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STORY: UN / BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
TRT: 02:43
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 10 NOVEMBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
10 NOVEMBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY
2. Pan right-to-left, Security Council members voting on Bosnia and Herzegovina resolution
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Milos Vukasinovic, Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations:
“The Agreement acknowledges Bosnia and Herzegovina as a complex and multi-national state and reflects its unique historical and multicultural background. This agreement plays an important role in post-conflict reconciliation, not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region.”
4. Med shot, Security Council meeting in progress
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Valentin Inzko, United Nations High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“The future for Bosnia and Herzegovina is the EU, the European Union, not because I say so, but because this is what the democratically elected authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have consistently set out as their primary objective.”
6. Med shot, Russia Federation and Spain representatives listening to remarks
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Valentin Inzko, United Nations High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“As I have made clear repeatedly, the Peace Agreement does not grant the Entities the right to secede, and any attempt to change the Peace Agreement requires the agreement of all the parties.”
8. Med shot, USA and Venezuela representatives listening to remarks
9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vladimir Safronkov, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations:
“We call upon you, Mr. Inzko, not to look for people to blame, but rather to forge your work based on prompting national dialogue. Practice has shown that only with national dialogue, one is able to address such serious concern, especially in such a complex state as Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vladimir Safronkov, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations:
“His work is breaking and delaying further development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a European state which does not pose a threat to international peace and security, and as a modern European state, one which deserves respect rather than outside interference, which is close to being an outside protectorate.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Joao Vale de Almeida, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations:
“Bosnia and Herzegovina has made progress in the last two decades both domestically and in its relations with neighbouring countries. And this year, concrete progress has been made on the country’s EU path after a prolonged period of stagnation.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Joao Vale de Almeida, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations:
“Holding a referendum on the state judiciary in Republika Srpska would challenge the cohesion, sovereignty and integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to which the leaders of all the main political parties represented in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliament, including the President of Republika Srpska, committed themselves. Holding a referendum also risks undermining the efforts to make further progress in EU integration.”
17. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
Security Council members unanimously adopted today (10 Nov) a resolution renewing the authorisation of the EU-led multinational stabilisation force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EUFOR ALTHEA, for an additional year.
The draft resolution, which aimed to extend EUFOR for 12 months under the Chapter VII of the UN Charter, was circulated to members of the Contact and Drafting Group (CDG) by the Russian Federation in October.
The resolution’s text states that the extension of the EUFOR ALTHEA mandate, follows on the body successful work on its “capacity-building and training while also retaining the capability to contribute to the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities' deterrence capacity if the situation so requires.”
Its adoption marks one month before the 20th anniversary of the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace, also known as the Dayton Agreement, which effectively ended Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 1992-1995 war.
Milos Vukasinovic, the new Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations, said that the resolution acknowledged his country “as a complex and multi-national state and reflects its unique historical and multicultural background. This agreement plays an important role in post-conflict reconciliation, not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region.”
Valentin Inzko, United Nations High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, told Council’s members that the future of the country was the European Union, “not because I say so, but because this is what the democratically elected authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have consistently set out as their primary objective.”
Inzko, who presented to the Council his latest report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, said he was concerned about the adoption of the ruling party in the Republika Srpska of a declaration to hold a referendum on secession in 2018.
Although Inzko acknowledged that the party document had no official value, he stressed that the Peace Agreement “does not grant the Entities the right to secede, and any attempt to change the Peace Agreement requires the agreement of all the parties.”
The Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, however, said Inzko’s report was incomplete and unbalanced, and that the High Representative had failed to foster a relationship of trust between the different political parties.
“We call upon you, Mr. Inzko, not to look for people to blame, but rather to forge your work based on prompting national dialogue. Practice has shown that only with national dialogue, one is able to address such serious concern, especially in such a complex state as Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Vladimir Safronkov said during his remarks.
He also criticised Inzko for “breaking and delaying further development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a European state which does not pose a threat to international peace and security, and as a modern European state, one which deserves respect rather than outside interference, which is close to being an outside protectorate.”
Safronkov closed his statement by saying that any attempt by the High Representative office to interfere with the Republika Srpska's decision to hold a referendum, would be unacceptable and harmful.
Meanwhile, Joao Vale de Almeida, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, said that Bosnia and Herzegovina had made substantial progress in the last two decades “and this year, concrete progress has been made on the country’s EU path after a prolonged period of stagnation.”
However, he also warned that “holding a referendum on the state judiciary in Republika Srpska would challenge the cohesion, sovereignty and integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” and risked “undermining the efforts to make further progress in EU integration.”
