At the NATO Information Seminar Sarajevo, 2 July 1998

SFOR Continued Gregory L. Schulte Director, Bosnia Task Force NATO International Staff Ambassador Klaiber has just given you an overview of NATO's wider agenda. It has shown that NATO is more than just SFOR and that NATO's efforts to promote cooperation and stability extend well beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina. I wish to concentrate on that part of NATO's agenda that deals specifically with your country. This part of NATO's agenda includes two items: first, SFOR; second, NATO's relationship with Bosnia beyond SFOR. The Continuation of SFOR Today SFOR, organised and lead by NATO, is the most visible manifestation of the Alliance in your country. We can thank the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have now served in SFOR and its predecessor IFOR for the secure environment that allows us to gather today and tomorrow for this seminar in Sarajevo. Unfortunately, we have not yet reached a point when we can be confident that the peace negotiated at Dayton would continue to consolidate without the presence of SFOR. Thus NATO's Foreign Ministers in May approved the planning for the continuation of SFOR beyond its original 18-month mission. And in June NATO's Defence Ministers agreed to the activation of these plans. June 20th was the date of the transition to the "new" SFOR. You probably didn't notice much change. Indeed most remains the same: SFOR continues to be organized and led by NATO, under the excellent command of General Shinseki, with the participation of forces from some 38 countries including the 16 countries of NATO and 17 Partner countries. SFOR continues to operate with the full consent of your government, while having the necessary capability and rules of engagement to enforce the military aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement. SFOR continues to work closely with Ambassador Westendorp, the UN and the OSCE and to provide broad support to implementing the civil aspects of the Peace Agreement. Much remains to be accomplished, and SFOR's priorities will include support for refugee return and for this September's elections. There are, however, two new elements to SFOR. The first is the introduction of a multi-national specialised unit. This new unit will consist of two battalions of carbinieri and gendarmes, personnel trained and equipped to deal with violent demonstrations, such as those in Drvar and Derventa a few months ago. The unit will be based here in Sarajevo, but capable of rapid deployment throughout Bosnia. By introducing such a capability into SFOR, we hope to prevent civil disturbances in the first instance. We also hope to counter those who use thugs and criminals to undercut the peace, to intimidate those trying to return to their homes and to block the installation of democratically-elected officials. We want to help promote public security, which is a key element of a lasting peace. But it is not our goal to supplant those who should be responsible for public security: your local officials and your local police. SFOR with this new specialised unit will continue to work closely with the UN International Police Task Force to reform and restructure the local police and to help them assume their proper role in protecting civil society. The second new element of SFOR is that we have not specified for how long the mission will continue. We listened to the good advice of Kai Eide, the last UN Special Representative, and decided to work toward an "end-state" rather than an "end-date". Our planning includes a strategy for transition with the aim of progressively reducing the size, role and profile of the force consistent with developments in the political and security situation and progress in civil implementation. NATO, with the other countries contributing to the force, will review SFOR's force levels and tasks at regular intervals beginning later this year, following the September elections. We will of course consult closely with the High Representative in view of his leading role in monitoring overall implementation of the Peace Agreement and in coordinating its civil aspects. Indeed, the progress report that Ambassador Westendorp is to submit to the Peace Implementation Council's Steering Board by mid-September will provide essential input for our first review. The end-state we seek is a peace that can last and provide the basis for your country's continued reconstruction without the continued presence of a NATO-led military force. NATO wants peace and stability in Bosnia, but we have no desire to establish a permanent military presence here. In the end, it is the people of Bosnia and their elected leaders who must make the peace work. Looking Beyond SFOR To create a peace that is self-sustaining, we need to work now on the foundation for long-term military stability. In the short-term, the continuation of SFOR will help to ensure this stability. But ultimately the responsibility for maintaining the peace must shift to your own institutions as well as to regional arms control and security regimes in which your country will participate. As a contribution to this process, NATO has established an initial set of Security Cooperation Activities with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim is two-fold: first, to promote confidence and cooperation among your armed forces; and second, to encourage the development of democratic practices and central defence structures such as your government's Standing Committee on Military Matters. Your country's constitution is unique and one unique aspect relates to defence. The joint Presidency has responsibility for your country's foreign policy, but not for its defence, a responsibility that is left to the two Entities. However, each member of the Presidency has civilian command authority over armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Standing Committee on Military Matters was established to help the Presidency to coordinate their activities. NATO attaches great importance to this committee. We are working through our Security Cooperation Activities to strengthen the committee so that it can promote trust and transparency at the highest levels of your armed forces. We want to help it to identify ways that your armed Forces can work together to help reconstruct your country and bring it closer to Europe. This same type of trust and transparency needs to be developed at all levels of your armed forces. Professional soldiers should be able to speak to other professional soldiers. They should be able to discuss common approaches to solve common problems, whether responding to natural disasters, demining the former battlegrounds or providing for your common defence. To help build this trust and cooperation, NATO is conducting a series of Security Cooperation Courses for civilian and military defence officials from your country at our school in Oberammergau. Five of these courses have been conducted to date, including a special course for senior officers last month. The NATO courses bring together officers and civilians from both Entity Armies to discuss the challenges faced by your country and the ways that the military can help to address them. When I speak at these courses, I always end with a simple challenge: I remind the participants that SFOR today is a collective effort with contributions from 38 countries. I tell them that sometime in the not so distant future NATO may again be called upon, to organise another force like SFOR to deal with a crisis elsewhere in Europe. And I challenge them to work together toward the goal of making Bosnia the 39th participant in such a coalition. Conclusion Let me conclude by reiterating NATO's commitment to peace in Bosnia on the basis of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The Alliance will continue to assist in consolidating the peace. In the short term, we will do so through SFOR's continued engagement. Over the longer-term we will do so by helping to bring Bosnia into the Euro-Atlantic community, including its security structures. But NATO alone cannot implement Dayton or bring Bosnia into Europe. Your commitment and determined efforts are required to make Bosnia a peaceful and prosperous part of Europe again. As the Secretary General said, we want a stable, self-confident Bosnia, a country that can manage its own affairs and that is not a permanent liability but a true asset for Euro-Atlantic security.