My Office is deeply grateful for the generosity they have shown over the past four years in hosting the hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled the conflict. In countries carrying the highest burden, I appreciate the impatience to see this burden come to an end. I, too, want to see refugees go home soon. At this stage repatriation should still be voluntary, while later on the need for continued protection will probably be limited to some vulnerable groups. Closer collaboration between the asylum countries and my Office, especially on information regarding potential returnees, should help us to encourage and plan return movements.
Tangible progress is possible.
This past year brought an absence of war. But it did not end the suffering of the vast majority of the two million refugees and displaced persons who were the targets of the war. My Office is fully committed to the task assigned to us both by our international mandate and Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, but we must have the full support of the international community, of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of its two Entities.