High Representative: OSCE Is “Able, Energetic and Wise Partner” In

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High Representative: OSCE Is “Able, Energetic and Wise Partner” In OSCE_May_02 6/13/02 17:16 Page 1 Vol.IX No. 5 MAY 2002 NEWSLETTER Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe High Representative: OSCE is “able, energetic and wise partner” in implementing Dayton Petritsch and Ashdown review crossroads, challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina In separate addresses to the OSCE Per- Organization’s 55 participating States in porting and advising the country’s Elec- manent Council in May, outgoing High Vienna on 9 May. tion Commission.” Representative for Bosnia and Herzegov- “The OSCE was one of the first orga- The Republic of Bosnia and Herze- ina, Wolfgang Petritsch, and his succes- nizations to see the importance of a co- govina (BiH), the Republic of Croatia sor, Paddy Ashdown, praised the crucial ordinated approach in Bosnia”, said the and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia contribution of the OSCE towards Austrian diplomat in his last address to signed the Dayton Accords – the General rebuilding the country and called on par- the Permanent Council as High Repre- Framework Agreement for Peace in ticipating States to stay the course. sentative. “It has not only played a cru- Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – in Paris cial role in the hard work surrounding on 14 December 1995. The Accords pro- cannot overstate how lucky I have elections and the Election Law, but also vided for the designation of a High Rep- “ been to have had such an able, ener- in the difficult areas of property law resentative to monitor, facilitate and co- I getic and wise partner in implement- implementation and democratization. ordinate the civilian implementation of ing the Dayton Accords”, Ambassador Still the lead agency when it comes to the Agreement. Petritsch told the delegations of the elections, the OSCE is now actively sup- Ambassador Petritsch started his OSCE/Jaqueline Godany Young Bosnians are thrilled at being able to produce their own radio show inside the radio station of the OSCE mobile.culture.container OSCE culture.container mobilizes that the project,which provides an opportunity of our Future”, the mobile.culture.container – Mostar’s youth. A highly acclaimed long- to publish community newspapers, experi- literally a set of containers arranged around a term project by the OSCE Representative on ment in fashion design or simply surf the Inter- circular tent to provide an auditorium for Freedom of the Media was featured promi- net,had brought them together without regard shows and meetings – is moved by truck every nently on German television news on 30 April. to ethnic background. The project manager, five or six weeks to a new town or city in the A three-minute report by the ZDF showed the Josipa Crnoja, told viewers that by offering former Yugoslavia. Having clearly achieved its impact of the mobile.culture.container on young people activities that were usually not objective in Mostar, the project has since Bosnia and Herzegovina’s divided city of open to them, the project motivated them to moved on to Banja Luka, in the Republika Srp- Mostar. Several young Croats and Bosniacs avoid the usual political divisions and discover ska,before pitching camp in Skopje,in the former who were interviewed said they were grateful a new tolerance.Under the slogan “In Defence Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in early June. NEWSLETTER 1 OSCE_May_02 6/13/02 17:16 Page 2 duties in Sarajevo in the summer of international assistance to returnees for Ultimate proof 1999. Since then, he said, he believed rebuilding their homes. “We cannot However, he believed that “the ulti- that BiH had made tremendous progress, allow – when return is politically possible mate proof ” that the country had entered adding that its journey offered profound and really happening – returns to fail due a new era stemmed from the recent lessons at a time when the danger of to a lack of assistance”, he said, urging amendments to the Entity Constitutions. “failed States” has been recognized in the OSCE delegates to lobby their gov- “The Republika Sprska Constitution rec- international politics. ernments to support the return process. ognized only the Serbs as a constituent He acknowledged that the powers people, while the Federation Constitu- Counting returns vested in a High Representative made tion only recognized Bosniacs and “There is a way to measure the suc- that official “almost a benevolent dicta- Croats. In 2000, the Constitutional Court cess of the peace effort – through count- tor”. That had been necessary in the short of BiH declared these provisions uncon- ing refugee returns”, he told the Perma- term to uproot entrenched resistance and stitutional.” nent Council. “Up to 1999, the rate of create the framework for democracy to After almost two years, followed return meant it would have taken decades work. “But I knew in the long term it by close to 100 hours of difficult nego- to implement Annex 7 [the Agreement on would work against the whole point tiations under his auspices, a framework Refugees and Displaced Persons under of post-war international engagement had been reached for the constitutional the Dayton Accords]. In particular, in Bosnia, namely, to have the country amendments. “This is of monumental stand on its importance. The ability to compromise own two feet”, is the essence of a democracy. Here it OSCE he said. finally happened… The effects of the One piece amendments will reach into the lives of of legislation that was not INSIDE THE MAY ISSUE imposed and instead got I OSCE is “able, energetic and wise special treat- partner” in implementing Dayton_____1 ment and con- sideration was I OSCE culture.container mobilizes the Election Mostar’s youth____________________1 Law. “Robert I Water supplies and security: link is Barry and Bob strengthened at Economic Forum_____3 Beecroft – the I The Asian way: seeking a meeting of two fine ambas- minds___________________________4 sadors who hea- I ded the OSCE Leaving Latvia, with care______________________6 Mission to BiH I Wolfgang Petritsch, outgoing High Representative (left), with OSCE Chairmanship hosts international during my man- meeting on fight against terror___________19 Robert Beecroft, Head of OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina date – agreed Republika Srpska was defending its with me that it should not be imposed. Its REGULAR REPORTS mono-ethnic structure, having allowed passage or non-passage would be the I only 10,000 Bosniacs and Croats to return yardstick for measuring the ability of News from the field____________________________8 and scaring even those few with frequent BiH’s parties to find a compromise. I In brief ______________________________________________9 violence.” “It was worth the wait”, he I The Office of the High Representative, remarked. The Alliance for Change Press profile______________________________________10 in close co-operation with the OSCE Mis- Government passed the Election Law I Office for Democratic Institutions sion to BiH and other organizations, in August last year, paving the way for and Human Rights_____________________________12 “changed the property issue from a politi- Bosnia’s accession to the Council of I High Commissioner on National cal one to a legal one. Crucially, co-ordina- Europe late in April, which was yet Minorities_________________________________________14 tion was at field level right across the coun- another milestone demonstrating the I try”, he said. The result was that minority country’s growing statehood and level Parliamentary Assembly_____________________15 returns had leapt to 67,000 in 2000 and to of democratization. “And BiH authori- I Representative on 92,000 in 2001. If those rates continued, he ties are now organizing their own elec- Freedom of the Media_______________________17 believed, Annex 7 could be implemented in tions – slated for 5 October – for the I Secretary General its entirety within four years. first time, after six rounds of elections and the Secretariat ___________________________18 However, Ambassador Petritsch was arranged and supervised by the concerned about the sharp decline in OSCE.” NEWSLETTER 2 Vol. 9 No. 5 OSCE_May_02 6/13/02 17:16 Page 3 Borrowing OSCE experience In his remarks to an informal Per- manent Council meeting before assuming office on 27 May, Lord Ash- OSCE/Alex Nitzsche OSCE/Alex down paid tribute to the firm founda- tion laid by Ambassador Petritsch on which to build, especially his strategy of “ownership” – giving the country back to its elected representatives and citizens. “I would like to borrow the OSCE experience in these matters”, he said, referring to the building of local capac- ity, such as in education, and the creat- ing of new institutions, such as a civil service college, to strengthen civil society: “The country is haemorrhag- ing … young people shouldn’t have to Paddy Ashdown, the new High Representative leave to get training and education.” every BiH citizen”, he said. out the highest expectations and hopes Both men spoke of a “recalibration” Finally, he turned to the critics of for our neighbours, for September 11 of international efforts in the country, international intervention: “I would say demonstrates only too well what happens especially in the light of declining that, yes, we do have our own interests: if we turn our backs on weak states… funding commitments from abroad. an interest in a stable Bosnia and Herze- “International engagement works. “The international community should govina, a stable Balkans which must be Look at Bosnia and Herzegovina and the speak with a single voice”, Lord Ash- given every encouragement to join the invaluable part the OSCE has played and down said. “If we do that, there’s noth- European family of States. We must hold you can see that for yourselves”, he said. ing that we won’t be able to do.” Water supplies and security: link is strengthened at Economic Forum The Tenth OSCE Economic Forum ended including representatives of international Co-ordinator of the Portuguese OSCE in Prague on 31 May with a call for the organizations and non-governmental Chairmanship.
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