Bosnia and Herzegovina: UN mission hails EU move on future police monitoring

The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) today welcomed the European Union's willingness to take over UN police training and monitoring duties from 2003.

“As the United Nations continues to undertake additional obligations in other parts of the world, yesterday’s decision by the EU ensures the ongoing international commitment to strengthening the rule of law in BiH in with European standards,” UNMIBH said in a statement issued at its headquarters in Sarajevo.

If the Bosnian Peace Implementation Council approves the proposal, the EU mission could assume these responsibilities from 1 January 2003, immediately following the expiration of UNMIBH's current mandate.

In December 2001, Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggested the UN's police responsibilities in the country might best be assumed by a European regional organization. In its statement today, UNMIBH noted that the assumption of police reform tasks by a European organization “would be a natural transition to eventual local ownership and European integration.”