Statement
by
H. E. Vladimir Drobnjak
Ambassador
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations
Security Council
The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
3 March 2004
Let me start by joining others in thanking Lord Ashdown for the comprehensive and substantive briefing on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
How to assess the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina? One could start by listing all the difficulties this State is going through. But the most appropriate approach has to start from the point of comparison: how the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina looks today in contrast with the one five or ten years ago. The answer is simple and encouraging - it looks much better.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has been on the Security Council´s agenda for years now, and it would be remiss not to recognize significant successes achieved under the aegis of the United Nations, ranging from military stabilization by IFOR and SFOR, to police reform through IPTF and refugee return. This exemplary record of the international community´s achievements in confidence building and post-conflict reconciliation has to be followed by a similar effort in the field of economic opportunities.
Croatia remains vitally interested in the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and supports the hard work of the international community directed towards enhancing its further stabilization and improving its self-sustainability. In this regard, Croatia is ready to lend all logistical and other required support to the European Union, which is taking over the key role in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the coming period.
Mr. President,
As a country irreversibly committed to European integration processes, Croatia understands that a clear and unambiguous EU membership prospect for all countries of South-East Europe is the best incentive for the reform processes in the respective countries, and in the region in general. The direct result of it is the extension of democratic stability and expansion of the Euro-zone of peace, cooperation and development to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Croatia´s broader neighborhood. We are aware of the opportunity unfolding in front of us, and of the responsibility that comes with it, and we stand ready to undertake both.
Accepting the European standards and integrating them firmly into the fabric of State and society will eventually result with Bosnia and Herzegovina as an entirely self-sustained country completely free from dependence on foreign aid and political guidance. Croatia wishes to have an integral and unified Bosnia and Herzegovina for its neighbor and partner, a State with strong institutions and uniform economic mechanisms that cooperates with all other States in the region.
We are encouraged by certain positive developments, such as elections organized in accordance with the required European norms - not by the OSCE, but by Bosnia and Herzegovina itself. The majority of costs, however, were again borne by the international community. The sustainability of democracy may be in question if its financial and economic foundations remain weak. Democracy can hardly prosper if it is not deeply rooted in a sound economy and secure environment.
Mutual political relations between our two countries open promising prospects for the advancement of economic cooperation. The bilateral free trade agreement between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been applied since 2001. Since then, trade exchange has grown by 30 per cent annually, and totaled one billion US dollars last year. Croatia is among the largest investors in Bosnia and Herzegovina; for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most important markets. Croatia and its institutions, notably the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, will continue to encourage investments of the private sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to strengthen development and to increase mutual exchange.
Investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are much more than mere financial operation, or the targeted implementation of a profitable economic strategy - they are at the same time high-return investments in the stability, cooperation, development and democracy of South-East Europe.
Economic investments are a necessary prerequisite for inner stability, social peace and development of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the same time, let us not sideline political investments as well. This refers to the dedication of joint efforts on the creation of conditions for strengthening the sustainability of State institutions and the securing of full equality of all three nations.
Croatia supports reforms that have been initiated, particularly in strengthening the judiciary system, reform of the military sector and creation of a single market. Bosnia and Herzegovina must fully develop a stable public administration based on a clear legal framework marked by efficiency, professionalism, independence and accountability. Coordination among executive branches at different levels of government should improve and their respective prerogatives must be more clearly delineated.
A new dynamic seems to be emerging within Bosnia and Herzegovina´s political body, ready to embrace the ownership of the reform process. This is a positive development which Croatia fully supports. The process of assuming ownership of one´s future is a daunting task, but it is the only way to move forward and create a viable State ready to successfully perform in the European and global arenas.
Political commitments of the leaders of all three constituent nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and institution building remain essential. In this respect Croatia believes that the issue of constitutional change through the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a legitimate interest, as well as the genuine right of key political actors. As Lord Ashdown recently stated, the foundations of Dayton are being built on - through consensus, not imposition - so as to build a more rational, more affordable and more sustainable State. It is currently being carried out through ad hoc commissions and administrative changes, which also facilitate the harmonization with EU integration requirements.
Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia is one of the obligations undertaken by the parties to the Dayton Agreement, which is also a prerequisite for further EU integration. Croatia welcomes recent SFOR activities aimed at disrupting the foundations for the support provided to Radovan Karadžic. Unless he is found, apprehended and extradited to the Hague, the process of inter-ethnic reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina will fail to attain the utmost credibility. The same applies to Ratko Mladic, another architect of ethnic cleansing of Bosnjaks and Croats in the 1990s.
Mr. President,
Croatia´s assistance to the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is transparent and primarily oriented towards economic, cultural and social programs. The well-being of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and full protection of all of their rights remains a strategic interest for the Republic of Croatia. When it comes to the current position of Croats within Bosnia in Herzegovina one has to say that there is not a small room for improvement. In this context we hope that the international community will act more effectively in order to ensure the equality of all constituent people.
The willingness for cooperation in political and institution building on the side of Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is sometimes misunderstood, and not appreciated enough. While lending its strong support to the Croatian people in the neighboring State, Croatia will simultaneously continue to support the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the efforts to pursue all required economic, legal and political reforms.
Furthermore, Croatia is ready to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina to succeed in a struggle to seize the historic opportunity of membership of the NATO Partnership for Peace in the near future. Equally, Croatia is prepared to help Bosnia and Herzegovina in fulfilling its ambitions regarding the EU membership. We are confident that Croatia´s advancement towards the EU, something we feel optimistic about, will benefit the well-being of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.
In conclusion, let me reaffirm that Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a neighboring and partner State, remains high on Croatia´s list of priorities. The strengthening of the conditions for further economic development, full respect of the rule of law, attracting foreign investment and the build-up of civil services and State institutions, is a clear path Bosnia and Herzegovina has to follow. Croatia is ready to extend all available help to make this difficult road for Bosnia and Herzegovina as short as possible.
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