Brussels, 07/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Javier Solana, EU High Representative for CFSP and lord Ashdown, the EU's new High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, met in Brussels on Monday and discussed one of the Union's priority tasks in the region, the European Police Mission (EUPM), which is to begin in 1 January 2003, taking over from the United Nation' International Police Force.
One of Lord Ashdown's priorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina will be to install "law and order" to combat corruption and organised crime. "I do not believe we shall see a return to ethnic conflict", he explained to the press. In addition, with "Solana's total support", lord Ashdown wants to speed-up the normalisation process in Bosnia and contribute to the consolidation of the State with the help of the Bosnian people. Lord Ashdown also wants to further involve the EU in Bosnia, by stressing that "Bosnia's Europeanisation is important for the Bosnian people". The EU will have an increasingly important role to play in the region, said Ashdown, even though he acknowledged that, despite a reduction in military forces on the ground, NATO would maintain troops there.
While admitting that the months to come will not be easy, Lord Ashdown remain confident and qualifies as "miracle" progress already made by Bosnia, recalling that 500,000 people had already returned home, and that their country is the most stable in the Balkans in terms of inflation.
Asked about the Bosnian-Serb leader Karadzic, lord Ashdown considered that his appearance in The Hague was essential for the country's stabilisation process, even though he did recognise that that would be no easy task.