DATE=5/9/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N / BOSNIA (L-ONLY)(CQ)
NUMBER=2-262186
BYLINE=BARBARA SCHOETZAU
DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: In New York Tuesday, the diplomat in charge of
implementing the peace agreement in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, said the Dayton
Accord is working. Correspondent Barbara Schoetzau
reports from the United Nations.
TEXT: In a briefing to members of the Security
Council, Mr. Petritsch described the current situation
in Bosnia as "tedious and slow, but working."
Mr. Petritsch says he believes the peace process will
ultimately succeed if reform moves forward in three
key areas. The first, he says, is the consolidation
of institutions necessary to build a state.
The diplomat says ethnic bickering among Bosnia's
political leaders continues to divide the nation. But
Mr. Petritsch says municipal elections in April were
encouraging, because moderate parties made a good
showing against nationalist parties.
In addition, Mr. Petritsch says the Bosnian government
must reform its bureaucratic command economy in order
to attract urgently-needed investment.
/// PETRITSCH ACT ///
We also need -- and this will be the engine for
further changes in Bosnia-Herzegovina -- we need to
get a thorough economic reform underway. This is the
centerpiece of our implementation efforts. And
thirdly, we need refugee return, the return of the
internally-displaced persons -- and these are still
800-thousand internally-displaced and 300-thousand
outside of the country -- we need to accelerate the
return.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Petritsch says it is a sign of success that so far
this year twice as many refugees have returned to
Bosnia compared to the same period last year.
But Mr. Petritsch says there are limits to how much
the international community can help Bosnia. In the
final analysis, he says, the Bosnian people must learn
that compromise is the only guarantee for the survival
of Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Signed)
NEB/NYC/BJS/LSF/WTW/KL
10-May-2000 10:12 AM EDT (10-May-2000 1412 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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