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Head of OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina meets with Croatian Government officials
ZAGREB 26 January 2001
ZAGREB, 26 January 2001 - Ambassador Robert L. Barry, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a series of meetings with officials of the government of the Republic of Croatia today in Zagreb. The meetings are the most recent in a series of regular contacts with representatives of the government of Croatia to update them on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While in Zagreb, Barry met with the chair of the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) Committee on Foreign Affairs, Prof. Dr. Zdravko Tomac. The meeting with Prof. Dr. Tomac comes on the eve of the visit of a delegation from the Sabor to Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess the current situation in the country and meet with various political officials and representatives of the international community. Barry also held discussions with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tonino Picula, and the Minister of Defense, Jozo Rados.
In his meetings, Barry expressed the desire of the international community to see the HDZ-BiH participate fully in discussions on the formation of legislatures and governments at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in particular stressed the importance of seeing cantonal, entity, and state-level governments sworn in as quickly as possible in order to deal with the poor economic situation in the country.
"I want to stress that the door is open to HDZ participation in this process of forming legislative bodies," stated Barry. "The best protection for the Croats at the Bosnia and Herzegovina state level and in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the full engagement of all elected parties in the process of establishing the Houses of Peoples at those levels."
Barry also raised the issue of reductions of military forces in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), the Republic of Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the need to sharply reduce defense expenditures in the region. He praised Croatian government moves to shift aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina from military to humanitarian assistance, and to assist with the return of BiH Croat refugees to both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For further information, please contact OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Sanela Tunovic at (++387/33) 292 338 or at (++387 66) 134 758.
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.
While in Zagreb, Barry met with the chair of the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) Committee on Foreign Affairs, Prof. Dr. Zdravko Tomac. The meeting with Prof. Dr. Tomac comes on the eve of the visit of a delegation from the Sabor to Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess the current situation in the country and meet with various political officials and representatives of the international community. Barry also held discussions with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tonino Picula, and the Minister of Defense, Jozo Rados.
In his meetings, Barry expressed the desire of the international community to see the HDZ-BiH participate fully in discussions on the formation of legislatures and governments at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in particular stressed the importance of seeing cantonal, entity, and state-level governments sworn in as quickly as possible in order to deal with the poor economic situation in the country.
"I want to stress that the door is open to HDZ participation in this process of forming legislative bodies," stated Barry. "The best protection for the Croats at the Bosnia and Herzegovina state level and in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the full engagement of all elected parties in the process of establishing the Houses of Peoples at those levels."
Barry also raised the issue of reductions of military forces in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), the Republic of Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the need to sharply reduce defense expenditures in the region. He praised Croatian government moves to shift aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina from military to humanitarian assistance, and to assist with the return of BiH Croat refugees to both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For further information, please contact OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Sanela Tunovic at (++387/33) 292 338 or at (++387 66) 134 758.
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.