BOSNIA TO INTENSIFY COOPERATION WITH CROATIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 1,2008) – The Bosnian Deputy Prime Minister and the Bosnian Minister of Security Tarik Sadovic had a meeting yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo with the Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Djurdja Adlesic.

Sadovic told the press after the meeting that he informed the guest about all the conclusions of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC).

”I repeated that signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is one of the conditions and the other is a positive mark of the PIC Main Board on the entire situation in Bosnia One of the goals set that will be especially monitored by the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) is the issue of finding an acceptable and sustainable solution for military property and the issue of full implementation of the arbitrage for the Brcko District”, Sadovic said.

He added that fiscal sustainability has a special importance and added that the Bosnian Council of Ministers developed the Law on Fiscal council and sent it to the parliamentary procedure.

Also, it is of the outmost importance for obtaining the rule of law in Bosnia to pass and adopt a national strategy on movement and stay of foreigners and adoption of the judiciary sector reform strategy.

”Directors of the PIC Main Board were united in the attitude (Russian Federation included) that the Dayton Agreement is to be fully implemented and emphasized that BiH is a country made up of two entities and three constitutional peoples and that the open issues need to be solved in Bosnia in a more responsible way”, Sadovic said.

The two officials talked at the meeting about the issue of joint activities that are taken in relation to the borders between Bosnia and Croatia.

”We expressed pleasure over the fact that Bosnia is about to complete the project of sealing the locations suitable for illegal crossing of the state border. Croatia will soon do the same”, Sadovic said.

They also expressed pleasure that trade exchange between the two countries is increasing.

Sadovic stated that his guest informed him that Croatia expects an invitation to NATO. “This is good news..This, in a way, can be a good message and a guarantee for Bosnia and other countries of the region”.

The Croatian Deputy Prime Minster Djurdja Adlesic thanked for support Croatia has from its neighbours in the integration processes.

She emphasized that Croatia is ready to associate to NATO.

She said that it is extremely important for BiH to have safe neighbourhood and added that Croatia has been monitoring all the events in Bosnia.

”We want to strengthen cooperation at the economic level and prepare for association to the EU”, Adlesic said.

Answering the journalist’s question if Croatian government has discussed Bosnian Presidency member Haris Silajdzic’s veto regarding the Bosnian Presidency’s Decision on dual citizenship between Bosnia and Croatia, Adlesic stated that the Croatian government has not yet discussed the issue.
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