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Political roundtables organized to provide outreach opportunities for political parties
SARAJEVO 3 October 2000
SARAJEVO, 3 October 2000 - The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina is assisting in organizing more than 120 political roundtables which are designed to enable political parties in the pre-election period to present their strategies to specific interest groups and address the concerns of the population. It is part of the OSCE contribution to the effort to orient the pre-election campaign towards the issues affecting the everyday lives of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The roundtables are closed events which give candidates the chance to address concrete communal problems and explain how they would represent the citizens in Cantonal or entity legislative assemblies," said Sverre Johan Kvale, Director of the OSCE Democratization Department. "The roundtables are also a successful means for increasing the accountability of political candidates."
To keep the roundtables focused and make constructive interaction possible, they are organized with individual parties and include between 20 to 25 people. They are not open to the press, though the political party holding the roundtable may hold a press conference following the event. The themes of the roundtables are chosen by the parties and focus on common problems like refugee return, employment and economic development.
For further information, please contact OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Henriette Schroeder at the OSCE Press Office at 033/292-154.
The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP), the OSCE Mission activities are to: promote Democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society, foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists, monitor and advance the Human Rights situation, supervise the conduct of Elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures. The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.
"The roundtables are closed events which give candidates the chance to address concrete communal problems and explain how they would represent the citizens in Cantonal or entity legislative assemblies," said Sverre Johan Kvale, Director of the OSCE Democratization Department. "The roundtables are also a successful means for increasing the accountability of political candidates."
To keep the roundtables focused and make constructive interaction possible, they are organized with individual parties and include between 20 to 25 people. They are not open to the press, though the political party holding the roundtable may hold a press conference following the event. The themes of the roundtables are chosen by the parties and focus on common problems like refugee return, employment and economic development.
For further information, please contact OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Henriette Schroeder at the OSCE Press Office at 033/292-154.
The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP), the OSCE Mission activities are to: promote Democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society, foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists, monitor and advance the Human Rights situation, supervise the conduct of Elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures. The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.