Press Conferences

The High Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, has emphasised the fact that BiH's future can only be premised on respect for human rights . He made this point during a meeting yesterday at the OHR with Federation BiH Ombudsmen, Vera Jovanovic, Branka Raguz and Esad Muhibic.

I'm sure you followed the RSNA closely last night. The OHR is still assessing the contents of the Recommendation adopted late yesterday evening. An initial review suggests that the RSNA has shown a willingness to make progress in the reform. The Directorate will continue to work and progress towards meeting their work plan.

The Principal Deputy High Representative, Larry Butler, will call again this morning for the Entity parliaments to enact the necessary transfer laws that will allow a central banking supervisions system to be established in BiH before the October elections.

Sorry for the delay. This afternoon I just came back from Vienna, from the conference of European Union Interior Ministers. The ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte and I just had a very useful meeting together with and our aides and with the Principle Deputy High Representative.

The focus of the discussion in the Police Directorate yesterday was on the first EC principle of police reform which states that all legislative and budgetary competencies for all police matters must be vested at the State level. This principle was adopted by the RSNA together with the BiH and FBiH legislatures

The citizens of BiH are attending to their own business and are doing this in the context of political stabilization and economic recovery, the Senior Deputy High Representative, Peter Bas-Backer, will tell the opening session of the EU-BiH Interparliamentary meeting this afternoon in Banja Luka.

The High Representative/EU Special Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling today expressed his profound disappointment that the proposed constitutional amendments were not adopted by the BiH House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The High Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, ahead of the continuation of the BiH House of Representatives session today said that "the need to modify the BiH constitution, to equip the country for the demands of EU integration and to better serve the citizens is one that will not go away: the choice the BiH Parliamentarians face is to mov [...]

Today is a crucial day for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This country's elected representative are, for the first time, discussing changes to the Dayton Constitution – a document which, when it was drafted and agreed, represented the only compromise possible to end four years of bloody war.

UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I just wanted to take this occasion to welcome Mr. Schwarz-Schilling to the State Department, first of all, to thank him. This is not his first visit to the State Department, but to thank him for taking on the responsibility of representing the entire international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has done an outstandin [...]