HIGH REP: BH AUTHORITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR DELAY IN PASSPORT ISSUANCE

( Editorial: --> 7902 ) SARAJEVO, July 15 (Hina) - The issuance of passports for Bosnian citizens is late solely due to poor organisation and oversights made by local authorities in the country, the Sarajevo-based office of the international high representative for Bosnia said in a statement on Wednesday. The international community is not responsible for the current standstill, said the statement submitted to the media in the Bosnian capital. The high representative is upset at the fact that the issuance of passports is late, but simultaneously refutes any accusation that the responsibility for this situation lies with the international community, the statement said. The international community has played a crucial role, both in passing necessary laws and in ensuring technical preconditions for the printing and issuing of passports, it added. Had the office of the high representative not made the necessary efforts, that process would now be in even bigger difficulties, the statement said, adding that direct responsibility lies with the Civil Issues and Communications Minister Spasoje Albijanic and his deputies Nudzeim Recica and Milan Krizanovic. Due to lack of professionalism, poor organisation and non- compliance with the competent law, local authorities demonstrated they have no respect for their own citizens, the statement said. The new Bosnian passports were printed in Germany quite a while ago, but the equipment for their issuance has not yet been set up. Deputy high representative Hanns Schumacher yesterday told the Bosnian parliament there was no justified reason why the issuance of the new passports should not begin immediately in the Bosnian Serb entity and on July 20 in the Croat-Muslim Federation of BH. (hina) ha 152023 MET jul 98