Mr. President,

Like other members, my delegation extends a warm welcome to the distinguished Senator of the United States, Senator Joseph Biden and thanks him for his remarks. We are gratified at the reiteration of the strong commitment of the United States towards the United Nations and look forward to the resolution of the issue of the two scales on the basis of the necessary compromise and flexibility on the part of member states but also on the basis of principles – of which the capacity to pay is one of them. We are confident that given the strong commitment of the United States towards the United Nations which has been demonstrated in many areas of UN work – including the important area of peacekeeping, an amicable solution is possible.

2. My delegation also welcomes Mr. Jacques Paul Klein, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, back to the Security Council. We thank him for his comprehensive, candid and useful briefing.

My delegation is also grateful to the Secretary-General for his latest report on UNMIBH.

Mr. President,

4. Five years after its signing, the implementation of the Dayton Accords continues to require sustained support and active engagement of the international community. We are gratified with much that has been achieved during this period. The three main pillars of international assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina namely, SFOR, the Office of the High Representative, and UNMIBH continue to play pivotal roles in the respective areas of the Dayton implementation. We note that their work has not been easy, and that progress in the peace implementation process has been frustratingly slow and difficult.

5. My delegation wishes to take this opportunity to reaffirm, once again, our full support for Mr. Klein's leadership of UNMIBH and to commend the efforts of the Mission to further consolidate the development of the foundations for effective, democratic and sustainable law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

6. We note that some of the measures that UNMIBH has implemented through the targeted and more intrusive concept of operations have begun to bear fruit, and the Mission has made additional progress in many core mandate areas. In this regard, we fully support the development of a comprehensive Mandate Implementation Plan, which sets specific targets, projects and time-frames for the implementation of the six core programmes under the Mission’s mandate. We believe it is a step in the right direction.

7. Clearly, as has been stated by Mr. Klein, the success of the projects depends very much on provision of adequate resources, and on the cooperation of the parties concerned. We earnestly hope that the urgent appeals of the Secretary-General to Member States to contribute to the funding of the priority projects of UNMIBH and to the Trust Fund for the Police Assistance Programme will be responded positively. We would add that resources may be contingent upon the attitude of the parties to work with UNMIBH in the implementation of its mandate. We regret that continued political and administrative obstructions by certain quarters in some parts of the UNMIBH's area of operation have been the main cause for delay in the work of the Mission.

8. Political obstructionism and interference to the implementation of the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be tolerated. The cooperation and constructive role of local leaders is of paramount importance without which the international community's efforts would not be successful. We will, therefore, not tire to urge the parties concerned to demonstrate their commitment and cooperate with UNMIBH in the establishment of effective, democratic, multi-ethnic police force and judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

9. The UNMIBH judicial system assessment programme (JSAP) has carried out important work that can contribute significantly to the ongoing efforts to reform the Bosnian judiciary. My delegation strongly supports the continuation of this work and underlines the need for concrete follow-up actions in this area. We, therefore, welcome the establishment of an Independent Judicial Commission (IJC) that will lead the implementation of the judicial reform programmes. We hope that the Commission would be able to start its work as early as possible, and we support the idea that UNMIBH would assist the Commission even after the mandate of the JSAP has been completed. This will ensure continuity in the work of JSAP and the Commission.

10. We are gratified that the State Border Service has been consolidated and will soon be fully deployed. This and the establishment and integration of multi-ethnic police in both entities, the Federation and Republika Srpska, must continue to be strongly pursued. We particularly note in this context the increase of illegal migration and trafficking in human beings, which has become a major problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We believe that full deployment of the State Border Service and increased cooperation between the two entity police forces, such as through Joint Entity Task Force will help to address this problem.

11. We welcome the success of UNMIBH's project to form a Bosnia and Herzegovina police contingent for a United Nations peacekeeping operation, and the subsequent deployment of 26 Bosnian police officers in East Timor. It is also encouraging that preparations are already underway for the establishment of a military peacekeeping contingent of Bosnia and Herzegovina for similar purpose.

Mr. President,

12. My delegation is also encouraged to see the recent increase in the minority returns, which according to rough estimates, is more than double the number of such returns during the same period last year. We appreciate the contribution by UNHCR in this regard. However, we note that the overall return process remains slow. Further determined efforts should, therefore, be made to promote the return process.

13. The refugee problem is of course at the heart of the existing insecurity situation due to the absence of law and order, as well as political and administrative obstruction. This underscores the need for more robust efforts by the local police to help create a safe and secure environment, provision of sufficient funding for reconstruction of destroyed villages, and creation of employment and economic opportunities. At the same time, political and administrative obstructions to the return process must be addressed effectively. We note with concern that the implementation of property legislation in certain areas, particularly in Eastern Republika Srpska and Croat-controlled municipalities of Herzegovina, still remains dismal, mainly due to political and administrative obstructions.

14. The continued emphasis on the reconciliation process must continue to remain a high priority for international efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The consequences of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the country must be addressed through justice. We reiterate the importance we attach to the work of ICTY in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which the international community should continue to strongly support.

15. In his report, the Secretary-General has highlighted the threats posed by the continued presence of war criminals and war crime suspects not only to the peace process, but also to international personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The arrest and prosecution of all indicted war criminals not only serves to mete out justice, but also contributes towards accomplishing the long-term goal of national reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is why my delegation has stressed time and again the importance of bringing to book the leading war criminals, Karadzic and Mladic. We also believe that the work being undertaken by UNESCO in the reconstruction of historic religious sites, and the efforts by the High Representative and by the Secretary-General's Special Representative to assist the families of the victims of the Srebrenica massacre will go along way in promoting reconciliation.