ORIGINAL COPY OF DAYTON PEACE AGREEMENT MISSING

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 15,2008) – The Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic stated yesterday that “the original copy of the Dayton peace agreement is missing from the state archives,” President Komsic told reporters at the press conference after the Bosnian Presidency session that the Bosnian Presidency will launch an investigation to determine the whereabouts of the document that ended the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia and served as the basis of the new Bosnian Constitution.

The breakthrough peace agreement was reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995.

It was formally signed on December 14, 1995 in Paris,France, by the late presidents of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia - Alija Izetbegovic, Franjo Tudjman and Slobodan Milosevic - who each got their own copy.

BOSNIAN PARLIAMENT: PRINCIPLES OF DRAFT LAW ON BOSNIAN STATE BUDGET FOR 2008 SUPPORTED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 15,2008) – The Bosnian Parliamen's House of Representatives supported the principles of the draft law on the Bosnian state institutions budget and international obligations for 2008 which was proposed by the Bosnian Presidency.

The Bosnian Presidency concluded the draft law proposition at the end of January accoriding to which the budget for 2008 would amount to 1.231.357.560 Bosnian Marks.

However, delegates adopted two more conclusions proposed by the SDA Party according to which the budget would finally amount to 1.186.357.560 Bosnian Marks.

Namely, the first conclusion demands from the Commission for the Budget and Financing to, in cooperation with the Bosnian Ministry of Finances and Vault, in the amendment phase concludes the budget draft which would have the structure such that assets from JRUIO for the Bosnian state institutions financing instead of proposed 710.000.000 Bosnian Marks, would amount to 675.000.000 Bosnian Marks and total budget would amount to 1.186.357.560 Bosnian Marks, which was the earlier proposition by the Bosnian Council of Ministers.

The second conclusion stated that the structure of liabilities would incorporate the propositions of the Bosnian Presidency in the amounts designated by the Commission for financing and budget with the Bosnian Ministry of Finance and Vault as well as department ministries – Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of External trade and Economic Relations

OSCE ORGANIZES SEMINAR ON EUROPEAN INTEGRATION FOR BOSNIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 15,2008) - A two-day seminar, jointly organised by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia, the European Policy Information Centre (EPIC) and the European Commission (EC) Delegation, for members of the Bosnian Parliament on European integration began yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo under the chairmanship of Halid Genjac, the Head of the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on European Integration.

During this seminar international experts and members of the EC Delegation will discuss with the members of the Bosnian Parliament issues affecting the goal shared by Bosnia and the region of closer integration with the European Union.

Topics include the accession status of the countries of the Southeastern Europe and the challenges facing and responsibilities resting with the Bosnian Parliament and its Committee on European Union Integration, the OSCE said.

This seminar forms part of the OSCE Mission’s programme to strengthen the state legislature, which implemented thanks to the financial support of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In addition, at this seminar EPIC will present a project sponsored by the British Embassy to promote small businesses through the EU’s Lisbon Agenda - the engine behind the European “knowledge economy.”

CROATIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER MET WITH BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBERS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 15,2008) – “Bosnia and Croatia are two neighboring and friendly countries. Your visit is a significant step forward in relation to the bilateral relations and solving open issues between the two countries”, said the Bosnian President Željko Komšić.

According to him, Croatia is a country that is heading toward the European Union and NATO membership and Bosnia can learn from the Croatian experience.

”There is a special situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because of which our path to the EU membership is sometimes slower and sometimes faster. We have goals we do not question – entering the European Union and NATO”, President Komšić stressed out.


“My first visit as a foreign minister to neighboring Bosnia is a sign that we believe in relations with Bosnia. We want to deepen our good-neighbors relations and we want a level of cooperation that will serve as an example to other countries,” said the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković.

He added that numerous issues between the two countries have already been solved and, as he said, there are plenty of bilateral agreements that could be ratified. He expressed Croatia’s willingness for the Interstate Council’s prompt meeting.

Minister Jandroković pointed out that Croatia would increase its advisory role because it wants to cooperate with Bosnia at the Euro-Atlantic integration level.

“Croatia’s policy by entering European Union is to become a connection between EU and Southeastern Europe because our interest is having a stable and a peaceful region and neighborhood”, said the Croatian Foreign Minister.

Bosnian Presidency Member Dr Haris Silajdžić said he was pleased with the fact that Minister Jandroković first visited Bosnia.

“We believe that Croatia’s progress and the progress of every country in the region toward European Union is a gain for Bosnia. In the EU, stability is encouraged with integration. We must speed up the process”, Silajdžić emphasized.

“Relations between Bosnia and Croatia can be enhanced and we can solve all issues. Bosnia needs help toward the EU-membership and I thank Croatia, which has some experience in the process, for the given support”, said Bosnian Presidency Member Nebojša Radmanović.

During the meeting, they also talked about the situation in the region and the developments concerning Kosovo. The Bosnian Presidency Chairman Željko Komšić said that for Bosnia, the existence of political stability in the region is very important.

The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković said Croatia, in relation to Kosovo, would follow the policy of European Union.

MEETING OF FBIH ENTITY POLITICAL LEADERS TO BE HELD ON SATURDAY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 15,2008) – Meeting of the party leaders which comprise parliamentary majority in the FBiH entity shall be held on Saturday, February 16 in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. Current issues around functioning of executive and legislative powers in the FBiH entity will be in the agenda.

This was stated yesterday by the HDZ Party spokesperson Miso Relota, mentioning that HDZ is the organizer of the meeting and led by the HDZ head Dragan Covic, and representatives of the SBiH Party - Haris Silajdzic, the SDA Party - Sulejman Tihic and HDZ 1990 - Bozo Ljubic will attend the meeting.

President and vice presidents of the FBiH entity Borjana Kristo, Mirsad Kebo and Spomenka Micic, the FBiH entity prime minister Nedzad Brankovic and his deputies Vjekoslav Bevanda and Gavrilo Grahovac shall also attend the meeting.

”We expect that all those invited will attend the meeting on Saturday”, stated Relota.

RYCROFT: TOO EARLY TO CLOSE OHR

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 15,2008) - The British Ambassador to Bosnia Matthew Rycroft said in the interview yesterday that his government is concerned with the political situation in Bosnia, because many reforms are not developing well, and this month the international community will face a very important decision – whether to close the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR), or not.

Ambassador Rycroft said it is too early for that, because Bosnia has not made sufficient progress.The UK does not expect the situation in Kosovo, or Bosnia, to escalate to the extent where British soldiers would need to be sent to the region, Rycroft said.