BOSNIA TO SIGN SAA WITH EU IN MAY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 22,2008) – The Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj has started consultations with the European Commission’s high officials to pressure Slovenian Presidency over the EU to fulfil the promise that Bosnia will sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) after adoption of the police reform laws.During his two-day visit to Brussels, Minister Alkalaj met with the majority of the high European Commission’s officials – Michael Leigh (Head of the Expansion Direction), Michael Giffoni (Political Director for the West Balkans), Javier Solana (EU’s High Commissioner for Foreign Policy), Manuel Barosso (President of the European Commission) and others.

Alkalaj told Bosnian media that he talked to the EU high officials about signing of SAA April 29 or on some other date.

He made clear that because of the quantity of tasks that are to be performed (translation of 1.300 pages into 22 languages is one of them), signing of the Agreement may not take place on April 29 as planned. He emphasized, however, that the European commission is strongly engaged and determined to bring the job to the end.

Alkalaj expects that Bosnia will sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union in May.
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