 (Hina) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday ended his two-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina with a promise that the international community would not leave the country, despite the fact that the UN's Mission to
Bosnia (UNMIB) would withdraw from Bosnia at the end of the year.
SARAJEVO, Nov 18 (Hina) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday
ended his two-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina with a promise that
the international community would not leave the country, despite
the fact that the UN's Mission to Bosnia (UNMIB) would withdraw from
Bosnia at the end of the year. #L#
The Bosnian authorities are still in need of international
community's support to secure permanent peace, Annan said in
Sarajevo on Monday after talks with members of the Bosnian Council
of Ministers and the prime ministers of the Bosnian Federation and
Republika Srpska.
Annan said that only the continuation and fast implementation of
started reforms, particularly those in the economy, could
guarantee stability in Bosnia.
He reiterated that in being involved in Bosnia, the United Nations
had learnt numerous difficult lessons which would be of great
significance for future peace operations in all parts of the
world.
The UN's biggest failure was the way in which it protected or failed
to protect safe zones during the war. Its biggest success was the
fact that it was leaving behind competent police forces able to
provide security to all citizens, the UN Secretary-General said,
adding that the European Union would take over control of the
international police force in Bosnia at the end of the year.
Commenting on the scandal which followed the illegal export of
military equipment from Bosnia to Iraq, Annan said he expected all
those responsible in the affair to be identified and punished, as
well as measures undertaken to prevent this from reoccurring.
Imposing sanctions on entire Bosnia would not be good, Annan said,
adding that this decision was not up to him, but up to the UN
Security Council.
(hina) lml