HL Deb 21 June 2004 vol 662 cc99-100WA
Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their position on Bosnia-Herzegovina joining Partnership for Peace by the end of June 2004. [HL3157]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The Government support Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) aspiration to join NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP). We welcome the significant progress made in implementing the military reforms required for PfP membership—in particular the appointment of a state-level defence Minister. However, BiH must also meet the political requirements of membership, including full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The ICTY's current assessment is that the BiH authorities—in particular in the Republika Srpska—are not co-operating fully with the tribunal, in particular, securing the transfer of Radovan Karadzic to the Hague. In the absence of such co-operation in the coming days, it is difficult to conceive of an invitation at the Istanbul summit to join PfP.