YouSaid · the spoken record

Valentin Inzko

lines on the record
74
first
2020-05-06
most recent
2021-05-04
sittings or episodes
3
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. “As the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a landmark speech only a few days ago, on 28 October, “there is no place in the European Union for those who glorify war criminals”. The latest example of glorifying a war criminal is Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Chair Milorad Dodik’s request, on 16 September, that the Presidency honour and pay respect to the convicted war criminal Momčilo Krajišnik, who had died the previous day, with a minute of silence. Some time ago, Mr. Dodik opened a student dormitory in Pale, close to Sarajevo, in honour of convicted war criminal Radovan Karadžić, who has been sentenced to life by the ICTY. Similarly, upon his release, Dario Kordić, who served 12 years for war crimes, received a warm welcome organized by a political party and a church honoured him with a Catholic mass of gratitude.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  2. “The Nuremberg trials prosecuted individual perpetrators of terrible crimes in the Second World War, including those committed during the Holocaust as the most heinous, and condemned Nazi war criminals forever to the wrong side of history. The same has been attempted through the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), established by this very organ in 1993. Some Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians have failed, however, to understand the historic lesson of Nuremberg, and have completely missed the point of the ICTY and its work. There is no collective guilt for war crimes; there are no bad nations, there is only individual responsibility. But the biggest lesson is that those who choose to ignore or rewrite history instead of accepting the truth, will not have a stable and prosperous future.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  3. “Also normal is the systemic discrimination against so-called others — citizens who do not declare themselves to be members of any of the constituent peoples as. I mention that because some politicians are very ill-prepared to remedy this shameful discrimination that affects about 10 per cent of the citizens. It is also very worrisome that, 25 years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, some Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians still ignore core European values. The International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, established 75 years ago, returned the sense of right and wrong to Europe and had a healing effect on some countries, including my home country, Austria.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  4. “I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to and thank my predecessors for their dedicated work in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Carl Bildt, Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza, Wolfgang Petritsch, the late Lord Ashdown, Miroslav Lajčák and Christian Schwarz-Schilling, who will soon turn 90. Regrettably, the international community made one grave conceptual mistake during the implementation of the Dayton Agreement — we invested our trust in some politicians too early and they used our goodwill to reinvigorate nationalistic, divisive policies, especially from 2006 to date. The lack of progress and real reforms is obvious. The blockage of state-level and, lately, Federation-level institutions has become a new normal in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  5. “It is an undeniable fact that significant progress has been achieved in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first decade after Dayton, with the help of some politicians, like Mr. Dodik. State symbols were adopted and a new common currency, passport, flag, anthem, licence plates and even a national football league were created in order to enable freedom of movement. In addition, the taxation system improved, judicial reforms were implemented and joint armed forces were established in a country where earlier, three armies fought against each other. These are a few among many other changes.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  6. “This month, we will celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which has provided 25 years of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Looking back, Dayton has been a huge success, as it indeed brought peace to the country, and is even more impressive against the backdrop of various international disputes that have remained unresolved for decades, like in the Middle East, the Caucasus and elsewhere. However, as it turns out, the Dayton Agreement, while also a solid framework for future development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has brought an imperfect peace. After 100,000 people were killed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the priority of the Dayton fathers was — and rightly so — to stop the bloodshed and produce an agreement enabling future State-building reforms.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  7. “It is my honour to address this organ once again. I am only sorry that again we must meet remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic. I sincerely hope everyone here is doing well, including all citizens in their respective countries. With so many issues facing the Council, I am thankful that everyone here is still able and willing to take the time to focus on a discussion on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an ongoing concern. It is my wish that we meet again in person next spring. By now, Council members will have read my report to the Council (S/2020/1052, annex), in which I have addressed the issues with which Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to grapple, and which I believe still require the continued attention and even stronger support of this organ and the international community.”

    2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source

  8. “On a wider scale, one-time greatest enemies France and Germany are now not only pillars of the European Union, but global pillars of peace and stability. There can be no better example of reconciliation and forward-looking agendas. It is against this historical backdrop that I think of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where ultimately peace, stability and prosperity will also prevail.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  9. “We should be patient with Bosnia and Herzegovina and remain very cautious about changing the international landscape in the country. We should, as the international community, work together. This is the only recipe for success in our efforts to ensure the long- term stability and viability of the Bosnia and Herzegovina State. Finally, allow me to recall that, in many countries of the world, we are these days commemorating the end of the Second World War and are grateful to the allied forces that defeated Nazism. This also occurred in my own country, Austria, and our gratitude is expressed in the many monuments constructed there 75 years ago. In Austria, the allied forces stayed some 10 years and oversaw the return of democracy. They prevented a revival of fascism and supported our impoverished country with the Marshall Plan.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  10. “Above all, Bosnia and Herzegovina must improve the rule of law, starting with changes to the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, and the fight against corruption. The rule of law is a cornerstone of democracy and of the functionality of any country. The rule of law is not only about adopting legislation, but about implementing adopted legislation in full. It is an ongoing commitment and must be the way of life. The international community must not lose sight of what is at stake in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It must work together to preserve its collective investments in time and money over the past 25 years, not for their own sake but to honour the lives of those who were lost during the conflict as well as those who survived and continue to hope for a better future for themselves and for future generations.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  11. “In the spirit of renewing commitments, the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the international community, should recommit to preserving the Dayton structure through strengthening the State-level institutions and the competences they have assumed, in accordance with the State’s prerogatives under the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We should recall that the first lines of the preamble to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina stress the importance of respect for human dignity, liberty and equality, as well as peace, justice, tolerance and reconciliation. The sooner the parties fully commit to these values, the sooner my mission will be complete.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  12. “I repeat my call on the authorities to do more to address gender inequality, in the light of the wage gap for women and the underrepresentation of women in the political sphere, despite the legal obligation of 40 per cent representation by women in the country’s domestic institutions. Lastly, in November, we will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Dayton, which was reached in Dayton, and in December we will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Agreement in Paris.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  13. “In October this year, we will mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), the landmark resolution affirming the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and post-conflict reconstruction. In this regard, I commend the Agency for Gender Equality, a part of the State-level Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, for maintaining the Coordination Body of the country’s national action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). I urge the authorities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina to make greater investments in the essential services being provided by civil society organizations and municipalities in support of women survivors of violence.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  14. “Measures related to the pandemic may make it necessary to reduce the scale of commemorative events, but the tragedy nonetheless looms large in our collective memory. International courts have ruled that what happened at Srebrenica in July 1995 was genocide, and nothing can change that fact. No one can rewrite history. But in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are still some who deny the genocide, reject war crimes verdicts and glorify convicted war criminals. This must stop. I urge all peoples to recognize each other’s suffering and come together to mourn. There is probably also a need to legally regulate the issue of genocide denial and holocaust denial.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  15. “It appears that the work of the Central Election Commission has become even more challenging, as some political parties are opposing the recent election of new CEC members. As a result, some political entities and institutions controlled by these parties refuse to cooperate with the CEC, which is unacceptable. There are court cases pending that challenge the election of CEC members, which will clarify their legality. Until a court ruling is made, those members shall remain in their positions, and all institutions and parties should fully cooperate with the CEC and its members. This year, we will mark several important anniversaries. In July, we will commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  16. “The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina must immediately ensure funding for the Central Election Commission to fulfil its obligations with regard to the elections, ideally by adopting the 2020 State budget or, alternatively, by allocating surplus funds specifically for this purpose. The Central Election Commission has also warned that some of the required preparatory activities for elections, and possibly the elections themselves, may not be carried out on schedule owing to conditions and restrictions caused by the pandemic. It has proposed legislation that would give the Commission the possibility of delaying the elections by a period longer than that currently provided for by law.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  17. “In addition, for more than 10 years the citizens of Mostar have been deprived of their right to vote in local elections, and the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the Sejdić and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina case remains unimplemented after more than 10 years. Other related human rights judgments also remain unimplemented. Bosnia and Herzegovina is due to hold municipal elections in October of this year. The Central Election Commission (CEC) has warned that, due the failure to adopt the State budget for the year 2020, it may be unable to proceed with the necessary preparations that should begin by the time it announces the elections, which it is legally obliged to do by tomorrow, 7 May.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  18. “Angelika Nussberger, an outstanding lawyer and German national, to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitutional Court and look forward to the continuation of the work of international judges on the Court in accordance with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution and the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would also like to report that, while the Republika Srpska Government was appointed quickly in 2018, the new Federation Government has not — more than 18 months since the October 2018 general elections — been appointed yet, as one political party continues to condition the establishment of the Government on changes to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s election law.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  19. “I am concerned that some political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina will return to the pre-pandemic status quo, in which decision-making at the state level was blocked by parties of the governing coalition in Republika Srpska. With the blockade, these parties have attempted to force a discussion on the removal of the foreign judges from the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitutional Court. Should the foreign judges leave that Court, some political parties would de facto gain political control over the Court and then instrumentalize it to dismantle existing arrangements in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For this reason, I fully support the recent election of Ms.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  20. “On 28 April, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced the launch of the process to implement the 14 key priorities set forth in the European Commission’s May 2019 opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for European Union membership. In so doing, the Presidency reaffirmed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s commitment to European Union (EU) membership as a strategic foreign policy goal and a priority. The Presidency also established an ad hoc political working group. This is the result of the efforts of the EU and its international partners, and I wish every success for this endeavour in advance of the Western Balkans summit, which begins in Zagreb today.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  21. “On the other hand, to date the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have failed to reach a political agreement on the distribution of financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Moreover, the greatest challenge for the country is how to minimize the risks of corruption related to the management of international financial and material assistance. While the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina must fully investigate corruption allegations, I strongly recommend that my colleagues in the international community establish their own rigorous mechanisms to track their financial and material assistance so as to avoid profiteering. I would now like to acknowledge a significant development that occurred since I completed my report.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  22. “As a result of the lack of coordination, there are currently different levels of measures applied in each entity, and it appears that there is no countrywide plan to mitigate the economic setbacks. I encourage the authorities to follow the World Health Organization guidelines and, most importantly, to diligently enforce any and all measures in place. I sincerely hope that we do not see a resurgence of the virus. In this crisis, the international community has done an excellent job of assisting Bosnia and Herzegovina by providing the country’s authorities at all levels of authority with financial and material assistance as well as political and technical expertise.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  23. “As I note in my report, Bosnia and Herzegovina, like all countries represented in the Security Council today, is currently in the midst of the coronavirus disease pandemic. While it is still too early to make a thorough assessment, I am pleased to report that, so far, the country has apparently managed to avoid the widespread outbreaks and significant loss of life that has befallen some other countries. While both entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, took early measures and initially showed that they were prepared to work together, including at the state level, the country has ultimately not succeeded in establishing a functional coordination mechanism to address the health crisis and appropriately coordinate measures to deal with the economic consequences of the crisis.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source

  24. “Allow me at the beginning to personally wish each member of the Security Council good health and to express the hope that their respective countries are successfully overcoming the ongoing pandemic. I am grateful that the Council is still willing and able to devote its time to a discussion on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which continues to require our attention and commitment. In the report I have submitted to the Secretary-General for distribution to the members of the Security Council (S/2020/345, annex), I have set out the issues that Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing. These issues deserve the continued focus and support of the Council and the wider international community. I will now elaborate further.”

    2020-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/379 (2020) · source