BOSNIAN PRESIDENT HARIS SILAJDŽIĆ MET WITH PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COURT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS JEAN-PAUL COSTA

STRASBOURG, France (September 30,2008) - Following the meetings that took place yesterday with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly and Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić has met with the President of the European Court for Human Rights Jean-Paul Costa in Strasbourg,France,the Bosnian State Presidency said.

President Silajdžić emphasized that he entered the Court with utmost respect, because he visited it precisely because of Bosnian citizens who, as he put it, perceive it as the last pillar of protection of their fundamental human and civil rights.He highlighted his commitment to for respect of verdicts of European Court, and announced that the number of appeals from Bosnia will probably rise until the new Constitution is introduced, which will be in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić also accentuated that a great number of Bosnian citizens rely on the European Court because they fell that they can not receive justice at the national courts, which is, as he said, the result of discriminatory provisions or practice on different grounds.

The President of the Court Jean Paul Costa thanked President Silajdžić on this visit, and reiterated that presidential visit reflects the level of seriousness of a country towards the European Court for Human Rights. He informed the Chairman Silajdžić about the challenges the Court faces, and some planned projects directed towards faster solution of the cases, and invited Bosnia to help him in this respect.

Number of cases from Bosnia have also been discussed, the type and kind of such cases, as well as the need of an educational campaign in order to inform Bosnian citizens better with the rules of the European Court for Human Rights.
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