LAJCAK BELIEVES HIS PROPOSAL IS JUST AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THREE EU PRINCIPLES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 21,2007) – The International community's High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak is convinced Bosnia is facing the dilemma – integration or isolation. However, integration means fulfillment of certain obligations, Boris Ruge, Head of the OHR’s Department for Politics stated while passing a speech at a roundtable session entitled “Bosnia – Integration to the EU or Isolation: We Chose the Integration”.

Ruge said that the EU and Peace Implementation Council have defined the police reform as the top priority, which will open the door to signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the EU.

”The High Representative believes that all the Bosnian political forces need to focus on the police reform issues and is convinced that the latest protocol is just and in accordance with the three European Principles”, Ruge emphasized.

He warned that the European institutions are concerned over the situation in Bosnia and that the High Representative stated consequences will follow if an agreement is not achieved.

Although the very topic of the roundtable session was not police reform-related, that very issue dominated the discussion.Mirko Pejanovic stated that the police reform has become an issue of fate.

Mirsad Ceman is of the opinion that the key problem lies in the fact that Bosnia is seen differently by different people.

He criticized the International Community for having announced last year that the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) would close. That was the point when all the anti-Bosnian forces started the initiative to halt the reform processes.

”That was a strategic mistake made by the International Community”, Ceman said.

Situation in the country has become so serious that it is only a matter of time it will initiate an uncontrollable process, Beriz Belkic said.

According to him, there is no free admittance to the European integrations. The only issue in that sense is the size of demands.

”All the solutions and concepts we have had resulted from a compromise and the IC’s needs. There are some proposals which could lead to this country’s integration, as well as the ones that are oriented towards the country’s disintegration”, Belkic said.

”Miroslav Lajcak’s proposal on the police reform has improved the police reform. However, it remains loyal to the current situation in the country”, Belkic said.

Radovan Vignjevic warned against the consequences which could follow unless the SAA is signed. He called the political parties to publicly state if they do or do not favor Lajcak’s proposal.

Luka Markesic talked about the Croat parties’ signing of the Kresevo Declaration, related to Bosnia's structural reorganization.

In that document, he emphasized the unacceptability of existence of two entities in Bosnia. In that sense, Markesic emphasized, it is clear that the parties ask for formation of a third entity.

The Croatian National Council is interested in Bosnia divided in regions. He added that the existence of the third entity would cause damage to the Croats living in Bosnia, as well as for the other Bosnian citizens.

On the other hand, he stated that Lajcak’s proposal can be taken as a good basis for an agreement.