BELGRADE, June 8 (Hina) - Chairman of the EU Ministerial Council Lamberto Dini on Saturday said that basic elements of the peace agreement for Bosnia were being implemented and that set time- limits would probably be
respected.
BELGRADE, June 8 (Hina) - Chairman of the EU Ministerial Council
Lamberto Dini on Saturday said that basic elements of the peace
agreement for Bosnia were being implemented and that set time-
limits would probably be respected. #L#
Elections in Bosnia would be held by 14 September, Dini told a
news conference in Belgrade.
President of the European Commission Jacques Santer and Dini
held talks with Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic and Yugoslav
Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic on Friday, with the aim of
getting acquainted with the implementation of the peace agreement
before the conference in Florence on June 13 and 14.
All conditions for holding the Bosnian elections were not
fulfilled yet because the freedom of movement and free access of
the media had not been ensured, Dini said, adding that Croatian,
Yugoslav and Bosnian authorities advocated holding of the
elections.
He also warned of the importance of ensuring the means for the
reconstruction of Bosnia.
He announced that arbitration members for Brcko would be
appointed soon and that an agreement on arms control would be
signed.
Santer said that he had told representatives in Zagreb,
Belgrade and Skopje that their countries had to ensure the
stability and progress in the region, and that Europe could only
assist.
He stressed that states of the former Yugoslavia had to
establish relations and cooperation among themselves.
He added that the EU was based on common values, the respect
of human rights, and expressed concern for problems which
independent Yugoslav media faced.
It was necessary to ensure pluralist and free media without
which there could be no free elections, Santer said.
Asked about sanctions for Yugoslavia, Dini said that in this
phase of implementation of the peace agreement there could be no
imposing of sanctions. They could be imposed for other reasons,
Santer Dini.
Asked when the EU would normalize relations with Yugoslavia,
Santer said that the EU wanted to, but that all depended on the
fulfillment of set conditions, primarily on the respect of human
rights.
Conditions for Yugoslavia's accession into the Council of
Europe were the same as for Croatia, and the first was the respect
of human rights, Santer said, adding that this was the very reason
why Croatia had not been admitted into the Council of Europe.
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