Bosnia Ties Help Regional Stability: Yugoslav PresidentYugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said Tuesday that the establishment of diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina not only conformed to the interests of the two countries but would also do good to the stability of the Balkan region as a whole.Kostunica made the remarks at a press conference after talks with Zivko Radisic, chairman of Bosnia's collective presidency, who was here for a visit. During the talks, they focused their discussions on the issue of implementing the Dayton peace accord which was signed in 1995 to end the three-and-a-half year Bosnian war, as well as the special relationship between the Yugoslav Federation and the Serb Republic, one of the two entities in post-war Bosnia, Kostunica said. Yugoslavia will further strengthen its cooperation with Bosnia in all fields, said Kostunica, adding that his country hoped to rejoin the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) of the Dayton peace agreement. The PIC, which consists of representatives from the Group of seven industrialized countries (G-7), Russia, the presidency of the European Union (EU), the EU Commission and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was set up in London on December 9 1995, and it called on the international community to make every effort to help build a new start for the people of the war-torn Bosnia. The issue of refugees' returning to their homes in Bosnia must be resolved as soon as possible, as it concerns the interests of the peoples in both the Yugoslav Federation and Bosnia, Kostunica said. At the meeting, Radisic said both nations would give priority to efforts to find an settlement of the issues concerning borders, the free movement of people, dual nationality and refugees. On December 15, Foreign Ministers from Yugoslavia and Bosnia signed a communique, establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Yugoslavia thus has diplomatic ties with all former Yugoslav republics. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |