BOSNIAN MINISTER OF SECURITY TARIK SADOVIC ATTENDED TWO-DAY FORUM ON INTERIOR AFFAIRS HELD IN SLOVENIA

BRDO KOD KRANJA, Slovenia (October 8,2007) – Results achieved in the fight against the cross-border crime would be a lot better in Bosnia had there not been for certain obstacles caused by complexity of safety system structure. That means that there is no united police structure in Bosnia.

The fact that the EU keeps insisting on implementation of police reform and forming a united police structure in Bosnia is good. One police is a guarantee of safety of the Bosnian citizens. It will also make Bosnia a partner to the countries of the region and the EU countries in the process of creating the area of freedom and safety.

This was stated by the Bosnian Minister of Security Tarik Sadovic at a two-day ministerial forum on justice and interior affairs held in Brdo kod Kranja,Slovenia. Participants were the representatives of the Southeastern European countries and UNMIK, SECI, FRONTEX, EUROPOL and EUROJUST.

Commenting the fight against the cross-border crime, Sadovic said that Bosnia has been making important progress in the safety sector, migration management and integrated state borders’ management.

Sadovic expressed pleasure over the fact that Strategic Agreement on Cooperation with EUROPOL has been signed, which is a precondition for the increase of number of police liaison agents.

”I would like to express my conviction that the implementation of the Police Cooperation Convention in SE Europe (ratified by Bosnia in April 2007), as well as transformation and expansion of the SECI centre’s jurisdiction will largely contribute the fight against the cross-border crime”, the Bosnia Minister of Safety said.

He emphasized that Bosnia has signed 15 bilateral agreements on police cooperation and on joint control and state borders’ supervision. Another three agreements are to be signed soon and 18 of them have been initialed.

He mentioned that Bosnia has achieved significant results in the fight against cross-border crime, primarily in the fight against drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Sadovic expressed conviction that the successful operations are helping develop mutual trust between the police in the region.