5-9 July OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Date: 11/07/1996

THE fifth annual meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) devoted much of its time to discussing elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina planned for 14 September. US Ambassador Robert Frowick, head of the OSCE mission in Bosnia- Herzegovina, said he would use all his powers to prevent the Serb Democratic Union (SDS) party from taking part in Bosnian elections “as long as it insisted on retaining Radovan Karadzic as its president in a provocative manner”. Karadzic is wanted by the International Court of Justice in The Hague as an indicted war criminal.

Frowick, who is also president of the provisional electoral committee, said if he were pressed, he could simply declare the SDS ineligible. He warned that such a decision would carry “risks” for the elections in Bosnia, but added that the international community should not compromise on this during these crucial elections, which could cement peace or throw the region back into war. His words contradicted those of Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the OSCE Council.

THE OSCE declared that the second round of Russian presidential elections, which were held on 2 July, had been free and fair, but criticised “the imbalance in media coverage and in the resources of candidates, as well as the role of part of the presidential administration during the campaign”. Throughout his five-month drive for the presidency, Yeltsin spent the official campaign budget several times over, and Kremlin staff gave him a clear advantage over his rivals.

ATTENDING the meeting were Frowick, Cotti, Swedish Foreign Minister Lena Hjelm Wallen, parliamentary presidents from 20 countries and the human rights ombudsperson in Bosnia, Gret Hall.