NATO AND US TO FURTHER ASSIST BOSNIA ON ITS PATH TOWARDS FULL NATO MEMBERSHIP

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 12,2008) - Members of the Bosnian State Presidency Željko Komšić and Nebojša Radmanović,as well as Adnan Kapo, Adviser to the Cabinet of the Bosnian President Haris Silajdžić met yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo with Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, Commander of Allied Joint Force Command in Naples. Admiral was accompanied by General-major Richard Wightman, Commander of the NATO HQ in Bosnia,the Bosnian State Presidency said.

At the meeting, parties discussed Bosnia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, to which all political factors expressed their commitment and consent.

Radmanović emphasized, that in spite of a temporary deadlock, over the last period Bosnia has achieved a lot: signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, intensified dialogue for full membership in the NATO, signed Agreement on addressing the issue of military movable and immovable property, thus creating the conditions for solving the issue of superfluous armament i.e. immovable property.

Members of the Bosnian State Presidency also underlined that the question of 1000 military facilities in the country and the change of their purpose is connected to the issue of the entire state property and added that those objects could be used for development of economic and other services.

The two parties also exchanged ideas about the function and future of the Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR); NATO Headquarters in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, in other words, the role of the International Community in Bosnia.

Admiral Fitzgerald expressed his thanks to the Members of the Bosnian State Presidency for their engagement in transparent change of command at the Bosnian Armed Forces, emphasizing the readiness of NATO and the US to further assist Bosnia on its path toward full NATO membership.
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SOLANA: EU MILITARY PRESENCE IN BOSNIA AS LONG AS NECESSARY

BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 27,2008) - The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Javier Solana and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met in Brussels yesterday and stated that they do not believe the speculations on the strengthening of tensions in the region.Speaking about Bosnia, Solana confirmed that during EU-NATO meeting most they talked about police reform and future of the Office of the International Community's High Reprsentative in Bosnia (OHR), that is, its transformation into the Office of the EU special Representative in Bosnia. He expressed hope that Bosnia's political leaders shall soon manage to agree on the main principles of the police reform since the signing of the stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the european Union depends on it.

Commenting the possible influence of the situation in Kosovo on Bosnia, Solana stated that the political and security situation in Bosnia is under control and that Brussels does not expect any negative outcomes.

He repeated the stand of the EU from last Monday under which the conditions for completion of Altea operation in Bosnia still are not met and that EU will keep its military presence in Bosnia as long as it is necessary.
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BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY ADOPTED PRESENTATION DOCUMENT OF INDIVIDUAL PARTNERSHIP ACTION PLAN FOR BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 19,2008) – The Bosnian State Presidency at the emergency session held in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo approved the Presentation document of Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) for Bosnia in 2008-2009.

It was asked from the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to, through the Bosnian Mission with NATO; deliver this document to the NATO HQ in Brussels for review and adoption, the Bosnian Presidency stated.

The approval by the North Atlantic Council is in recognition of the progress Bosnia is making in defence reform and is a useful instrument for the successful completion of defence sector reform. It puts Bosnia on a firmer footing for the next phase of defence reforms - the Membership Action Plan - which could take Bosnia from the Partnership for Peace to full membership of NATO.
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KOSOVO BECOMES INDEPENDENT STATE

PRISTINA, Kosovo (February 18,2008) – Kosovo's Parliament adopted the Declaration of Independence in Pristina yesterday.Members of Kosovo's Parliament voted for the declaration yesterday around 16.00 with 109 votes for the independence. Political representatives of the serbians livig in Kosovo were not present at the Assembly.

"From this moment on Kosovo is independent and sovereign state”, declared Hashim Thaqi at the Plenary Session of the Kosovo Parliament.

Bosnia would not be among the countries to recognize an independent Kosovo in the near future, the Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic said yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

The situation in Bosnia remained calm following the declaration of independence by Kosovo.More police had been deployed across the country over the weekend.

Meanwhile in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, dozens of cars drove through city centre, with blaring horns and waving Kosovo flags, celebrating Kosovo independence.

While Bosnians and members of the Albanian community in Bosnia, celebrated in Sarajevo, some 100 Serbians living in Bosnia gathered in downtown Banja Luka to protest the declaration of Kosovo's independence.

"We have waited for this for so long, and that finally happened," said Ismet Alia - a member of the Albanian community in Bosnia.

A member of the Bosnian Presidency Haris Silajdzic stated for the press that due to Kosovo's declaration of independence, measures of information exchange between Bosnian and foreign subjects are intensified related to possible repercussions on the security situation in Bosnia.

”Based on information it can be concluded that the Bosnian state institutions are ready to answer the challenges”, stated Silajdzic at the press conference.

"Declaration of independence by Kosovo must have no effect on Bosnia. The change of the status of Kosovo is not related to Bosnia and Bosnia will not allow any interference in its internal affairs," Silajdzic said in a statement in Sarajevo.

U.S. Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, who is seeking the US presidency, has welcomed Kosovo's independence declaration as "a historic step that will allow the people of Kosovo to finally live in their own democratic state."

"I urge our friends and allies and around the world to join the United States and European Union countries in promptly recognizing an independent Kosovo," she said.


Kosovars wave an Albanian flag (L) and the flag of independent Kosovo (back) which was unveiled yesterday at the Kosovo Parliament after the declaration of independence was made in Pristina. Kosovo on Sunday declared independence from an angry and anxious genocidal Serbia, completing the conflict-strewn breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday that he supports the independence of Kosovo.

"On Kosovo, our position is that its status must be resolved in order for the Balkans to be stable. Secondly, we have strongly supported the Ahtisaari plan," Bush said, referring to a so-called "supervised independence" plan put forward by the former Finnish president and UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari.

The European Union and NATO appealed for calm in the region after Kosovo's declaration of independence.The move put the EU and other nations under pressure to recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

"This is not a race" to recognition, said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, in Brussels. "We are involved in trying to secure the stability of a very volatile region at a critical period in time. We have to do it with car," he said.

Still, diplomats said, most of the 27 EU nations planned to recognise Kosovo, led by Germany, Britain and France.

Javier Solana, the EU's foreign and security affairs chief, said he was in contact with leaders in the region to stress the importance of stability.

"I urge everybody to act calmly and in a responsible way.I am convinced that the Kosovar leaders will be up to their responsibilities in this crucial moment," Solana said in a statement.
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BOSNIAN PRESIDENT ZELJKO KOMSIC MET WITH US AND NATO OFFICIALS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 26, 2008) – The Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic on met with the US Ambassador to Bosnia Charles English and the NATO Sarajevo HQ Commander General Major Richard Wightman.

They discussed Bosnia's progress towards the NATO membership and underlined a need for concrete implementation of the Agreement on Basic Regulative Principles for immobile and mobile military assets, signed on July 12 2007 in order to achieve necessary progress before the upcoming Summit of NATO in Bucharest,Romania.

This meeting was also attended by the Commander of the Bosnian Armed Forces General Sifet Podzic.

FURTHER REFORM OF BOSNIAN MILITARY NEEDED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 25,2008) – Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric, met in the Bosnian capial Sarajevo with the US Ambassador to Bosnia Charles English and the Head of NATO’s Sarajevo Headquarters, General Richard Wightman.

They agreed that further reform of the Bosnian military is needed, so that Bosnia could progress on her path to the NATO membership.

With that in mind, the agreement on the principles of regulating military property issues, signed on July 12, 2007, needs to be enforced, so that certain progress is made before the NATO Summit in Bucharest this year.