PEACE IMPLEMENTATION CONFERENCE FOR BH ENDS

BRUSSELS, May 24 (Hina) - A ministerial conference of the Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) on Wednesday ended its two-day conference by adopting a final document which was presented to the press in Brussels by the chairman, Portugal's Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Da Costa, and the international community's high representative for BH, Wolfgang Petrisch. In the final declaration, the international community voices dissatisfaction with the slow pace in the enforcement of internal political and economic reforms and the return of exiled persons and refugees to their pre-war homes. According to the declaration, the progress which has been achieved in the stabilisation of peace and reconstruction is mainly the result of intensive efforts by the international community, whereas the responsibility for the stalling lies with obstructive political parties and their allies, both in and out of BH. Narrow nationalist political interests and sectarianism have brought everything to a standstill, from refugee returns to economic reforms and the activity of government institutions, the declaration says. In the coming period, BH has to count on decreased assistance from international donors. Future donations will be conditioned on tangible progress in three key fields, structural economic reforms, the return of exiled persons and refugees, and the strengthening of joint state institutions and their effectiveness. BH must now do more for itself, the declaration states. (hina) ha mm