BRUSSELS, May 23 (Hina) - The international community will not abandon Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH), but its support, especially economic, will abate, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said on Tuesday reviewing the first working day
of a Brussels conference on peace implementation in BH.
BRUSSELS, May 23 (Hina) - The international community will not
abandon Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH), but its support, especially
economic, will abate, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula
said on Tuesday reviewing the first working day of a Brussels
conference on peace implementation in BH.#L#
"From a state the international community takes care for, BH should
transform into a self-preserving community," Picula said. He
mentioned what the European Union's high representative for
foreign affairs and security, Javier Solana, said in his speech,
namely that the time when international community assistance to BH
was abundant was over, and that it would continue to decrease.
According to Picula, the general impression at the conference was
that delegations' speeches did not reflect concern for BH's
survival as a state, although all did voice concern over the fact
that in many fields the peace process was being implemented too
slowly or not at all.
Picula said almost all participants in the conference in their
addresses pointed to the outstanding significance of Croatia's
political changes and their positive impact on BH's prospects.
Picula's speech addressed prospects in refugee returns. He
reminded that he and Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of Bosnia's
Serb republic, about three months ago publicly committed to kick-
start a return process between Croatia and the entity.
"As regards returns of citizens of Serb nationality, I am in
possession of data indicating that by the end of the deadline, which
expires on June 9, Croatia will come close to the proclaimed number
of 2,000," the foreign minister said.
During today's debate, the delegations of 50 member-states in BH's
Peace Implementation Council outlined their assessments and views
of the international community's priority objectives in BH over the
coming 18 or 24 months.
The international community's high representative for BH, Wolfgang
Petrisch, pointed to three strategic priority objectives, of which
the first are economic reforms which must provide an exit from the
economic crisis and a transition from a donations-dependant
economy.
The second strategic objective is an acceleration in the return of
exiled persons and refugees, with guaranteed ownership rights, and
the third, according to Petrisch, is the strengthening of the
efficiency of democratically established joint state
institutions.
The Brussels conference resumes tomorrow and should end with the
adoption of a declaration on the strategic objectives of the
international community in the implementation of peace in BH over
the next two years.
(hina) ha jn