LAJCAK AND SPIRIC DISCUSSED POLICE REFORM

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 11,2007) – The International Community's High Representative and EU Special Representative in Bosnia (HR/EUSR), Miroslav Lajcak met yesterday with Bosnia's Prime Minister in resignation, Nikola Spiric. During their working meeting they discussed issues that need to be addressed by the Bosnian Government.

Lajcak and Spiric discussed how the country will meet the institutional and legislative requirements set out in the Mostar Declaration and Action Plan on Police Reform agreements.

Lajcak emphasized that the process agreed to by Bosnia’s political leaders must be lead by the country’s institutions.He informed Spiric that the EUSR. EUPM and the US are ready to monitor this process as set out by the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn. Last week Commissioner Rehn called on EUSR and EUPM to follow the development of police reform legislation to ensure that the three EU principles are met.

At the meeting Lajcak and Spiric also discussed a process that will finally bring about an agreement on the ownership and use of state property.

“The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council has instructed me to undertake all appropriate measures to bring this issue to a conclusion”, the International Community's High Representative/EU Special Representative in Bosnia miroslav Lajcak told Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric yesterday.

Lajcak and Spiric agreed that progress was needed on the transfer of property needed for defence purposes as required by the Bosnian Defence Law.

DORIS PACK: COOPERATION BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION IS PRECONDITION FOR PEACE AND STABILITY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 11,2007) – Cooperation between the countries of the region and overcoming the past are preconditions of peace, stability and prosperity in the Southeastern Europe. This was stated by a member of the European Parliament and President of the European Parliament for the Southeastern Europe Doris Pack.

Pack is of the opinion that it is of the outmost importance for the regional countries to keep their dignity and regional identity. That is only possible by their association to the EU. She stated that there is no dominant culture in the European Union and that it is a whole made up of different identities.

For her, joint efforts in ensuring a better future are preconditions of regional cooperation. That includes cooperation between different political parties.

She emphasized that corruption is one of the main obstacles to the regional development. She stated that many different sectors are corrupt, like educational, health and police. The privatization processes are also fertile grounds for corruption. One of the ways to overcome that problem is to ensure good salaries for the employees of those sectors.

She is of the opinion that managing the state borders is an issue solved a long time ago, That is important for the EU, as well as for visa regime facilitation processes.

She added that preserving human resources in the key civic sector fields is needed, especially in the sense of involving and employing young people. Efficient regional cooperation will greatly contribute their decision to stay in their countries. The Bologna Process will open space for exchange of students and other young people, which would make them a part of the EU student standards.

Pack added that Bosnia should be proud of its tourist capacities, which need to be improved constantly.

”You need to try and get rid of the past. We do not live in Middle Ages. We live in modern times. I will advocate future and the people who need to be given equal chances, regardless of their national and other determination. Geographically, you are the very heart of Europe. Your way is the European Union”, Pack emphasized.

BOSNIAN STATE PROSECUTOR FILED AN INDICTMENT AGAINST SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL MLADEN MILANOVIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 11,2007) – The Bosnian State Prosecutor has filed an indictment against Serbian war criminal Mladen Milanovic,49,and sent it to the Bosnian State Court for confirmation.

The indictment charges Serbian war criminal Mladen Milanovic, as former member of the genocidal paramilitary formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia, with having committed war crimes against Bosnian civilians in 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The indictment alleges that Milanovic was a guard in the "Bunker" concentration camp in Semizovac, where a group of Bosnian civilians was detained,and that he helped members of the genocidal Serbian aggressor's soldiers torture the Bosnian civilians.

Serbian war criminal Mladen Milanovic was arrested by the Bosnian authorities on July 27 this year, when he came to Bosnia to waive his Bosnian citizenship, as part of the process to obtain citizenship of Austria, where he has lived since the end of the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Up to now, the Bosnian State Court has pronounced one verdict for crimes committed in the concentration camps established by the genocidal Serbian aggressor in Vogosca municipality.

By that verdict, Serbian war criminal Dragan Damjanovic was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.

COPPOLA AND DIVJAK DISCUSSED STRATEGIES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 11,2007) – The fight against police corruption and the good cooperation between the EU Police Mission and Transparency International was the topic of yesterday’s meeting between Brigadier General Vincenzo Coppola, Head of the EU Police Mission in Bosnia(EUPM), and Boris Divjak, President of the Board of Directors of Transparency International in Bosnia.

“The fight against police corruption falls directly under our mandate,” said General Coppola yesterday.

“We know that corruption within the police exists. We have therefore undertaken a number of inspections to curb this problem. In addition, we have encouraged the local police forces to devise and implement their own anti-corruption strategies,” Coppola said.

Coppola further briefed Divjak about the EUPM-led initiative of increasing police accountability:

“Our aim is to intensify disciplinary measures against corrupt individuals, promote available instruments that citizens can use to report unethical and illegal behaviour of police officers such as the Public Complaints Bureaus,” he said.

Talking about future activities,Coppola informed Divjak about the EUPM’s intention to address the issue of corruption also with the Bosnian state prosecutors:

“We are currently organizing a police-prosecutor conference aimed at increasing the cooperation between the police and the prosecution. This two-day conference, which will take place coming Thursday and Friday, will also tackle the issue of the fight against corruption,” said Coppola. “I would like to thank TI for the good cooperation thus far and am assured that we will continue our joint efforts in the fight against corruption,”Coppola said.

Divjak expressed his willingness to continue cooperation with all international and local institutions on corruption prevention.

Divjak also noted a concrete contribution of the Transparency International to fight against corruption through ‘Advocacy and Legal Advice Center', which provided legal aid for over 8,000 Bosnian citizens victims of corruption.

OSCE MISSION TO BOSNIA MARKS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (December 11,2007) - To mark the International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia is organizing during this week a series of roundtables focusing on the Bosnian Government compliance, at all levels, with the major United Nations Human Rights Conventions, as well as recommendations issued by the respective UN Treaty Bodies.

A Roundtable, entitled “Bosnia's Compliance with the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination” took place in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo yesterday.

A Workshop, entitled “Bosnia's Compliance with the United Nations Treaty Bodies Recommendations,” will take place simultaneously in Tuzla and in Banja Luka today and in Trebinje on 13 December.

International Human Rights Day commemorates the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which recognises that the inherent dignity of each person is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.