EU to cut troop numbers in Bosnia, Office of High Representative remains another year
01 March 2007
The European Union has announced dramatic cuts to its peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Hercegovina (Eufor). The Eufor force will see numbers drop from 6,500 currently to about 2,500 over the next few months, the EU said. The cuts come a day after the anouncement the mandate of the Office of the High Representative (OHR)will be prolongued by one year, until the end of June 2008.
Britain, which has heavy commitments both in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to announce on 1 March that it will withdraw its 600 Eufor troops.
The chairman of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Nebojsa Radmanovic, said the country could now ensure stability and reform by itself. He said the move to cut down the amount of Eufor was "positive news".
Eufor is responsible for safeguarding peace following the inter-ethnic war of 1992-95, in which about 110,000 people died. It took over from a Nato force in 2004.
On 28 February the 27-member EU said it had decided "to reduce Eufor's size but to keep an appropriate robust military presence". The reduction is expected to take up to three months.
The statement added that for a period of six months the EU reserved the right to boost troop levels again "if needed".
On 27 February the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), which reviews Bosnia and Herzegovina's stabilisation, announced it is retaining the office of the High Representative until June 2008, as the reforms it wanted have not been fully implemented.
"The situation in the region is still potentially unstable," said High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling after the session. "That is why the decision on further staying of OHR in BiH is the most reasonable and responsible." The Board reaffirmed that it is in the interest of all for BiH to take full responsibility for its own affairs, as the policy of ownership remains the guiding principle.
"The Board welcomes the fact that political parties have now engaged in talks on the basis of the Police Reform Directorate report," said the communiqué." The PIC Steering Board expects the state and entity governments to reach an agreement on the report, together with the proposed Agreement on Implementation and Timelines, before mid-March. " Limited changes to the report are possible.
The Board called on BiH authorities, especially in Republika Srpska (RS), to renew efforts to co-operate fully with the UN war crimes tribunal, including playing a proactive role in apprehending all indicted war criminals, notably Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. It also urged the BiH government to proceed with the process of constitutional reform, especially the reform package.
Source: BBC News, Southeast European Times
