BOSNIAN AUTHORITIES TO TAKE OVER RESPONSIBILITY OF CIVIL CONTROL OF MOVEMENT OF WEAPONS FROM EUFOR

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 4,2007) – The Commander of the European Union Forces in Bosnia (EUFOR) Rear Admiral Hans Jochen Witthauer met with members of the Bosnian Council of Ministers’ Workgroup in Charge of Regulations on Civil Control of Movement of weapons and Military Equipment.

Civil responsibility for the movement of weapons and military equipment will now be handed over to the Bosnian authorities institutions.

The workgroup has been developing bill on civil control of movement of weapons and military equipment, bill on movement of dangerous materials and the bill on weapons.

Witthauer stated after the meeting that EUFOR wants to hand over as many of competences as possible to the Bosnian authorities. He added that the process began early this year by the act of handing over the air space control. Several days ago, the mine clearance competences have been handed over by the EUFOR to the Bosnian Army.

Witthauer said that this issue has both a military and a civil aspect. The military aspect has already been covered.The Bosnian Armed Forces are already on the way to form a military center for weapons movement control. Civil control is a part of the civil aspect of the issue.

”This law needs to be aligned with the law on weapons and the law on movement of dangerous materials. Members of the Workgroup have been urged to present the time frame needed to complete the job”, Witthauer said and added that he has received a report that the commission is close to finishing the job and that the Bosnian Council of Ministers could receive the bills next week.

Slobodan Saraba, Deputy President of the bosnian Parliament's Committee for Defense and Security stated that the parliamentarians have been informed on the most significant acts of the laws related to civil control of movement of weapons and ammunition.

Saraba emphasized that the most important aspect to the law is that the civil control of movement of weapons and ammunition is placed to the hands of the Bosnian authorities.

”This has been so far the exclusive jurisdiction of EUFOR. The Bosnian authorities will now take over the competence. By the time this law is adopted, Bosnia will be a step closer to the EU”, he said.

Jozo Krizanovic, member of the Committee, stated that the competence will be handed over to a Bosnian Ministry of Safety’s department, which will supervise the movement of weapons and ammunition in Bosnia from the stage of production to storage and export.