SDA CAUCUS HAS PREPARED A NUMBER OF AMENDMENTS TO POLICE REFORM LAWS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 3,2008) – The Bosnian Minister of Security Tarik Sadovic stated in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo that the SDA Party Caucus at the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly prepared a “number of amendments to the two proposals for the police reform laws aimed to improve the laws’ texts”.

”We are not optimistic related to adoption of the amendments”, Sadovic stated and assed that both these laws were supported in the first reading in the parliamentary houses. What follows is the phase of amendments.

Sadovic expressed concerns over the fact that the text of the existing laws does not contain neither of the three EU principles on police reform.

”That worries us greatly. I clearly heard at the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Main Board session that the Office of the International community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) and the EU Police Mission in Bosnia (EUPM) are authorized to state whether or not the EU principles have been implemented or not. If not, the question is why has the EU given up the principles”, Sadovic stated.

He added that he has had an opportunity to see almost all the documents of the PIC Main Board’s communiqué and several letters of the Commissioner for Expansion Olli Rehn.

”In each of the three letters, police reform based on the three principles was emphasized. It is strange for us at the SDA party that we are to be given something that is not the police reform, under the excuse for signing the SAA. My party’s position is that Bosnia should sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and European Union, but we also need a good police reform. That means that wee need to get a multiethnic police, based on the EU standards and in the function of efficient fight against all forms of crime”, Minister Sadovic said.
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