Major General Michele Torres

In September 2011, Major General Michele Torres of Italy was appointed Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office for Article IV, Annex 1-B of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Prior to his nomination, Torres served as Chief of the General Affairs Department in the Italian Army General Staff and was acting as the Italian Army’s Spokesperson and Chief of Protocol.  He graduated in Strategic Sciences in Turin in 2000 and received a master’s degree in Strategic Sciences in 2004 , graduated in Political Sciences in Trieste in 2004, and received a master’s degree in Institutional Communication from the University of Rome in 2008. Torres started his military career in 1974, serving in different positions in operative units starting from the Artillery Branch.

He also attended the Field Artillery Advanced Course and the MLRS Cadre Course in the US, and served as Assistant Military Attaché at the Italian Embassy in Egypt, Sudan and Chad. Major General Torres was Chief of Staff in the Pinerolo Brigade, Regiment Commander in Messina and Brigade Commander in Bari. Further he served in the Army General Staff as Chief of Section, Chief of the Office and Deputy Head of Department, responsible for Institutional Communication, Public Affairs, and Information Activities. Torres deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997 and to Bassora (Iraq) in 2006 as Deputy Commander of the Multinational Division South-East and was awarded with several decorations.

Mandate

Major General Torres has been assisting the parties in implementing the Agreement, ensuring the appropriate verification of the data they provide during the Annual Exchange of Military Information, and supervising the collection and dissemination of all official notifications.

The Personal Representative can count on a small group of arms control specialists to handle technical matters, resolve ambiguities and even propose improvements to increase the effectiveness of the Agreement.

He requests the assistance of OSCE countries, as well as prepares, co-ordinates, monitors and facilitates the Article IV Annual Inspection. He is also responsible for keeping updated the list of the Article IV assistants who are provided by OSCE countries and he co-ordinates their training.

Broadly speaking, the Personal Representative's role is to broker political consensus, to ensure that the process of stabilization flows and to surmount obstacles to the Agreement's implementation.