YouSaid · the spoken record

Petritsch

lines on the record: 197
first: 2000-05-09
most recent: 2002-03-05
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“President Kostunica also assured me that he would work to establish diplomatic relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as he had formed his own Government. But there is much work to be done in this area. We need to make sure that the international community speaks with one voice - especially when the European Union meets at Zagreb for a summit on south-eastern Europe next month - to say that borders cannot be tinkered with. There is talk among some former Balkan mediators of a need to compensate Serbia for its allegedly inevitable loss of Kosovo. This would have disastrous consequences right across the region. We should make it crystal clear that cynical, nineteenth-century map-making has no place in our peacekeeping efforts today.”
2000-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4209 (2000) · source
“I also impressed upon him that Yugoslavia's full membership in the United Nations means working with its institutions - for example, cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. With elections in Bosnia soon to be held, I also called on him to end Belgrade's patronage of anti-Dayton forces in the Bosnian Serb entity, which fight on to try and secure the ill-gotten gains of "ethnic cleansing". Mr. Kostunica has made a very promising start, taking the courageous decision to visit Sarajevo on Sunday to meet State leaders there. I would like to pay tribute here to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Sarajevo, Jacques Paul Klein, whose tireless efforts helped to secure the success of that crucial visit.”
2000-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4209 (2000) · source
“The political changes in Belgrade are watched more with apprehension than with relief in Kosovo and Montenegro, as well as Bosnia. Croatia's Foreign Minister, Mr. Tonino Picula, has made his first official visit to Sarajevo since assuming office, a clear signal that this country has fully recognized Bosnian sovereignty, after its previous Government spent years trying to undermine it. When I met the newly elected President of Yugoslavia, Mr. Vojislav Kostunica, last week in Belgrade I urged him to do the same, suggesting that this is the safest way of ensuring that Kosovo remains within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as required by Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).”
2000-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4209 (2000) · source
“They will find ways to live side by side, perhaps as German speakers, Italian speakers and French speakers do in Switzerland. This report, the seventeenth by a High Representative- and this is the third time I have had the honour of addressing the Security Council - looks briefly at the tasks the Office of the High Representative, and by extension, the international community, still face in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I turn to the revolution in Belgrade and its quieter but no less important counterpart in Zagreb, and what they mean for winning peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. First and foremost, we should not drop our guard. The destructive nationalisms that pulled the region apart have not fallen with Slobodan Milosevic.”
2000-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4209 (2000) · source
“The country is a decade behind the rest of Central Europe in pushing through economic market reforms. We want to move on from the economics of the State plan. More importantly, the scars of war run too deep to rescue Bosnia's multicultural past in its entirety. Some members might recall William Shawcross's comment in his recent book on warlords and the work of United Nations peacekeeping missions: "humility is important. Not everything can be achieved, not every wrong can be righted simply because the international community desires it Bosnia will not become Michigan ..." But Bosnia and Herzegovina is and will remain a multi-ethnic country because it is the home of three constituent peoples - Bosniacs, Serbs and Croats- as well as of many minorities.”
2000-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4209 (2000) · source
“Mr. Petritsch: I address the Council today at what is a time of great change and renewed hope for South-Eastern Europe. The potential future for Bosnia and Herzegovina looks very different today because of the seismic changes in two key neighbouring countries: Yugoslavia and Croatia. Change is frustratingly slow in Bosnia itself but nonetheless continues for the better. Much will depend on the outcome of the general elections on 11 November to bring about real, sustained change. We need new leaders who will move the country forward, rather than the present leaders who camp out on nationalist positions, despite the fact that they are out of touch with their voters and the changes in neighbouring States. Change will not see a return to a pre-war Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2000-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4209 (2000) · source
“This would basically give the green light for entry into the Council of Europe - a very important step towards European integration for Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would like to close by again thanking the Security Council and you, Mr. President, for having been such an attentive audience here. I would like to thank the Council also for the support it has expressed. This is what we need in our work in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Regarding the judicial training, the joint advisory board that was formed by agreement at the meeting of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in February of this year, as the delegate of Jamaica has pointed out, is a very important contribution and active support on the part of the Council of Europe to try to accelerate progress in the area of social and economic rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I might also note that we are now in the process of getting Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to accession to the Council of Europe. I do hope and I am confident that the three basic conditions that were set two years ago will be met in the course of the next month by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“We are also trying to eliminate discrimination against minorities and returnees when it comes to some of the utility companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now, finally, let me come to the delegate from Jamaica. These are of course highly technical issues that you have raised. I can say that with regard to the laws on asylum and immigration that were passed last November, these contribute remarkably and substantially to our overall efforts to regulate these issues. It might be of interest to you to note that Bosnia and Herzegovina, which - if I may say so - is basically a contributor to emigration, has in the course of the past year taken in refugees from Kosovo.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Finally, I should like to add that the Stability Pact focuses on regional return. We have established a very close working relationship with the Pact, which is basically following our practice of refugee return implementation. I can assure the Council that we have established an excellent relationship. I am confident that the Stability Pact will add to our efforts in the region, because refugee return is not a question that can be resolved within one country only, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. We need to keep in mind the whole region of South-Eastern Europe. In response to the question posed by Ukraine as to social and economic rights, let me say that we are working on this also in terms of accessing pensions and securing employment.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Each has now been beefed up with an international representative, who is seeing to it that the laws are being implemented properly. The next point raised by Ukraine was the prevention of social and economic discrimination against returnees with respect to identity cards. We at the Office of the High Representative are pursuing a policy aimed at ensuring the full enforcement of laws regardless of the ethnic background of the persons concerned. We have intervened to force the issuance of documents when local authorities refuse to do so. I will give just one example of the way we are reacting to refusal or non-compliance: just a few months ago, I removed the Minister of the Interior of canton 10 in part because of his refusal to apply the law equally and to protect all the people.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“But there is still some obstruction, and I am, of course, prepared to remove officials who obstruct this process. This is an absolutely necessary precondition in order to facilitate and improve on our performance in refugee return. Some donors, particularly the United States, have given money in order to strengthen the local capacity to implement the property laws. This is a very welcome addition to our efforts. I should like to point out that over the past few months, as a measure, the housing offices in the communities all have been reinforced by an international representative. There are more than 150 housing offices throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are the ones who facilitate property legislation and thus refugee return.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“We need to put this into place. It is, of course, a gradual process, in which the institution of the Standing Committee on Military Matters, a common institution at the State level, is playing a key role. Finally, we need to reduce military spending. We are now in the process of a 15 per cent reduction in terms of units and budget, which will go on through next year as well. In this context, I should like to point out that the new Government in Zagreb was extremely helpful in getting more transparency into external support - Croatian support - for the military in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a very welcome addition to our efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Last year, as I have mentioned, I imposed property laws. This year we are actively pursuing their implementation, and so far we have seen quite good progress.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“We have initiated some programmes to support and encourage domestic journalism to be more forthcoming when it comes to getting and telling the story as it is. Investigative journalism is very important in this context. We need to stress the importance of independent media, particularly in a country where the media played such a terrible role in the course of the war. Let me now turn to the questions posed by the representative of Ukraine. First, with respect to military reform, I believe it important to stress that the perspective of unified armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a long-term one. We need a longer-term perspective. Factually and basically, the armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina still consist of three groups. We need to consolidate them. I believe it is also important to stress the aspect of human security.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“We need to point out to the people time and again that change is possible and that democratic change is being brought about by elections. Secondly, we need to emphasize economic reform. This is what I would call economic empowerment. People want jobs and opportunities for themselves and for their children, and we at the Office of the High Representative, we the international community, need to ally with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in insisting that the leaders take responsibility for economic reform. It is important for the international community, with regard to economic reform, to maintain conditionality. Thirdly and lastly, I believe that public diplomacy could be very supportive.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The next elections this fall will, however - according to this new election law, which, as we know, has not been adopted by the State Parliament - be conducted according to the provisional rules and regulations of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which, most likely, pending the decision of the Permanent Council this coming 11 May, will be conducted, organized, supervised and financed by the OSCE. Again, I have to underline that this is a decision still ahead of us in the Permanent Council. Turning to other questions posed by Canada in regard to the support for voters to move away from nationalism, I think that three points have to be made in this context. First, elections are important. We need to exploit the election opportunities.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“By this, I do hope that I have also answered the question posed by the representative of Canada as well as one that was asked by the representative of the United Kingdom. Now, in regard to the question on the election law posed by the representative of the United Kingdom, the status of the discussions on the election law is such that we will, immediately after the Peace Implementation Council at the end of this month, revisit the issue and see to it that the State Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes on this issue.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The arrest of war criminals and education reform need to be pushed much harder than they have been so far. This is, of course, a long-term project, but it is a necessary one. We have started to develop core curriculums to see to it that the nature of multi-ethnicity is represented in the schools, the school books and so on. The return of refugees and displaced persons is also, of course, adding to the cohesiveness of society. Above all, there is, again, economic growth, which will contribute to a making a more prosperous country, to the fact that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina will realize that they have a stake in this process: economic and social prosperity. Then, too, there is tolerance - coexistence as a first and realistic step towards a better future there.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Regarding the prospects for the fall elections, I should just like to say that I am expecting further progress in terms of people realizing how important the bread-and-butter issues of their daily life are, as opposed to the ethnic agenda that was put forward far too many times in the past. I also expect from the election that a new generation of politicians is going to enter politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is concrete hope for a generational change, for an infusion of fresh blood into Bosnian politics. Now, when it comes to reinforcing cohesion in politics in the system of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I believe that we need also to look at some of the issues of reconciliation. I believe that this will add to the cohesiveness of society.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“In regard to the questions asked by the French representative, I should like to answer as follows. When we talk about drawing distinctions, I believe it is important to point out that what we are trying to achieve in the field of economic reform is pertinent to this. This is a separation of the economy from political influence. This is the development of an attractive business climate. Of course, the privatization process must be conducted in a transparent manner and the creation of an institutional framework is necessary for a modern market economy, as is a judiciary framework, which we need to pay attention to. In short, what we are looking for is a system wherein the economic regulation, the regulatory system, is in place in regard to bank supervision, tax reform and enforcement, to give just a few examples.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Mr. Petritsch: I greatly appreciate the support expressed by the representatives of the Security Council here today and I consider it to be very important encouragement for our work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were a number of questions asked and I should like to undertake to answer them. There was first a suggestion on the part of the representative of France with regard to the format of the reporting to the Security Council. First of all, I need to say that, of course, the report has been complemented by my presentation today. Secondly, I consider this a very pertinent and important suggestion which we will look into, since, as I expressed in my presentation, we are now engaged in an effort to streamline the agenda by having adopted three priority areas. We might as well follow this streamlining in our reporting technique.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The remedy we are administering - our adherence to the principle of multi-ethnicity and the reversal of wartime ethnic cleansing, together with our insistence on real political and economic reform - is the right one. The remedy can work elsewhere too - in Kosovo, for instance. The international community's patience has been sorely tried in that province, but Bernard Kouchner should not be discouraged. Success in establishing peace, as we have learned the hard way in Bosnia and Herzegovina, takes a great deal of time. Believe me when I say that in Bosnia and Herzegovina there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“I sense that the tide has already turned against the forces of nationalism in the Balkans. The defeat of the HDZ in Croatia earlier this year was convincing proof. Slobodan Milosevic is increasingly isolated in Belgrade. The tide is turning in Bosnia and Herzegovina, too, although less dramatically. It must continue to be pushed. It must continue to be pushed because the price of failure is too high. If we fail in our project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then ethnically pure mini-States are likely to dominate South-East Europe in the twenty-first century. It is imperative that we persevere. Dayton is working in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Overall, I would say that while the nationalist parties are still strong, their grip is weakening. Our reform of the media, the professionalization of the police, our insistence on economic reform - all of these things are steadily eroding their sources of power. Let us not lose sight of what this means. The defeat of the nationalist agenda in the political discourse of Bosnia and Herzegovina will have ramifications not just for that country, but for the entire Balkan region. Bosnia and Herzegovina, we should always remember, is in the heart of the Balkans. If - by reforming the economy, by accelerating refugee return and by strengthening the common institutions - we can help the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina live peacefully with one other again, we can achieve that noble goal elsewhere in the Balkans, too.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Its threats of physical violence and voter boycott proved to be a bluff. Even the arrest by the Stabilization Force of Momcilo Krajisnik, the one-time Serb member of the Presidency, only a few days before the elections, had little impact on voter behaviour. Interestingly enough, although the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) did well, it did not pick up as many SRS votes as it might have expected. In 1997, the SDS and SRS together won 44 per cent of the vote. Yet in this election, the SDS only won 37 per cent. So pluralism is also growing in the Republika Srpska. The rise of a new party - the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP), led by a respected economist from Banja Luka, Mladen Ivanic - is significant, although we will have to see the PDP in action before blowing a trumpet.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“It is true that in the Bosnian Croat areas the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) still dominates, but it is worth noting that voter turnout in those areas was down to around 40 per cent - far lower than in previous elections, and also much lower than the national average. This indicates that Bosnian Croat voters are growing weary of the HDZ, but have not yet found an attractive alternative. The HDZ, already shaken by the defeat of its parent party in Croatia earlier this year, seems to have taken this message to heart. It is now in the midst of a major restructuring, which we hope will lead to more cooperative officials at the municipal and cantonal levels in the future. In the Republika Srpska, the exclusion of the Serbian Radical Party, the SRS, was completely successful.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The most significant shift of power was in the Bosniac areas, where the Social Democratic Party (SDP) made substantial ground at the expense of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). This is important, because parties like the SDP - a modern, relatively multi-ethnic party - hold the keys to the country's future. Only with leadership from modern, civic-orientated, tolerant political parties can Bosnia and Herzegovina hope to integrate with Europe. Based on the results of the municipal elections, the SDP is now the strongest party in the Federation. We expect it to do even better in future elections.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“They were run skilfully by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, while both the IPTF and the Stabilization Force played important roles in providing security at the polls. Secondly, the political landscape in Bosnia and Herzegovina is now more pluralistic than it was before. I am much encouraged by this development: political pluralism is a sure sign that democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is maturing. It is also a sign that the voters are beginning to think for themselves, and to think about how politicians who seek to represent them will represent their interests. This does not mean the narrow, sectarian interests of the old ethnic ways of thinking, but the everyday interests of the ordinary public - issues like housing, employment, education and infrastructure.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is, and must always remain, their country. But we will continue to press - by whatever means, including my powers to impose, if necessary - for the strengthening of the common institutions and an extension of their role in the life of the country. They are too important for the future to be left entirely to their own devices. There are, I am pleased to say, signs that my central message, the establishment of the concept of ownership, is starting to take root in the hearts and minds of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The result of the municipal elections, held across the country on 8 April, was one important sign. Given the understandable scepticism expressed by some parts of the international community before the elections, two important points need to be made. First, the elections were peaceful and routine.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The ethnic agenda has once again taken precedence over what is best for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For example, the primary principle guiding reorganization of the ministries was the ease with which they could be divided up among the three ethnicities. All this merely confirms that the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina are still far from ready to take the responsibility that they should for their country. Last November, I outlined to the Council my concept of "ownership". In the affair of the Council of Ministers, I have deliberately kept out of the fray, stressing the strong desirability of a solution arrived at purely by domestic consensus. The results are, I freely admit, a little depressing at first sight, although I believe that the policy of insisting on ownership is still the right one.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Last year, however, the Constitutional Court ruled that the rotational and ethnically defined arrangement was unconstitutional and would have to be changed. The deadline for agreement on a new arrangement came and went. The result? This common institution, central to the workings of democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fell into abeyance in February this year. Almost unbelievably, the issue is still far from being satisfactorily resolved. The new law on the Council of Ministers, based on a proposal by the Presidency, follows the old patterns of ethnic parity and rotation. It remains to be seen whether the law will stand the test of the Constitutional Court. The Members of the Presidency have given us yet another unedifying display of the kind of politics that they practice best.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The Presidency did pass the draft election law to the Parliament as promised. But when it came to the vote, the Presidency Members were not prepared to influence their respective party members. They just stood by and watched as the draft law was voted down. The New York Declaration committed the Presidency to also resolve another central institutional crisis, although one of a different kind, concerning the State Council of Ministers. Their efforts at resolving this crisis have been only slightly more encouraging. Since 1997, the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers, which equates to the post of prime minister, has rotated. This compromise was probably necessary in order to get the institution formally working in the first place.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The State Border Service was seen at the time as an acid test of the Members of the Presidency's commitment to the concept of a functioning state - a concept to which they have all too often paid mere lip service. Sad to say, the Presidency failed the test. The bickering began the moment they got home. In the end, I was forced to exercise my powers and impose the State Border Service. Not even a solemn declaration before the Security Council, it seems, could hold them to it. Such disregard for the international norms and standards of State leadership was shown also with regard to other commitments the Presidency has entered into with the Security Council in the New York Declaration. The much-fought-over draft election law experienced the same fate as the State Border Service law.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Far too often in the past, inter-ethnic cooperation at the State level has been blocked by the nationalist bickering that, as we know all too well, has become a byword for Balkan political discourse. Last November, as you may recall, the Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a declaration before the Security Council, pledging themselves, inter alia, to the establishment of a State Border Service. The arguments for such an agency are very clear. The citizens of any modern state have the right to expect their borders to be protected. When borders are as porous as those of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been in the past, the state treasury loses millions, because porous borders are an open invitation to graft and corruption in the sphere of customs and excise.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“For instance, we currently have a major public affairs campaign to promote respect for property rights as part of our efforts to accelerate returns. I would like to commend the efforts of the United Nations Judicial System Assessment Programme (JSAP), which has worked tirelessly at its task of monitoring and assessing the existing judicial system and has participated in the developments of reforms to date. Just a few days ago, on 5 May, the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board met with Special Representative of the Secretary-General Jacques Paul Klein of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) in Lisbon to discuss the crucial role of JSAP for the reform of this essential pillar of civil society.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“I reiterate: these successes would not have been possible without the tremendous support and expertise of the UNHCR, nor without the security provided in many, many instances by the United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF). I will turn now to the third of my strategic priorities: the consolidation of the common institutions. This is really about state-building. If Bosnia and Herzegovina is ever to join the European family of nations - a family in which I firmly believe Bosnia truly belongs - then it must become a cohesive State, with central State structures that exercise real power. This includes a fully independent judiciary, without which long-term economic development and effective protection of individual liberties will be impossible. We are actively promoting the rule of law at the State and entity levels.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“N ow that spring is here and the refugee return season is properly under way, these two measures are beginning to bear fruit. So far this year there have been more than twice as many returns as there were in the same period in 1999. All the indications are that this welcome trend will continue. Granted, there is still a long way to go. Granted also that obstruction of the returns process continues in some areas. But in general we have every reason to be encouraged. We are making headway in a task that was once thought impossible by naysayers. The ultimate goal, refugee return, which has become self-sustaining, is no longer merely gold at the end of the rainbow; it has become an achievable reality.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Four and a half years after the war, some 800,000 people are still internally displaced throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. A further 300,000 are still refugees abroad. Facilitating their return is the number one means of normalizing life in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Last fall I took two important measures designed to accelerate the return process. First, I imposed a package of reforms to the legislation governing property return in the two entities. This removes the bureaucratic hurdles to property return, which were being mercilessly exploited by politicians on all sides whose agenda was to obstruct the implementation of Dayton. Secondly, I dismissed 22 public officials from across the country who had a proven track record of obstructionism, particularly of annex 7 of Dayton, the annex governing refugee return.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Before I go any further, I should like to take this opportunity to extend a warm thank you to the United Nations and its agencies for their continued sterling work in this sector, in particular through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The contribution of these agencies should not be underestimated. In this reporting period, I have had a chance to get out into the field more and see for myself the often unsung work that the United Nations agencies are doing there. I can assure the Council that I am thoroughly impressed. In the course of these trips to the field I have had a chance to speak to many refugees and displaced persons and I am more convinced than ever that return remains the number one concern among the public at large. The issue is highly emotive.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The process is already well under way, although the first stage - the opening up of the books of the big state-sector companies to independent audit prior to evaluation - has met with fierce political resistance. Perhaps this was inevitable, since the state companies are yet another source of funding for the established nationalistic parties. Such arrangements must not be tolerated. We have to start protecting the economic sphere from this kind of old-style intrusion. I wish to turn now to the second of my strategic priorities: the acceleration of the refugee return process.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The lack of a reliable banking system is another important obstacle to private investment, closely connected to the payment bureaux system. There are currently over 50 banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but not one of them can play the intermediary role necessary in a market economy. Many of the public-sector banks may be on the verge of bankruptcy due to their loans to loss-making publicly-owned enterprises. The numerous private banks are too small to provide the working capital necessary to kick-start enterprise. Overhauling the banking sector should encourage the participation of foreign banks and thus the necessary injection of capital. Another key to modernizing the Bosnian economy is privatization.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“The Government's urgent task is to create an enabling environment so that investors can invest without going through a maze of bureaucracy. Most of all, we need to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises, to which the workforce in that country, most economic observers agree, is well-suited. But the present system simply stifles enterprise. Perhaps the worst example of communist-era bureaucracy are the so-called "payment bureaux", through which all commercial and public bank transfers have to pass and which levy a substantial sum along the way. The payment bureaux are totally non-transparent and have a stifling effect on business of all sizes. They are also a cash cow for the nationalist parties, which exploit the system remorselessly. Consequently, we have agreed that the payment bureaux will be abolished in the course of this year.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“That is of far more concern to them than the diet of ethnic separatism that is still being fed to them by the nationalist parties. That is why economic aspiration must be nurtured and cherished. Economic reform is one of the most potent weapons in our armoury in the fight to reverse the evil effects of the 1992-1995 war. What is needed is investment, both domestic and foreign. The trouble is that the system governing the country's economy is to a large extent the same as it was in the days of communism, despite international pressure. Investors, unsurprisingly, are discouraged. Bosnia and Herzegovina's industry is still geared to the old command economy model. It largely comprises giant, state-run concerns - mines, steelworks and the like. They are completely out of step with the market requirements of the new millennium.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“There are three areas: first, economic reform; secondly, the acceleration of the return of refugees and displaced persons; and thirdly, the consolidation of institutions, especially those at the state level. The economy first. As I am sure members know, Bosnia is still far too dependent on international aid, which in turn is steadily diminishing. If Bosnia is to have any hope of a secure future, the economy must become self-sustaining - and fast. This is still a poor country and, without growth, it is likely to become poorer still. Last year in the Republika Srpska - still by far the poorer entity of the two - the average monthly salary still languished at $100 a month. Jobs and a secure economic future are increasingly important issues for the ordinary citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“There have been so many problems and the international community has striven to tackle all of them head on. This year's PIC, however, will be different. It has to be, because the international community no longer has the resources for the approach adopted in the past. It is therefore imperative that diminishing resources be concentrated to maximum effect. Time is running out for international engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Donor fatigue has set in. The $5.1 billion, four-year reconstruction aid package pledged after Dayton is now all spoken for. This spring, the Stabilization Force has reduced its troop numbers by nearly a third. That is why I focus on just three key areas of peace implementation. If we succeed in these areas, I firmly believe, reform in others will follow.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“I will give an assessment of the more significant recent successes and failures of Dayton implementation a little later on. But I would like, first of all, to give an indication of how I see our work developing in the future in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My office, as members are perhaps aware, is now deep in preparation for the Brussels Peace Implementation Council (PIC) on 23 May. This will be the first full PIC since Madrid in December 1998. The PIC Steering Board met in Lisbon at the end of last week. There was broad consensus on the strategy I outlined to them at that time. I would like to hear what members have to say about this strategy, too. In the past, Peace Implementation Council meetings have tended to take something of a scatter-shot approach to the problems of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source
“Mr. Petritsch: It is with great pleasure that I am here once again to address the Council and to present the sixteenth report on developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This report - the second since I was endorsed as the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Security Council on 3 August 1999 - covers a six-month period from last November. As in November, I think it best not to dwell in any detail on the substance of the report. Members can refer to the report itself for this. Broadly speaking, progress in Dayton implementation is as slow and painful as ever, but it is working. I believe that it is more important than ever that the international community stick to the task. It is vital that our successes be consolidated.”
2000-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4136 (2000) · source