BOSNIA NEWS

VISEGRAD,Bosnia – The bridge of “Mehmed-pasha Sokolovic” in Visegrad has been installed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, confirmed yesterday the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The relevant decision was issued unanimously by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is in session from June 23 to July 3 in the city of Christchurch in New Zealand.

The participants have underlined and welcomed the significance of the bridge for the heritage of Bosnia.

The Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad was originally built in 16th century during the Ottoman rule of Bosnia.

The bridge was named after one of the most famous Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic, who was born in Visegrad in 1505, and who ordered the construction of the bridge to connect the banks of the Drina river once he returned to Bosnia as Grand Vizier.

The stone bridge is 179 metres long with a 4-metre wide road and 11 masonry arches.Throughout history, the bridge has suffered many troubles, including floods and wars.

Turkey will invest 6.7 million USD to reconstruct completely the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad.

Bosnia was represented at the Commission session by Amra Hadzimuhamedovic, member of the Commission for Preservation of the Bosnian National Monuments, Zeljana Zovko, Bosnia's Ambassador in Paris and Biljana Gutic – Bjelica, Acting Secretary of the Bosnian State Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO.

The Bosnian delegation at the session is headed by Bosnia's Ambassador to Paris and Permanent Representative to UNESCO Zeljana Zovko.

This is the second monument from Bosnia listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.The session also focused on the status of conservation of the Old Bridge and old core in the southern Bosnian city of Mostar.

The World Heritage Committee welcomed the cessation of construction works on hotel “Ruza”, thanks to which the Old Bridge in Mostar will remain on the World Heritage List.

The City of Mostar is expected to continue the efforts on finding an adequate solution for hotel “Ruza”.

The Turkish government also contributed to the reconstruction of the famous old bridge in Mostar, which was partially destroyed during the Croatian aggression against Bosnia.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia - The departing international community's High representative in Bosnia, German diplomat Christian Schwarz-Schilling, said yesterday in Sarajevo he was concerned about the situation in the country, but that progress could still be made.He called on Bosnia's politicians to continue with the necessary reforms to take the country out of the current deadlock created after the general elections in October 2006.

Disputes over police reform and constitutional changes, requiring further talks with the European Union, have kept the country in political deadlock.

"I had hoped the transition to Europe would come quicker, but this has not been the case," Schwarz-Schilling said at his final press conference as the international community's High representative in Bosnia before he hands the post over to his Slovak colleague Miroslav Lajcak next week.

Although the current deadlock was a worrying situation,"progress can be made in many areas with political will to move forward," he said.

The reality of the situation and the capability of the politicians of this country to make reforms necessary to progress towards Europe have been clear - not enough progress has been made," Schwarz-Schilling said.

"My successor Miroslav Lajcak is an enormously capable and dynamic individual. I am confident that he will be able to move forward by building on foundations that his other predecessors and I have laid together with the leaders of this country," Schwarz-Schilling said.

Christian Schwarz-Schilling, 77, became the fifth international community's High Representative to Bosnia some 17 months ago, replacing his British predecessor Paddy Ashdown.

Schwarz-Schlling was supposed to be the last international administrator in Bosnia. However, due to slow progress and adverse political developments in the country, the international community decided to maintain the post.

The new international community's High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak said that his goal is to stabilize the state of affairs in Bosnian politics in order for Bosnia's politicians to come to an agreement on the reforms necessary to make progress toward membership in the European Union.

"My first basic challenge is to stabilize the climate," Lajcak said at a press conference in Bratislava.

"Under my leadership, the Office must be very active in case we witness the violation of the Dayton Agreement or the Bosnian constitution", said Lajcak, who will have the power to fire officials and impose laws.

He said that he would try to have a more active role in two areas that are not covered by his term, but are of crucial importance for the country’s future.

The first one represents a crucial condition for the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, which is the first step toward membership in the EU, and the second is deemed necessary to make it possible for the Bosnian government to meet the demanding criteria of the EU.

A more active role does not mean pressure from the outside but creating political conditions, or even political pressure, to achieve an agreement, said Lajcak, who was Slovakian ambassador and EU envoy in the region. He added that Bosnia was stuck in the present and said that this had to change.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – “The Role of International Financial Institutions in the South-East European Countries and EU Integrations Process” project was presented yesterday in Sarajevo. The project should serve the SE Europe unions to develop strategies.

The project was developed as a document, that is, an analysis, and was financed since 2006 by Italian Institute for Workers’ Issues (ISCOS) and Italian Union (CISL), in cooperation with the international confederation of unions and European Commission.

The part of the document related to Bosnia pays special attention to informal economy, social consumption, that is, income and wage taxes, and direct foreign investments.

The document emphasizes that employment in informal sector may contribute the Bosnian employees and their families to survive, but it is a barrier to a faster economic development.

Diversity in income and wage taxes wass emphasized as well.When it comes to foreign investments, the document states that from 1989 to 2002, Bosnia was the country with the very low degree of direct foreign investments, but that the investments increased in 2004.

The project was presented in Serbia two days ago, and will also be presented in Albania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Montenegro.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric held talks with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Bosnia in Bundestag, Marie Louise Beck and Delegation of the Board for Military Issues in Bundestag headed by Andreas Weigel.

Spiric thanked the Bundestag delegation for everything that Germany has done and is doing for Bosnia. He said that the relations between the two countries are improving in all segments.

“It is very important for us that Germany keeps its focus on Bosnia, especially because this is the year of challenges for our country in which we must fulfill the conditions for signing a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU, including reforms of the police structures, PBS and cooperation with the ICTY. Although constitutional reform is not a condition for SAA signing, I feel that it is important and I am optimistic in view of adopting the constitutional reforms”, Spiric said.

Member of Bundestag Andreas Weigel underlined the significance of implementing constitutional and police reforms in light of Bosnia's association with the European Union.

“We wish to support you in the continuation of defense reform. Reduction of military forces in Bosnia is a sign that the situation in the country is improving”,Weigel said.

"Germany is prepared to continue helping BiH in reform processes and changes, and the parliaments of the two countries will have a key role in that.The Group for Bosnia in the German Bundestag is eagerly awaiting the establishment of the group of friendship in the Bosnian Parliament," delegate in the German Bundestag Marie Luise Beck said at a meeting with the Bosnian House of Representatives Speaker Beriz Belkic and the Bosnian House of Peoples Deputy Speaker Sulejman Tihic in Sarajevo.

Their meeting is one of the steps towards the establishment of closer communication between delegates in the Bosnian Parliament and the Bundestag, but also confirmation of exceptional relations between the two friendly countries and the intention of Germany to help Bosnia join Euro-Atlantic structures through parliamentary diplomacy.

The participants in the meeting expressed confidence that the agreed activities will be implemented.Belkic and Tihic said that Bosnia needs to take responsibility for its future, as only through dialogue and compromise will it be possible to achieve common progress.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – It is time for the higher education sector in Bosnia, after several failed attempts, to be regulated at the state level, said the Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples Sulejman Tihic during talks with the Senior Deputy High Representative, Peter Bas Backer.

Tihic underlined the significance of passing the Framework Law on Higher Education in the House of Peoples following its passage in the House of Representatives of the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly.

“Only in this manner, we will ensure that the entire process moves forward”, said Tihic, adding that amendments for improving the law could be introduced in the future, said the Public Relations Office of the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly.