BOSNIAN PRESIDENT ZELJKO KOMSIC ADDRESSED UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

NEW YORK, USA (September 28,2007) – The Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic addressed the UN General Assembly in New York.Here is a part of that address:

"You are all well aware that my country has in the recent past paid a high price for the imperfect and inefficient UN system. The UN alone have admitted that mistake and underlined in their Report on Srebrenica that the 'UN experience in Bosnia was one of the most difficult and painful in the history of this organisation' and that the 'Srebrenica tragedy will haunt us forever'.

The International Court of Justice, a UN court, passed a verdict on 26.02.2007 concerning Bosnia's lawsuit against Serbia and Montenegro for genocide. The Court ruled that genocide was committed against the Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica in the eastern Bosnia. You will agree that this was not an isolated case. It is for these reasons that Bosnia is fully committed, together with the dominant majority of the member states, to the necessary reform of the UN.

Bosnia thinks that only a strong UN can be an efficient instrument for collective regulation of international relations based on the UN Charter and international law. Besides necessary reform of the Security Council, further work is also needed on the revitalisation of the UN General Assembly and its committees, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat and other bodies.

I wish to stress that it is the interest of Bosnia – if reform results in the increase of the number of non-permanent members of the Security Council – that the East European Group be given one more seat.

Bosnia as a multiethnic and multiconfessional country with its historic legacy, having survived the failures of the international community, primarily the UN, which have carried serious consequences for my country, but also positive experiences in the post-war development of peace and in cooperation with UN officials, bodies and agencies, can significantly contribute to the UN becoming an efficient instrument in the regulation of international affairs. My country thinks that there can be no peace and security without economic and social development. It still stands at the position that the Security Council should remain an unavoidable body of international cooperation in the field of peace and progress in the rights of all nations.

I come from a country which has moved from a post-conflict phase to a phase of building a modern democratic society and integration with European and transatlantic structures. My country is therefore fully committed to the strengthening of international cooperation at the regional, European and global level.

I can say with great pleasure today that BiH is an active participant in all initiatives and processes of regional cooperation in Southeast Europe.

Bosnia is building relations with the neighbouring countries based on equality, full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bosnia has adopted the position of non-involvement in the internal matters of the neighbouring countries and thinks that the solution to the problem of Kosovo needs to be pursued through dialogue between the interested parties. Bosnia supports dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and is willing to support the search for a solution within the framework of regional initiatives.

BiH has also made significant advances at the wider international stage.BiH authorities are permanently committed to full cooperation with the ICTY. All indicted war criminals from the territory of the former Yugoslavia must be arrested.

ICTY should not close before the most wanted indicted war criminals, namely Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, are arrested.Bosnia supports all activities and peace initiatives directed towards prevention of conflict.

We are confident that the strengthening of the multilateralism of the UN can lead to efficient measures in the prevention of armed conflicts.

Bosnia urges all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq to abandon sectarian divisions and to actively join political processes and that joint efforts of the international community and the Iraqi government encourage comprehensive national political dialogue.

Considering the potentially catastrophic consequences of the further escalation of the crisis over the Iranian nuclear program, Bosnia welcomes the readiness of Iran to cooperate fully with the International Agency for Nuclear Energy and to engage in political dialogue with the key players.

The Bosnian foreign policy is directed towards the preservation and promotion of lasting peace, security, a stable democratic and comprehensive state development and to contributing to international peace and security," the Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic said in his address before the UN General Assembly.