http://www.fena.ba/uk/vijest.html?fena_id=FSA325550&rubrika=ES
FENA (Bosnia)
November 29, 2005
SARAJEVO: CONFERENCE "MEMBERSHIP IN NATO SECURITY AND STABILITY IN THE
REGION"
SARAJEVO Membership in NATO Security and Stability in the region is
title of the conference that took place on Tuesday in organization of the
BiH Alliance for Security and the British Embassy to BiH.
Apart from the Alliance for Security, which is a member of the Atlantic
Association, the Atlantic Council and the Atlantic Club from Croatia and
Serbia and Montenegro are also participating in realization of this project.
Representative of the Alliance for Security Sejfudin Tokic said this is an
attempt to accelerate reforms and create an ambiance for eliminating all
prejudices caused by the lack of knowledge on the significance of global
security and admission of these countries into the strongest military and
political alliance.
Tokic deems it is clear that all three countries have expressed full
interest for fully pledged membership in NATO.
British Ambassador to BiH Matthew Rycroft said that this regional conference
aims to expand ideas on the benefits the countries of the region will gain
from membership in the Partnership for Peace and NATO.
Rycroft stressed that the success of defense reform in BiH means that the
only remaining condition for admission into the Partnership for Peace
remains the full cooperation with The Hague Tribunal, including the transfer
of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.
After the soon adoption of the new laws on defense and service in the armed
forces, BiH will for the first time have professional military forces
compatible with NATO standards, said the Deputy Chair of the BiH Defense
Reform Commission, Raffi Gregorian.
He expressed hope that NATO would approve the action plan for membership
until the completion of implementation of laws in defense sector by the end
of 2007.
In the meantime, if the remaining commitment is fulfilled full
cooperation with ICTY, BiH should be admitted into the Partnership for
Peace, said Gregorian.
Serbian News Network - SNN
[email protected]
http://www.antic.org/
