02 January 2003
Fact Sheet Recaps U.N. Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(U.N. completed mandate December 31, 2002; EU assumes duties) (460)
The following State Department fact sheet was issued in conjunction
with a statement by Spokesman Richard Boucher marking the completion
on December 31, 2002, of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
(begin fact sheet)
Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
January 2, 2003
Fact Sheet
UN MISSION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
On December 21, 1995, the United Nations Security Council passed
Resolution 1035, setting up the UN International Police Task Force and
a UN Civil Affairs Office. These were brought together as the UN
Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UN Mission (UNMIBH) was created
to help implement the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia
and Herzegovina (also referred to as the as the Dayton-Paris
Agreement). It was "under the authority of the Secretary-General and
subject to coordination and guidance as appropriate" of the High
Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina appointed to oversee the
Agreement's implementation.
On December 31, 2002, the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
completed its mandate. The European Union Police Mission (EUPM)
assumed international police monitoring duties in Bosnia and
Herzegovina on January 1, 2003.
The International Police Task Force has reformed and restructured
local police personnel and organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
reducing the bloated local police forces from over 40,000 personnel in
1996 to approximately 20,000 today. Through this process, the UN has
also de-certified officers who were without proper training or
education and those who participated in war crimes or other violations
of the law. In addition, the UN worked to improve recruitment of
officers from minority groups within the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska and mentored local police in
leadership positions.
The UN was instrumental in making the State Border Service operational
so that it now controls all land borders and the country's three
international airports. It is Bosnia and Herzegovina's first
state-level, multi-ethnic law enforcement agency, and already appears
to have cut down dramatically on illegal entry into the country. This
has important ramifications for the fight against trans-national crime
and terrorism.
The UN's Special Trafficking Operation Program (STOP) raised public
awareness of trafficking in persons in the country and the region, and
monitored raids by local police of bars and nightclubs suspected of
trafficking. The STOP program oversaw some 800 such raids and aided
scores of trafficking victims to escape their plight. The United
States hopes the international community and the government of Bosnia
and Herzegovina will continue strong efforts in this area.
President Bush made a campaign pledge that he would promote better
burden sharing in the Balkans, and the successful transfer of this
core mission exemplifies his commitment to that pledge.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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