YouSaid · the spoken record

Colak

lines on the record
14
first
2005-03-23
most recent
2005-03-23
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

  1. “My goal - and, I believe, that of the High Representative - is the establishment of an independent judiciary and the rule of law. I am convinced that Bosnia and Herzegovina will soon achieve that goal.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  2. “I want to make clear that, when I mentioned the problem of the process of return, which has not yet been resolved, I did not say that 10,000 Croats had not yet returned to the area; I said that 10,000 Croats had left the area since 1999 - that is, in the past five years. I believe that similar problems exist elsewhere, but I chose to underline this as one of the more drastic examples. When I spoke of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, my intention was not to make any statement contrary to the truth - and I did not do so. My goal is to ensure that my country - my homeland - establishes the rule of law and adopts European standards, and I am convinced that this will happen. I have no intention other than to state real facts.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  3. “I will be very brief. I should like to thank all those speakers who expressed their support and their belief, based on the report of the High Representative and on my report, that Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken positive steps on the path towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration. I agree that we still have two very important obligations to fulfil: full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and police restructuring in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Those tasks must be carried out in full, because they are vital to our process of integrating into European and Euro-Atlantic structures.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  4. “Although the final decision on extending or modifying the current mandate of the Office of the High Representative is up to the Security Council, I wish to emphasize the willingness of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take up full responsibility for the further development of our country. We wish to be a partner of the international community in joint efforts leading to full membership in both European and NATO structures.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  5. “As to the issue of decertified police officers, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers has turned to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for assistance and guidance, and we hope that, working together with the Venice Commission and the Security Council, we will find a suitable solution for this problem. We expect that with the signing of the stabilization and association agreement a new era will come about in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, we wish to underline our readiness to take on full responsibility for all the ongoing processes. Our goal is to see a Bosnia that will not require the Bonn powers of the High Representative.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  6. “We stand ready to invest further efforts; in this context, I am referring above all to our obligations towards the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The judicial structures in the country are ready to take on the processing of war crimes now that we have established war crimes chambers in the State Court and the State Prosecutor's Office. We have also set up an inter-agency working group that is in charge of cooperation with the ICT Y; that is a huge step forward. Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions are now taking over responsibility for coordination and control of all the agencies in charge of arresting war criminals still at large.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  7. “Examples relate to length of detention, the changing of charges during detention, incomplete and constantly changing lists of evidence, public statements by prosecutors and public availability of indictments before delivery. All such practices are contrary to our usual practice and to the European Convention on Human Rights. We believe that the European Convention must be implemented, as we are to become a member of the EU. Building trust in the judiciary is yet another step towards the rule of law and reconciliation in, and the stabilization of, Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the global level, Bosnia and Herzegovina has become a partner of the international community by participating in international efforts in United N ations- led peacekeeping missions throughout the world.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  8. “The High Representative could tell the Council that 877 judges and prosecutors have been appointed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But there are cases in the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in which, when it comes to bringing charges, final decisions - including the verdict - are made by international personnel. That is the result of the fact that judicial councils consist of two international judges and one local judge. The European Convention on Human Rights has been incorporated into the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and therefore enjoys supremacy over any local laws or regulations. In some instances, however, international judges have not adhered to it.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  9. “There are also some areas in which the scale of returns has been reduced to the very minimum. Sustainable return, therefore, must imply that people have full access to all of their rights. Bosnia and Herzegovina must ensure respect for the EU Copenhagen criteria, the rule of law and human rights for all. This year will mark the tenth anniversary of Dayton. All of us present here have our reasons to consider Dayton a success. However, our jobs are not done yet. As part of the process of integration and embracing EU standards, we want to build a State in which all citizens can have trust. To that end, it is necessary to reform not only the military and police, but also the judiciary. The most important pillar of every democracy is an independent judiciary.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  10. “The issue of the return of refugees and displaced persons is now being resolved through direct negotiations with neighbouring countries; that also provides new impetus for the final resolution of the problem. However, I would like to inform the Council that today, 10 years after we signed the Peace Agreement, the process of returns has still not been completed. The return of property has been successfully completed throughout most of the country, with certain exceptions. Of 2.2 million refugees and displaced persons, approximately 1 million have returned to their pre-war homes, and a further 250,000 wish to do so. We are especially concerned about the cases of people who have moved out of their homes over the past five years. Approximately 10,000 Croats have left Banja Luka municipality alone since 1999.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  11. “We are now making very serious efforts to ensure that a political consensus can be reached by all the stakeholders in the country in this regard. We understand that this is one of the most important conditions set out in the feasibility study, and we will do our best to fulfil it. That would not only be in the best interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it would also serve to benefit Europe as a whole. Finally, fulfilling our obligations arising from annex 7 of the Dayton Agreement is an ongoing process. Obviously, we still have a lot to do, but I assure the Council that the process of the return of refugees and displaced persons, as well as the issue of property claims, has advanced a great deal recently. The satisfaction of the international community in this area is a reflection of that.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  12. “It is a fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina has achieved significant progress in complying with the 16 recommendations within a very short period of time, but it is also a fact that we will continue to make the process more dynamic, in order to be far along in the SAA process in time for the tenth anniversary of Dayton. I would like to point out a few areas where we have, indeed, made huge progress: reforming the financial, customs and tax systems, the defence and security structures, the rule of law and border control. We have established a national crime prevention commission, and we have significantly reduced the number of illegal entries into the country. The plan for restructuring the country's police forces has been completed under the remarkable guidance of Mr. Wilfred Martens.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  13. “Thus, peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina have made possible a clear vision of what the future will mean for Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will mean Bosnia and Herzegovina as a member of the EU; that is the common position of all political parties in the country. The reporting period was marked by the shift from the country's so-called Dayton era to the so- called Brussels era. We have improved the legal framework; to date, 38 new laws have entered into force. We are now in the final phase of complying with the recommendations of the feasibility study. We expect that the EU will recognize the significant progress on our part and give us the green light for the opening of SAA negotiations in May this year.”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source

  14. “Mr. Colak (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (spoke in Bosnian; interpretation provided by the delegation): It is an honour for me to address the Council today, on behalf of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to take part in the discussions relating to the report of the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a particular pleasure to inform the Council - which has held a number of meetings dedicated to peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina - that I have come here today to express our firm commitment to invest additional efforts in fulfilment of Bosnia and Herzegovina's remaining obligations, which will open the way for us to start negotiations on a stabilization and association agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU).”

    2005-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5147 (2005) · source