Washington, D.C., October 16, 2009 - Bosnian President Zeljko Komsic told the Voice of America (VOA) that the U.N. General Assembly's vote to grant his country a non-permanent seat on the Security Council represents an important milestone.
"Bosnian membership in the Security Council is an acknowledgement by the world that the country has become a relevant subject in global issues, instead of being, as it was for many years, an object of U.N. discussions," Komsic said.
Bosnia begins its two-year term on the Security Council on January 1, 2010.
Komsic also said he'd like to see his country join NATO, but that requires the country's acceptance of constitutional reforms to create stronger centralized institutions. Komsic said he disagreed with some officials, who say any constitutional reforms should include a referendum on allowing Bosnia’s two territorial federations to become separate states.
"Statements like this are very dangerous," Komsic said. "History teaches us that the price paid for such statements is almost always paid by those who stand behind them."
In Washington, Komsic is also meeting with members of Congress and State Department officials to discuss reforms in his country.
"Senators (John) Kerry and (Richard) Lugar told me that this is the chance for reforming, and subsequently entering NATO, which Bosnia must not miss." Kerry, D-Mass., and Lugar, R-Ind., are, respectively, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
VOA Bosnian broadcasts a live half-hour TV show, Studio Washington, Monday through Friday; programs are also available on the Internet (www.VOANews.com/Bosnian).
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 125 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages. VOA is the leading U.S. international broadcaster.
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