JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE 18 July 2002<br /><br />Patrik Volf OHR<br /><br />The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, is in Washington today to hold talks<br />at the IMF. As you know, the situation regarding a possible withdrawal of a<br />US$100 million stand-by loan is rather severe. The IMF has threatened to<br />with hold this loan if legislation is passed by the BiH parliaments that<br />would break this year's budget. The High Representative is in Washington to<br />talk about the implications for Bosnia and Herzegovina should Veterans bill<br />not be withdrawn and IMF has to postpone it?s stand-by loan. This would have serious effects on pensions, salaries of teachers, public services of all kinds. These would be seriously affected.<br /><br />The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, today welcomes Ambassador Gerhard<br />Enver Schroembgens, the new Senior Deputy High Representative. Ambassador<br />Schroembgens, a German diplomat, will take over from Ambassador Matthias<br />Sonn. Ambassador Schroembgens for the last three years has been the German<br />Ambassador to Estonia. Before that his postings included Bangladesh, Spain,<br />The Soviet Union, and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. He served as the<br />German Head of Mission in Belgrade between 1992 and 1996. His areas of responsibility within OHR, will include the institution building task force and the refugee return task force.<br /><br />The High Representative wishes to commend Ambassador Sonn for his<br />extraordinary contribution to peace implementation in Bosnia and<br />Herzegovina. Ambassador Sonn invested a huge amount of personal effort in<br />helping to establish viable state institutions for the people of Bosnia and<br />Herzegovina, such as an efficient and professional civil service, a State<br />Court, and a free and impartial public broadcasting system. His efforts also<br />contributed to resolving disagreements over the reconstruction of national<br />monuments.<br /><br />The summer parliamentary recess is approaching. The BiH House of<br />Representatives held its final scheduled session on Tuesday, and the House<br />of Peoples is holding its final scheduled session as we speak.<br /><br />First the good news. On Tuesday the BiH House of Representatives adopted the<br />first reading of the State Veterinary Law. The High Representative has<br />several times made reference to this law when urging the political leaders<br />of BiH to stop playing pointless parliamentary games and start passing<br />legislation that actually brings benefits to the people. The State<br />Veterinary Law will now go before the House of Peoples. When it has been<br />accepted by both houses, this law will allow the State Veterinary Office to<br />begin certifying BiH animal and fish products so that they can be exported<br />to the European Union and elsewhere. Until the law is passed a vast array of<br />agricultural products cannot be exported. That means that farms and<br />agro-businesses can't earn export dollars, which means they can't expand<br />their operations and start hiring people.<br /><br />More good news is that the House of Peoples will consider the Law on High<br />Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils, the Law on the Prosecutors Office, the<br />Law on Amendments to the Law on ID cards, the law on Amendments to the Law<br />on the Central Registry and Data Exchange, the Law on Amendments to Customs<br />Tariffs, and the PBS Law under emergency procedure. It will also consider<br />the Law on the Movement and Residence of Foreigners Seeking Asylum in BiH<br />and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Electricity Transmission<br />Regulation, under procedures that significantly speed up the process of<br />deliberation.<br /><br />Other pieces of crucial legislation still have to be passed, however,<br />including the Law on the Special Chamber, the Law on the Criminal Code, and<br />the Law on Amendments to the Civil Aviation Law.<br /><br />Legislation can't wait for parliamentarians to go sunbathing - it has to be<br />passed urgently. This can be done if additional sessions of both houses of<br />Parliament are scheduled and the laws are considered under emergency<br />procedure. The parliamentarians of BiH and the leaders of the main parties<br />are faced with a clear choice. Do you want to go on vacation or do you want<br />to go to work and make life better for the people of BiH. At election time<br />the people will remember what the parliamentarians decided to do. <br /><br />Principal Deputy High Representative, Donald Hays, tomorrow, will visit the<br />town of Visegrad together with the Presidency of BiH. He will meet with the<br />local officials and businessmen, as well as returnees to the area. A<br />detailed program for the press will be sent out this afternoon.<br /><br />Urdur Gunnarsdottir OSCE<br /><br />Education, demilitarization and returns of refugees were at the top of the<br />agenda of the Head of mission's visit to Banja Luka, ending yesterday. In<br />his discussions with the RS authorities, Ambassador Beecroft focused on the new<br />coordinating role of the OSCE regarding education and the importance of<br />good co-operation with both local and international interlocutors. The<br />Ambassador is pleased with his meetings, there were not agreements on all<br />issues, but the RS authorities are well aware of where the OSCE stands on<br />the discussed issues, such as returns. <br /><br />The OSCE Mission and the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia in Herzegovina have released a searchable database on CD of all the decisions of the Chamber up to 31<br />December 2001. It will enable lawyers, non-governmental organizations,<br />students and authorities to access the extensive human rights case law of<br />the Chamber.<br /><br />It is possible to search over 2000 decisions of the Chamber until end 2001<br />in English, Latin and Cyrillic text. Work is currently underway to update<br />the database through June 2002 and monthly thereafter.<br />The human rights case law of the Human Rights Chamber is of great interest<br />in Europe and the rest of the world as the Chamber is one of the few courts<br />issuing decisions based on the European Convention on Human Rights. For this<br />reason, the database will be accessible through the Internet in the near<br />future. <br /><br />Copies of the CD database will be distributed to courts and prosecutors<br />offices and other relevant institutions. Copies can also be obtained at the<br />nearest OSCE Office. There is a full text outside<br /><br />Kirsten Haupt UNMIBH<br /><br />The IPTF Commissioner Sven Frederiksen disqualified Mr. Nedeljko Jandric to exercise police powers as his performance renders him unfit for service in the police forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina. <br /><br />Mr. Jandric was working as Chief of Operations in the headquarters of the BiH State Border Service. In September 2001 a female co-worker of Mr. Jandric complained about Mr. Jandric?s indecent behaviour towards her. The internal investigation brought to light that this was a case of severe sexual harassment, intimidation and blackmail. A disciplinary commission decided in December 2001 that Mr. Jandric should be dismissed. Following the appeal of Mr. Jandric, the second Disciplinary Commission upheld the first decision and Mr. Jandric was subsequently dismissed. His unprofessional behaviour was deemed highly unacceptable and detrimental to the image and integrity of the State Border Service. <br /><br />The disqualification comes into effect immediately and precludes Mr. Jandric from employment in any position in any law enforcement agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina now in the future. <br /><br />As a matter of clarification, why I am using the term ?disqualification? and not ?withdrawal of provisional authorisation?, is because that is the term used when the local law enforcement agencies have already under-taken steps towards the dismissal of the police officer. So to summarise following the dismissal of the police officer by local law enforcement agencies we disqualify that police officer from executing any police powers in the future in this country.<br /><br />Majda Prljaca UNHCR<br /><br />A summer school for Roma children opens in Bijeljina on 8 July and will run until 30 August 2002. It is open to prepare Roma children to enter school in September. The summer school is being implemented by Sudost, a locally based German NGO, with support from UNHCR Satellite office Bijeljina.<br /><br />Before the war the Roma population in Bijeljina was approximately 6,500 and an estimated 1,500 Roma have so far returned, however few Roma children attend school. The reason for this is inter-related: poverty, social exclusion and culture.<br /><br />So far there are almost 70 children participating in the summer school, which is free to attend. The children have been divided into two groups, and the younger children attend in the morning and older students in the afternoon. A local primary school teacher and a Roma teaching assistant have been hired for the summer school.<br /><br />All children in Bosnia in Herzegovina must attend school from 7 to 15. Roma children and many parents want to send their children to school and the summer school should prepare many of these children to begin classes in September. Some of the older children will not enrol in September but will continue to take literacy classes. Sudost plan to provide continued academic support for the children during the school year.<br /><br />Lieutenant Commander John Coppard SFOR<br /><br />There is no statement from SFOR today.<br /><br />Questions and Answers<br /><br />Q: Viola Gienger Cox Newspapers: <br />Regarding the potential of IMF withdrawing it?s loan and the veterans budget legislation. You mentioned the effect of the legislation on the budget, but what would the effect of the legislation be for the veterans themselves?<br /><br />A: Patrik Volf OHR: <br />I don?t think this is the question at the moment, the question is whether the IMF will stick with it?s standby loan and they make it dependent on the removal of this veteran?s bill. I don?t think we have to discuss this any further.<br /><br />Q: Viola Gienger Cox Newspapers: <br />Well I am interested what is the purpose of the veterans bill, what would it do? Increase veterans benefits, is that the idea?<br /><br />A: Patrik Volf OHR: <br />That is the general idea.<br /><br />Q: Viola Gienger Cox Newspapers:<br /> How much do veterans receive at the moment?<br /><br />A: Patrik Volf OHR:<br /> I cannot possibly give you a figure on that.<br /><br />Q: Nedim Dervisbegovic Reuters: <br />Why would the High Representative go to Washington to consult about this? I am sure the IMF Mission here can give him all the details about the standby loan. Do you think it may be to lobby with the IMF to be softer on Bosnia or is there any other agenda for his trip?<br /><br />A: Patrik Volf OHR: <br />I think the story is simply, the High Representative wanted to get the information from the actual source, which is the IMF in Washington, and he wanted to consult on the spot.<br /><br />Q: Nedim Dervisbegovic Reuters: <br />Is there anything else? Are there any other officials he is going to meet, like US officials or the State Department?<br /><br />A: Patrik Volf OHR: <br />No, not to my knowledge.<br /><br />Q: Nedim Dervisbegovic Reuters: <br />Just IMF?<br /><br />A: Patrik Volf OHR: <br />Yes.<br /><br />Q: Merdijana Sadovic ABC: <br />Question for both UN and SFOR. Will you ever tell us the truth about SFOR?s operation on Sunday and Monday, because I am sure you are aware of all kinds of wild rumours that are appearing in the local media, such as Hamas planning a missile attack on President Kostunica?s plane, that Mr.Klein warned Kostunica not to come to Bosnia, and that some missiles were stolen from Travnik. So, can you comment on these rumours and tell us what really happened?<br /><br />A: Lieutenant Commander John Coppard SFOR: <br />I can not comment on Mr.Kleins remarks. What I can tell you though, is that at any time when there is a high profile event such as a summit, particularly a historic summit such as this, we get a lot of reports. There is a flurry of information out there, a flurry of rumours. We share information with our counter-parts in the UNMIBH, but in regards to any specific information out there, I am not going to comment on that, and I am not going to comment on whether that may have played a role in SFOR?s decision to step up Patrols over the last few days. What I can tell you though is that those decisions are never taken lightly. We realise they are very disruptive to the lives of law abiding citizens of Bosnia in Herzegovina, but we do not apologise for that, it is our mandate and responsibility. We appreciate the frustration, as well as the patience and understanding towards our soldiers.<br /><br />A: Kirsten Haupt UNMIBH: <br />Regarding Mr. Kleins remarks these have been taken out of view entirely there is no indication he has said such a thing. On the general issue there has been a lot of speculation around. I think it has been rightly understood that the security institutions in this country are very much aware of a high profile event such as this, and any reports on potential situations are being taken very seriously. Appropriate measures are being taken, that is the job of these agencies, in that regard this is perfectly normal.<br /><br />Q: Merdijana Sadovic ABC: <br />There have been high profile events in Bosnia before and we have not seen such security measures I have to say. Also if there was a real security threat? Do you think these do not exist anymore?<br /><br />A: Lieutenant Commander John Coppard SFOR: <br />I am not going to hypothesise on whether a threat did exist or whether it does continue to exist. I can say that SFOR continues to monitor the overall security situation. There are a couple of reasons we would step up patrols; we do it in response to confirmed and unconfirmed threats and sometimes we just do it for deterrent value, to ?keep the bad guys guessing? as my commander would say.<br /><br />Q: Alexsandar Dragicevic AP: <br />Your spokesperson Alan Roberts said yesterday, in Banja Luka about this issue? <br /><br />A: Kirsten Haupt UNMIBH: <br />He has been widely mis-quoted on what he said. He had been asked about the assassination attempt against one of the participants of the summit, and he had said that in canton 6, they had received information on possible activities in relation to the summit. That is all that he had said, and respective security measures had been taken in co-ordination with SFOR and the local police. So, that is all and that just confirms what I said before. The local police and IPTF, as well as SFOR take any reports or information seriously. Information has been shared, actions are being co-ordinated and that is a perfectly normal response in a situation like that.<br /><br />Q: Nedim Dervisbegovic Reuters: <br />Why are you selective about giving us information about this kind of operation? Sometimes you will give us all the details when weapons cache is found somewhere or when you arrest someone of terrorist related activities. You are saying you are concerned with the overall security. By not denying these rumours, you are actually fuelling these rumours, because people are saying ?SFOR is not clear whether there was a threat or was not a threat?, so people might think there is Hamas in central Bosnia. Did you receive any credible threat against any individual or SFOR troops? Why are your answers so ambiguous?<br /><br />A: Lieutenant Commander John Coppard SFOR: <br />We do not work in a world of rumours; we work in a world of facts. When we believe there are facts to substantiate or to support our action in the interest of the people of Bosnia in Herzegovina, we will act on those facts. What we did over the weekend we did based on an overall assessment of the security situation, we did it using our own judgement and we may do it again, if we believe the facts warrant.<br /><br />Q: Nedim Dervisbegovic Reuters: <br />Did you receive any credible threats about potential attacks against participants or a meeting in Sarajevo, SFOR troops or anyone else in Bosnia?<br /><br />A: Lieutenant Commander John Coppard SFOR: <br />I will not comment on the credibility of any information we may or may not have received.