SARAJEVO, Sept 8 (Hina) - The international community's High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, and the head of the OSCE Mission to the country, Robert Barry, on Friday replaced 15 local officials for
obstructing the implementation of property laws and refugee returns. Aleksandra Stiglmayer, spokeswoman for Petritsch's office, told reporters in Sarajevo today the replaced officials were Republika Srpska's Deputy Minister for Refugees, Petar Djodan, the mayor of Glamoc (the Croat-Muslim Federation), Ivan Damjanovic, and 13 other heads of departments for refugees and displaced persons in municipalities in both entities. In line with the existing rules established by the Peace Implementation Council, all officials who have been replaced by the OHR and OSCE are banned from running in the elections or performing any public duty. According to Petritsch's office, all replaced officials ha
SARAJEVO, Sept 8 (Hina) - The international community's High
Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, and the
head of the OSCE Mission to the country, Robert Barry, on Friday
replaced 15 local officials for obstructing the implementation of
property laws and refugee returns.
Aleksandra Stiglmayer, spokeswoman for Petritsch's office, told
reporters in Sarajevo today the replaced officials were Republika
Srpska's Deputy Minister for Refugees, Petar Djodan, the mayor of
Glamoc (the Croat-Muslim Federation), Ivan Damjanovic, and 13
other heads of departments for refugees and displaced persons in
municipalities in both entities.
In line with the existing rules established by the Peace
Implementation Council, all officials who have been replaced by the
OHR and OSCE are banned from running in the elections or performing
any public duty.
According to Petritsch's office, all replaced officials have
intentionally obstructed the implementation of existing laws and
there is evidence on numerous cases of abuse of duty, which directly
hampered the implementation of the Dayton agreement.
A high official with the UNHCR, Soren Jesen Petersen, said today he
had warned that apart from insufficient funds the biggest obstacle
to the return of refugees to Bosnia-Herzegovina was lack of respect
for property laws.
Speaking at the end of his two-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Petersen told reporters significant progress had been made in the
past years and refugees' safety was no longer the biggest problem.
The biggest problem currently is that the issue of property is not
being resolved and this is what considerably slows down efforts
aimed at enabling refugees to return, he said.
The UNHCR will not give up further support for returnees, Petersen
said, adding the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata,
would on Monday in Geneva chair a meeting which would urge all
potential donors not to give up assistance to refugees wishing to
return to their homes in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(hina) jn rml