UN / BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still falling short of the expectations of their citizens and the international community, causing the country to slip farther behind its neighbours in regional integration, the Security Council was told today (14 May). UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:40
• Production Date: 14 May 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL AFFAIRS; LAW; INTERNATIONAL LAW; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; POLITICAL MOVEMENTS; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
• Geographic Subject: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA; CROATIA; SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO; KOSOVO
• MAMS Id: U130514c

Description

STORY: UN / BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
TRT: 2.40
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 14 MAY 2013, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

14 MAY 2013, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Valentin Inzko High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“The region is moving on and Bosnia and Herzegovina will have, in seven weeks, one-thousand kilometres of common borders with the European Union. The region is moving on and lamentably Bosnia and Herzegovina meanwhile stagnates. One year after another it is let down by its political leaders who continue to fail to reach the healthy compromises that are necessary to meet the requirements of Euro-Atlantic integration and to tackle the very serious economic and social challenges facing the country. “
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Valentin Inzko High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“The fundamental reason for the country continuing to lag behind its neighbours is the fact that elected officials and political parties continue to put their own narrow personal and party political interests before the interest of the citizens and the country at large. The fact that the pull of European and Euro-Atlantic integration process has so far not proven strong enough to overcome this, should be of concern to all of us and cause for serious reflection on the elements of our united strategy moving forward. “
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Valentin Inzko High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political leaders and the parties they represent are faced with a choice that is increasingly stark with each passing day. There can be no more excuses and there is no place to hide from their responsibilities. The choice is simple, they can succeed together or they can fail together. “
9. Med shot, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Mirsada Čolaković, Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations:
“We are well aware of the fact that the basic prerequisites for the building of a functioning state and society rest on the national reconciliation, building of trust, and ending impunity for all crimes committed. This cannot be achieved without prosecuting all war criminals regardless of their ethnicity. Even though the initial arrests of indicted war criminals were made by the international military forces, most of the others have been arrested and extradite to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague by the local authorities.”
11. Med shot, delegates
12. Zoom out, Security Council

Storyline

Political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still falling short of the expectations of their citizens and the international community, causing the country to slip farther behind its neighbours in regional integration, the Security Council was told today (14 May).

With Serbia and Kosovo making progress towards normalizing relations with each other, Croatia just seven weeks away from full European Union membership, and Montenegro also making its own progress, Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that while the region is moving forward, “lamentably Bosnia and Herzegovina meanwhile stagnates.”

Inzko said the country is being “let down by its political leaders who continue to fail to reach the healthy compromises that are necessary to meet the requirements of Euro-Atlantic integration and to tackle the very serious economic and social challenges facing the country. “

The High Representative stressed that “the fundamental reason for the country continuing to lag behind its neighbours is the fact that elected officials and political parties continue to put their own narrow personal and party political interests before the interest of the citizens and the country at large.”

He said political leaders are faced with a simple choice: “they can succeed together or they can fail together. “

The High Representative noted that in April, authorities failed to reach agreement to implement a key ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the Sejdic and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina case, which would unlock the next stage in the EU integration process.

Ambassador Mirsada Čolaković of Bosnia and Herzegovina in her address to the Council acknowledged that “the basic prerequisites for the building of a functioning state and society rest on the national reconciliation, building of trust, and ending impunity for all crimes committed.”

She said “this cannot be achieved without prosecuting all war criminals regardless of their ethnicity.”

The Council is expected to take action in November on the mandate of the EU stabilization force (EUFOR), which assumed peacekeeping responsibilities in 2004 when it took over from a stabilization force led by NATO and is tasked with ensuring that all sides continue to comply with the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.