Intervention
by H.E.
Mr. Josep Piqué,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain
Let me first of all welcome the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Mr. Wolfgang Petritsch, and express my gratitude for him attending this
meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and for the interesting
and substantial information he has provided to us.
Five years after the signing of the Dayton accords, and in spite of the
continued strong support for nationalist parties, the conduction and results
of the general elections held in November, with an increased support for
centrist parties, give us some scope for a reasonable optimism.
On the other hand, the events in the region (namely in Croatia and the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) make it possible, for the first time since
the war, to establish a constructive relationship between Bosnia-Herzegovina
and its neighbouring countries.
Nevertheless, as it has been stressed by the Secretary General of the
United Nations in his last biannual report on the UN Mission in Bosnia
and Herzegovina -in which he proposes to complete the mandate and to finish
the UN mission by December 2002- the progress made so far is quite limited
and the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina must realise that its future
in Europe and the aid of the international community depend on the measures
to be adopted jointly to create a modem, democratic and tolerant society.
It is essential now that the new elected leaders take on greater responsibilities,
working together with the international community to face the important
challenges that still remain. In particular, the economic re-construction,
the return of refugees and displaced persons and the development of a
common security policy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, including a unified
command for its forces.
The presence here today of Mr. Petritsch has a special importance and
significance, in a moment in which the EAPC is fully engaged with the
building of long-term peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.
There is no doubt that, to carry out this engagement, we will have to
make use of our common experience in the Balkans. In this regard, let
me express our gratitude to our partners -namely to the contributing countries-
for their co-operation with the Alliance, without which the fulfilment
of our common task would not be possible.
The progress report on the development of the South-East Europe Initiative
and contributions of the Alliance to the objectives of the Stability Pact,
which has been transmitted to us, is a clear example of our common engagement.
Nevertheless, the activities and the potential of the EAPC go far beyond,
with important developments in other specific fields, such as the regional
co-operation in the Caucasus, the challenges of small arms and light weapons
or the global humanitarian demining.
I would very much like, in this context, to stress the work carried out
by the EAPC/PMSC Ad Hoc Group on Peacekeeping, on the EAPC/PfP role in
conflict prevention.
Spain attaches great importance to this work and we are sure that it
will help the EAPC to play its own role, avoiding duplications and contributing
to the debate and the efforts of other international organisations, such
as the United Nations or the OSCE.
The EAPC has an extremely valuable tool to promote peace and stability
in the Euro-Atlantic area: the Enhanced and More Operational PfP, being
the Political-Military Framework for NATO-led PfP operations, and the
Operational Capabilities Concept, two essential components of it.
Let me conclude my intervention by stressing the importance of the initiatives
undertaken during this second half of the year within the EAPC, aiming
at rising its own profile and better contributing to security and stability
throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.
I am sure that these initiatives will allow us to improve the procedures
and substance of the EAPC, thus making a better use of this valuable forum,
which can play a unique role in further fulfilling the aims of the international
community.
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