OHR, Mario Brkic
OSCE, Aida Besic
EUPM,
Zinaida Ilaria
EUFOR, Jem Thomas

OHR

2006 a Year of Possibilities

On behalf of all at OHR may I wish you a Happy New Year. As the High
Representative has pointed out, 2005 was a pivotal year for

Bosnia and Herzegovina

, culminating in the launch of
Stabilisation and Association Agreement negotiations with the European Union. In
2006 we will find out whether BiH’s political leaders are able to take advantage
of the possibilities that this and other promising developments open up. 
We have begun the year with the successful introduction of Value Added Tax, a
milestone in BiH’s Euro-integration process and a major pillar in efforts to
invigorate the economy, attract investment and create new jobs. Work is also
under way to reach agreement on how best to reduce the size of government and
increase its efficiency. All of the major reforms now being pursued have a
single, fundamental object – to make life better for the people of BiH. The
International Community remains fully engaged in the reform process – but
ultimately the success or failure of this process will depend not on the IC but
on the political will of the people of BiH and their leaders.

OSCE

No statement

EUPM

Brigadier-GeneralVincenzo Coppola new Head of the EUPM

The European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina is glad to
announce that Brigadier-General Vincenzo Coppola has today officially assumed
his duty as the new Head of Mission.

Brigadier General Coppola is a very experienced senior officer of the Italian
Carabinieri with extensive Balkans experience. Among past posts covered, he
served as Head of the Police Unit of the EU Council in Brussels (2001-2004) and
in the Balkans during the SFOR mission in BiH (1998) and the KFOR mission in
Kosovo (1999-2000).

Building upon the achievements and successes of the first three years, the
EUPM will in the coming two years play a more pro-active role in assisting local
police in planning and conducting major and organized crime investigations.

“There are important tasks ahead of us such as the police reform”
said General Coppola today in
Sarajevo. “We will continue to
support the building up of the state level law enforcement agencies SIPA and the
SBS which are crucial in the countries efforts to curb organized crime.”

Brigadier Coppola’s biography is enclosed.   

EUFOR

“Happy New Year to you all.  I have nothing as formal as a statement but
two points of note.

Firstly, EUFOR heartily welcomes the inauguration of the Ministry of Defence
of the State of

Bosnia-Herzegovina

and looks forward to working with them in the future, consolidatiung the good
work of NATO, EUFOR and the Armed Forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the past.

Secondly, although this time of the year appears quiet, EUFOR have continued
with operations throughout the Christmas and New Year period. Border patrol
operations, in support of the State Border Service, anti-smuggling operations,
localized weapons harvests, mountain rescue training with the Armed Forces of
BiH, Liaison Observation Team (LOT) patrols and continual patrols by elements of
EUFOR’s Integrated Police Unit (IPU), all mostly in support of local
authorities, have continued throughout the holiday period and across the
country. For EUFOR it has been business as usual.”