United States Mission to the OSCE

Statement on the Second Round of Presidential Elections held March 5 in Armenia

Delivered by Ambassador Stephan M. Minikes
to the Permanent Council, Vienna

June 4, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to again welcome you, Lord Ashdown, to Vienna, and congratulate you on your numerous accomplishments as the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since you were last here, there have been significant achievements in many areas and much of this is a result of your hard work and commitment.

I would also like to welcome Ambassador Beecroft to the Permanent Council. I take this opportunity to note our continued pleasure with the performance of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was heartened to hear from Lord Ashdown about the healthy spirit of cooperation that characterizes your relationship.

To start, Lord Ashdown, I would like to highlight our satisfaction with your outlined areas of progress in Bosnia. The improvements of strengthening of the Rule of Law, the economy and good governance practices are significant and necessary as Bosnia continues to take on more and more ownership of its affairs. We see this progress as a step forward towards Bosnia and Herzegovina's potential for continued integration into EuroAtlantic structures.

Your emphasis on the desperate need to develop the economy is noted. It sounds like your most serious concern - one that we hope the international community will note. Without it, the future indeed could look bleak.

On education, we highly value the efforts to positively shape the new generation of Bosnia. We place great importance upon the creation of a common core curriculum, as well as the pursuit of classroom integration and a multi-cultural school environment. These attributes are key to supporting sustainable minority refugee returns, reducing waste and duplication, and bringing children and their communities together.

We also agree with the need for new state-level legislation and welcome the progress being made. This is not only essential as a Council of Europe post-accession requirement, but also to ensure more rational organization and efficiency in administration of education and schools. We applaud the spirit of cooperation and initiatives from local education leaders, education officials in entities and Canton, and the inclusive coordination role being played by OSCE and OHR in this field. It is crucial that politics not interfere with education for the next generation.

On defense reform, we look forward to the work of the Defense Reform Commission to develop a state dimension of defense for Bosnia and to reform and restructure its armed forces. Additionally, the development of the Standing Committee on Military Matters (SCMM), to include a strengthened secretariat and Secretary General, is positive. State-level command and control of all Bosnia and Herzegovina's armed forces is essential to fulfilling the constitutional requirement of defending BiH's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such reforms will also enhance regional security and are essential for Bosnia and Herzegovina to achieve its own stated goal of joining NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP).

As we have made consistently clear, our top priority issue in Bosnia is the work accomplished with returns and integration. We strongly support the OSCE's continued work in this area and look forward to further development of regional return issues with the neighboring countries.

We are attentive to the recent discussions concerning the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and support recommendations, which will enable a seamless plan of transfer to local institutions. Suggested efforts to handle the backlog of cases are necessary in order to bring closure to the many outstanding cases, which affect thousands of people.

Concerning the creation of a Domestic War Crimes Chamber for the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we look forward to the results of next week's Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board and the decision on the best way forward. We consider establishment of this chamber as critical to the ICTY completion strategy as well as to developing local capacity that will advance justice and reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We hope that this project can be realized as soon as possible.

In closing, I would like to again thank you, Lord Ashdown for both your and your office's dedication and we look forward to your next visit.

Thank you.