S/PV.6130
6130th meeting
Thursday, 28 May 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mr. Shalgham (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I would like to welcome and thank Mr. Nikola Špirić, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I join previous speakers in thanking Mr. Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for his briefing, and we wish him success in his duties.
Libya follows with great attention the ongoing political process in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We note that positive progress has been achieved in the recent period with the signing of a broad agreement between the leaders of the three principal political parties in the country on constitutional reform issues that have been long awaited. We also welcome the express readiness of the leaders of the political parties to agree on and move towards resolving the principal political issues, including the outstanding conditions and objectives that remain to be fulfilled before the transition from the Office of the High Representative to the European Union Special Representative can come into effect.
We also salute the adoption of the constitutional amendment incorporating the Brcko District into the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution, the adoption of a War Crimes Strategy, and the endorsement of the implementation action plans of the National Justice Sector Reform Strategy. We hope that such positive steps will continue to be taken so that Bosnia and Herzegovina can attain lasting stability. Undoubtedly, it is important at this stage to pursue the process of constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis of the principles of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Despite the positive achievements that have been made in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we still have some concerns about the ongoing extreme nationalist rhetoric that casts certain problems in the country in a maximalist light. Such nationalist ethnic attitudes could undermine the role of the State, delay progress in achieving reforms, and pose a challenge to the very foundation of the State, as defined in the Dayton Peace Agreement, and to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. No one, we believe, can have any doubt that such nationalist rhetoric could reignite the conflict, thereby undermining stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region.
Based on the foregoing, we appeal to all sectors of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s population to live up to their political responsibility and find ways to coexist through dialogue, respect for the institutions of State and full cooperation with the High Representative. They should also abide by the obligations imposed on everyone under the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Paris Agreement and relevant Security Council resolutions.
We have no doubt that Bosnia and Herzegovina is confronting some difficult problems, and we believe that the only solution is to find agreement and a common vision for the future that is acceptable to all the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the framework of the Dayton Peace Agreement. We believe that would be the correct way to turn Bosnia into a stable country based on ethnic and cultural diversity and which would play a role in stabilizing the Balkans and achieving prosperity and sustainable development for all its citizens.
In conclusion, we emphasize that continuing to pursue perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity and bringing them to justice will help heal the wounds and ease the pain of the recent past in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will help to achieve a better future.
