Post by MiG on Oct 12, 2009 15:28:22 GMT -5
(If it wasn't bad enough for one.. at least for Rep. of BiH)
"Dayton 2" under way...
12. October 2009. | 10:58
Source: EMportal, Fena, Beta, SEEbiz, MIA
Author: Nikos D. A. Arvanites
U.S. and EU officials met in camp Butmir in Sarajevo on Oct. 9 with seven of Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leaders to discuss ways of speeding up the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.The topics of the talks were state property, the country's membership in the EU and NATO, visa liberalization for Bosnia and Herzegovina's citizens, reforms of the constitution and the overall political situation.U.S. and EU representatives announced that they would visit Bosnia again on Oct. 20 to attend the final talks.
U.S. and EU officials met in camp Butmir in Sarajevo on Oct. 9 with seven of Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leaders to discuss ways of speeding up the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.
The topics of the talks were state property, the country's membership in the EU and NATO, visa liberalization for Bosnia and Herzegovina's citizens, reforms of the constitution and the overall political situation.
Bosnia's politicians met with U.S. assistant secretary of state James Steinberg, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and European Commission representatives.
After the meeting, Bosnia and Herzegovina senior representative Valentin Inzko said that the leaders of Bosnia's major political parties had not signed any agreement or document during the meeting, but had agreed to resume talks on fulfilling the conditions for speedy EU and NATO membership.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg; Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt; and Olli Rehn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, said they will return on Oct. 20 to see how much local leaders have coordinated their positions.
Steinberg stressed that the U.S. and EU were devoted to acting in unison with domestic politicians to expedite the country's journey to the EU and NATO, but that its politicians would first have to reach an agreement on a way out of the current crisis and speeding up the process of gaining EU and NATO membership.
Republika Srpska Premier and leader of the Alliance of Independence Social Democrats Milorad Dodik said that the topic of the discussion had been Bosnia and Herzegovina's European integration, and that the basic principle for Bosnia's application for the status of a candidate for EU membership was the closure of the Office of the High Representative.
He also stressed that at the present no changes should be made to the Bosnian constitution and that Republika Srpska needed to give its consent for this.
Vice president of the Party of Democratic Progress Branislav Borenovic stressed that this Republika Srpska party had made it clear that changing the constitution was unnecessary. "For us, the most important thing is the preservation of entity voting and and the guarantee that this will not be questioned in the near future," Borenovic said.
"The message has been here that you need to make the decisions necessary for you in order to apply for membership in the European Union. These measures are not particularly dramatic, but they are absolutely essential," Carl Bildt said.
"It's work in progress," Bildt said. "We are not going to hold the rest of the region hostage to Bosnia," adding that the EU and the U.S. would much rather see Bosnia move ahead along with the others.
The specifics of Friday's meeting were not made public, but EU and U.S. officials said earlier that all sides in Bosnia will have to swallow things they perhaps will not like, if they want the country to move forward.
Friday's gathering allowed the sides to "understand each other's positions," said Steinberg. He added, "We believe there are promising elements to form a basis for the parties to agree and take steps forward."
In a sign Bosnians took the meeting seriously, they dubbed it "Dayton 2" - a reference to the U.S.-brokered 1995 peace negotiations in Ohio that ended a war involving Muslim Bosniaks, Christian Orthodox Serbs and Roman Catholic Croats.
The 1995 Dayton negotiations produced a hastily written constitution that has proven good enough to end a war, but not to create a functioning country. It divided the country into a Serb Republic and a Bosniak-Croat Federation, linked by common institutions.
It created an enormous administration with three presidents, three parliaments and hundreds of ministers in a country of 3.5 million people. The division of authority between the institutions of the two regions and the state remains unclear, and each side interprets it in different ways.
It has worked so far only because the country has had an international administrator with the authority to ultimately interpret the agreement, fire local officials and impose laws when local politicians cannot agree.
This is why Bosnia is viewed as an international protectorate and as such the EU believes it does not fit the profile of a country that deserves membership. Transforming it into a functioning country has proved difficult because its three peoples have opposing views of its future.
Officials in the Serb Republic generally seek as much autonomy as possible. They are trying to keep the ethnic division of the country and get rid of the international administrator who has prevented them from extending their autonomy almost to the level of a separate state.
Bosniaks want to abolish the two mini-states so the country can join the EU as a unified nation, and they believe the international administrator should stay until there is stability. Bosnian Croats in general agree with the unification, but believe if the ethnic division is to be kept, then it would be fair they also get their own region.
EU, US officials send open letter to citizens of Bosnia/Herzegovina
Ahead of a meeting with representatives of key political parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina, announced for October 9, EU and US diplomats sent an open letter to the citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, asking their support for diplomatic efforts the international community was making so as to encourage the implementation of the necessary reforms in the country, Hina reported.
In the letter, forwarded to the local media on Thursday, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said that five months ago US Vice President Joseph Biden and EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana arrived in Sarajevo with a message that this year Bosnia could make a big step towards membership of NATO and European association.
The year is nearing the end and it is time for action, the letter said.
The key issues that need to be resolved are meeting five objectives and two conditions set by the Peace Implementation Council so as to be able to close the Office of the High Representative and reorganise it into the Office of the European Union Special Representative (EUSR), and to implement reforms aimed at increasing the efficiency of the state government.
A country that isn't fully sovereign cannot be a credible candidate for EU membership, Bildt and Steinberg said, stressing that the closure of the Office the High Representative must result in the integration process and not in ever-more bitter tensions in the country.
"We have no illusions. Reaching agreement on needed reform will be difficult," Bildt Steinberg in the open letter to Bosnians.
The two will host a small group of Bosnian political party leaders for dinner on Thursday and talks on Friday.
"Things have been getting worse. If this trend does not stop, it will lead to conflict, it is just a question of when," said Sulejman Tihic, head of the largest Muslim political party - Social Democratic Action (SDA). "This (the talks) is a big chance that we must not miss," he said.
The Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) and the Croatian Democratic Union 1990 (HDZ 1990), reiterated they would advocate the abolishment of the so-called entity voting in the parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
All Bosnian Croat political parties agree that they need to insist on the implementation of measures that would make the Croat people in Bosnia equal to Serbs and Bosniaks.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik refuted the possibility of accepting any reforms that would bring into question the existing powers given to the two entities.
Tihic thinks there's gonna be another conflict? Why in the world would he think that?
...... 
www.emportal.rs/en/news/region/101072.html
www.rferl.org/content/EU_US_Diplomats_Seek_To_Ease_Bosnia_Tensions/1847624.html
"Dayton 2" under way...
12. October 2009. | 10:58
Source: EMportal, Fena, Beta, SEEbiz, MIA
Author: Nikos D. A. Arvanites
U.S. and EU officials met in camp Butmir in Sarajevo on Oct. 9 with seven of Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leaders to discuss ways of speeding up the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.The topics of the talks were state property, the country's membership in the EU and NATO, visa liberalization for Bosnia and Herzegovina's citizens, reforms of the constitution and the overall political situation.U.S. and EU representatives announced that they would visit Bosnia again on Oct. 20 to attend the final talks.
U.S. and EU officials met in camp Butmir in Sarajevo on Oct. 9 with seven of Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leaders to discuss ways of speeding up the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.
The topics of the talks were state property, the country's membership in the EU and NATO, visa liberalization for Bosnia and Herzegovina's citizens, reforms of the constitution and the overall political situation.
Bosnia's politicians met with U.S. assistant secretary of state James Steinberg, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and European Commission representatives.
After the meeting, Bosnia and Herzegovina senior representative Valentin Inzko said that the leaders of Bosnia's major political parties had not signed any agreement or document during the meeting, but had agreed to resume talks on fulfilling the conditions for speedy EU and NATO membership.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg; Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt; and Olli Rehn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, said they will return on Oct. 20 to see how much local leaders have coordinated their positions.
Steinberg stressed that the U.S. and EU were devoted to acting in unison with domestic politicians to expedite the country's journey to the EU and NATO, but that its politicians would first have to reach an agreement on a way out of the current crisis and speeding up the process of gaining EU and NATO membership.
Republika Srpska Premier and leader of the Alliance of Independence Social Democrats Milorad Dodik said that the topic of the discussion had been Bosnia and Herzegovina's European integration, and that the basic principle for Bosnia's application for the status of a candidate for EU membership was the closure of the Office of the High Representative.
He also stressed that at the present no changes should be made to the Bosnian constitution and that Republika Srpska needed to give its consent for this.
Vice president of the Party of Democratic Progress Branislav Borenovic stressed that this Republika Srpska party had made it clear that changing the constitution was unnecessary. "For us, the most important thing is the preservation of entity voting and and the guarantee that this will not be questioned in the near future," Borenovic said.
"The message has been here that you need to make the decisions necessary for you in order to apply for membership in the European Union. These measures are not particularly dramatic, but they are absolutely essential," Carl Bildt said.
"It's work in progress," Bildt said. "We are not going to hold the rest of the region hostage to Bosnia," adding that the EU and the U.S. would much rather see Bosnia move ahead along with the others.
The specifics of Friday's meeting were not made public, but EU and U.S. officials said earlier that all sides in Bosnia will have to swallow things they perhaps will not like, if they want the country to move forward.
Friday's gathering allowed the sides to "understand each other's positions," said Steinberg. He added, "We believe there are promising elements to form a basis for the parties to agree and take steps forward."
In a sign Bosnians took the meeting seriously, they dubbed it "Dayton 2" - a reference to the U.S.-brokered 1995 peace negotiations in Ohio that ended a war involving Muslim Bosniaks, Christian Orthodox Serbs and Roman Catholic Croats.
The 1995 Dayton negotiations produced a hastily written constitution that has proven good enough to end a war, but not to create a functioning country. It divided the country into a Serb Republic and a Bosniak-Croat Federation, linked by common institutions.
It created an enormous administration with three presidents, three parliaments and hundreds of ministers in a country of 3.5 million people. The division of authority between the institutions of the two regions and the state remains unclear, and each side interprets it in different ways.
It has worked so far only because the country has had an international administrator with the authority to ultimately interpret the agreement, fire local officials and impose laws when local politicians cannot agree.
This is why Bosnia is viewed as an international protectorate and as such the EU believes it does not fit the profile of a country that deserves membership. Transforming it into a functioning country has proved difficult because its three peoples have opposing views of its future.
Officials in the Serb Republic generally seek as much autonomy as possible. They are trying to keep the ethnic division of the country and get rid of the international administrator who has prevented them from extending their autonomy almost to the level of a separate state.
Bosniaks want to abolish the two mini-states so the country can join the EU as a unified nation, and they believe the international administrator should stay until there is stability. Bosnian Croats in general agree with the unification, but believe if the ethnic division is to be kept, then it would be fair they also get their own region.
EU, US officials send open letter to citizens of Bosnia/Herzegovina
Ahead of a meeting with representatives of key political parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina, announced for October 9, EU and US diplomats sent an open letter to the citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, asking their support for diplomatic efforts the international community was making so as to encourage the implementation of the necessary reforms in the country, Hina reported.
In the letter, forwarded to the local media on Thursday, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said that five months ago US Vice President Joseph Biden and EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana arrived in Sarajevo with a message that this year Bosnia could make a big step towards membership of NATO and European association.
The year is nearing the end and it is time for action, the letter said.
The key issues that need to be resolved are meeting five objectives and two conditions set by the Peace Implementation Council so as to be able to close the Office of the High Representative and reorganise it into the Office of the European Union Special Representative (EUSR), and to implement reforms aimed at increasing the efficiency of the state government.
A country that isn't fully sovereign cannot be a credible candidate for EU membership, Bildt and Steinberg said, stressing that the closure of the Office the High Representative must result in the integration process and not in ever-more bitter tensions in the country.
"We have no illusions. Reaching agreement on needed reform will be difficult," Bildt Steinberg in the open letter to Bosnians.
The two will host a small group of Bosnian political party leaders for dinner on Thursday and talks on Friday.
"Things have been getting worse. If this trend does not stop, it will lead to conflict, it is just a question of when," said Sulejman Tihic, head of the largest Muslim political party - Social Democratic Action (SDA). "This (the talks) is a big chance that we must not miss," he said.
The Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) and the Croatian Democratic Union 1990 (HDZ 1990), reiterated they would advocate the abolishment of the so-called entity voting in the parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
All Bosnian Croat political parties agree that they need to insist on the implementation of measures that would make the Croat people in Bosnia equal to Serbs and Bosniaks.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik refuted the possibility of accepting any reforms that would bring into question the existing powers given to the two entities.
Tihic thinks there's gonna be another conflict? Why in the world would he think that?
...... 
www.emportal.rs/en/news/region/101072.html
EU, U.S. Diplomats Seek To Ease Bosnia Tensions
(RFE/RL) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt have urged members of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite Presidency to work together to solve a constitutional crisis that threatens to destabilize the country.
Gathering at the EU's military base on the outskirts of Sarajevo, the two top envoys met with seven Bosnian leaders, including Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, Muslim officials Haris Silajdzic and Sulejman Tihic, and Bozo Ljubic, the head of Bosnia's Croatian Democratic Community party.
Following the meeting at Camp Butmir, the headquarters of the EU's 2,000-strong peacekeeping force, Bildt told journalists, "We have come here, representatives of the European Union as well as the United States, in order to say to the leaders of Bosnia that now is really the time to join the rest of the region in moving forward with European, Euro-Atlantic integration."
Bildt, whose country holds the EU Presidency, said the meeting would be followed by "continued deliberation inside the political parties, between the political parties and between them and us in the days to come."
He said a new meeting with the same participants, including EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, is scheduled to be held in Sarajevo on October 20.
U.S. diplomat Steinberg said all sides appear to feel the urgency of the moment.
"I come away from these discussions believing that there is a broad recognition, both among the parties we talked to and in the country more generally, that we face a critical time in Bosnia-Herzegovina's future," Steinberg said.
"A critical time that offers both an opportunity to accelerate Bosnia-Herzegovina's Euro-Atlantic integration or, if we fail to take advantage of this moment, continue the stalemate that will not only prevent progress but risk the ability of Bosnia and Herzegovina to move forward and meet the urgent challenges ahead."
For his part, Bosnian Serb leader Dodik said, "We think that there is no need to change the constitution, but our parliament made a decision that we take part in the talks. "
Tihic, a former member of the tripartite Presidency and the current head of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), said: "The issue of state property was discussed. There is a promise that if we get an agreement by the end of the year, Bosnia will be able to apply for a position of a candidate for the EU membership, will join the Schengen 'white list' and it will be on the road to join NATO."
Bosnian Croat leader Ljubic said he "presented the proposals for constitutional changes the are to be discussed in next week or 10 days with representatives of EU and U.S. and if that is going to be included, we can be part of solution."
At the heart of the crisis are disagreements between the ethnic Serbian, Muslim, and Croatian leaders over how to reach compromises on key issues such as constitutional reform.
'Things Have Run Aground'
Gordana Knezevic, the head of RFE/RL's Balkan Service, says that powerful politicians among all three ethnic groups are trying to shape constitutional reform to suit their own interests.
"Things have run aground due to the quarrel over changing the constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The constitution has to be changed in order to move Bosnia from being a protectorate of the international community into the status of a sovereign state, if Bosnia is to have any hope of one day joining the EU," Knezevic says. "But any change of constitution is rejected by those who fear they will lose the power they have under the current arrangement.”
One of the most vocal critics has been Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of Bosnia's Serb entity, the Republika Srbska. Dodik has threatened to withdraw his entity's cooperation in Bosnia's federal institutions if the constitutional changes fail to preserve the substantial autonomy the Republika Srbska now enjoys.
Bosnia-Herzegovina unites the Republika Srbska with the Muslim-Croat Federation in terms agreed under the U.S.-brokered Dayton accords, which ended the four-year Bosnian War in 1995.
In recent months both Bosnian Muslim and Croat politicians have also expressed reservations about redefining the constitution to increase the powers of the central government.
Knezevic notes that many of those who rose to power during the war or the chaotic years that followed fear that a strong constitution and institutions more in line with those of the EU could jeopardize their positions.
But the constitutional crisis comes as only the latest sign of a generally disintegrating political order in Bosnia that has increasingly worried the international community.
During the first 10 years following the Dayton agreement, the country made several notable steps toward unification. A big achievement was the consolidation of Bosnian armed forces under the impetus of NATO. There is also today a functional, if not completely unified, police force.
But in recent years, progress toward unification has slowed dramatically, partly in response to a worsening economic situation and growing nationalism.
Since November 2008, more than 21,000 Bosnians have lost their jobs, an alarming development in a country already faced with 40 percent unemployment.
Deepened Economic Ties
The Republika Srbska, meanwhile, has deepened its economic ties to Serbia and threatened to stop cooperating with Bosnia's national electricity distributor, Elektropronos.
The international community's top official in Bosnia, High Representative Valentin Inzko, has attempted to bring the Serbs back in line to keep the power grid operational. But that has only fueled the threats by Bosnian Serbs to withdraw from federal institutions altogether.
The Republika Srpska is not the only problem. Croats in the Muslim-Croat Federation have drawn closer to Croatia. Some politicians have even revived calls for autonomy for Bosnia's Croats, like that enjoyed by Serbs in the Republika Srpska.
The tensions in Bosnia will be dramatically illustrated today as representatives of the Republika Srbska and the Muslim-Croat Federation are brought together at Camp Butmir.
The camp is located on the unmarked boundary between the two entities and has two entrances. The Bosnian Serb delegates will arrive by the entrance on their side of the line, Muslims and Croats from the other.
(RFE/RL) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt have urged members of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite Presidency to work together to solve a constitutional crisis that threatens to destabilize the country.
Gathering at the EU's military base on the outskirts of Sarajevo, the two top envoys met with seven Bosnian leaders, including Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, Muslim officials Haris Silajdzic and Sulejman Tihic, and Bozo Ljubic, the head of Bosnia's Croatian Democratic Community party.
Following the meeting at Camp Butmir, the headquarters of the EU's 2,000-strong peacekeeping force, Bildt told journalists, "We have come here, representatives of the European Union as well as the United States, in order to say to the leaders of Bosnia that now is really the time to join the rest of the region in moving forward with European, Euro-Atlantic integration."
Bildt, whose country holds the EU Presidency, said the meeting would be followed by "continued deliberation inside the political parties, between the political parties and between them and us in the days to come."
He said a new meeting with the same participants, including EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, is scheduled to be held in Sarajevo on October 20.
U.S. diplomat Steinberg said all sides appear to feel the urgency of the moment.
"I come away from these discussions believing that there is a broad recognition, both among the parties we talked to and in the country more generally, that we face a critical time in Bosnia-Herzegovina's future," Steinberg said.
"A critical time that offers both an opportunity to accelerate Bosnia-Herzegovina's Euro-Atlantic integration or, if we fail to take advantage of this moment, continue the stalemate that will not only prevent progress but risk the ability of Bosnia and Herzegovina to move forward and meet the urgent challenges ahead."
For his part, Bosnian Serb leader Dodik said, "We think that there is no need to change the constitution, but our parliament made a decision that we take part in the talks. "
Tihic, a former member of the tripartite Presidency and the current head of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), said: "The issue of state property was discussed. There is a promise that if we get an agreement by the end of the year, Bosnia will be able to apply for a position of a candidate for the EU membership, will join the Schengen 'white list' and it will be on the road to join NATO."
Bosnian Croat leader Ljubic said he "presented the proposals for constitutional changes the are to be discussed in next week or 10 days with representatives of EU and U.S. and if that is going to be included, we can be part of solution."
At the heart of the crisis are disagreements between the ethnic Serbian, Muslim, and Croatian leaders over how to reach compromises on key issues such as constitutional reform.
'Things Have Run Aground'
Gordana Knezevic, the head of RFE/RL's Balkan Service, says that powerful politicians among all three ethnic groups are trying to shape constitutional reform to suit their own interests.
"Things have run aground due to the quarrel over changing the constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The constitution has to be changed in order to move Bosnia from being a protectorate of the international community into the status of a sovereign state, if Bosnia is to have any hope of one day joining the EU," Knezevic says. "But any change of constitution is rejected by those who fear they will lose the power they have under the current arrangement.”
One of the most vocal critics has been Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of Bosnia's Serb entity, the Republika Srbska. Dodik has threatened to withdraw his entity's cooperation in Bosnia's federal institutions if the constitutional changes fail to preserve the substantial autonomy the Republika Srbska now enjoys.
Bosnia-Herzegovina unites the Republika Srbska with the Muslim-Croat Federation in terms agreed under the U.S.-brokered Dayton accords, which ended the four-year Bosnian War in 1995.
In recent months both Bosnian Muslim and Croat politicians have also expressed reservations about redefining the constitution to increase the powers of the central government.
Knezevic notes that many of those who rose to power during the war or the chaotic years that followed fear that a strong constitution and institutions more in line with those of the EU could jeopardize their positions.
But the constitutional crisis comes as only the latest sign of a generally disintegrating political order in Bosnia that has increasingly worried the international community.
During the first 10 years following the Dayton agreement, the country made several notable steps toward unification. A big achievement was the consolidation of Bosnian armed forces under the impetus of NATO. There is also today a functional, if not completely unified, police force.
But in recent years, progress toward unification has slowed dramatically, partly in response to a worsening economic situation and growing nationalism.
Since November 2008, more than 21,000 Bosnians have lost their jobs, an alarming development in a country already faced with 40 percent unemployment.
Deepened Economic Ties
The Republika Srbska, meanwhile, has deepened its economic ties to Serbia and threatened to stop cooperating with Bosnia's national electricity distributor, Elektropronos.
The international community's top official in Bosnia, High Representative Valentin Inzko, has attempted to bring the Serbs back in line to keep the power grid operational. But that has only fueled the threats by Bosnian Serbs to withdraw from federal institutions altogether.
The Republika Srpska is not the only problem. Croats in the Muslim-Croat Federation have drawn closer to Croatia. Some politicians have even revived calls for autonomy for Bosnia's Croats, like that enjoyed by Serbs in the Republika Srpska.
The tensions in Bosnia will be dramatically illustrated today as representatives of the Republika Srbska and the Muslim-Croat Federation are brought together at Camp Butmir.
The camp is located on the unmarked boundary between the two entities and has two entrances. The Bosnian Serb delegates will arrive by the entrance on their side of the line, Muslims and Croats from the other.
www.rferl.org/content/EU_US_Diplomats_Seek_To_Ease_Bosnia_Tensions/1847624.html
