Press Release (2002) 047 17 April 2002

The North Atlantic Council to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 and 19 April, 2002 The North Atlantic Council (NAC) will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on 18 and 19 April 2002. The NAC is the senior decision-making body of NATO, comprising the 19 NATO permanent representatives and the Secretary General, Lord Robertson. During the visit, the NAC will meet the Commander of SFOR, General Sylvester, the Bosnian Presidency as well as senior representatives of the international community. The NAC visit - ten years after the war started in Bosnia and Herzegovina - is a concrete demonstration of the Alliance's continuing commitment to maintain peace and stability throughout the country - and the Balkans. The Dayton Peace Agreement, supported by the NATO-led SFOR and the rest of the international community, has given the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina the chance to rebuild their lives and make their country part of the new Europe. In the last 6 years, much progress has been made on this path as the security situation has improved and many of the refugees have returned to their homes. However, essential reforms still remain to be implemented, and although the international community can help, the main responsibility falls on the people and political leadership of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Against this background, the NAC will closely look at a number of issues, including ongoing military reform. The Standing Committee on Military Matters must be strengthened so centralized command and control structures can be put in place. Armed Forces must be under proper civilian control and the budget reduced to reasonable levels. These are basic requirements if Bosnia and Herzegovina wants to join the Partnership for Peace (PfP). BiH must develop modern forces: appropriately sized, affordable, under unified state control, and capable of participation in multinational peacekeeping operations. The NAC will also support enhanced cooperation with the ICTY, a keystone of the developing peace in the Balkans. The NAC will remind the Presidency that the parties to the Dayton Peace Agreement - the local authorities - remain primarily responsible for cooperating in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and other violations of international and humanitarian law. Finally, while reiterating the Alliance's commitment to the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the NAC will insist that the future of BiH lies in the hands of its people and that the time has come for the Bosnians - and their political leaders - to take ownership of the peace implementation process in their own country. For further information please contact: NATO Press Office Brussels: Tel: +32 2 707 50 41, Fax: +32 2 707 50 57, Email :press@hq.nato.int SFOR Press Office Sarajevo: Tel: +387 33 495000, Fax: +387 33 495 000 ext. 7006 Email: cpic.mediaops@sfor.nato.int

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