Madame Chair, we appreciate the opportunity to hear from High Representative Petritsch and HOM Barry.

Their presence here together is a clear demonstration of commitment to coordination between the OSCE and the OHR.

Like the High Representative, we remain concerned about the developing political situation in Bosnia.

It is of primary importance that all elements of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina work together to develop functioning institutions and respect for the rule of law.

The ineffective and inadequate review given the draft election law stands out as a significant failure.

The Office of the High Representative, the OSCE, and a team of Bosnian experts spent over a year working with Bosnians to craft a draft law.

The OSCE mounted a public information campaign to explain the draft law to the Bosnian people.

In the end, however, the Parliament barely debated it.

In addition, the Permanent Council has signaled clearly that Bosnians should take on the responsibility to begin to finance their own elections.

However, entity budgets contain no provision for election costs.

As Ambassador Petritsch notes, Bosnia and Herzegovina can no longer afford to muddle along; the country must tackle the challenges it faces and, as he put it, "take ownership for the management of its own affairs."

This spring's municipal elections will provide, for the first time, an opportunity to vote for specific candidates rather than merely parties thanks to the new open-list proportional system.

We call on the people of Bosnia to recognize the need to elect leaders who will work with the International Community to create a viable future for themselves and for the country.

Madame Chairperson, building respect for the rule of law will directly support Bosnia's efforts to build a stable, democratic, and prosperous future integrated in the European family.

OSCE work in this field, in support of the Office of the High Representative’s work, has been important.

With the end of the UN's judicial system assessment program this summer, a program which has received high marks for identifying critical problems in the Bosnian judicial system, it is time to implement its recommendations and to focus on judicial reform implementation.

We hope the OSCE -- in coordination with Office of the High Representative, the Council of Europe and others -- will consider assuming a more prominent role in advancing rule of law in Bosnia.

Madame Chairperson, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Mission’s Human Rights Department for its continuing important continuing work relating to securing individual property rights.

In closing, we would like to convey our view that military stability is a regional issue and not just an issue in Bosnia.