Brussels, 19/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - The head of NATO's forces still present in Bosnia Herzegovina, US Brigadier General Steven Schook, has expressed great optimism about the creation of a single professional Bosnian military force by 2007. The parliament of the Republika Srpska is scheduled to pass a law to this effect at the end of the month, explained General Schook at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday. He said the unified force would have around 9000 or 10000 men. The draft law also foresees the abolition of the defence ministries of the two bodies making up Bosnia Herzegovina (the Republika Srpska and the Croatian-Muslim Federation) and a strengthening of the defence ministry at central government level. General Schook also expressed optimism about the arrest in the near future of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity by the ICTY. Both men are currently on the run. The General said that since November 2004, the situation had undergone a fundamental change in Banja Luka and Belgrade. He added that since November 2004, some two dozen people have been handed over to the Tribunal in The Hague.