Press Release (97)105 15 Sept. 1997

Statement by the Secretary General of NATO, Dr. Javier Solana on the Municipal Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina The Secretary General is pleased that the municipal elections this past weekend in Bosnia have been a great success. He congratulates the OSCE for its steadfastness in overcoming many obstacles and for its excellent organisation of the elections. The Secretary General also salutes SFOR which provided an environment of security without which the elections could not have taken place nor have passed off so smoothly. SFOR also provided essential planning and logistic support to the OSCE both before and during the elections. Their success is once again testimony to the close cooperation between NATO and the OSCE. SFOR will now work closely with OSCE and all the other international organisations involved to ensure that the results are fully implemented. The Secretary General urges all the political parties of Bosnia to respect the democratic decision of the Bosnian people.