Security Council resolution 2604 (2021) [on renewal of the authorization of the European Union-led Multinational Stabilization Force (EUFOR ALTHEA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a period of 12 months]
Symbol: S/RES/2604 (2021)
Date: 2021-11-03
Meeting record: S/PV.8896
Subjects: EUFOR|NATO|Agreement on Implementing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995)|Charter of the United Nations (1945). Chapter VII|PEACEBUILDING|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA|BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SITUATION|FORMER YUGOSLAVIA SITUATION
Notes: Issued in: Resolutions and decisions of the Security Council, 2021 - S/INF/76 - (SCOR, 76th year).

United Nations                                                                  S/RES/2604 (2021)
               Security Council                                                Distr.: General
                                                                               3 November 2021




               Resolution 2604 (2021)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8896th meeting, on
               3 November 2021

                    The Security Council,
                    Determining that the situation in the region of the Former Yugoslavia continues
               to constitute a threat to international peace and security,
                    Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
                     1.    Authorizes the Member States acting through or in cooperation with the
               EU to establish for a further period of twelve months, starting from the date of the
               adoption of this resolution, a multinational stabilization force (EUFOR ALTHEA) as
               a legal successor to SFOR under unified command and control, wh ich will fulfil its
               missions in relation to the implementation of Annex 1-A and Annex 2 of the General
               Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the annexes thereto
               (collectively the Peace Agreement, S/1995/999, Annex) in cooperation with the
               NATO Headquarters presence in accordance with the arrangements agreed between
               NATO and the EU as communicated to the Security Council in their letters of
               19 November 2004, which recognize that EUFOR ALTHEA will have the main peace
               stabilization role under the military aspects of the Peace Agreement;
                     2.   Decides to renew the authorization provided by paragraph 11 of its
               resolution 2183 (2014) for a further period of twelve months starting from the date of
               adoption of this resolution;
                     3.    Authorizes the Member States acting under paragraphs 1 and 2 above to
               take all necessary measures to effect the implementation of and to ensure compliance
               with annexes 1-A and 2 of the Peace Agreement, stresses that the parties shall
               continue to be held equally responsible for the compliance with that annex and shall
               be equally subject to such enforcement action by EUFOR ALTHEA and the NATO
               presence as may be necessary to ensure implementation of those annexes and the
               protection of EUFOR ALTHEA and the NATO presence;
                     4.    Authorizes Member States to take all necessary measures, at the request of
               either EUFOR ALTHEA or the NATO Headquarters, in defence of the EUFOR ALTHEA
               or NATO presence respectively, and to assist both organizations in carrying out their
               missions, and recognizes the right of both EUFOR ALTHEA and the NATO presence to
               take all necessary measures to defend themselves from attack or threat of attack;
                    5.   Authorizes the Member States acting under paragraphs 1 and 2 above, in
               accordance with annex 1-A of the Peace Agreement, to take all necessary measures to



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               ensure compliance with the rules and procedures governing command and control of
               airspace over Bosnia and Herzegovina with respect to all civilian and military air traffic;
                    6.    Decides to remain seized of the matter.




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Texto español (official Spanish version): Naciones Unidas                                                                S/RES/2604 (2021)
               Consejo de Seguridad                                           Distr. general
                                                                              3 de noviembre de 2021




               Resolución 2604 (2021)
               Aprobada por el Consejo de Seguridad en su 8896 a sesión,
               celebrada el 3 de noviembre de 2021

                    El Consejo de Seguridad,
                    Habiendo determinado que la situación de la región de la ex-Yugoslavia sigue
               constituyendo una amenaza para la paz y la seguridad internacionales,
                    Actuando en virtud del Capítulo VII de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas,
                     1.   Autoriza a los Estados Miembros que actúen por conducto de la Unión
               Europea o en cooperación con ella a que establezcan, por un nuevo período de 12
               meses a partir de la fecha en que se apruebe la presente resolució n, una fuerza
               multinacional de estabilización (EUFOR ALTHEA) como sucesora legal de la SFOR,
               con mando y control unificados, que cumplirá sus misiones relacionadas con la
               aplicación de los anexos 1-A y 2 del Acuerdo Marco General de Paz en Bosnia y
               Herzegovina y sus anexos (denominados colectivamente Acuerdo de Paz
               (S/1995/999, anexo)) en colaboración con la presencia del cuartel general de la
               Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN), de conformida d con las
               disposiciones convenidas entre la OTAN y la Unión Europea que estas le comunicaron
               en sus cartas de fecha 19 de noviembre de 2004, en que se reconoce que EUFOR
               ALTHEA desempeñará la principal función de estabilización de la paz en relación
               con los aspectos militares del Acuerdo de Paz;
                     2.   Decide renovar la autorización otorgada en el párrafo 11 de su resolución
               2183 (2014) por un nuevo período de 12 meses a partir de la fecha en que se aprueb e
               la presente resolución;
                     3.   Autoriza a los Estados Miembros que actúen en virtud de los párrafos 1 y
               2 de la presente resolución a que adopten todas las medidas necesarias para lograr la
               aplicación de los anexos 1-A y 2 del Acuerdo de Paz y asegurar su cumplimiento,
               destaca que las partes seguirán siendo consideradas igualmente responsables del
               cumplimiento de esas disposiciones y estarán sujetas por igual a las medidas
               coercitivas de EUFOR ALTHEA y la presencia de la OTAN que sean necesarias para
               asegurar la aplicación de dichos anexos y la protección de EUFOR ALTHEA y la
               presencia de la OTAN;
                     4.    Autoriza a los Estados Miembros a que adopten todas las medidas
               necesarias, a solicitud de EUFOR ALTHEA o del cuartel general de la OTAN, en
               defensa de EUFOR ALTHEA o la presencia de la OTAN, respectivamente, y a que
               presten asistencia a ambas organizaciones en la ejecución de sus misiones, y reconoce




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S/RES/2604 (2021)

               el derecho de EUFOR ALTHEA y la presencia de la OTAN a tomar todas las medidas
               necesarias para defenderse en caso de ataque o amenaza de ataque;
                     5.   Autoriza a los Estados Miembros que actúen en virtud de los párrafos 1 y
               2 de la presente resolución y de conformidad con el anexo 1-A del Acuerdo de Paz a
               que adopten todas las medidas necesarias para asegurar el cumplimiento de las normas
               y los procedimientos que rigen el mando y el control del espacio aéreo de Bosnia y
               Herzegovina con respecto a todo el tráfico aéreo civil y militar;
                    6.   Decide seguir ocupándose de la cuestión.




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Texte français (official French version): Nations Unies                                                                  S/RES/2604 (2021)
               Conseil de sécurité                                             Distr. générale
                                                                               3 novembre 2021




               Résolution 2604 (2021)
               Adoptée par le Conseil de sécurité à sa 8896 e séance,
               le 3 novembre 2021

                    Le Conseil de sécurité,
                   Constatant que la situation dans la région de l’ex-Yougoslavie continue de
               menacer la paix et la sécurité internationales,
                    Agissant en vertu du Chapitre VII de la Charte des Nations Unies,
                     1.    Autorise les États Membres, agissant par l’intermédiaire de l’Union
               européenne ou en coopération avec elle, à créer, pour une nouvelle période de douze
               mois à compter de la date d’adoption de la présente résolution, une force
               multinationale de stabilisation (EUFOR ALTHEA) succédant juridiquement à la
               SFOR avec une structure de commandement et de direction des opérations unifiée,
               qui remplira ses missions liées à la mise en œuvre des dispositions des annexes 1 -A
               et 2 de l’Accord-cadre général pour la paix en Bosnie-Herzégovine et de ses annexes
               (appelés collectivement Accord de paix, S/1995/999, annexe) en coopération avec le
               quartier général de l’OTAN sur place, conformément aux arrangements qui ont été
               conclus entre l’OTAN et l’Union européenne et qui lui ont été communiqués par ces
               deux institutions dans leurs lettres du 19 novembre 2004, par lesquelles elles
               conviennent que l’EUFOR ALTHEA jouera le rôle principal dans la stabilisation de
               la paix s’agissant des aspects militaires de l’Accord de paix ;
                     2.    Décide de renouveler l’autorisation qu’il a accordée au paragraphe 11 de
               sa résolution 2183 (2014) pour une nouvelle période de douze mois à compter de la
               date d’adoption de la présente résolution ;
                     3.   Autorise les États Membres à prendre, agissant en vertu des paragraphes 1
               et 2 ci-dessus, toutes les mesures nécessaires pour faire appliquer et respecter les
               annexes 1-A et 2 de l’Accord de paix, et souligne que les parties continuent de
               répondre à égalité de l’observation des dispositions de ces annexes et qu’elles
               encourent à égalité les mesures coercitives que l’EUFOR ALTHEA et la présence de
               l’OTAN pourraient juger nécessaires pour assurer l’application des annexes en
               question et leur propre protection ;
                    4.    Autorise également les États Membres à prendre, à la demande de
               l’EUFOR ALTHEA ou du quartier général de l’OTAN, toute mesure nécessaire pour
               défendre l’EUFOR ALTHEA ou la présence de l’OTAN et pour aider ces deux entités
               à remplir leur mission, et reconnaît à l’une comme à l’autre le droit de prendre toute
               mesure de protection nécessaire en cas d’attaque ou de menace ;



21-16011 (F)
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S/RES/2604 (2021)


                    5.    Autorise en outre les États Membres, agissant en vertu des paragraphes 1
              et 2 ci-dessus et conformément à l’annexe 1-A de l’Accord de paix, à prendre toute
              mesure nécessaire afin de faire respecter les règles de fond et de procédure organisant
              la maîtrise de l’espace aérien de la Bosnie-Herzégovine pour l’aviation civile et
              militaire ;
                    6.   Décide de rester saisi de la question.




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Русский текст (official Russian version): Организация Объединенных Наций                                                         S/RES/2604 (2021)
               Совет Безопасности                                       Distr.: General
                                                                        3 November 2021




               Резолюция 2604 (2021),
               принятая Советом Безопасности на его 8896-м заседании
               3 ноября 2021 года

                   Совет Безопасности,
                    определяя, что положение в регионе бывшей Югославии продолжает созда-
               вать угрозу международному миру и безопасности,
                   действуя на основании главы VII Устава Организации Объединенных
               Наций,
                    1.   уполномочивает государства-члены, действующие через ЕС или в со-
               трудничестве с ним, учредить на дополнительный период в двенадцать месяцев,
               начинающийся с даты принятия настоящей резолюции, в качестве правопреем-
               ника Сил по стабилизации (СПС) многонациональные силы по стабилизации
               («Операция СЕС “Алфея”») под единым командованием и управлением, которые
               будут выполнять свои задачи в связи с осуществлением приложения 1-А и при-
               ложения 2 к документу «Общее рамочное соглашение о мире в Боснии и Герце-
               говине и приложения к нему» (собирательно именуются «Мирное соглашение»,
               S/1995/999, дополнение) в сотрудничестве с присутствием в стране штаба НАТО
               в соответствии с договоренностями, согласованными между НАТО и ЕС и дове-
               денными до сведения Совета Безопасности в их письмах от 19 ноября 2004 года,
               в которых признается, что Операция СЕС «Алфея» будет играть главную стаби-
               лизирующую роль в пользу мира в соответствии с военными аспектами Мирного
               соглашения;
                    2.   постановляет продлить срок действия полномочий, предусмотрен-
               ных в пункте 11 его резолюции 2183 (2014), на дополнительный период в двена-
               дцать месяцев, начинающийся с даты принятия настоящей резолюции;
                    3.   уполномочивает государства-члены, действующие на основании
               пунктов 1 и 2 выше, принимать все необходимые меры по осуществлению и
               обеспечению соблюдения приложений 1-A и 2 к Мирному соглашению, особо
               отмечает, что стороны по-прежнему несут равную ответственность за соблю-
               дение этих приложений и в равной степени подпадают под такие меры по обес-
               печению соблюдения со стороны Операции СЕС «Алфея» и присутствия НАТО,
               которые могут потребоваться для обеспечения осуществления этих приложений
               и защиты Операции СЕС «Алфея» и присутствия НАТО;
                   4.  уполномочивает государства-члены принимать по просьбе либо Опе-
               рации СЕС «Алфея», либо штаба НАТО все необходимые меры в защиту




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S/RES/2604 (2021)


               соответственно Операции СЕС «Алфея» или присутствия НАТО и оказывать
               обеим организациям содействие в выполнении их миссий и признает право как
               Операции СЕС «Алфея», так и присутствия НАТО принимать все необходимые
               меры для защиты себя от нападения или угрозы нападения;
                    5.   уполномочивает государства-члены, действующие на основании
               пунктов 1 и 2 выше, принимать в соответствии с приложением 1 -A к Мирному
               соглашению все необходимые меры по обеспечению соблюдения правил и про-
               цедур, регулирующих командование и управление всеми гражданскими и воен-
               ными воздушными перевозками в воздушном пространстве над Боснией и Гер-
               цеговиной;
                    6.   постановляет продолжать заниматься этим вопросом.




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中文文本 (official Chinese version): 联合国                                             S/RES/2604 (2021)
               安全理事会                              Distr.: General
                                                  3 November 2021




               第 2604(2021)号决议

               2021 年 11 月 3 日安全理事会第 8896 次会议通过

                 安全理事会，

                 认定前南斯拉夫地区局势继续对国际和平与安全构成威胁，

                 根据《联合国宪章》第七章采取行动，

                 1.   授权通过欧盟采取行动或与欧盟合作采取行动的会员国续设一支多国
               稳定部队(欧盟部队“木槿花”行动)，自本决议通过之日起为期 12 个月，作为稳
               定部队的合法继承者，接受统一指挥和控制，它将根据 2004 年 11 月 19 日北约
               和欧盟致安全理事会函件中所述的北约与欧盟间商定安排，与北约总部派驻力量
               合作履行与《波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那和平总框架协定》及其各项附件(统称为《和
               平协定》，S/1995/999，附件)中附件 1-A 和附件 2 的执行工作相关的任务，上述
               函件确认，欧盟部队“木槿花”行动将根据《和平协定》军事方面的规定发挥稳
               定和平这一主要作用；

                 2.   决定将安理会第 2183(2014)号决议第 11 段规定的授权自本决议通过之
               日起再延续 12 个月；

                 3.   授权根据上文第 1 和 2 段采取行动的会员国采取一切必要措施，使《和
               平协定》附件 1-A 和附件 2 得以执行并确保它们得到遵守，强调指出将继续就各
               当事方遵守上述附件的同等责任进行问责，继续使各当事方同等接受欧盟部队
               “木槿花”行动和北约派驻力量为确保上述附件得以执行和为保护欧盟部队“木
               槿花”行动和北约派驻力量而可能需要采取的强制执行行动；

                 4.   授权会员国应欧盟部队“木槿花”行动或北约总部的请求，采取一切必
               要措施保卫欧盟部队“木槿花”行动或北约派驻力量，并协助两组织执行任务，
               确认欧盟部队“木槿花”行动和北约派驻力量均有权采取一切必要的自卫措施，
               以防遭受攻击或攻击威胁；




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S/RES/2604 (2021)


                    5.   授权根据上文第 1 和 2 段采取行动的会员国根据《和平协定》附件 1-A
               采取一切必要措施，确保波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那领空一切民用和军用空中交通指
               挥和管控规则和程序得以遵守；

                    6.   决定继续处理此案。




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النص العربي (official Arabic version): ‫)‪S/RES/2604 (2021‬‬                                                                                                            ‫األمــم المتحـدة‬

‫‪Distr.: General‬‬
‫‪3 November 2021‬‬                                                                                              ‫مجلس األمن‬




                                                                                                           ‫القرار ‪)2021( 2604‬‬
             ‫الذي اتخذه مجلس األمن في جلسته ‪ ،8896‬المعقودة في ‪ 3‬تشرين الثاني‪/‬نوفمبر ‪2021‬‬

                                                                                                               ‫إن مجلس األمن‪،‬‬

             ‫إذ يقرر أن الحالة في منطقة يوغوسالفيا السابقة ما زالت تشكل خط ار يهدد السالم واألمن الدوليين‪،‬‬

                                                          ‫وإذ يتصرف بموجب الفصل السابع من ميثاق األمم المتحدة‪،‬‬

             ‫يأذن للدول األعض ــال التي تتص ــرال من خالل ااتحاد األوووبي أو بالتعاون معا ب ش ــال‬                               ‫‪-1‬‬
             ‫قوة متعددة الجنس ـ ــياق لتحقيت ااس ـ ــتقراو (عملية ألثيا التابعة لقوة ااتحاد األوووبي) لفترة إض ـ ــافية مدتها ا نا‬
             ‫عشـر هـه ار اعترا او من تاو ا اتذاه ا ا القراو‪ ،‬صوهـفها خلفا قا و يا لقوة تحقيت ااسـتقراو (‪ ،)SFOR‬تذضـع‬
             ‫لقيادة وإهـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـراال مومدين وتتدل مهامها المتصـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ــلة صتنفي المرفت ‪-1‬ألف والمرفت ‪ 2‬لالتفاق اإلطاول العام‬
             ‫للسـ ـ ـ ــالم في اللوسـ ـ ـ ــنة والهرسـ ـ ـ ـ ومرفقاتا (المشـ ـ ـ ــاو إليها مجتمعة باتفاق السـ ـ ـ ــالم‪ ،S/1995/999 ،‬المرفت)‬
               ‫بالتعاون مع الوجود التابع لمقر قيادة منظمة ملف ه ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ــمال األطلس ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ــي وفقا للترتيراق المتفت عليها صين تل‬
              ‫المنظمة وااتحاد األوووبي‪ ،‬على حو ما أصلغا با مجلس األمن في وسـ ــالتيهما المتوختين ‪ 19‬تشـ ــر ن الثا ي‬
             ‫وفملر ‪ ،2004‬اللتين يقران فيهما بأن عملية ألثيا التابعة لقوة ااتحاد األوووبي سـ ـ ــتضـ ـ ــطلع بالدوو الر يسـ ـ ــي‬
                                                                  ‫في تثليت السالم في إطاو الجوا ب العسكر ة من اتفاق السالم؛‬

             ‫عليـا في الفقرة ‪ 11‬من ق اروه ‪ )2014( 2183‬لفترة ا ني‬                   ‫يقرر تجـديـد اإلهن المنصـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ــو‬       ‫‪-2‬‬
                                                                                  ‫عشر هه ار أخرى تلدأ من تاو ا اتذاه ا ا القراو؛‬

             ‫يأذن للدول األعضـ ــال التي تتصـ ــرال بموجب الفقرتين ‪ 1‬و ‪ 2‬أعاله باتذاه جميع التداصير‬                              ‫‪-3‬‬
             ‫الالزمة لتنفي المرفقين ‪-1‬ألف و ‪ 2‬اتفاق الس ـ ـ ــالم والفالة اامتثال لهما‪ ،‬و تالد وجوت أن تس ـ ـ ــتمر األطراال‬
             ‫في تحمل المس ــتولية‪ ،‬على قدم المس ــاواة‪ ،‬عن اامتثال ألمكام هل المرفت‪ ،‬وأن تذض ــع بالتس ــاول إلجرالاق‬
             ‫اإل فاه التي قد ترااا عملية ألثيا التابعة لقوة ااتحاد األوووبي والوجود التابع لمنظمة ملف هـ ـ ـ ــمال األطلسـ ـ ـ ــي‬
                                                ‫ضروو ة من أجل الفالة تنفي أمكام المرفقين ومماية تل العملية وهل الوجود؛‬

             ‫يأذن للدول األعضال بأن تتذ جميع التداصير الالزمة‪ ،‬صنال على طلب عملية ألثيا التابعة‬                                  ‫‪-4‬‬
             ‫لقوة ااتحاد األوووبي أو مقر قيادة منظمة ملف ه ـ ـ ــمال األطلس ـ ـ ـي‪ ،‬للدفاع عن تل العملية أو الوجود التابع‬




                                                                                                                                            ‫)‪21-16011 (A‬‬
                                                                                                                                  ‫*‪*2116011‬‬

                                                                                                                       ‫)‪S/RES/2604 (2021‬‬


           ‫للمنظمة الم الووة على التوالي‪ ،‬وبأن تس ــاعد اللتا المنظمتين في أدال مهامهما‪ ،‬و قر بحت الل من عملية ألثيا‬
           ‫التابعة لقوة ااتحاد األوووبي والوجود التابع لمنظمة ملف ه ـ ـ ــمال األطلس ـ ـ ــي في اتذاه جميع التداصير الالزمة‬
                                                             ‫للدفاع عن النفس عند التعرض اعتدال أو تهديد بااعتدال؛‬

           ‫يأذن للدول األعضـ ــال التي تتصـ ــرال بموجب الفقرتين ‪ 1‬و ‪ 2‬أعاله‪ ،‬وفقا للمرفت ‪-1‬ألف‬             ‫‪-5‬‬
           ‫اتفاق السـ ـ ــالم‪ ،‬بأن تتذ جميع التداصير الالزمة لافالة اامتثال للقواعد واإلجرالاق التي تنظم السـ ـ ــيطرة على‬
           ‫المجال الجول لللوسنة والهرس ومراقلتا‪ ،‬وهل فيما يتعلت بالحرالة الجو ة المد ية والعسكر ة بجميع أهكالها؛‬

                                                                     ‫يقرر أن يرقي المسألة قيد ظره‪.‬‬          ‫‪-6‬‬




‫‪21-16011‬‬                                                                                                                             ‫‪2/2‬‬

Draft resolution (S/2021/913):
United Nations                                                                                S/2021/913
               Security Council                                                    Distr.: General
                                                                                   3 November 2021

                                                                                   Original: English




               France: draft resolution

                    The Security Council,
                    Determining that the situation in the region of the Former Yugoslavia continues
               to constitute a threat to international peace and security,
                    Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
                     1.    Authorizes the Member States acting through or in cooperation with the
               EU to establish for a further period of twelve months, starting from the date of the
               adoption of this resolution, a multinational stabilization force (EUFOR ALTHEA) as
               a legal successor to SFOR under unified command and control, which will ful fil its
               missions in relation to the implementation of Annex 1-A and Annex 2 of the General
               Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the annexes thereto
               (collectively the Peace Agreement, S/1995/999, Annex) in cooperation with the
               NATO Headquarters presence in accordance with the arrangements agreed between
               NATO and the EU as communicated to the Security Council in their letters of
               19 November 2004, which recognize that EUFOR ALTHEA will hav e the main peace
               stabilization role under the military aspects of the Peace Agreement;
                     2.   Decides to renew the authorization provided by paragraph 11 of its
               resolution 2183 (2014) for a further period of twelve months starting from the date of
               adoption of this resolution;
                     3.    Authorizes the Member States acting under paragraphs 1 and 2 above to
               take all necessary measures to effect the implementation of and to ensure compliance
               with annexes 1-A and 2 of the Peace Agreement, stresses that the parties shall
               continue to be held equally responsible for the compliance with that annex and shall
               be equally subject to such enforcement action by EUFOR ALTHEA and the NATO
               presence as may be necessary to ensure implementation of those annexes and the
               protection of EUFOR ALTHEA and the NATO presence;
                     4.    Authorizes Member States to take all necessary measures, at the request of
               either EUFOR ALTHEA or the NATO Headquarters, in defence of the EUFOR ALTHEA
               or NATO presence respectively, and to assist both organizations in carrying out their
               missions, and recognizes the right of both EUFOR ALTHEA and the NATO presence to
               take all necessary measures to defend themselves from attack or threat of attack;
                     5.   Authorizes the Member States acting under paragraphs 1 and 2 above, in
               accordance with annex 1-A of the Peace Agreement, to take all necessary measures to
               ensure compliance with the rules and procedures governing command and control of
               airspace over Bosnia and Herzegovina with respect to all civilian and military air traffic;
                    6.    Decides to remain seized of the matter.




21-16010 (E)     051121
*2116010*

Meeting record:
United Nations                                                                                                 S/PV.8896
             Security Council                                                                                               Provisional
             Seventy-sixth year


             8896th meeting
             Wednesday, 3 November 2021, 3 p.m.
             New York




President:   Mr. De la Fuente Ramírez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                (Mexico)


Members:     China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Geng Shuang
             Estonia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Jürgenson
             France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. De Rivière
             India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    Mr. Mathur
             Ireland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Ms. Byrne Nason
             Kenya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Kiboino
             Niger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Abarry
             Norway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       Ms. Heimerback
             Russian Federation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .            Mr. Nebenzia
             Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                      Ms. DeShong
             Tunisia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Cherif
             United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . .                                   Ms. Farrey
             United States of America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                Mrs. Thomas-Greenfield
             Viet Nam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       Mr. Pham

Agenda
             The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina




               This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of
               speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records
               of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They
               should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member
               of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506
               (verbatimrecords@un.org). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official
               Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).


21-31868 (E)
*2131868*

S/PV.8896                              The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                                 03/11/2021


    The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.                  resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution
                                                               2604 (2021).
Expression of thanks to the outgoing President
                                                                  I shall now give the floor to those members of the
    The President (spoke in Spanish): I should like            Council who wish to make statements.
to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of
                                                                   Mr. De Rivière (France) (spoke in French):
the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Martin Kimani,
Permanent Representative of Kenya, for his service as          First of all, allow me to thank Kenya, its Permanent
President of the Council for the month of October. I           Representative and its team for the outstanding work
am sure I speak for all the members of the Council in          during the month of October. Allow me as well, Sir,
expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Kimani              to commend your assumption of the presidency of the
and his team for the great diplomatic skill with which         Security Council. You have the full support of my
they conducted the Council’s business last month.              delegation in the coming weeks.
                                                                    Since the conflict of the 1990s, with the continued
Adoption of the agenda                                         support of the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina
    The agenda was adopted.                                    has made resolute progress on the path towards peace
                                                               and stabilization. Today, while political tensions are
The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                        high, France reaffirms its commitment to the European
                                                               perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as of the
     The President (spoke in Spanish): In accordance
                                                               entire Western Balkans. The European Union, an agent
with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of
                                                               of peace and stability on the European continent since
procedure, I invite the representatives of Bosnia and
                                                               its establishment, is determined to continue to play that
Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia to participate in
                                                               role in the Balkans, in the dialogue with all its partners.
this meeting.
                                                                   With the European Union Military Operation
     In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s
                                                               in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Union has
provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency
                                                               played the main role in stabilizing peace and security
Mr. Olof Skoog, Head of the Delegation of the
                                                               in the country since 2004. It does so on behalf of the
European Union to the United Nations, to participate
                                                               international community, in accordance with the
in this meeting.
                                                               Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement and by decision of the
    The Security Council will now               begin    its   Security Council. We welcome the adoption today of
consideration of the item on its agenda.                       resolution 2604 (2021), which renews the mandate.
    Members of the Council have before them document               Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path includes
S/2021/913, which contains the text of a draft resolution      implementing an ambitious agenda of reforms for the
submitted by France.                                           benefit of all of the country’s inhabitants, who have
     The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the        a right to effective democratic institutions, especially
draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution   when it comes to justice and combating corruption
to the vote now.                                               and organized crime, in accordance with the highest
                                                               European standards. We call on the political leaders of
    A vote was taken by show of hands.                         Bosnia and Herzegovina to overcome their divisions
                                                               and work for the benefit of all its people so as to move
In favour:
                                                               the country forward along that path.
     China, Estonia, France, India, Ireland, Kenya,
     Mexico, Niger, Norway, Russian Federation, Saint              We also call for an electoral reform that guarantees
     Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, United               the principle of non-discrimination and the equality
     Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,            of all citizens, in accordance with the rulings of the
     United States of America, Viet Nam                        European Court of Human Rights.
    The President (spoke in Spanish): The draft                     Women’s full and effective participation in political
resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft              life must also be a priority.


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03/11/2021                           The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                                 S/PV. 8896


    We also continue to call for the formation                   I would like to thank High Representative
of Governments in the Federation of Bosnia and               Schmidt for his report. The High Representative
Herzegovina, as well as in all the cantons that still do     has provided a clear and detailed assessment of the
not have one.                                                deeply concerning political deadlock and blockages
                                                             in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ireland remains fully
     The High Representative plays an essential role in
                                                             supportive of the Office of the High Representative
support of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the guarantor of
                                                             and encourages all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina
the implementation of the Dayton-Paris Accord. France
                                                             both to respect and engage, to the fullest extent, with
supports his work and takes careful note of his report.
                                                             the High Representative and his Office. We would
We are convinced that, through his contacts with all
                                                             particularly encourage greater progress in fulfilling the
the actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina and with all the
                                                             5+2 agenda. The delivery of that agenda remains the
members of the international community, he will be
                                                             agreed prerequisite for the closure of the Office of the
able to contribute usefully to the country’s stability. We
                                                             High Representative.
call on all stakeholders to engage in good faith towards
that goal.                                                       We remain greatly concerned about the divisive,
                                                             negative rhetoric, which only deepens existing divisions
     France condemns all forms of calling into question
                                                             and diminishes the prospects for reconciliation. We call
the territorial integrity and existence of Bosnia and
                                                             on all parties to repudiate such rhetoric and refrain from
Herzegovina as a State. We also deeply regret the
                                                             any further unilateral actions that seek to undermine
decision by certain political representatives to block
                                                             Bosnia and Herzegovina.
the functioning of central State institutions. We call on
leaders to work within the framework of the country’s            We are concerned in particular about the
institutions. France reiterates its unwavering support       glorification of war criminals. There can be no place in
for the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the           the modern Bosnia and Herzegovina for the glorification
framework established by the Dayton-Paris Accord. We         of war criminals and the denial of genocide.
call on all the witnessed to the Accord to continue to act
                                                                 Like all of us, Bosnia and Herzegovina has faced
as guarantors.
                                                             serious problems as a result of the coronavirus disease
    Finally, France condemns in the strongest way            (COVID-19) pandemic, but the political deadlock
possible the glorification of convicted war criminals        and paralysis of State institutions is compounding
and the denial of genocide. That is incompatible             the frustration of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens
with the values of the European Union. We reaffirm           and is a factor driving so many young people to leave
the importance of justice, reparation and guarantees         the country.
of non-repetition for crimes committed during the
                                                                  Bosnia and Herzegovina has been able to make
conflicts of the 1990s, especially sexual violence.
                                                             significant achievements over the past quarter of a
Transitional justice and reconciliation processes remain
                                                             century in building up its institutions of Government
the only solid basis for the future of the country.
                                                             and developing its economy and society. It has shown
     Ms. Byrne Nason (Ireland): I would like to              that the political path can work for all people of
congratulate you, Mr. President, on assuming your            Bosnia and Herzegovina. That must continue. Elected
important functions as our President for this month.         representatives, working together with the national
I thank your predecessor Ambassador Kimani for his           leadership, must cooperate to address the needs
deft handling of the presidency in the month of October.     of citizens.
I also thank his team.
                                                                 Ireland fully supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
    I would like to begin by emphasizing our strong          European Union (EU) perspective. We call on all
support for a single, sovereign, united and multi-ethnic     parties to work towards common goals, to address the
Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the Office of the             challenges created by COVID-19 and to step up the pace
High Representative and the European Union Military          on implementing the reforms needed for EU accession.
Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR-Althea).          That means addressing the needs of all citizens. We call
We are pleased that resolution 2604 (2021) authorizing       on all parties to uphold and respect equality and inclusion
EUFOR-Althea, in which Ireland is proud to participate,      as key principles that will underpin a stable prosperous
was adopted this afternoon.                                  future for Bosnia and Herzegovina and enable women


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S/PV.8896                            The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                                03/11/2021


to rightfully participate in decision-making in all its           We are concerned about the recent political
dimensions. Despite existing legislation, we know that       developments that threaten the stability of the country
the participation of women in politics remains low.          and undermine the progress achieved over the past 26
We urge the authorities to ensure the development of         years. All political leaders must actively endeavour
effective mechanisms for the implementation of quotas        to leverage common opportunities and engage in
to enhance women’s political representation. We call         constructive dialogue to implement much-needed
once again on the High Representative to focus on that       reforms, including the political, socioeconomic and
important issue of gender equality and for reporting on      electoral reforms, for the benefit of its citizens. Our
the issue to be included in future reports of the Office     delegation therefore encourages the leaders to uphold
of the High Representative.                                  their commitments pursuant to the General Framework
                                                             Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which
    Progress is needed on the reform of the electoral        is a fundamental pillar for building lasting peace and
framework to meet European standards and guarantee           stability in the country.
that all citizens can exercise their political rights. We
regret the fact that there has been no move towards an           Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leaders must also strive
agreement on those issues before the country moves           to act hand in hand with each other to help mitigate the
into full election mode in 2022. Achieving those much        consequences of the coronavirus disease pandemic.
needed reforms will require all sides to show leadership         It is concerning that the most recent report on
and engage in a sincere and constructive way. In             the implementation of the Peace Agreement includes
addition, progress is required on the 14 key reform          an escalation of divisive rhetoric, the glorification of
priorities, set out in the European Commission opinion,      war criminals and actions targeted at the country’s
in particular on the rule of law. That is essential for      Constitution. Those actions serve only to erode the
restoring citizens’ trust in the judicial system. Bosnia     otherwise significant steps that have been made in
and Herzegovina will move forward on its EU path only        nation-building. Above all, we encourage the parties to
when it delivers on that critical mass of reforms.           improve the rule of law, tackle corruption and improve
    Bosnia and Herzegovina has much challenging              the overall political environment in the country so that
work ahead of it, but we hope that its leaders will          the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina can enjoy peace
resume the dialogue needed to tackle, step by step in a      and be treated with respect and dignity.
pragmatic way, the issues facing the country. That will          In conclusion, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to take a decisive step        reaffirms its support for the stability, political
towards overcoming the dismal legacy of the past and         independence and territorial integrity of Bosnia and
realize its full potential as a sovereign State within the   Herzegovina. We encourage the leaders to put aside their
European family of nations.                                  differences and work together with the members of the
    Ms. Deshong (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines):          Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council
Let me also join others in wishing you, Mr. President,       to fully implement the Dayton Peace Agreement and
every success as Mexico steers us this month in the work     the objectives and conditions of the 5+2 agenda. We
of the Security Council. I also take the opportunity to      also encourage all parties to continue engaging with
congratulate Ambassador Kimani and his very dynamic          the international community, particularly the Security
team on a wonderful and successful presidency in the         Council, for the stability and long-term security of the
month of October.                                            people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    We begin by expressing thanks to the Office of the            Ms. Farrey (United Kingdom): I would like to
                                                             start by congratulating you, Mr. President, on Mexico’s
High Representative for its commitment to help promote
                                                             assumption of the presidency of the Security Council
the political process and the full implementation of the
                                                             this month and wish you all the best. I also congratulate
Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
                                                             Kenya for a very successful presidency in October.
We also take this opportunity to recognize the continued
work of the European Union Military Operation                    I would like to join other Council members in
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it plays a key role in         welcoming the adoption just now of resolution 2604
supporting the efforts to maintain a safe and secure         (2021), which renews the authorization for the European
environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina.                       Union Military Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina


4/19                                                                                                         21-31868

03/11/2021                           The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                               S/PV. 8896


(EUFOR-Althea) for a further 12 months. As the High             In the light of the political situation in Bosnia and
Representative states in his recent report, the present     Herzegovina, it is more vital than ever that the Security
turbulent environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina             Council make clear its ongoing support for the full
highlights the vital role of EUFOR-Althea in                implementation of the Dayton Agreement. In addition
safeguarding peace and security, thereby enabling the       to the military role of the European Union Military
High Representative to fulfil his mandate and provide       Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that includes the
reassurance to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.        civilian role of the High Representative.
Although this is by necessity a simple resolution, it
                                                                We would like to join others in expressing our full
rests on the great body of existing resolutions and other
                                                            support for the new High Representative, Mr. Schmidt,
documents of the Council that set out the Council’s
                                                            and for the use of executive powers should the
position in full.
                                                            situation require it. We reject attempts to undermine
    Although    the   new     High     Representative,      his appointment and to close his Office prematurely.
Mr. Christian Schmidt, is not with us today, we would       That is not in the interests of the people of Bosnia and
like to thank him for his candid and thorough report        Herzegovina, but undermines regional security and
on the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement         the country’s objective of Euro-Atlantic integration.
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was circulated to          As agreed by the Steering Board of the Peace
Council members pursuant to the requirements of the         Implementation Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Peace Agreement and the relevant Council resolutions.       and repeatedly reaffirmed by Council members, the
We look forward to welcoming him to the Council in          completion of the 5+2 agenda remains necessary for the
upcoming meetings.                                          closure of the Office. We urge the authorities of Bosnia
    The High Representative’s report paints a               and Herzegovina to recommit to achieving progress
worrisome picture. We note his view that Bosnia and         and welcome Mr. Schmidt’s proposed initiative to
Herzegovina is facing the greatest existential threat of    reinvigorate the process.
the post-war period and heed his warning on the real            Moreover, we urge the entities and all citizens of
prospects for further division and conflict.                Bosnia and Herzegovina to harness the spirit of the
    In particular, we share the deep concern of other       positive developments in the High Representative’s
Council members about the divisive rhetoric and actions     report, such as the mutual visits between the city
pursued in some quarters of Bosnia and Herzegovina,         mayors of Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka and Tuzla.
notably by representatives of the Republika Srpska              As a member of the Security Council and the
entity. Although those activities predate the 22 July       Peace Implementation Council, the United Kingdom
amendment of the Bosnia and Herzegovina criminal            remains committed to supporting the security, stability,
code by the former High Representative to sanction the      democracy, prosperity, sovereignty and territorial
denial of genocide, war crimes and the glorification of     integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We stand with the
war criminals, the amendment appears to have provided       people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their hopes for a
a pretext for an escalation since then.                     peaceful and bright future.
    As the High Representative points out, those                Ms. Heimerback (Norway): Let me, like
activities, including threats to re-establish a Republika   others, thank Kenya and the Kenyan team for their
Srpska army and to pull out of other established
                                                            excellent presidency. We also wish to convey to you,
State-level institutions, represent an attempt to
                                                            Mr. President, and your team our best wishes for the
withdraw the Republika Srpska from the constitutional
                                                            month of November.
order established under the Dayton Agreement.
These moves seek to undo 26 years of hard-won                   The contribution of the European Union Military
peace and progress. As such, we agree with the High         Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina to maintaining
Representative’s assessment that those actions amount       stability and a safe and secure environment in Bosnia
to an attempt to engineer secession from Bosnia and         and Herzegovina is vital and, unfortunately, still
Herzegovina. That puts at risk not only the peace and       necessary to ensure sustainable peace. We therefore
stability of the country and the region, but the Dayton     voted in favour of resolution 2604 (2021) and welcome
Agreement itself.                                           the continued work of the Operation.


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S/PV.8896                            The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                               03/11/2021


    While it is important that we were able adopt a         sovereign State comprising two entities. Norway will
resolution, we regret that it was not possible to proceed   continue to listen to, and engage with, one and all.
with the more substantial text, which would have
                                                                 Mrs. Thomas-Greenfield (United States of
sent a signal to the actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina
                                                            America): Let me join others in welcoming you,
to stay committed to the process of transition
                                                            Mr. President, to your new role as President of the
towards a peaceful, reform-oriented and prosperous
                                                            Security Council. I would also like to thank Kenya for
European country.
                                                            its extraordinary effort during the previous month.
    Let me thank the Secretary-General and High
                                                                 We are very pleased that the Security Council
Representative Schmidt for the report. It outlines
                                                            once again reauthorized European Union Military
serious challenges to the fundamental elements of the
                                                            Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and sent a clear
General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia
                                                            message of support for the vitally important mission of
and Herzegovina. Norway supports the Office of the
                                                            maintaining peace and security. We are also grateful for
High Representative and believes it continues to have
                                                            High Representative Christian Schmidt’s recent report,
an important role in overseeing the implementation of
                                                            which the Secretary-General shared with the Security
the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
                                                            Council. In line with precedent and the requirements of
     The authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina must         resolution 1031 (1995) , the report is crucial for keeping
take the necessary actions to fulfil the conditions         the international community informed about the ongoing
under the 5+2 agenda. We believe that is possible and       efforts to ensure enduring stability and prosperity in
within reach if all actors, including the international     the region. Although the High Representative is not
community, work together constructively and in the          here with us today, we appreciate his hard work and
best interests of all people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.     look forward to welcoming him to brief the Council on
Only then could the Office of the High Representative       developments in future.
be closed and the international supervision of Bosnia
                                                                 Right now, Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a
and Herzegovina phased out. However, we are not there
                                                            critical juncture in its post-war history. Today I would
yet. Progress has been made, but more needs to be done.
                                                            like to address three aspects of this situation — the
     We remain concerned about the current political        dangerous rhetoric we have been hearing, the need to
crisis in the country. More than 25 years after the war,    protect and fund the Office of the High Representative
it is in everyone’s interest to pursue a peaceful and       and how electoral reform and combating corruption are
constructive path that leads to lasting reconciliation.     necessary for progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That is a prerequisite for development and prosperity.
                                                                First, the heated rhetoric must stop. Mr. Milorad
    Yet the current political impasse is destructive.       Dodik has called for the Republika Srpska’s withdrawal
Energy should be spent on meeting the needs of the          from the armed forces and from State-level institutions
people and focusing on comprehensive reforms to             in the judiciary, law enforcement and intelligence
further develop Bosnia and Herzegovina, and efforts         agencies. With increasing frequency, Dodik has
must be made to enhance the implementation of               been talking about the Republika Srpska’s possible
reforms, including on the rule of law and rulings by        full withdrawal from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
the European Court of Human Rights. It is time for all      United States agrees with the High Representative’s
parties to play a constructive role in ending the impasse   assessment — this is a dangerous path both for
and, through dialogue, resolve the current crisis and       Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the wider Western
help build a better tomorrow for the citizens of Bosnia     Balkans regions. We are especially concerned by
and Herzegovina.                                            Dodik’s claim that he is leading an effort to draft a new
                                                            constitution for the Republika Srpska. This would pose
     We know that women are key to lasting and
                                                            a serious threat to the Dayton architecture, which is
sustainable peace. We therefore call on all parties to
                                                            an architecture that has so far successfully preserved
ensure women’s full, equal and meaningful participation
                                                            peace.
in all aspects of dialogue and peacebuilding. Let me end
by once again confirming that Norway fully supports              As we have maintained since the signing of
the sovereignty, territorial integrity and fundamental      the Dayton Accords in 1995, the sovereignty and
structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single             territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina is


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paramount. Unfortunately, in the past few months, all            Mr. Mathur (India): We wish to congratulate you,
sides have made heated claims. We call for calm and          Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency
for de-escalation by all parties. It is time for elected     of the Security Council. We also wish to congratulate
officials at all levels of government to get back to         Kenya for a successful presidency in the month
governing and serving the citizens of the country. That      of October.
means the Presidency must meet on a regular basis.               Let me begin by thanking Mr. Christian Schmidt
State-level institutions must be fully operational and       for his first report, covering the period from 16 April
have the full participation of the constituent peoples,      to 15 October 2021, which has been shared with the
and, after three years, the Federation’s Government          Security Council.
must be finally and fully formed.
                                                                 The recent political developments in Bosnia
    Secondly, we must protect the role of the High           and Herzegovina have the potential to undermine
Representative, whose office serves as a foundation of       the progress made in the last two decades. It is
stability for the country. High Representative Schmidt       important that all parties are encouraged to adopt a
has our utmost support as the final authority charged        conciliatory approach and work closely to address all
with implementing the civilian aspects of the Dayton         contentious issues.
Accords. That will remain the case until the 5+2
agenda is met. Only then can the Office of the High              We believe the General Framework Agreement
Representative close, and only then can Bosnia and           for Peace provides the basis to find solutions related
Herzegovina graduate from international supervision.         to interethnic-conflict settlement through dialogue
                                                             among the parties based on equality and mutual respect,
    We also urge all non-payers to contribute to the         compromise and consensus. The Agreement remains
Office’s budget. As the High Representative mentioned        important for building enduring peace and stability in
in his report, operating expenses for his Office             Bosnia and Herzegovina.
declined about 7 per cent per year entirely because of
                                                                 As an ad hoc international institutional mechanism,
non-payment. This imperils the Office’s functioning
                                                             the Office of the High Representative has been
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it threatens peace
                                                             overseeing the implementation of the civilian aspects
and undermines progress. Members of the Peace
                                                             of the Agreement. We believe it is incumbent on the
Implementation Council must fund the Office of the
                                                             Office to continue to work with all parties objectively
High Representative so that it can do its job.               to build trust and overcome the impediments.
     Thirdly, and finally, for the country to move forward        The Office is an interim mechanism, and expeditious
on its European Union path, it needs electoral and           implementation of the 5+2 agenda should remain the top
limited constitutional reform, and it needs to combat        priority. The new High Representative has before him
corruption. The authorities must heed and implement          an emerging political situation that, if not addressed
the recommendations made by the Office of Democratic         diligently, could adversely affect the Peace Agreement.
Institutions and Human Rights and the Group of States        Therefore, the new High Representative needs to
against Corruption to strengthen election integrity for      promote cohesion and mutual understanding among all
the equal benefit of all citizens. Now is the moment         parties. We hope that disagreement among members
to pass legislation and improve election integrity           of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation
leading up to the 2022 elections. Both Governments           Council over the Office of the High Representative
need to weed out corruption in all its forms. Corruption     will be resolved through consensus and constructive
is unlawful. It is anti-democratic, and it is the spark      engagement in line with the peace agreement.
that sets off instability. The people of Bosnia and
Herzegovina deserve better from their Government.                Owing      to   its   multi-ethnic,   multilingual,
                                                             multicultural and multireligious nature, Bosnia and
Corrupt officials must be held accountable.
                                                             Herzegovina has been facing challenges on its path
     This is a delicate moment for Bosnia and                towards sustainable peace. We believe these challenges
Herzegovina. Let us ensure for the country’s people that     could be overcome by its leaders through dialogue,
all parties involved choose the path of peace, progress      mutual understanding and empathy towards each
and prosperity.                                              other’s positions. It is important that all sides shun


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divisive rhetoric in their statements that may be used to     agenda so that the Office of the High Representative
stoke tensions between different communities. Towards         may be closed and international supervision ended.
this end, we hope that the new High Representative will
                                                                   Despite the fact that it has been 25 years since the
play an objective role in line with the provisions of the
                                                              signing of the Dayton Agreement, periodic reports
Peace Agreement.                                              explicitly describe a persistent standstill and growing
    Mr. Cherif (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic): At the            challenges at various levels. We would like to remind
outset, it is my pleasure to once again congratulate          all the parties concerned to avoid disagreements that
Kenya on its successful presidency of the Security            lead to constant crises and tensions. Priority should be
Council during the month of October. I also wish all          given to the national interest of all citizens of Bosnia
the best to Mexico on assuming the presidency of the          and Herzegovina, paving the way for the younger
Council this month. I would like as well to welcome           generation to build a better future based on ethnic and
the representatives of the European Union, Bosnia and         cultural unity.
Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.                                  In conclusion, Tunisia reiterates its full support
     The report that we have before us shows the persistent   to all efforts that promote stability in Bosnia and
and large-scale challenges that the Dayton Agreement          Herzegovina and achieve reconciliation among its
is facing. In this context, my delegation expresses its       various ethnic groups. We stand ready with various
concern as regards the political developments in Bosnia       partners to support lasting peace and security and
and Herzegovina since July, especially those which            sustainable development, as well as to achieve the
lead to obstructing the work of institutions. As for the      aspirations of its people for a better future.
elections of 2022, I recall the difficulties that have            Mr. Geng Shuang (China) (spoke in Chinese):
arisen since the elections of 2018 and the impossibility      For some time now, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been
since then of forming a new federal Government.               facing growing challenges. The election law reform
                                                              is beset with difficulties. The formation of a new
     My country’s delegation expresses its concern
                                                              Government shows little progress, and the parties
once again as regards the continued negative ethnic
                                                              increasingly disagree over national governance models.
rhetoric that can only deepen the existing divisions
                                                              China is of the view that the issues facing Bosnia and
and affect the reconciliation process in Bosnia and
                                                              Herzegovina should ultimately be resolved by its people.
Herzegovina. In this regard, we reiterate Tunisia’s full
                                                              We encourage all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina
support for the prosperity, stability and peace in Bosnia
                                                              to put the interests of the country and its people first,
and Herzegovina and emphasize the need to preserve            step up dialogue and consultations, accommodate each
its sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional     other’s concerns, fully implement the spirit and letter
order. We also call for the need to refrain from any          of the Dayton Peace Agreement and, in the context of
behaviour that would undermine reforms and jeopardize         the Constitution, properly address relevant differences,
the unity and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We         promote the country’s development and achieve
also call on all parties to forgo divisive rhetoric, which    national reconciliation. China calls on the international
can only deepen the national and ethnic divisions and         community to take an impartial, balanced and prudent
dangerously threaten stability and the peacebuilding          approach, fully take into account the views of all parties
process.                                                      and avoid imposing external solutions.
     My delegation reiterates once again its support for           With regard to the issue of the High Representative,
the efforts made by the Office of the High Representative     views differ among the parties in Bosnia and
in line with the Dayton Peace Agreement and the               Herzegovina over the High Representative system.
relevant Security Council resolutions. We stress the          China reiterates that, according to the Dayton Peace
important role of the European Union military mission         Agreement, the Security Council has a clear role to play
in Bosnia and Herzegovina to promote the efforts              in the appointment of the High Representative. That has
aimed at creating a safe environment. We therefore            long been an established practice and should be fully
encourage all parties to honour their commitments             respected. The system of the High Representative and
aimed at ensuring that Bosnia and Herzegovina has             the Bonn powers thereof were special arrangements of
its full independence within the framework of the 5+2         a particular time. The international community should


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provide help to Bosnia and Herzegovina in ways that         should demonstrate exemplary conduct in order to
adapt to the evolving situation.                            avoid undermining electoral processes before elections
                                                            take place.
    China welcomes the efforts of the European
Union in helping Bosnia and Herzegovina to maintain             My delegation expresses its deep concern about
peace and stability. We hope that the European Union        the stalled implementation of the 5+2 agenda, whose
Military Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina will           fulfilment remains the essential condition for the
continue to play a positive role in maintaining security    closure of the Office of the High Representative in
and stability in the country, assisting its armed forces    Bosnia and Herzegovina. I encourage the parties to
with the disposal of weapons and ammunition and             comply with their obligations in that regard and to
demining and helping the country to combat terrorism        work to ensure that significant progress is made in
and organized crime.                                        implementing the agenda.
    China has always respected the sovereignty,                 The efforts to strengthen the rule of law, which I
independence, national unity and territorial integrity of   welcome, must be accompanied by appropriate measures
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the choice of its people         for the voluntary return of refugees and displaced
regarding the country’s future. We believe that the         persons. To that end, it is necessary, in accordance
people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have the ability and       with the principles of international humanitarian law,
wisdom to resolve the problems facing them. China has       to maintain a sociopolitical climate favourable to the
always been a good partner of Bosnia and Herzegovina        voluntary return of returnees and their integration into
for peace and development. Since the outbreak of the        their respective communities.
coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we have donated
multiple batches of medical supplies to the country,            In conclusion, my delegation urges the parties to
organized virtual exchanges between medical experts         give priority to dialogue and to refrain from any rhetoric
of the two countries and exported and donated               or conduct that could jeopardize peace and stability.
COVID-19 vaccines to Bosnia and Herzegovina. China               In addition, given the vital role of European Union
stands ready to work with the international community       Military Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in
and continuously contribute to the promotion of             safeguarding peace and security in the country, the
national reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,          Niger voted in favour of the extension of its mandate
helping it to achieve lasting stability and development     for an additional period of 12 months.
and maintain peace and stability in the country and the
Western Balkans.                                                Mr. Nebenzia (Russian Federation) (spoke in
                                                            Russian): At the outset, let me congratulate Mexico
    Mr. Abarry (Niger) (spoke in French): Allow me          on assuming the presidency of the Security Council
to extend my sincere congratulations to the delegation      for November and wish them a successful month. We
of Kenya on its excellent presidency of the Security        also thank Kenya, its Permanent Representative and his
Council for the month of October. I also congratulate       team for their able leadership in October.
you, Mr. President, on Mexico’s assumption of the
presidency for the month of November. I assure you of           We are concerned over yet further worsening of the
the Niger’s full support.                                   internal political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
                                                            unprecedented in the post-war period. The situation
    My delegation deplores the negative political           has been exacerbated by the irresponsible actions
climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, if prolonged,
                                                            of a number of external forces. As a result, all the
will pose a serious threat not only to the basis of the
                                                            achievements of the complex and long process of
General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia
                                                            inter-ethnic reconciliation are now seriously threatened.
and Herzegovina but also to institutional stability.
I therefore urge the parties to strictly respect the            As a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement,
General Framework Agreement, the constitutional             Russia cannot remain complacent. We will not tolerate
order and all relevant Security Council resolutions,        the disdain shown by some of our colleagues for the
as well as to show political will to create conditions      sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is
for a de-escalation of tensions. Furthermore, the issue     explained by their unwillingness to relinquish the role
of electoral reforms is a matter on which all parties       of guardian of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the right


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to dictate to Bosnians how they should build their           Ambassador Alkalaj, did not receive the support of all
statehood and govern their country.                          entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
     The quintessentially protectionist attitude of our           If anyone still doubts that the Office of the High
Western colleagues has been the unseemly fuss around         Representative long ago ceased to serve the cause of
the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and         national reconciliation, the circulated document will
Herzegovina. The actions of those who hold or aspire         dispel those doubts for good. It is obvious that the
to that post speak for themselves.                           Office of the High Representative has become a source
                                                             of colossal problems that jeopardizes the entire Dayton
    First, at the end of his mandate, former High            structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have some
Representative Inzko imagined that, like a self-             questions for our colleagues who promote illegitimate
appointed Bosnian autocrat, he had the right to make         schemes aimed at preserving the Office and its dictatorcertain amendments to the criminal code of Bosnia            like functions. What is their goal? What are they doing?
and Herzegovina, contrary to the views of the Bosnian        How does it relate to the principles of democracy and
parties. Of course, such blatant arbitrariness poured fuel   independence that they ardently promote in other
on the fire, provoking another round of disagreement         situations? Where do those double standards for Bosnia
and harmful rhetoric among the peoples of the country,       and Herzegovina come from?
who have not yet fully recovered from the conflict.
                                                                 A number of Bosnian actors and external forces
    Colleagues tried to appoint Mr. Christian Schmidt        insistently promote the concept of the unitarization of
as the new High Representative for Bosnia and                the country, which contradicts the Dayton-envisaged
Herzegovina, in circumvention of the Security Council.       principles of the equality of the three constituent peoples
They did that unapologetically, in violation of              and two entities with broad constitutional authorities.
international law and the existing practice of making        Pressure on representatives of the Serb entity of Bosnia
such appointments by consensus. To avoid any                 and Herzegovina is intensifying rapidly. We would
misconceptions, we stress that the Office of the High        like to warn against substituting notions whereby only
Representative remains vacant. As of today, there is no      Serbs are blamed for what is going on in the country.
High Representative, or any eligible candidate.              We note with regret that demonizing everything that is
                                                             Bosnian Serb has become almost the central element
     By the way, the rightness of our principled stance      of the policies of some internal Bosnian and external
was confirmed by a document submitted to the Council         forces. The goal of those policies leaves no doubt: a
on 30 October, which was entitled — apparently by            revision of the Dayton architecture. To achieve that
inertia — “Report of the High Representative”. We            goal, they openly threaten to use unilateral — and
would like to draw members’ attention to the fact that       therefore illegitimate — sanctions.
the Security Council has no grounds to accept and
                                                                  We are convinced — and we have been saying
consider correspondence from private individuals.
                                                             this year after year — that equitable internal Bosnian
Otherwise, the authority of the Security Council and of
                                                             dialogue, free from external interference, is a
the United Nations at large may be seriously damaged.
                                                             prerequisite for successful inter-ethnic reconciliation.
We do not intend to discuss that “report”. I can only        Full responsibility for the developments in Bosnia and
say that we have not seen a more prejudiced and Serb-        Herzegovina and its future must rest upon the legally
phobic document for quite some time. It pursues but          elected bodies of authority, in accordance with their
one goal, namely, eradicating any seeds of mutual            respective powers. As we all see, striving to provide
understanding, peace and cooperation among the               “good offices” without the consent of the sides has the
peoples living in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This product       opposite effect. That is also true with regard to such a
builds upon the most destructive and irresponsible           pressing issue for Bosnia and Herzegovina as electoral
statements and initiatives of Valentin Inzko. As             reform. The peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina must
an alternative, we suggest studying a report by the          find a solution themselves, only then it will be reliable
Republika Srpska about the situation in the country          and realistic. We see that the task of ensuring adequate
that was circulated as a Security Council document           and legitimate representation in power structures at all
S/2021/910. We regret that the statement today by the        levels remains very urgent. Attempts to impose external
Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina,          solutions and appoint Special Representatives on those


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matters are counterproductive and fraught with making        support and cooperation extended to Kenya during its
things more complicated.                                     presidency of the Council in the month of October.
    The Security Council has been addressing the issue           Kenya welcomes the adoption of resolution 2604
of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 26 years already. The          (2021), which extends the mandate of the European
Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council           Union Military Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
has been active in Sarajevo for exactly the same time.
                                                                  The primary responsibility for the successful
However, discords in those bodies have never been as
                                                             implementation of the General Framework Agreement
grave as they are now, and we have never seen such
                                                             for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina lies with all of the
an outspoken stance towards playing a zero-sum game.
                                                             country’s authorities. We urge them to work together
That inflicts irreparable damage on the authority of the
                                                             not only to ensure compliance with the Agreement but
Steering Board and of the Security Council.
                                                             also to make progress on the five objectives and two
     At this point, a rapprochement of international         conditions that are preconditions for the closure of the
approaches to the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina and        Office of the High Representative.
a responsible approach by the main actors would be very
                                                                 Kenya is concerned by the continuing polarizing and
useful. In that regard, we appreciate the efforts made
                                                             unconstructive rhetoric, including threats of secession
by France this month in its capacity as penholder on
                                                             through withdrawal from key joint institutions. We
the Bosnia and Herzegovina file. Our appreciation also
                                                             recall that, during the recently held high-level debate
goes to the Mexican presidency. These two countries
                                                             on diversity, State-building and the search for peace,
have been able to lead the Council towards finding the
                                                             hosted by Kenya on 12 October, President Uhuru
only possible common ground and ensure unanimous
                                                             Kenyatta said in his statement that “poor management
renewal of the mandate of the European Union Military
                                                             of diversity is leading to grave threats to international
Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
                                                             peace and security.” (S/PV.8877, p. 7)
    We believe that, whether it be in Sarajevo, New
                                                                 In the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is critical
York or in capitals, we need a concrete and equal
                                                             that leaders avoid any actions that cause division and
conversation based on the interests of the entire
                                                             erode trust among and between the people they represent.
community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region,
                                                             They should lead the way towards constructive dialogue
which should address practical ways of dismantling the
                                                             based on trust, respect and dignity and refocus their
harmful mechanism of external patronage over Bosnia
                                                             efforts on unifying actions that build trust for all its
and Herzegovina as soon as possible and rendering
                                                             people regardless of identity.
constructive assistance on national reconciliation.
                                                                 Political leaders need to join together in efforts
     As a Dayton guarantor State, Russia is convinced
                                                             that will lead to the resumption of the functioning of
that there is no alternative to the General Framework
                                                             Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions and to advance
Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and
                                                             reconciliation and mutual understanding. Authorities
that its proposed balance among the interests of the
                                                             at all levels should also coordinate and implement
three peoples is rather efficient. Attempts to ruin it may
                                                             socioeconomic reforms that will address structural
entail serious consequences for the Balkans and Europe
                                                             weaknesses in the economy to the benefit of all citizens,
at large. We fully support the fundamental principles of
                                                             including vulnerable members of society, particularly
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and
                                                             women and children.
Herzegovina and the equality of the three constituent
peoples and two entities with broad authorities and will         In conclusion, I reaffirm Kenya’s support for the
continue to do so.                                           stability, political independence and territorial integrity
                                                             of Bosnia and Herzegovina and reiterate our call on all
     Mr. Kiboino (Kenya): Let me congratulate you,
                                                             parties to recommit to the full implementation of their
Mr. President, on assuming the presidency of the
                                                             obligations under the Peace Agreement.
Security Council for the month of November and
to assure you of the support of Kenya’s delegation.               Mr. Jürgenson (Estonia): I join others in thanking
On behalf of my delegation, allow me also to most            Kenya for an excellent presidency during the month of
sincerely thank all the members of the Council both          October and congratulating you, Sir, on assuming that
for their compliments this afternoon and for the critical    role for November. I wish you every success.


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      Estonia just supported the operational rollover          of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
of the European Union Military Operation in Bosnia             Europe; the Council of Europe’s Group of States against
and Herzegovina (EUFOR-Althea) for 12 months, as               Corruption; and Venice Commission recommendations
Operation Althea is a strong contributor to the country’s      on election integrity. Keeping that in focus would also
efforts in maintaining a safe and secure environment,          help to improve the rule of law. We are pleased that
which is particularly crucial considering the current          several positive changes have taken place in Brčko
political crises in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, we        district, in particular towards the implementation of the
would have liked to have seen references in resolution         reform-related laws and their harmonization with the
2604 (2021) to the Office of the High Representative for       EU standards.
the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia
                                                                   We encourage the Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Herzegovina, previous resolutions and Bosnia and
                                                               authorities to implement the revised National War
Herzegovina’s European perspective. We regret that the
                                                               Crimes Processing Strategy, adopted by the Bosnia and
Security Council was unable to reiterate its positions on
                                                               Herzegovina Council of Ministers, especially as the
those important elements.
                                                               nationalistic and divisive rhetoric in the country has
    Let me make it clear. The work of the High                 continued. We would like to reiterate that spreading
Representative is extremely necessary in order to              provocative rhetoric, denying war crimes, glorifying
mitigate risks to stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.         convicted war criminals and downplaying the
We strongly support the continuation of the effective          Srebrenica genocide in any way are unacceptable.
Office of the High Representative. We thank the High
                                                                   We also encourage Bosnia and Herzegovina to
Representative, Mr. Schmidt, for his comprehensive
                                                               invest in combating violence against women and
and sincere report on the developments in the country.
                                                               implement the women and peace and security agenda
     With regard to the situation in Bosnia and                in an inclusive manner.
Herzegovina, we would like to express our concern
                                                                   People in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially
about the prolonged political crisis, and we condemn
                                                               young people, deserve a greener and more sustainable,
the blockage of State institutions. We urge the leaders
                                                               digital and prosperous future. We should work towards
of the political parties to refrain from any political steps
                                                               that goal. We are pleased that the United Nations is
that would lead to further divisions and destabilization
                                                               implementing Dialogue for the Future project, which
of the country. We believe that the solutions are possible
                                                               seeks to enhance the local dialogue platforms for civil
through dialogue and the full return to institutions.
                                                               society, youth and women’s organizations.
     Estonia strongly supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
                                                                   Unfortunately, the fight against the coronavirus
sovereignty and territorial integrity and the aspiration of
                                                               disease pandemic is not over. It is important to speed
its citizens to advance towards the European Union (EU).
                                                               up vaccinations and to boost the economic recovery.
The leaders must always put the interests of the people
                                                               We commend United Nations bodies for providing
first. Therefore, we encourage the leaders in Bosnia
                                                               assistance during the pandemic and highlight the EU’s
and Herzegovina to jointly continue to take forward the
                                                               donation of more than 1.3 million vaccine doses for
implementation of the 14 key priorities of the European
                                                               Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Commission opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
application for EU membership — reaffirmed recently                Lastly, let me reiterate our call on the leaders of
at the EU-Western Balkans Summit. The country                  Bosnia and Herzegovina to work in solidarity and
should show commitment, most of all to sustainable             unity. We encourage them to work closely with the
peace, stability and meaningful reconciliation.                Office of the High Representative and implement all
                                                               the necessary reforms.
    We call on the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina
to focus on the electoral and constitutional reform                 Mr. Pham (Viet Nam): At the outset, I would like to
to ensure the implementation of important judicial             wish you, Sir, and your team all the best for the month
decisions of the European Court of Human Rights                ahead under the Mexican presidency. You can count
and take into consideration the decisions of the               on our support and cooperation. I would also like to
Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the            congratulate Kenya for its very successful presidency
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights            last month.


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    Viet Nam remains concerned about the volatile               the European Union Military Operation in Bosnia
situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past               and Herzegovina (resolution 2604 (2021)). Mexico
years. Inter-ethnic and intercommunal tensions and the          recognizes the stabilizing role played by that mission
lack of dialogue, trust and reconciliation have affected        on the ground and we hope that it will continue working
the lives of people, which consequently could lead to           towards peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
greater and long-term challenges if not managed and
addressed in a timely manner.                                        Secondly, Mexico remains concerned by the
                                                                institutional deadlock in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
     We believe that it is crucial to adhere to the principle   Cooperation and dialogue are the pillars of coexistence
of respect for the interests and aspirations of the people.     and of the functioning of a State with the ethnic,
When the people’s interests are at the heart of policies,       linguistic and religious richness that Bosnia and
prospects for political stability, economic development         Herzegovina enjoys. The constitutional framework,
and social cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well          which has been strengthened over the course of more
as those of the region, could be better ensured. In that        than two decades, should serve as a guide for the parties
connection, efforts should also be made to refrain from
                                                                in their common project. Progress must be made on the
divisive rhetoric that could exacerbate tensions and
                                                                5+2 agenda and constitutional and electoral reforms
further complicate the current situation.
                                                                must be conducted in order to promote cohesion,
    Along the same lines, we urge all parties in                exchanges and cooperation between communities.
Bosnia and Herzegovina to work together to overcome
                                                                     We are concerned that the Parliamentary Assembly
their differences, including on the interpretation and
implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement and                has not fully exercised its legislative functions due to
domestic legislation to rebuild trust and confidence and        internal tensions and we call on all parties to commit
promote the consolidation of peace and reconciliation.          to participating in a constructive way in order to
The international community should engage in                    consolidate democracy and sustainable development
constructive support aimed at fostering dialogue,               in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We hope that the new
mutual understanding and trust towards national                 Government of the Federation will soon be appointed,
reconciliation with regard to the legitimate interests          as that task has remained outstanding since the elections
and aspirations of the people and communities.                  held in 2018. The functioning and operation of State
                                                                institutions cannot be held hostage to objectives that run
    Viet Nam reiterates the importance of respect               counter to the project of coexistence and national unity.
for the independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including in the                Thirdly, Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken decisive
implementation of relevant treaties, such as the Dayton         steps over the past two decades towards reconciliation,
Peace Agreement and the relevant Security Council               reconstructing the social fabric and achieving peaceful
resolutions. Support from the Security Council, the             coexistence. That is why we deplore any initiatives or
international community and regional organizations              attempts to revive hate speech, to deny war crimes or
remains essential in finding a common approach                  to try to exonerate those who have been sentenced as
to tackling the situation and assisting Bosnia and              war criminals.
Herzegovina in realizing its people’s aspirations for
sustainable peace, stability and development.                        We underscore the important role that women and
                                                                young people have played and should continue to play
    The President (spoke in Spanish): I shall now               in reconciliation and social inclusion processes.
make a statement in my capacity as the representative
of Mexico.                                                           I conclude by highlighting that the implementation
                                                                of the 5+2 agenda is the most desirable path for
     I welcome the representatives of Bosnia and                creating the conditions that will eventually make it
Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, as well as the observer        possible to conclude the work of the Office of the High
of the European Union, to the Council.                          Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Attempts to
    I would like to focus my statement on three points.         halt or delay compliance in relation to matters covered
                                                                by the Office are not conducive to that end.
   First, we welcome the Council’s decision to
unanimously adopt the renewal of the mandate for                    I resume my functions as President of the Council.


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S/PV.8896                            The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina                                  03/11/2021


    I now give the floor to the representative of Bosnia     withdrawal from agreements reached a long time ago
and Herzegovina.                                             on the transfer of entity competencies to the State in the
                                                             areas of defence, indirect taxes and the High Judicial
    Mr. Alkalaj (Bosnia and Herzegovina): At the
                                                             and Prosecutorial Council. He has called for the entity
outset, I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on
                                                             to reclaim what he asserts were usurped constitutional
assuming the presidency of the Security Council for
                                                             competencies in the field of State judiciary, law
the month of November and to wish you and your
                                                             enforcement and intelligence. He further announced
delegation every success.
                                                             the drafting of a new Republika Srpska constitution
    We have taken note of the report on the situation        and the rejection of all illegally imposed decisions and
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering the period               laws by the High Representative.
16 April to 15 October 2021, by the Office of the
                                                                 According to the announced plans, that would
High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We
                                                             mean the withdrawal of the members of the Bosnia
also welcome the Security Council’s adoption of the
                                                             and Herzegovina armed forces residing in Republika
resolution extending the mandate of the European
                                                             Srpska, the takeover of the armed forces’ facilities in
Union Military Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
                                                             Republika Srpska country and the re-establishment of
(EUFOR-Althea), which has been present in the country
                                                             a Republika Srpska army, ostensibly with personnel
for many years (resolution 2604 (2021)).
                                                             withdrawing from Federation armed forces. That move
    It is important to emphasize that Bosnia and             would turn back the clock 15 years in the field of defence
Herzegovina, as a host country, has enjoyed respectable      reform alone, and even further in terms of confidenceand fruitful cooperation with Operation EUFOR-               and security-building. It would also mean the entity’s
Althea, particularly in the areas of capacity-building       withdrawal from the State-level indirect tax institution
and the training of its armed forces. The mandate of         and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council. Those
EUFOR-Althea is to support the implementation of the         measures would also prevent the State Investigation
military aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement and           and Protection Agency and the Intelligence-Security
to ensure compliance with annexes 1 (a) and 2 of the         Agency from operating in Republika Srpska country.
General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia
                                                                  Mr. Dodik refers to undertaking a return to the soand Herzegovina.
                                                             called original Dayton, which is a political misnomer
    It would take too long to describe what is currently     based on an erroneous interpretation of Bosnia and
happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I think that            Herzegovina’s Constitution. In practice, the policy
High Representative Christian Schmidt realistically          aims to undo many of the hard-won reforms from
presented the situation in his report; therefore, I will     over the past 26 years, not in order to strictly adhere
limit my remarks to a summary of the broader picture.        to the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement
                                                             but rather to revert the situation. Mr. Dodik seeks to
    Currently, Bosnia and Herzegovina faces the
                                                             withdraw Republika Srpska from the constitutional
greatest existential threat of the post-war period.
                                                             order established under annex 4 of the Dayton Peace
Persistent grave challenges to the fundamentals of
                                                             Agreement and to opt out of the Agreement on Civilian
the General Framework Agreement for Peace by
                                                             Implementation of the Peace Settlement set forth under
Republika Srpska entity authorities, led by the biggest
                                                             annex 10.
Republika Srpska party — the Alliance of Independent
Social Democrats, headed by the current member of                 That is tantamount to secession without proclaiming
the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad            it. The unilateral withdrawal of the entity from established
Dodik — are endangering peace and stability in the           State institutions — which is not legally possible under
country and throughout the region. If left unchecked         the current constitutional framework — would lead
by the international community, that could lead to the       to the collapse of those institutions and ultimately
undoing of the Agreement itself.                             undermine the State’s ability to function and carry out
                                                             its constitutional responsibility.
    In the climax of the escalating series of crises
throughout 2021, Mr. Dodik — the de facto leader of              Recently, Mr. Dodik revealed his goal of Republika
the Republika Srpska, despite the entity having an           Srpska’s independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina,
elected President — has called for the entity’s unilateral   supposedly within the Dayton Agreement. As


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Republika Srpska opposition parties have noted, that is     Regrettably, for the first time, the High Representative
a dangerous path not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina,       is not with us today, but my statement represents the
but also for Republika Srpska, bearing in mind that         summary of the report of High Representative Christian
entities exist legally only by virtue of the Constitution   Schmidt, who was not permitted to appear before the
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that they have no right       Security Council today.
to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
                                                                The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the
     State institutions have already been paralysed since   floor to the representative of the European Union, in its
July, when Mr. Dodik, in agreement with Republika           capacity as observer.
Srpska opposition parties announced the withdrawal of
Republika Srpska representatives from the institutional         Mr. Skoog (European Union) (spoke in Spanish):
decision-making process, in response to the 22 July         Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, and your
decision of High Representative Valentin Inzko to           country on its assumption of the presidency of the
introduce amendments to the criminal code of Bosnia         Security Council.
and Herzegovina criminalizing the denial of genocide        (spoke in English)
and war crimes and the glorification war criminals. He
demanded an annulment of the decision. To provide              I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European
another example, Mr. Dodik even prevented the               Union and its 27 member States.
Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from engaging              The candidate countries Turkey, the Republic
the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina to assist in     of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania align
firefighting efforts in the southern part of the country,   themselves with this statement.
thereby allowing lives to be lost.
                                                                 The European Union (EU) is pleased that the
     As part of the orchestrated response, the
                                                            mandate of the European Union Military Operation
authorities of the Republika Srpska adopted the Law
                                                            in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been renewed by the
on Non-Implementation of the Decision of the High
                                                            Council, given its importance in maintaining security
Representative enacting the Law on Amendments to
                                                            and a stable environment. We regret that we cannot
the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which
                                                            listen to the usual briefing of the High Representative
entered into force in early October. That law rejects the
                                                            today. Nevertheless, we welcome his report, which was
High Representative’s 22 July decision and prescribes
                                                            circulated among the Security Council members, and we
that State-level legislation should not be applicable
                                                            would like to reiterate our strong support for his work
in Republika Srpska. It obliges the authorities of the
Republika Srpska not to cooperate with Bosnian              and the work of his Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
institutions attempting to implement State-level law.            In December 2019, the Council of the European
     Although Mr. Dodik has recently stated that            Union urged executive and legislative bodies at all
his actions are not aimed at inciting conflict, he has      levels of Government to start addressing the 14 key
also warned that any attempt by State-level judicial        priorities identified in the Commission Opinion on
institutions or law enforcement agencies to intercede       Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership
would be met with force. He further added, unprovoked,      of the European Union, in line with the interests of all
that were NATO to intervene in the Republika Srpska,        citizens to advance towards the European Union.
he would seek assistance from unnamed “friends”, who            In 2020, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s authorities took
he claimed has given him assurance of their readiness       some steps to address the Opinion’s key priorities,
to provide such assistance.                                 including with the holding of local elections in Mostar,
    We find that very problematic. We should be             for the first time since 2008. However, regrettably,
working on that issue, as many of the parties expressed     our call for Bosnia and Herzegovina to build on that
today. There is a problem not only in the Republika         momentum and use 2021 as a non-election year to
Srpska; there is a problem in the Federation of Bosnia      continue to engage on reforms, has not been translated
and Herzegovina, where for the past three years, we were    into concrete actions. Instead, Bosnian leaders returned
unable to form a Government or implement the reforms        to divisive nationalistic rhetoric and obstruction,
necessary to embark on the path to the European Union.      resulting in a serious political crisis. Recurrent political


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crisis and a persistent lack of dialogue hampered any       (spoke in French)
progress on the implementation of the 14 priorities.
                                                                 The European Union firmly condemns rhetoric that
    The recent blockage of State institutions is            attempts to call into question the territorial integrity of
unacceptable and holds back the overall reform process.     the country and its State institutions. We expect that
Political leaders need to overcome the stalemate as a       the country’s political leaders will put an end to such
matter of priority and refocus on reforms, which will       rhetoric and actions that serve only to stoke the political
enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance on its             crisis and, through specific and robust actions, seek to
EU path.                                                    promote reconciliation within the country. Revisionism,
                                                            in particular minimizing or negating the Srebrenica
    We expect Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure              genocide and the glorification of war criminals are
that the next elections are conducted in line with          contrary to European Union values and incompatible
European standards by implementing the standards set        with the prospect of European Union integration.
by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
                                                                We welcome the tangible measures that were
Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
                                                            taken by the authorities to improve migration and
Rights and relevant recommendations of the Venice
                                                            asylum management in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Commission of the Council of Europe, and ensure             with our support. Such efforts should continue and be
transparency of political party financing.                  strengthened, while also taking into consideration the
    Taking into account the institutional mechanisms,       need for fair burden-sharing among the entities and the
which were set by the Dayton Peace Agreement,               cantons, with regard to hosting capacity and capacity-Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to undertake further           building efforts in the area of border management.
constitutional and electoral reforms to ensure equality     We expect that the authorities will guarantee the
and non-discrimination of citizens, notably by              proper conditions for comfortably hosting migrants
                                                            and refugees in Bosnia Herzegovina during winter
addressing Sejdić-Finci case law of the European Court
                                                            and beyond.
of Human Rights. The EU regrets the fact that Bosnia
and Herzegovina’s Constitution remains non-compliant        (spoke in English)
with the European Convention on Human Rights, as per
                                                                 Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to be severely
the ruling in the Sejdić-Finci and related cases.           impacted by the global coronavirus disease pandemic.
    We underline that a number of Constitutional Court      In these difficult times, the EU remains firmly engaged
decisions have yet to be fully enforced. The EU expects     in assisting Bosnia and Herzegovina in addressing
the inter-agency working group to resume its work as        immediate health needs, as well as the long-term social
a matter of priority and calls for an inclusive process     and economic impact resulting from the pandemic.
of electoral reform, through genuine dialogue and in        The Economic and Investment Plan and the delivery
line with European standards that would eliminate all       of more than 1.3 million doses of vaccines, donated
                                                            by Team Europe, once again demonstrate the EU’s
forms of inequality and discrimination in the electoral
                                                            strong commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
process. In that regard, we underline that no legislative
                                                            EU stands ready to provide further support, including
or political steps should be taken that would make the
                                                            strengthening Bosnia and Herzegovina’s resilience to
implementation of the Sejdić-Finci and related European
                                                            future health crises.
Court of Human Rights rulings more challenging.
                                                                Lastly, the EU urges all political actors in
     We also urge Bosnia and Herzegovina to work with       Bosnia and Herzegovina to abandon the divisive and
determination on the implementation of the other 14 key     secessionist rhetoric rooted in the past. We also wish
priorities, in particular towards strengthening the rule    to reiterate the EU’s unequivocal commitment to the
of law, the independence and integrity of the judiciary,    sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and multi-ethnic
fighting corruption and organized crime, countering         diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is our firm
radicalization as well as guaranteeing the independence     and unchanged position. The European Union and its
of the media and safety of journalists, promoting           member States fully and firmly support Bosnia and
youth employment and education, gender equality and         Herzegovina’s European Union perspective as a single,
renewing their efforts towards socioeconomic reforms.       united and sovereignty country.


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    The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the         Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
floor to the representative of Croatia.                      especially the Ljubić case.
     Mr. Šimonović (Croatia): I wish to congratulate             Changes to electoral law and the constitutional
you, Mr. President, and extend our best wishes for your      setup of the country should be an outcome of
presidency. I would also like to congratulate Kenya on       democratic dialogue within Bosnia and Herzegovina
its successful performance.                                  that fully respects the rights of all of its constituent
                                                             peoples and other citizens. Only then can Bosnia and
    Croatia associates itself with the statement delivered
                                                             Herzegovina, its peoples and all citizens get what they
on behalf of the European Union (EU) its members and
                                                             really need — legitimate, functioning institutions that
other aligned States. I would like to add some remarks
                                                             will neither be manipulated or blocked. In order to
in my national capacity.                                     ensure the legitimacy of the 2022 general elections,
    Croatia reiterates its support for the extension         consensus on the electoral reform should be reached as
of the European Union Military Operation in Bosnia           soon as possible. Successful electoral reforms would
and Herzegovina, as well as to High Representative           ease political tensions and help to shift the country’s
Christian Schmidt. We remain committed to working            focus on priorities such as fighting corruption and
closely with the mission as well as with the Office of       implementing other reforms consistent with the 14
the High Representative.                                     priorities of the EU accession agenda. Otherwise, the
                                                             young and educated will continue to leave because of
     Since our previous debate (see S/PV.8810), tensions     political insecurity, a poor economic situation and the
in and about Bosnia and Herzegovina have further             overall lack of prospects, as the High Representative
increased. It is therefore critical that this discussion     stresses in his report.
help to ease tensions and not add fuel to the fire.
The current defiance of its Constitution, divisive               In conclusion, Croatia continues its political
rhetoric, glorification of war criminals, blockade of its    and practical support to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
institutions and lack of progress on electoral and other     Croatia provided help to mitigate the consequences
necessary reforms is extremely worrisome. Overcoming         of the coronavirus disease pandemic, including
those challenges is important for the country and for the    through the donation of vaccines. Croatia has been
stability of the increasingly turbulent Western Balkans.     assisting in addressing natural disasters, participating
                                                             in joint infrastructure projects and sharing EU
     Croatia supports a stable, peaceful and prosperous      integration experiences.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, its EU integration, the rule
of law and human rights. As a signatory to the General           We call on international partners to join us in
Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and                  contributing to the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Herzegovina, Croatia remains a staunch supporter of          and promoting the necessary reforms, especially
Bosnia and Herzegovina and its territorial integrity         of the electoral system. We encourage its political
as a sovereign State, based on the equality of its three     leaders to assume responsibility for the future of the
constituent peoples and all citizens.                        country and navigate through the present impasse.
                                                             What the country needs is much more transparency,
     Unfortunately, current electoral law and practice       cooperation, democratic dialogue and compromises,
do not provide for such equality. For example, the           and far less political and electoral manipulation,
existing electoral framework deprives Croats in Bosnia       division and unilateral decision-making. That is the
and Herzegovina of their right to elect their legitimate     only way to overcome mutual fears and suspicions, curb
representative in the State Presidency, because it allows    unconstitutional unitarist and secessionist tendencies
for electoral engineering. That and other shortcomings       and promote democracy, development and human
are unacceptable, and electoral law needs to be              rights for all.
changed. In its current form, electoral law weakens
                                                                 The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the
and delegitimizes key State institutions and negatively
                                                             floor to the representative of Serbia.
affects their functioning. We therefore strongly support
the legislative changes necessary for the electoral law          Mr. Stevanović (Serbia): I am grateful for the
to comply with the rulings of the European Court             opportunity to address the Security Council today
of Human Rights and the relevant decisions of the            on behalf of the Republic of Serbia and to present my


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country’s position on the current situation in Bosnia        among the two entities and the three constituent peoples.
and Herzegovina and in the Western Balkans region.           We are strongly against the imposition of decisions that
                                                             have not been reached by consensus. We believe that
     This meeting is being held at a very delicate
                                                             such actions pose a threat to the stability of not only
moment not, only for Bosnia and Herzegovina but for
                                                             Bosnia and Herzegovina but of the wider region as well.
the whole region. Recently, my country has been the
victim of unilateral actions taken by the Provisional             For Serbia, the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina — actions        is of the utmost importance. We are convinced that
that pose a direct threat to the peace and stability that    balanced relations between its central Government and
we have been building together in the region over the        its entities is the precondition for such stability. In that
past couple of decades. In that context, Serbia once         respect, besides its good relations with Sarajevo, Serbia
again calls upon all sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina to      maintains harmonious relations and good cooperation
lower tensions and rationally, through dialogue, address     with Republika Srpska, in accordance with the 2006
open issues. Above all, Serbia wants peace and stability     Agreement on Special Parallel Relations, which
in the region. We believe that all citizens of Bosnia and    provides a basis for a dynamic high-level political
Herzegovina want the same.                                   dialogue and active cooperation between Serbia and
                                                             Republika Srpska. Allow me to reiterate — the road
    We call on all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina         to the future we want is paved with good-neighbourly
to act responsibly and in accordance with the Dayton         relations and active regional cooperation in various
Peace Agreement, the only legal framework for Bosnia         areas of mutual interest. Serbia will continue to call on
and Herzegovina. It is of the utmost importance that         all political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina to further
the key actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina — both              engage in that direction.
domestic and international — exhibit restraint and
assume responsibility for the situation in the country.          Serbia strongly supports all countries of the
The mechanism for changing the Dayton Agreement is           Western Balkans in their efforts to join the European
clearly defined and well known. It requires the consent      Union (EU). We are especially interested in expediting
of both entities and the three constituent peoples. Any      the process of European integration for Bosnia and
attempt by any other party to impose a solution is           Herzegovina and we stand ready to offer our maximal
therefore unacceptable for Serbia.                           contribution.

     The Republic of Serbia expects the international             We are convinced that the Open Balkans initiative
community to take an unbiased and balanced approach          is the prime example of successful regional cooperation
to this issue. We believe that dialogue within the           and joint efforts towards common goals. As such, it
institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only way to    represents the best way for our countries to prepare for
build trust and reach a compromise solution on the issues    EU membership.
important for the future development of the country               Serbia fully respects the right of every country to
and the stability of the wider region. Furthermore,          have an independent foreign policy, including its right
in the interest of peace and stability in Bosnia and         to join military-political alliances, as well as to take
Herzegovina, we believe that decisions related to the        concrete individual steps that may or may not lead
work of the Office of the High Representative should         towards membership in those alliances. As one of the
be reached in the spirit of cooperation, mutual respect      guarantors of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Serbia will
among all actors and with the consensus of the members       support any agreement or arrangement reached by the
of the Security Council, in line with the long-standing      two entities and three constituent peoples in a legal and
rules and practices. For its part, Serbia will continue to   legitimate way.
engage constructively.
                                                                  We are strongly convinced that, together, we can
     As a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement,           prosper if there is mutual trust and respect for diversity,
Serbia supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity    the lack of which has too often been a stumbling block
of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In accordance with the            in our history. Today, we have the historic opportunity
Agreement, we seek good and productive cooperation           to bridge our differences and to build lasting peace
with both the central Government and the authorities         and prosperity for our citizens, which all of us in the
of the two entities. We support any agreement reached        region deserve.


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    In closing, allow me to make a brief remark on         appropriate in the current context, since it was used
resolution 2604 (2021), on the renewal of the mandate of   in the 1990s and contains negative connotations. War
the EU Military Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,       and conflicts are long behind us; that chapter of our
which was just adopted by the Council.                     history is closed and all countries have moved forward.
                                                           Therefore, we believe that this new language should not
    My Government notes new language introduced in
                                                           be used in relation to the current security situation in
the first preambular paragraph of the resolution — a
                                                           the region.
reference to the “situation in the region of the Former
Yugoslavia”. We believe that this language is not              The meeting rose at 4.40 p.m.




21-3186819/19

Voting Summary
Yes: 015 | No: 000 | Abstentions: 000 | Non-Voting: 000 | Total voting membership: 015
Y CHINA
Y ESTONIA
Y FRANCE
Y INDIA
Y IRELAND
Y KENYA
Y MEXICO
Y NIGER
Y NORWAY
Y RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Y SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
Y TUNISIA
Y UNITED KINGDOM
Y UNITED STATES
Y VIET NAM