S/PV.7943 the Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina 18/05/2017
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United Nations S/ PV.7943 Security Council Provisional Seventy-second year 7943rd meeting Thursday, 18 May 2017, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Rosselli .................................... (Uruguay) Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of) ..................... Mr. Llorentty Solíz China ......................................... Mr. Wu Haitao Egypt ......................................... Mr. Kandeel Ethiopia ....................................... Ms. Guadey France ........................................ Mrs. Gueguen Italy .......................................... Mr. Cardi Japan ......................................... Mr. Kawamura Kazakhstan .................................... Mr. Umarov Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Safronkov Senegal ....................................... Mr. Seck Sweden ....................................... Mr. Skoog Ukraine ....................................... Mr. Vitrenko United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Hickey United States of America .......................... Ms. Sison Agenda The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina Letter dated 28 April 2017 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2017/379) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 17-14188 (E) *1714188* S/PV.7943 The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina 18/05/2017 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. and Slovenia. But these days are also special for my home country, Austria, as it was presiding the Adoption of the agenda Security Council in the month of May 1992, exactly 25 years ago. The Ambassador of Austria at that time, The agenda was adopted. Mr. Peter Hohenfellner, as President of the Security Council, on 20 May 1992 (see S/PV.3079) proposed The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina that the Council adopt a decision recommending to Letter dated 28 April 2017 from the the General Assembly that Bosnia and Herzegovina be Secretary-General addressed to the President admitted to the United Nations. At the same meeting, of the Security Council (S/2017/379) the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 755 (1992), endorsing that recommendation. Upon that The President (spoke in Spanish): In accordance historic recommendation, Bosnia and Herzegovina was with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of admitted under General Assembly resolution 46/237, procedure, I invite the representatives of Bosnia and adopted without a vote, 25 years ago, on 22 May 1992, Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia to participate in as a Member of the United Nations. this meeting. I wish to use this occasion to congratulate Bosnia In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s and Herzegovina wholeheartedly, and I am very provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency glad that — as predicted 25 years ago — Bosnia and Mr. Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia Herzegovina has made a significant contribution to and Herzegovina, to participate in this meeting. the work of the Organization, most recently with its In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s successful tenure as a non-permanent member of the provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency Security Council, as well as — and I stress this — with Mr. João Vale de Almeida, Head of the Delegation of the its peacekeeping forces worldwide. European Union to the United Nations, to participate in As this is my first opportunity to do so, I would also this meeting. like to take a moment to express my sincere and heartfelt The Security Council will now begin its consideration condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of of the item on its agenda. Ambassador Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin, who had such a dramatic impact on the work of the Council over many I wish to draw the attention of Council members years. He was also involved in the talks on the former to document S/2017/379, which contains a letter dated Yugoslavia as Special Representative of the President 28 April 2017 from the Secretary-General addressed of the Russian Federation. to the President of the Security Council, transmitting the fifty-first report of the High Representative for When we speak of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia should also keep in mind what has happened over the and Herzegovina. past six months. I must say that Bosnia and Herzegovina has maintained its commitment to making progress I now give the floor to Mr. Inzko. along the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, while also Mr. Inzko (spoke in Spanish): It is a privilege to be continuing to face internal challenges to its sustainable here today to brief the Security Council on the situation stability and advancement. in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country in which the On the positive side, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international community’s commitment and unity authorities formally received the European Union (EU) remains crucial to achieving our shared goal, which questionnaire in December, and the adaptation of the is none other than sustainable peace and security in Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU the Balkans. took place that same month. I wholeheartedly welcomed (spoke in English) both developments and have consistently called upon the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities at all levels to These are special days for Bosnia and Herzegovina, maintain their focus on the EU agenda. as it will celebrate on 22 May the twenty-fifth anniversary of its admission as a full-fledged State I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Member of the United Nations, along with Croatia the efforts of the EU, under the capable leadership of 2/24 17-14188 18/05/2017 The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina S/PV.7943 its Special Representative Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, came to light that the Court had already notified towards assisting the Bosnian authorities in achieving him that a renomination of the agent by the Bosnia their aspirations to integration with the Union. Equally and Herzegovina authorities would be needed. The significant are the efforts of Enlargement Commissioner situation was ultimately resolved when the Court made Hahn and of High Representative Federica Mogherini, its decision on the non-admissibility of the request, but who has invited the Balkan leaders to an important the overall dynamic whereby leading politicians focus regional meeting in Brussels next week. disproportionately on ethnically divisive issues, while showing little urgency in addressing the need for real Equally encouraging was the consensus and forward-looking pragmatism demonstrated during reforms, is a serious cause for concern. the reporting period by the Bosnia and Herzegovina The second negative trend during the reporting Presidency in adopting the so-called defence review of period surrounded the activities of the Republika military forces last November — an issue which had Srpska authorities to implement their unconstitutional been outstanding for quite some time. This is one of the referendum, including ostentatious celebrations of the requirements for Bosnia and Herzegovina in its efforts 9 January holiday, with the participation of some Serb to participate in the NATO membership action plan. members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina armed forces. On the regional level, bilateral cooperation and In addition, during the reporting period, some overall reconciliation between Bosnia and Herzegovina Croat politicians intensified calls for the federalization and Serbia have continued to improve, in large of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was understood by part due to the committed engagement of Serbian some to imply the further ethnic division of the country Prime Minister and soon to be President Aleksandar into three to four federal units, one of which would Vučić, and also through the efforts of the Bosnia and have a Croat majority. Herzegovina Council of Ministers Chair Denis Zvizdić. Good cooperation between Sarajevo and Belgrade, Increasingly, the authorities in Bosnia and and also between Sarajevo and Zagreb, has manifested Herzegovina appear unable to act even in their own itself through joint Government sessions and through self-interest in a win-win situation, for instance the visit of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in addressing the commitments made under the to Mostar. International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrangement with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The continued failure to meet Despite all these positive developments, Bosnia the IMF prior actions for the completion of the first and Herzegovina has also seen some significant quarterly review will hold back significant international challenges over the past six months. First and foremost assistance to the country’s fiscal stability and economic was the political controversy between Bosniak development. In that regard, I would like to express my political representatives and Serb political parties praise and support for Francisco Parodi, IMF Resident over whether Bosnia and Herzegovina should