Oleg Milisic OHR<br /><br />Good morning everybody, welcome to the regular CPIC press conference. As you can see, we have a number of additional spokespeople here today so we will move right along.<br /><br />I have three points for you this morning.<br /><br />First, the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, met the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, Jacques Paul Klein, and all of the senior staff of the UN and IPTF this morning. In fact, Paddy Ashdown attended the UN?s regular morning meeting. The High Representative and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General had detailed discussions on various Rule of Law issues. The HR congratulated the UNMIBH on the success of its mission and the work they have done to improve the lives of ordinary citizens across Bosnia and Herzegovina by professionalising the domestic police forces.<br /><br />The High Representative and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General discussed the hand-over of tasks from the IPTF to the EUPM, and the High Representative noted that, because of the excellent work of the IPTF and the advance EUPM mission. He believes this transition will be both smooth and professional. He said that the EUPM will have a more strategic role thanks to the work that the IPTF has already done in raising basic standards among police officers.<br /><br />The High Representative paid personal tribute to Jacques Paul Klein, describing him as a champion of the people of this region over many years, and also one of the most successful senior officials in the history of the International Community's engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will be issuing a press release later today on this meeting<br /><br />Second, in Mostar yesterday the Principal Deputy High Representative Don Hays convened a roundtable with business people and government officials. Ambassador Hays called for the speedy and substantial development of a public-private partnership to ensure that the entrepreneurs? concerns are the basis of economic policy. The government needs to listen to what business people are saying. The roundtable concluded that by the end of July the business associations that participated in the roundtable should draw up an action plan stating clearly what they want the government to do in order to eliminate red tape and corruption, and also create a pro-business environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unless the issues of the Single Market, anti-corruption, slimming down the bureaucracy, and setting in place key commercial legislation are tackled, soon and effectively, Bosnia and Herzegovina can say goodbye to further European integration.<br /><br />At yesterday's roundtable, participants repeatedly called on politicians to pass long-overdue legislation, such as the Bosnia and Herzegovina Veterinary Law, which will consolidate the legal basis of the State Veterinary Office. The Council of Ministers approved the law on June 6 a full two years after the European Union opened its markets to Bosnia and Herzegovina products. It has been introduced to the Parliamentary Assembly under urgent procedure. Until it is passed, further negotiations with the European Commission over the export of meat products to the European Union will remain blocked. This is also true for fish products even if the requirements by the European Union are easier and can be fulfilled more quickly. When the law is passed, Bosnia and Herzegovina can begin exporting food products to the European Commission and other countries. Over the next five years, that could mean thousands of extra jobs, particularly in the countryside.<br /><br />Other legislation without which businesses cannot expand and create employment includes the Bosnia and Herzegovina Amendment to the Aviation Law, which is needed before air services to Bosnia and Herzegovina can be expanded; the Bosnia and Herzegovina Communications Law, which will help secure competitive utilities and telecom services; the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska Electricity Laws, which will increase the transparency of the electricity providers; and the Bosnia and Herzegovina laws on Roads Railways, which are essential if the country's inadequate transport sector is to be made capable of sustaining economic growth.<br /><br />At yesterday's round table the Principal Deputy High Representative asked how many politicians have made the passage of these laws a priority. The answer is fairly obvious: not many.<br /><br />And finally, the High Representative will visit Mostar and Foca on Thursday. In the morning he will join Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and other dignitaries at a ceremony to recognise the beginning of work on restoring of the Old Bridge. In the afternoon he will visit Foca, where, in the early evening he will participate in a town-hall meeting, at which he will seek the views of ordinary citizens about pressing issues that affect their community. We will issue a media advisory on this visit where you will get all the details of media opportunities. Thank you very much.<br /><br />Henning Philipp - OSCE<br /><br />Good morning everybody.<br /><br />The OSCE, the Czech Republic and the Armed Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina are organising Aerial Observation Flights tomorrow, June 26. The flights will be conducted in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska respectively. The Czech Republic will be providing a fixed-wing aircraft for the event while participants from both of the Armed Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina will take part in the planning and execution of the flight, during which, arial photographs will be taken. The following day, on Thursday, media is invited to meet with organisers and participants of the flight, at six o'clock in hotel Bosna. Finger food and drinks will be available on this occasion.<br /><br />And on another note, a message from our head of mission, who is as many of you may know, a great lover of classical music. He has together with the Sarajevo Music Academy organised a classical concert for the coming Thursday the Dom Armije to raise funds for music scholarships, specifically to attend the American Conservatory Summer Program, held in France. For the first time, two Bosnian students a cellist and pianist have been chosen to spend six weeks at the Conservatory this summer, along with many other aspiring young musicians from around the world. The Conservatory will cover air travel and accommodation, but requires additional funds for tuition. As a result, this recital is being organised to support the students as well as the Music Academy in Sarajevo. Thank you.<br /><br />Stefo Lehmann UNMIBH<br /><br />Good morning ladies and gentlemen. We have one brief point for you today, and that is we have received many inquiries about the extension of the United Nations mandate here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As you should know, this is an issue which is currently being discussed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. A solution must be found at the Security Council level. It is premature for UNMIBH to discuss what the options may be. We can only wait to see what solution will be found by the members of the Security Council. In the meantime, we remain fully operational. That is all we have today, thank you.<br /><br />Major Scott Lundy SFOR<br /><br />Dobar dan from SFOR.<br /><br />The Deputy Commander of SFOR position was transferred from Major General François de Goësbriand to Major General Jean-Pierre Meyer on Saturday, 22 June 2002.<br /><br />Maj. Gen. de Goësbriand served as Deputy Commander of SFOR for the last year. He has since returned to France to continue his career as the French Army Aviation Commander.<br /><br />Maj. Gen. Meyer most recently served for two years as Deputy Head of Operations at the French Military Intelligence Directorate. Prior to this, he commanded the Intelligence Brigade in Metz from 1997 to 2000.<br /><br />The new Deputy Commander is no stranger to military operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served as Chief of Staff to the general commanding French forces in Sarajevo in 1996-97.<br /><br />Copies of the Maj. Gen. Meyer?s biography will be available on the tables in the lobby immediately following this press conference.<br /><br />Frane Maroevic European Union<br /><br />Good morning, I have two announcements for you today.<br /><br />First, there is a visit from members of the European Parliament, who will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina tomorrow for the 4th Inter-parliamentary meeting. The delegation consists of six members of European Union Parliament, Ms Doris Pack the Chairperson, Mr Johannes Swoboda, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Mr. Arie Oostlander, Mr. Giorgio Lisi and Mr. André Brie. The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be their host for the duration of the visit. On Thursday they will meet with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Dr. Dragan Mikerevic, and the European Union Member States, Heads of Missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.<br /><br />The first Inter-parliamentary meeting with the House of Representatives Committee for Foreign Affairs will take place on Thursday at 16:00 and on Friday morning the second working session will be held with the House of Peoples. Following which it is expected that a press conference will be held at 12:15 in Marijin Dvor, as the schedule is still subject to some changes the invitations for the press conference will be sent out by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<br /><br />The second announcement I have is an invitation to the presentation of the First Report on the Strategy for Modernisation of Primary and General Secondary Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this Thursday at 10:45 in Cengic Villa Primary School, Fetaha Becirbegovica 2. Following the presentation, a press conference will be held at 14:00 where the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Federation, Mr Mujo Demirovic, and the Minister of Education of Republika Srpska, Mr Gojko Savanovic, together with the authors of the report, will outline the steps to be taken in order to put these recommendations into practice. The presentation will be opened with statements from the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission, Ambassador Hansjörg Kretschmer, and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Robert Beecroft. <br /><br />The report provides recommendations in areas of: curriculum development, teacher training, educational management, inclusive and special needs education and legal framework and legal support system and is the result of the work of some 60 members of 12 Working Groups. It is published on the first anniversary of the Agreement on the elaboration and implementation of a Shared Strategy for the Modernisation of Primary and General Secondary Education, also known as the Jahorina Agreement, which, was signed by the two Ministers for Education. A media advisory on this will be sent out later today. Thank you.<br /><br />Refik Hodzic ICTY Outreach<br /><br />Dobar dan. I have two items for you today.<br /><br />The first one is to announce that the Open Society Fund in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in co-operation with the ICTY Outreach, is organising a conference entitled ?The Role of Witnesses in War Crimes Prosecutions,? which will take place in Banja Luka on Thursday 27. The conference aims to provide Bosnian prosecutors, judges, police investigators, representatives of war victims associations, media, other relevant institutions and individuals with an opportunity to discuss different aspects of witness testimonies in war crimes proceedings. As well as issues concerning witness protection, especially the procedures practised at the ICTY and in domestic courts. <br /><br />The conference will also provide the representatives of victims? associations, from which the largest number of witnesses in war crimes prosecutions come, with an opportunity to express their views on the importance of witness testimony and a chance for the victims to tell their story and their views on how the war crimes proceedings are conducted at the ICTY and Bosnia in terms of providing justice for victims. There will be a photo opportunity at the start of the conference between 09:00 09:20 and a short press briefing by the organisers at 13:45 in the lobby of the Hotel Bosna, Banja Luka. <br /><br />The second item is just to let you know that a prosecution pre-trial brief in the Milosevic case a Bosnian indictment is available on the ICTY website www.un.org/icty. It is, I warn you, a document of several hundred pages which basically outlines prosecutions and strategy in the Milosevic case when it comes to Bosnian indictment. That is all.<br /><br />Jennifer Brown IOM<br /><br />Good morning, I have one announcement from IOM and a short video as well. On Friday, June 14, the International Organisation for Migration launched a new HIV and drug abuse prevention spot on Federation Television.<br /><br />This public service announcement, which has been airing before world cup matches, is one outcome of a larger IOM initiative entitled ?Urgent Intervention to Reduce and Control the Spread of HIV, AIDS and STDs in the Balkans?. It was funded by the Directorate General for Development in co-operation with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and produced by LILA-CEDIUS in conjunction with IOM.<br /><br />The announcements were created as part of an IOM pilot project intended to increase awareness of HIV and drug abuse prevention among sport trainers. The project, entitled ?Active Role of Sport Trainers in HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention?, involved 25 football trainers from the main local football teams, including Sarajevo and Zeljeznicar who, in their role as trainers, come into contact with over 3,700 young men and boys. The training project was aimed at sport trainers for several reasons. The sports sector is often neglected, but it is strategic for reaching wide areas of the youth sector. Sports education also concerns taking care of one?s health and body. Trainers are a potential means of prevention due to their ability to act as role models in the lives of young people and anticipate and understand their needs.<br /><br />The project was highly successful and reinforced the need for continued prevention work among younger generations. As one trainer remarked, ?not all of them become famous football players, but they all become men.? After the training sessions, trainers and students were encouraged to create HIV and drug use prevention slogans. Five of the slogans were selected to be read in local language by football players of Italian Series A teams, which forms the basis of the public service announcement, which you will see entitled, ?Life is Important, Play it Well?. The spots will air for the duration of the World Cup and during several other sporting events this summer. There is more information on the project in the lobby.<br /><br />Oleg Milisic OHR<br />That is all we have for you, are there any questions at all? No? Thank you.