WORKGROUP FOR BOSNIAN POLICE REFORM IMPLEMENTATION FORMED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 19,2007) – On the basis of the decision made by the Bosnian Government on December 13, Workgroup for the Bosnian Police Reform Implementation was formed yesterday. The group is obliged to develop law or laws on the basis of which direction for police coordination, institute for forensic investigation, institute for schooling and training of the personnel, police support agency, independent board, citizens’ complaint board and police officers’ complaint board will be formed.

This was stated yesterday at a press conference by Bosnia's Prime Minister in resignation Nikola Spiric. He emphasized that the workgroup will, by February 15, porpose a draft or drafts of law(s) which will define all the agreements made between the politicians during the meetings which resulted in passing of the Mostar Declaration and Police Reform Implementation Action Plan.

Spiric stated that the workgroup will be made up of the following officials: personal representative of Bosnia's Prime Minister Sredoje Novic, personal representatives of The Bosnian State Ministers of Security and Justice Sead Lisak and Bariša Colak, personal representatives of the Entity Ministries of Interior Taib Spahic and Uros Pena, personal representative of the Brcko District Mayor Goran Lujic and Vinko Dumancic, Head of the Bosnian State Border Police.

Spiric emphasized that all the activities need to be taken for the purpose of completing the task by mid-February. That would create preconditions for signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Bosnia and the EU.

He added that the workgroup will meet once a week and that the decisions will be passed through a consensus. Representatives of the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR), the EU Police Mission in Bosnia (EUPM) and the U.S. Embassy will monitor the meetings.