BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA: UNITED STATES ENVOY TO BOSNIA ROBERT GELBARD MEETS MOMCILO KRAJISNIC

Record ID: 337694

  • Title: BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA: UNITED STATES ENVOY TO BOSNIA ROBERT GELBARD MEETS MOMCILO KRAJISNIC
  • Date: 18th August 1997
  • Summary: PALE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (AUGUST 18, 1997) (RTV(A) 1. WIDE OF PALE 0.04 2. TRACK UNITED STATES (U.S.) ENVOY TO BOSNIA ROBERT GELBARD ARRIVING FOR MEETING 0.17 3. VARIOUS: GELBARD SEATED WITH BOSNIAN SERB MEMBER OF BOSNIA COLLECTIVE PRESIDENCY, MOMCILO KRAJISNIK (4 SHOTS) 0.35 4. SCU/SV GELBARD SAYING FRANKLY THE UNITED STATES TAKES THE VIEW THAT THE HIGH REPRESENTATIVE'S OFFICE HAS BEEN TOO KIND, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD FOR SOLUTIONS BUT OUR FEELING IS THAT DEADLINES NEED TO BE RESPECTED AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES IF AND WHEN DEADLINES ARE MISSED SUCH AS ON THE CITZENSHIP AND PASSPORT LAW AND ON THE CIVIL AVIATION LAW (ENGLISH WITH SERBO-CROAT TRANSLATION) 1.07 5. SV CAMERAMAN 1.11 6. SV GELBARD SAYING WE BELIEVE, PRESIDENT KRAJISNIC DISAGREES, THERE HAS BEEN SERIOUS INTIMIDATION OF THE JUDGES, WE WERE APPALLED TO SEE THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DECLARE BEFORE ANY DECISION WAS MADE THAT POLITICAL FACTORS WOULD ENTER INTO HIS DECISION, AND THE VENICE COMMISSION THE LAWYERS OF THE HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE AND OUR OWN LAWYERS FEEL THAT (SERBIAN) PRESIDENT (BILJANA) PLAVSIC ACTED WITHIN HER CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE (ENGLISH) 1.56 7. SV/SCU KRAJISNIC SAYING IN FACT, WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS SOME INTIMIDATION OF ONE JUDGE. THAT JUDGE IS A MEMBER OF THE MAIN S-D-S AND HE WAS ACTUALLY THE ONLY ONE WHO AGREED WITH THE DECISION OF THE STATE AND NOT WITH MS PLAVSIC. SO I AGREE THERE WAS SOME INTIMIDATION BY PEOPLE LOOKING TO CAUSE A SCANDAL. I WROTE A LETTER TO MR GELBARD AFTER BEING WARNED THAT THERE COULD BE SUCH PRESSURES. I SENT THIS LETTER TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT SO THAT EACH OF THE JUDGES COULD HAVE SAID WHETHER THERE WAS ANY DISCRIMINATION. (SERBO-CROAT) 2.56 8. TRACK KRAJISNIC AND GELBARD SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING 3.07 Initials S3,P3 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 2nd September 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PALE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
  • City:
  • Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Reuters ID: LVA7O7IT0SGJAF6IVDAHNTF4X42J
  • Story Text: - INTRO: The United States envoy to Bosnia Robert Gelbard has met the Serb member of the Bosnian Collective Presidency,Momcilo Krajisnic, in Pale to discuss the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement.

    Gelbard also strongly criticised a Bosnian Serb constitutional court ruling against the holding of early elections for the Serb Parliament.

    The meeting between Gelbard and Krajisnic took place in Pale in the Republika Srpska on Monday (August 18).

    Afterwards, Gelbard emerged to tell reporters that the U.S. was disappointed at the pace of implementation of some of the principles of the Dayton accord.

    "Our feeling is that deadlines need to be respected and that there should be serious consequences if and when deadlines are missed, such as on the citizenship and passport law and on the civil aviation law," Gelbard said.

    He also criticised a ruling by the Bosnian Serb constitutional court that President Biljana Plavsic could not call early elections.

    The ruling on Friday aggravated the political crisis in Bosnia, where Plavsic is in a power struggle with Serb hard-liners loyal to her predecessor, indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic.

    The United States, which favors Plavsic's attempts to root out corruption in the Serb-ruled part of Bosnia, said last week the hard-liners were intimidating the court to rule against Plavsic's decision to dissolve the Serb parliament.

    Gelbard repeated again on Monday the U.S. concern at the intimidation of the judges -- which included the beating of one judge in a police station.

    Plavsic has vowed to go ahead and hold the elections on Oct. 12.


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