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SARAJEVO, June 7 (FENA) - Acting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer noted in an interview with FENA and SRNA that BiH desperately needs amendments to the Election Law, but it also needs to secure rule of law in all segments of society.
Palmer visited BiH several months ago and met with leaders of BiH political parties to discuss the election reform so that the upcoming elections results of the General Elections in October would be implemented and his visit to BiH this week is a continuation of the U.S. support to BiH in that sense.
He assessed that meeting with political leaders was positive, stating that things are moving in the right direction, once again expressing concern over failure of adoption of amendments to the Election Law, because if reforms are not implemented the elections in October will not meet the most basic responsibility of elections – formation of government.
Therefore he said he is committed to work with relevant political leaders towards reaching the necessary compromise acceptable for everyone, adding that BiH leaders need to take responsibility and make difficult decisions in order to reach that compromise.
Even though the issues of the election reform are burning issues that need to be solved, he emphasized that generally the USA believes that rule of law is the core of all reform efforts in BiH, because without it no other reform will be able to give results nor will it be possible to secure a better future to BiH citizens.
"We have invested a lot of resources in program activities towards strengthening the rule of law, independent judiciary, responsibility of judiciary which should help create a better business environment, which would then attract foreign investments and create a sense of security for all citizens in BiH," said Palmer.
He attended a meeting of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) where political situation and challenges in the country were discussed, but also what can be done to support BiH on its European path.
Asked to comment on the closing of the Office of High Representative (OHR), he said there are agreed standards for fulfilling the so called "5+2" conditions and he announced that the USA will support closing of the office as soon as those conditions are met.
He emphasized the USA has a vision for a wider region of the Western Balkans and sees it integrated in the Euro-Atlantic integration, where there is peace, prosperity and stability, and this vision is also shared by the Western Balkan states.
"We support membership of all states of the Western Balkans in the European Union, as well as membership in NATO for those countries that wish to become members, and those are all countries except Serbia. We support the system that is based on rule of law and international norms," he underlined.
However, Russia has a different vision of the Western Balkans, said Palmer, stressing that they are pursuing policies that wish for disorder, distrust and factions, and are actively opposed to the sovereign decision of many countries in the region to join Euro-Atlantic integration.
As the most direct and obvious example of this was the attempt of the coup in Montenegro in 2016, aimed at preventing the country's path towards NATO, and Russia is also against the sovereign decision of Macedonia to join NATO.
“Russia has been actively and aggressively working against crucial goals of many Western Balkan countries that countries have set themselves. It seems that Russia's interests are best served if there is chaos in this region where tensions can be raised, which is not a constructive approach,” stressed Palmer.
Palmer reiterated that the EU-NATO future of BiH is a sovereign decision of the state of BiH. It cannot be the decision of the United States and therefore the US supports BiH’s aspirations towards NATO membership, noting that they are working closely with the BiH authorities to meet the necessary capacities and fulfill the conditions for BiH to become a full member.
He especially emphasized that the question of BiH membership in NATO is not in the competence of the entities, and that although the National Assembly of RS has adopted the Resolution on the military neutrality of that entity, this was a political decision and it is not something that should be taken into account regarding the issue of NATO membership if the will for the membership has been clearly expressed by the state.
Asked if and when a new US ambassador to BiH could be appointed in view of the change in state administration in the United States, he said that decisions on the appointment of ambassadors are made in the White House and if they decide to do it then it will be so.
“Certain political leaders for over a year have talked about the departure of Ambassador Maureen Cormack, yet she is still here, she is excellent in doing her job and she will remain the ambassador for the time being,” he stressed.
As Palmer noted, the US support for the Balkans remains clear; the policy has not changed regardless of the changes in the US administration and the change between Democrats or Republicans in power. He underlined that the US will continue to support BiH's ambitions towards its path towards EU-NATO integration.
"Therefore, there is no reason to believe that there could be any change when it comes to the US policy or attitude towards this region, at least not in the foreseeable future," said the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer in an interview with news agencies FENA and SRNA.
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(FENA) S. R.
