Stalni predstavnik RH pri Ujedinjenim narodima, veleposlanik Neven Jurica, održao je govor u Vijecu sigurnosti UN-a o stanju u Bosni i Hercegovini.
I welcome and thank the High Representative and EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak for his report and today's briefing and also for all the work he has done in Bosnia and Herzegovina that Croatia fully supports. I also welcome H.E. Nikola špiric, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thank him for his statement.
Croatia aligned itself with the statement delivered by France on behalf of the European Union. Let me add few additional remarks:
My delegation welcomes the important progress on the reforms that enabled Bosnia and Herzegovina to sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union on June 16 this year, as the SAA is this country's first contractual relationship with the European Union and the first significant step towards seeing Bosnia and Herzegovina as a “peaceful, viable state, irreversibly on course for European integration”, which is the long standing objective of the Peace Implementation Council.
However, due to many other trouble spots around the world, which have caught the attention of the international community and media, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has slid under the radar. In this sense, we are of the view that the international community should refocus its attention to the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are deeply concerned with the assessment of the High Representative about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is “far from stable”. In this regard, we echo the conclusions of the last PIC Steering Board meeting, which expressed “Serious and deep concerns over challenges to Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty and territorial integrity and constitutional order”.
So, while we welcome with enthusiasm the EU inspired reforms and Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress on its EU integration path, we also draw attention to a number of fundamental problems which still need to be addressed. We stress the importance of facing the challenges confronting Bosnia and Herzegovina through a comprehensive and inclusive dialogue. In particular, dialogue on future constitutional reforms needs to intensify, under the reinvigorated and more focused guidance of the international community and with additional support given to the High Representative.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing significant problems, and the only way out of them is to reach an agreement and a vision for the future that is acceptable to all three of its constitutional peoples. In this sense, challenging the very foundations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which reached peace with the Dayton Accords, is hurtful and damaging. However, any intention to improve the current situation and remedy the problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina should be welcomed and encouraged.
On this point, I wish to stress that the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina depends on the respect of the equal rights for all three constituent peoples, Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats. This is vital not only for the future and survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but for the future and survival of the Croats as well in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and these two futures are closely interlinked. We stated several times that there cannot be a Bosnia and Herzegovina without the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is therefore imperative to protect their equality, and having in mind their particular situation, I will underscore again that their voice must be heard and it must be taken into account on a basis of equality – both ethnic and civic - on a basis of a constitutional equality. This stems from the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and from the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. All three groups, all three peoples, must feel that Bosnia and Herzegovina is their country and they should feel safe and protected over the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as their civic and ethnic rights should be protected throughout, as should be their right to return to their pre-war homes.
An important part of this is the fight against impunity for war crimes committed. We echo the High Representative's calls regarding the need to arrest the ICTY fugitives who are still at large, who should be transferred to The Hague as soon as possible.
And finally, we are offering the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina a clear and unambiguous European perspective. We are investing efforts in explaining that this European future will benefit each and every citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all of its constitutive peoples.
Priopćenja
