PRESS CONFERENCE BY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
19960926
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
The High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt, told correspondents at the Department of Public Information noon briefing Thursday that he was in New York to brief the Security Council, which he did at regular intervals every few months. His report had not been formally delivered pending certification of the election result, which he expected in the next few days.
In his report, Mr. Bildt said he would focus on the fourth and most difficult and most decisive phase of peace implementation in the current year -- that was the setting up of the common institutions, the arrangements for true and genuine power sharing that was at the core of the peace process. That was going to be fairly difficult, but "I think we can achieve it, and I am convinced we must achieve it", he said. That was the focus in the ministerial level meeting of the contact group of Foreign Ministers this morning, who met at the invitation of United States Secretary of State, Warren Christopher. A short statement should be forthcoming from the United States Mission on that message. The necessity of proceeding with the setting up of the common institutions was emphasized.
Mr. Bildt said he was returning to Sarajevo tonight and he hoped to hold the first meetings next week of the three-person Presidency, followed by the 42 members directly elected to the Bosnian House of Representatives, one of two Chambers of the bicameral Parliamentary Assembly. That would mark the official start of the constitutional implementation period. He was also shaping plans for various international meetings. There was the Ministerial Meeting of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council in Paris in mid-November, to deal with a two-year consolidation plan up to the next set of nationwide Bosnian elections in September of 1998. There was also a meeting next Thursday in Paris between the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic, and the President of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic. The London meeting of the full Peace Implementation Council would take place in December and would look primarily into the immediate arrangements necessary to push forward implementation. There might be working level meetings in between to deal with certain issues of the major conferences. However, he did not see any need for "Dayton II's". The Dayton Agreement was "there to be implemented, not changed, and accordingly, new Daytons are not called for", he said.
In what capacity would President Izetbegovic attend next week's meeting in Paris? a correspondent asked. Mr. Bildt said President Izetbegovic chaired the collective Presidency. To a follow-up about whether other members would be included, he said not that he was aware. He did not know if President
Izetbegovic would take steps to discuss issues with other members of the Presidency. He hoped there would be an opportunity for him to communicate with them before the meeting, but Mr. Izetbegovic had overall responsibility for the foreign policy of the country. As soon as there was a first meeting of the joint Presidency, it would assume legal authority. The old presidency was still there in the meantime, in a caretaking capacity, the same way as the Bosnian Government was still there.
Asked if a firm date was cited at the ministerial meeting today for the lifting of sanctions, Mr. Bildt said that that would be done by the Security Council, which was awaiting the full certification of the election result. Certification was likely to come out of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission within the next few days. The Council was then free to proceed as it saw fit, and he thought they would do so. Asked about his involvement in the certification process, he said that he had a certain amount of coordination to do. But the OSCE had responsibility for certifying, and the provisional election commission would give its view, taking into consideration the conclusion of the coordinator for the international monitors. As the result of very extensive monitoring, some technical difficulties had emerged. Indeed, the Coordinator for Civilian Monitoring had made clear that there were technical problems. But, overall, the Coordinator had said the election provided a "basis for the further democratization of Bosnia-Herzegovina".
To a question about why it took so long to get clearance on an election that was almost two weeks ago, Mr. Bildt said it did take some time until final election results were available, even in a country like Sweden. Elections in Bosnia had been more complicated, of course. Voter turnout had been based on the 1990-1991 census. No one knew for certain how many people were killed in the conflict. All those uncertainties made greater room for appeal, and the appeal must be dealt with. "We must be certain of the result that is coming out of the certification", he added.
To another question about voting irregularities being reported in the European press, Mr. Bildt said all of those things were being dealt with by the Elections Appeals Subcommission. There had been complaints -- there had been a complaint filed by the Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA) before polling stations had even closed, and there was an appeal filed by either the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) or the Republika of Srpska in the last few days concerning certain irregularities. That was why the Elections Appeals Subcommission, a legal body, was now taking its time to deal with those issues, so they could stand on very firm ground. While there were some problems with voter registration, it was fair to say that the problems were of a technical nature, as the international monitors had concluded. There were no signs of anything that was beyond technical in nature.
Bildt Press Conference - 3 - 26 September 1996
Would election certification be enough to lift the sanctions? another correspondent asked. Mr. Bildt said yes, he expected to be able to move forward with the common institutions within the time it took the Security Council to come to its final conclusion on those issues. It would be an important signal to the Security Council that all of the parties on the ground respected the election result and that all the parties on the ground were waiting to move forward with the setting up of the common institutions.
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