TUESDAY, 13 JUNE 2000

Mr. President,

My delegation is grateful to the Secretary-General for his latest report on UNMIBH (Document S/2000/529). We thank Ambassador Jacques Klein, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for his comprehensive and upbeat briefing and commend him for his dynamic leadership and the efforts he has made in the further implementation of the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2. We are happy to note that UNMIBH continues to make significant contributions in solidifying the establishment of the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We fully appreciate the Mission's on-going efforts to restructure and reform the local police forces in both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are pleased with the progress being made in consolidating the State Border Service and with the operational support extended to it by some member states. Another welcomed development is the recent breakthrough in Canton 7 (Herzegovina-Neretva) in respect of the integration of the Ministry of Interior and the appointment of judges. We also note that further progress has been made in the registration and certification of the local police, and hope that the target of establishing the first transparent and comprehensive personnel data bank of all authorised police officers would be achieved within the set timeframe. Similar progress has been registered in the recruitment and selection of minority cadets for the police academies.

3. The role of a professional police force comprising personnel from the different ethnic groups is vitally important for Bosnia-Herzegovina; hence, the need to ensure adequate representation of minorities in the local police forces in both entities of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We are therefore seriously concerned at the lack of progress in this area, especially in the case of the Republika Srpska's police force, which only consists of less than one per cent minority officers, thus missing the benchmarks set in the 1998 Framework Agreement. We hope progress in this area, as well as in the training of special police forces can be made, with the necessary intervention by UNMIBH and the international community. We also look forward to the early establishment of a court police service in Republika Srpska, which still lags far behind,

4. Important contributions by UNMIBH in the other aspects of the civilian component of the Peace Agreement, such as the assessment of the judicial system and strengthening of the legal system's respect for human rights, also deserve our commendation. Given the findings by the Judicial System Assessment Programme (JSAP) of the current court system in Bosnia and Herzegovina - that the entire judiciary is politically, professionally and structurally dysfunctional - we feel that further determined efforts will be essential to remedy such serious shortcomings. In this regard, we would support further efforts through appropriate arrangements in this vitally important area.

Mr. President,

5. Despite these achievements, much more still needs to be done. The progress made thus far must be further consolidated and critical remaining tasks must be accomplished so that peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be irreversible. We note that the rate of return of refugees and displaced persons, in particular to Republika Srpska, is still unsatisfactory and far below expectation. Clearly, reconciliation among the Bosnian ethnic communities has a very long way to go. While economic recovery has begun to take root, it is also below expectation. There must be more tangible progress in all these areas to ensure a viable statehood for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

6. The success of the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina still depends very much at this stage on the commitment and sustained support from the international community. The continuing and active involvement of the international community remains essential. The work of UNMIBH, including IPTF, should continue, as the international community strives towards ensuring a self-sustaining and enduring peace in the country. We, therefore, fully support the recommendation by the Secretary-General that UNMIBH's mandate be further extended for another period of 12 months until 21 June 2001. We agree with the Secretary-General that the effective presence of SFOR is essential. My delegation commends the important role of the international community, in particular that of the High Representative and his Office, the relevant governments, all personnel of the SFOR and UNMIBH as well as other United Nations agencies, all of whose contributions have been invaluable in facilitating the full implementation of the Peace Agreement.

7. The commitment and contributions by the international community to the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina should be matched by the commitment and full cooperation of the Bosnian leadership and people at every level for, ultimately, the main responsibility to achieve peace, national reconciliation and nation-building lies with them.

8. Malaysia is proud to have been associated with the efforts to rebuild peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will continue to be actively engaged in ensuring the full implementation of the Peace Agreement through our participation in UNMIBH/IPTF and by making available training and other facilities as well as share our experience in the field of socio-economic development and in the area of privitisation that have been successfully implemented in Malaysia.

Thank you.

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