YouSaid · the spoken record

Spiric

lines on the record: 38
first: 2008-12-05
most recent: 2009-11-23
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“I urge the Council to encourage the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to seek the best possible solutions through dialogue, and I urge the High Representative to act as a strong incentive to that dialogue. I thank the Council for its kind attention, and I am quite willing and ready to answer any questions members may have.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“When, some time ago, a former High Representatives imposed the statute of the city of Mostar, it was believed that the problem was resolved. And where do we stand now? More than one year after the local elections, the city of Mostar has no mayor and it is quite uncertain when it will have one, given the city's statute. Bosnia and Herzegovina is at a crossroads. In order to make further positive steps and achieve progress, what is needed is much less superficiality and much more earnestness on the part of both domestic stakeholders and the international community. Also, we all need a new optimism, which can be attained only through an internal dialogue, that will ensure further progress on the Euro-Atlantic agenda.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“To that I would add, once again, that whenever all-or-nothing principles have been applied, Bosnia and Herzegovina has ended up with nothing. I would like to thank the representatives of the European Union and the Unites States of America for the efforts they have invested and the interest they have expressed in constitutional reform through the Butmir process. However, I should also like to point out that constitutional reform must be the fruit of internal dialogue and compromise based on the Dayton Accords and in no way a solution imposed from elsewhere. It is quite clear that imposed solutions are, in the long run, unreliable, and that they create potential instability. I believe that the statute of the city of Mostar may best illustrate that assertion.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Specifically, constitutional reform is not an established precondition for the closure of the Office of the High Representative, while the closure of the Office is a precondition for a new phase in relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union. That is the current message from Brussels, with which I fully concur. I do not deny the necessity of constitutional reform, but I believe that the manner in which this issue is approached must be designed more carefully. I believe that it is only through a step-by-step approach that the desired goal can be attained. It has been pointed out on a number of occasions that when it comes to constitutional reform, only solutions based on evolution and not on revolution are possible in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Milorad Dodik, indicate that he should wait for others in Bosnia and Herzegovina to grow up politically and that he should wait for the Office of the High Representative and the High Representative himself to accomplish their tasks. That situation has already produced unprecedented political parasitism and threatens to undermine the credibility not only of domestic institutions but of the international community as well. Constitutional reform has been a burning issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would first like to point out that the issue of constitutional reform should in no way be tied to the issue of the transformation of the Office of the High Representative into the European Union Special Representative.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“I fear that the High Representative's report delineates the contours of the latter. In the report, I could not find one single positive conclusion concerning the Republic of Srpska and its institutions, although it is known and recognized in general that the Republic of Srpska is the more functional and efficient part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The opinionated tone with which the report refers to the Republic of Srpska as an obstruction and the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as being in difficulties cannot but disturb any objective observer. I fear that the associates of the High Representative who contributed to this report - primarily the local staff - have fallen into the trap of being superficial and unprofessional. The allegations and statements about the Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska, Mr.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“I opted to take such a step in the hope that the party, which remained unnamed in the High Representative's report and which has been impeding the appointment of the directors of State agencies, will demonstrate a sound sense of responsibility and unfreeze the process. What cannot be overlooked, though, is the fact that the key State agencies, which have billions of Euros at their disposal, are managed by directors whose terms in office expired long ago. I am of the view that we should not allow any further degradation of vacancy procedures or hindrance of the process. On a number of occasions, when addressing the Security Council, I have pointed out that the Republic of Srpska can be a vehicle for the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, not a threat to it.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“It is true that the Council of Ministers did not sit in August partly because of the regular summer break and partly because of a detail omitted from the High Representative's report, which is the failure of one of the ministers representing the Bosniak people to attend one of the scheduled sessions. In addition, I would like to use this opportunity to inform the Council that I have recently forwarded the decision to appoint the new Security Minister for further procedures. I did so although I still hold that appointing the key directors of State agencies is as important as appointing the Security Ministers.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“I have said that my intention is not to debate the report presented by the High Representative. However, I feel a moral and professional obligation to note certain details in the report that do not reflect the true state of affairs. For example, in paragraph 18 of the report, the High Representative claims that over much of the summer the Council of Ministers was unable to meet or make decisions. Thus I feel an obligation, in my capacity as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, to inform the Council that in the period from 1 June to 30 September 2009 the Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers held 10 sessions during which 321 agenda items were discussed and 20 bills were adopted.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Another question may be posed as well: how is it possible that almost all European Union member States supported Bosnia and Herzegovina's candidacy as a non-permanent member of the Security Council when there is no readiness to support even Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for European Union membership? There are too many illogicalities and too much experimenting with Bosnia and Herzegovina - just as there are so many dilemmas and challenges to which all of us need to respond in an appropriate manner. If things are as dire as described in the High Representative's report, then one may justifiably wonder what all of us together have been doing in the recent past. On more than one occasion, I have underlined that the international community is not a mere observer, but an active participant in all processes in Bosnian and Herzegovina.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“To an adept analyst, the report tells more about the Office of the High Representative and the situation and relations within it than about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If the High Representative's report depicts the true state of affairs in the country, then I need to ask a question, quite openly: how is it possible, then, that Bosnia and Herzegovina was elected to a non-permanent seat in the Security Council? I always believed that such an honour was given to those countries in which real and visible progress had been made.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“With no intention of entering into any debate with the High Representative with regard to his report (see S/2009/588*) that has been submitted to the Council, I find that the document does not leave much room for optimism. I fear that the international representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina have fallen into the same pitfall that has trapped some leaders for years now - that of seeking the culprit, not the solution. And I shall again repeat what I have said on many occasions. In Bosnia and Herzegovina no party is either exclusively guilty or absolutely innocent, and I urge the Council to take that fact into account when considering any report on Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“The purpose of my statement today is to give the Council a true picture of what has been achieved in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My intention is not to present any fabricated information or to create a perception that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country free of problems and challenges. After all, I am not certain there is a country that has successfully trod the Euro- Atlantic path without encountering any difficulties or challenges. At the same time, I should like to reassure those who persistently insist on finding that Bosnia and Herzegovina has seen no progress at all and that all prospects are nothing but bleak that that is not the case, by sharing specific and verifiable information. Too much pessimism is never an ally in attaining the ultimate goal.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Since I had been informed by international officials that the State property inventory conducted by the Office of the High Representative would soon be finalized, and with a view to facilitating the resolution of that issue during the last session of the Council of Ministers, I submitted that the decision should be amended in such a way that the State Property Commission would be tasked with producing, within a period of 30 days, a preliminary list of the property that Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions require in order to exercise their constitutional competences. Unfortunately, the ministers representing the Bosniak people were not willing to vote in favour of such a decision, the implementation of which would finally meet the conditions for the transformation of the Office of the High Representative.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“An IMF mission visited Sarajevo last week and gave a positive statement on the extent to which the conditions had been fulfilled thus far. As regards the conditions for the transformation of the Office of the High Representative to an Office of the European Union Special Representative, I would like to share my conviction that the 5+2 conditions will not turn into 5+2+1, which, to put it mildly, would further complicate things.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“We have also adopted a number of strategies and action plans, such as the Bosnia and Herzegovina communication strategy for the NATO integration process, the small and medium-sized enterprises development strategy, the strategy and action plan for the control of small arms and light weapons and others. In the period from May to November, the Fiscal Council held four sessions. Among the outcomes of those sessions was the agreed draft budget for 2010, which was forwarded to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for further procedure in a timely manner. Over the recent period, the Council of Ministers and entity governments have been committed to fulfilling the conditions set out in the letter of intent signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with a view to preserving the macroeconomic stability of the country.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“In addition, during the past period we have adopted and submitted to parliamentary procedure 38 bills, of which I would single out the anti-mine bill, the free zones bill, the general product safety bill, the tobacco product bill, the census bill - which, despite the consensus reached at the level of the working group charged with developing the bill and at the level of the Council of Ministers, was not supported by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliamentary Assembly - and the borrowing, debt and guarantee amendment bill, as well as the draft budget for 2010, which was submitted to the Presidency of Bosnia of Herzegovina for consideration.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Hence, I want to believe that that assurance will be reflected in practice and that, following a positive report, we will be treated in the same manner as neighbouring countries, in whose progress I take sincere delight. Reports by international non-governmental organizations indicate that Bosnia and Herzegovina has met more conditions at this point than the neighbouring countries had met at the time when they were awarded a positive recommendation by the European Commission. Hence, I would like to express my firm conviction that our progress will soon be formally endorsed by the European Commission in the form of a positive recommendation.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Having fulfilled the road map requirements, we made significant progress which, unfortunately, we failed to sufficiently promote within and outside Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, yet again, a success achieved by Bosnia and Herzegovina was overshadowed by other less successful processes or attempts at reform, which, by coincidence or not, came at the same time. It is exactly for that reason that I believe that linking the issue of visa regime liberalization to any other process within Bosnia and Herzegovina is utterly counterproductive. Countless times we have been assured by the European Commission that the road map requirements are of a technical, not a political nature.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“We also drafted and adopted a number of strategies such as a strategy to combat organized crime, a strategy to combat corruption and an action plan for the implementation of the strategy, a strategy to reintegrate returnees, and a strategy to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities along with its corresponding action plan for the period 2009 to 2013. We also agreed upon a model for information exchange among police authorities, as well as other decisions. In addition, we adopted a number of system-wide measures, thus enabling all institutions at all levels to prepare for the issuance of the new biometric passport. To date, more than 10,000 biometric passports have been issued, while several thousand applications are currently being processed.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“The absolute priority - my own and of my Office - was to meet the conditions for the liberalization of the visa regime for citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is with great pleasure that I can report that last week we fulfilled all requirements set out in the European Commission's visa regime liberalization road map falling within the competence of the Council of Ministers. That was not an easy task, because we needed to meet 174 requirements. Yet this achievement illustrates that it is possible for domestic stakeholders to reach agreement. Thus, in a relatively short period of time we have succeeded in formulating an international legal assistance bill, a border control bill, an anti-money- laundering bill, a criminal code amendment bill and an anti-corruption and coordination agency amendment bill.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“Mr. Spiric' (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (spoke in Bosnian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): May I first extend my warm greetings to all present and express my pleasure at having been given the opportunity, for the sixth time, to report to the Security Council on the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is also an opportunity for me to share my views on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the challenges and dilemmas we are facing. 5 Since the previous Security Council meeting of this kind, in May (see S/PV.6130), the Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers has held 20 sessions, 18 of which were regular and two of which were thematic. Thirty-eight bills and a number of important strategies and action plans were discussed and adopted at those sessions.”
2009-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6222 (2009) · source
“The only way to do so is to have an open dialogue and discuss all challenges, because every agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an invitation to reach broader agreement and to fulfil obligations so that the country can succeed, which is in everyone's interests. Political elites must make decisions that will ensure the development of the system, rather than waiting for sweeping change to come to Bosnia and Herzegovina from abroad. I hope that the messages and lessons resulting from today's meeting will be aimed in that direction. Finally, I would like to thank High Representative Miroslav Lajcak on behalf on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though I wish his report were more optimistic and not as selective.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“That is why I would like to stress that it is extremely important that both Republika Srpska and the Federation be equally respected as constituent parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It goes without saying that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to enter a new era. I want to believe that such an era would be characterized by a spirit of agreement and compromise. We know that next year will bring greater involvement by Brussels and the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which I strongly support. In addition, however, those of us within Bosnia and Herzegovina must pay much greater attention to realizing a common vision within our country, which would mean its acceleration towards integration with the EU.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“According to all parameters and assessments by international financial institutions, Republika Srpska represents a more stable entity, and it could be an engine for development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and not a threat, as some would maliciously say. The stability of Republika Srpska should not be interpreted as a cause of instability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I do not think that the situation in the Federation is improved by throwing accusations at the Republika Srpska. Rather, all of us should help to make the Federation an example of a well-organized and efficient entity. It is hard not to agree with assessments of a high United States official who said that Republika Srpska must be respected because it is part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“Looking from the outside, the impression is that 13 years after Dayton, Bosnia and Herzegovina represents an international observation post for monitoring global projects in the region, and, according to evaluations of high international officials, it looks more and more like a controlled cul-de-sac. These are hard but serious warnings. Lately we have heard assessments that aim at creating tensions between the Republika Srpska and a part of the state-level Government, all the while forgetting that Bosnia and Herzegovina is also made up of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the same constitutional powers, which, due to the complexity of its organization and accumulated internal problems, requires emergency action.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“I am grateful for everything that the international community has done for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is my personal opinion that we will continue to need not just attention but also assistance. That assistance must be provided in the form of services and advice, but not in the form of international representatives having decision-making power in our institutions - primarily judiciary - with diplomatic immunity and without accountability for bad decisions. I think that it is very important to stress at this moment that there is no other country with a larger presence of international institutions than Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a general assessment by those institutions that Bosnia and Herzegovina is making less and less progress.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“Continuous delaying of the transition of the Office of the High Representative into a European Union special representative would, in my opinion, damage the credibility of international institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and hurt the trust in the reforms conducted so far, and I fear it would fully erase the effects of the already shaken justice system reform. It is hard to accept the claim that the justice system reform is made credible by the presence of international judges, particularly concerning prosecution of organized crime, if we see that almost no indictment has ended with a legally binding verdict, as was the case with Sarovie, Covie, Fazlie and others.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“So far, as already mentioned, we have signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement and ensured fiscal sustainability. The objectives regarding the defence property and the rule of law have been partly achieved. The latest agreement achieved by leaders of three political parties - the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croat Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ) - in Bosanski Samac on 8 November 2008 was welcomed by Brussels. It represents a solid basis for the fulfilment of the remaining conditions and objectives, which would create conditions for the final decision on closing of the Office of the High Representative. I think that would be a good development for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I would like to ask for the Council's support in that.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“We did have problems and challenges that we were unable to solve. At the meeting of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board on 27 February 2008, member countries set five objectives that the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina must fulfil in order for the Office of the High Representative to be transformed. These are the acceptable and sustainable resolution of State-owned property, acceptable and sustainable resolution of defence property, completion of the Brcko Final Award, fiscal sustainability and entrenchment of the rule of law, as well as two conditions: signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and a positive assessment of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the PIC Steering Board.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“That body made it possible to establish the draft budget of the country's institutions in a timely fashion and to forward it for adoption to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is the official proponent of the budget according to the Constitution. I would like to note here that this is the first time since Dayton that the conditions have been met for adoption of the next year's budget before 31 December of the current year by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Efficient functioning of the Fiscal Council made it possible for us to lead a responsible budgetary policy with the view to reducing public spending. Bearing in mind all of the above, I have a hard time accepting the assessments that this has been an unsuccessful year for Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina has started holding thematic sessions devoted to European integration, and they have proved to be very useful. We used those sessions to adopt a number of important decisions and action plans, and we regularly analyse our obligations in that respect and monitor their implementation. The latest thematic session was attended by the Entity Prime Ministers, and we concluded that the Council of Ministers would hold thematic sessions on European integration at least once a month and that at least once every three months Entity Prime Ministers would attend those sessions. The Fiscal Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina became operational and has held three sessions to date.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“Regarding negotiations on liberalization of the visa regime, I would like to inform the Security Council that immediately after the negotiations were opened, the Council of Ministers established a working group for negotiations. After the road map had been delivered, we tasked the working group with drafting the implementation action plan as quickly as possible, and the plan was adopted at the fifty-seventh session, held on 29 July 2008. The working group fulfilled its first obligation regarding the readiness report within the prescribed deadline. We have recently received the European Commission report, which is being analysed by responsible institutions. We are of the opinion that the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 will be the time when citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be able to enjoy the benefits of the white Schengen.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“Here, I would particularly like to note the police reform legislation, the Public Roads Bill, the Aviation Bill, the Agency for Air Navigation Services Bill, the Information Society Development Agency Bill and many others. We passed a number of strategies and action plans, such as the Integrated Border Management Strategy, the Immigration and Asylum Strategy and the related 2008-2011 action plan, the action plan for implementation of the Interim Agreement, the action plan for implementation of obligations deriving from the Stabilization and Association Agreement, the action plan for implementation of obligations deriving from the European Partnership, and the initial document for the intensified dialogue with NATO.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“I am glad that the most developed world economies and the EU member countries are looking for a common answer to these challenges. I think it would not be good to leave the fragile economies of the western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, to search alone for individual solutions. I think that solving the challenges of the global financial and economic crisis for the western Balkan countries would require a well-organized, combined approach. Since the last meeting of the Security Council, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina has held 18 regular and 6 thematic sessions, adopting a number of important bills, strategies and decisions.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“Even though the depth of the crisis is as yet unknown, and although the assessments are that Bosnia and Herzegovina will not feel direct consequences of the crisis, it is certain that indirect consequences will not bypass my country. In that respect all levels of Government, including State, entities and cantons, found a unified answer and spoke in one voice on the issue of successfully - at least for now - preserving citizens' hard-won trust in commercial banks. Due to internal differences and differing visions within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the global financial and economic crisis may result in a serious decrease in economic growth. That is why we are working hard on possible scenarios to best respond to the challenges of this cr1s1s.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“The average growth rate of the gross national product in the past three years has been about 6 per cent. Wages have increased, as have pensions, employment and foreign exchange reserves. The real challenge we continue to face is the high foreign trade deficit. However, it should be recognized that this is a problem all countries in transition have to face until their economies become competitive in the European Union (EU) market. When it comes to achieving competitiveness, we are on the right track. Apart from reforms, the challenges we will have to face during 2009 and afterwards are the consequences of the global financial and economic crisis.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source
“Mr. Spiric' (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (spoke in Bosnian; interpretation provided by the delegation): It is a great honour and privilege to share with the Security Council my views regarding the results achieved in Bosnia and Herzegovina to date, as well as the challenges ahead of us. In spite of different international and domestic assessments that may be heard regarding progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is my opinion that 2008 has been a successful year. During 2008, we signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union, started negotiations on a liberalization of the visa regime and deepened dialogue with NATO. We are close to completing our negotiations for membership with World Trade Organization. We have also been successful in maintaining macroeconomic stability.”
2008-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6033 (2008) · source