BOSNIA NEWS

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – Miroslav Lajcak, the international community's High Representative in Bosnia will intensify the police reform talks next week, OHR Spokesman Chris Bennet stated at a press conference yesterday.

Bennet could not give any more details related to the activities Lajcak will take, but did say that he has used every opportunity at meetings with Bosnia's politicians to understand the obstacles and hear the attitudes related to the reform.

Bennet added that the process will not start from the beginning, for the report of the Police Reform Direction is the basis for an agreement.

He warned that it is in everyone’s best interest to reach an agreement on police reform by September, for, otherwise, the EC and EP report on the progress made in Bosnia will be left blank. The report will be announced in November.

Lajcak announced yesterday in Bosanski Brod to deal with the Bosnian police reform issue more seriously next week and that he wants to talk about the reform with political leaders in Bosnia, not with their deputies.

Lajcak told the press yesterday in Bosanski Brod that he wants Bosnia's political leaders to state whether or not they want to deal with the Bosnian police reform seriously.

He emphasized that it is unnecessary to wait for six months for the reform to end.Lajcak is of the opinion that several open issues need to be solved and that, with a little will, everything should end in September.

”If that deadline is missed, the country would have to wait for another year, which would mean that the entire year is lost”, he added.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – Bosnia has made the biggest progress in NATO integration processes, compared to the countries who joined the PFP last year,the Bosnian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Alkalaj said yesterday.

”We are in a full swing and have had three meetings with the Bosnian Minister of Defense Selmo Cikotic and NATO Headquarters representatives. We agreed activities Bosnia needs to fulfill in order to join the NATO Membership Partner Program”, Alkalaj said.

He emphasized that all the steps of the country have been determined and that Bosnia should enter NATO in 2009/2010.

The past activities have been in accordance with NATO demands.

”All the institutions are fully engaged and we are determined to fulfill all the obligations”, Alkalaj emphasized.

He warned, however, that the NATO membership does not mean defense reform only, but also reforms of other segments of the Bosnian society.

”All our activities have been programmed. It is possible that the police reform may pose a problem at the final instance, but I am of the opinion that the reform will be agreed by that time”, Minister Alkalaj said.

WASHINGTON,USA - Bosnia should take advantage of the stable economic growth they are experiencing to make reforms that will guarantee long-term expansion, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday.

"The good economic performance offers an opportunity to tackle long-standing distortions that currently limit the economy's long-term growth potential: the large and inefficient public sector, segmented labor market and over-regulated business environment," the IMF said in a paper summarizing recent consultations.

It noted that Bosnia had benefited from rising global prices for metals that are among its key exports and from relatively low world interest rates that made it easier to finance its current account deficit.

But the IMF cautioned that broad-reaching reforms still were needed in Bosnia to improve policy coordination, strengthen financial stability and to let the private sector play a greater role in the Bosnian economy.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia - Bosnia is to attend the World Travel Market in London,UK, for the first time this November.Bosnia is to appear at the event from November 12-15 as part of a sustained effort to improve its international image. "We are delighted to welcome Bosnia. It is the perfect global business backdrop for them to profile their strengths as a new and exciting destination with a great deal to offer the industry worldwide," said Fiona Jeffery, managing director of World Travel Market.

A recent survey of 56 operators from Europe, Canada and the US by the Bosnian Tourism Association found that people were still concerned about the safety of the country, despite the fact that the Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia ended more than a decade ago.

The country is aiming to achieve 5% annual growth for the next 10 years and has been hosting fam trips for European operators since the start of the year, as part of a concerted effort to highlight the country's attractions, such as August's Sarajevo Film Festival.

"The government and private sector in Bosnia increasingly recognises tourism as a driving force in the country's economic development, and are united in their efforts to promote this important area of the economy,' said Arna Ugljen-Kopic, spokesperson, the Bosnian Tourism Association.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – The Bosnian Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Safet Halilovic talked yesterday in Sarajevo with OSCE Mission Chief in Bosnia Douglas Davidson, the new UNHCR representative to Bosnia Naveed Hussain and European Commission representative to Bosnia Michael Docherty about the results achieved in the process of return of refugees and displaced persons.

The Regional Cooperation Project, popularly entitled 3x3, was initiated three years ago by signing of the Sarajevo declaration which obliged three countries (Bosnia,Croatia and Serbia ) to jointly work on solving the issues of refugees and displaced persons in the region.

Montenegro has also become a part of the process which is today called 3x4. OSCE has greatly supported the project, as well as the European Commission and the UNHCR. Yesterday’s meeting was a good opportunity to analyze results.

Representatives of three international organizations are united in opinion that Bosnia has done everything at political and technical level to enable the process.

Representatives of these organizations obliged to continue with activities in solving the open issues in the region, for the purpose of preparation of a ministry meeting at which the main guidelines for every country should be presented, Halilovic’s Cabinet announced.