THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
Fact Sheet on Bosnia
IFOR, the NATO-led Implementation Force, has achieved early success, thereby solidifying the peace.
IFOR has maintained the cease-fire and compelled the Parties to withdraw all forces behind a 4 km Zone of Separation without significant incident.
Substantial compliance has been achieved in withdrawing all
heavy weapons and forces to cantonments or other designated
areas.
IFOR's presence is the foundation for the creation of a secure environment necessary for the implementation of the civilian aspects of Dayton.
The Parties successfully negotiated and implemented the first series of Confidence Building Measures designed to reduce military activity, restrict location of weapons and troops, and exchange data on weapons holdings. Negotiations on limits on armament levels and manpower are nearing completion.
IFOR is committed to establishing freedom of movement in
Bosnia and is aggressively working toward the elimination of
all internal checkpoints.
Virtually all prisoners of war have been released or are now
formally held as war crimes suspects; the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has reviewed or
is reviewing these latter cases.
Substantial improvement has been made in freedom of
movement: IFOR reports that 10,000-15,000 people cross the
inter-entity boundary every day.
All of the civilian reconciliation institutions mandated by Dayton have been created.
The Office of the High Representative, led by Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, has taken the lead in coordinating the myriad agencies, institutions and activities which are critical to the return of peace and stability of Bosnia.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) designated a multi-ethnic Provisional Election
Commission (PEC), which consists of the Human Rights
Ombudsperson, Gret Haller of Switzerland, who is tasked with
investigating allegations of human rights violations, and
the Human Rights Chamber which will hear cases and issue
decisions which are binding on the parties.
The ICRC formed a commission to investigate the fate of all
missing persons in Bosnia, especially those from Srebrenica
and Zepa.
The International Organization of Migration has formed the
Commission of Displaced Persons and Refugees, which will
guarantee the right of individuals to return to their homes
or receive fair compensation.
The Joint Civilian Commission gives all parties, military
and civilian, a venue to review and coordinate efforts to
rebuild Bosnian society.
The Bosnian Federation is growing stronger.
The Federation Government now has 15 ministries functioning, including a constitutional Court.
The Agreement between the Federation partners, negotiated
under the auspices of the Office of the High Representative
and the United States, has dissolved all internal customs
collection points and ensured that all revenues collected
will flow to the Federation Government.
Mostar, now organized into 6 districts with a joint central
area, is moving toward reintegration.
Federation officials agreed in Washington on a Defense Law
which establishes a single Ministry of Defense and calls for
the integration of all Federation military forces within
three years.
A series of agencies will be created to strengthen the
Federation's financial system and promote investment.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is making sure that there will be peace with justice.
ICTY Chief Prosecutor Judge Goldstone and IFOR Commander Admiral Smith reached agreement in January on the types of assistance IFOR will provide to the ICTY. These include protection of war crimes investigators, monitoring of mass grave sites, assistance with transport of suspected war criminals to the Hague and a commitment to detail those who are indicted by the Tribunal should the opportunity arise.
The ICTY has five war crimes suspects in custody. The
Tribunal also is holding one witness.
The parties accepted
U.S.-proposed "rules of the
road" that set out procedures
for detaining suspected war
criminals while still
safeguarding the principle of
freedom of movement.
Humanitarian Assistance has already improved living conditions in Bosnia and the International community is poised to begin substantial reconstruction efforts thanks to the recent Donors' Conference.
The $86 million in ?Quick Impact? funding announced by the President at the signing of the Agreement has been spent, resulting in restoration of heat and electricity, provision of winter clothing, and other improvements in quality of life for thousands of Bosnians.
The recent Donors' Conference in Brussels raised a total of
$1.2 billion for Bosnian economic recovery. The United
States pledged approximately $200 million in reconstruction
aid for the current fiscal year, in addition to over $350
million in humanitarian aid, funding for policy training,
support for the elections, demining and other projects.
Projects currently underway include emergency shelter
repair, rehabilitation of utilities, educational and
community facilities, journalist training and voter
education projects.
Efforts to provide for the personal security of the Bosnian people are well underway.
As of mid-May the UN has deployed over 1300 International Police Task Force monitors to the region, 90 of whom are American, representing about half of the full U.S. contingent.
A Mine Action Center has been established to collect
information on the location of mines and coordinate efforts
to train Bosnians in demining.
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