UN Bosnia and Herzegovina mission on target to complete mandate in 2002

With the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) progressing towards the completion next year of its core mandate, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has suggested that a smaller police operation take over the continued monitoring and assistance needed to preserve what has been achieved.

The new mission would be about one quarter of the size of the current one, which comprises 1,673 police officers from 42 countries.

"In the politically difficult environment of Bosnia and Herzegovina, these achievements have not come easily," the Secretary-General says in his latest report to the Security Council on the progress of UNMIBH. The Mission has had to overcome "strong resistance and, sometimes, defiance," he observes, adding that it continues to rely on the High Representative "to break through obstruction, establish conducive political conditions, accelerate judicial reform and support requests for essential financial resources."

The Secretary-General says that given the many commitments that the UN is facing, it would be desirable for regional actors to assume responsibility for such a mission. "I have instructed my Special Representative [Jacques Klein] to cooperate fully with the organizations that are assessing the requirements for the follow-on police mission and may have the capacity to undertake it," he writes.

UNMIBH is also participating actively in current discussions on streamlining the international presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve efficiency and coordination with relevant international organizations.

The Secretary-General also stresses that to be able to complete its plan for Bosnia by December 2002, the Mission would need some $6.4 million from Member States or essential equipment for Bosnian police and the State Border Service.