The Public Announcement (Graz Agreement)

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Country/entity: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yugoslavia (former)
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: The Public Announcement (Graz Agreement)
Date: 6 May 1992
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Balkan Conflicts (1991 - 1995) (1998 - 2001)
Former Yugoslavia

The disintegration of former Yugoslavia post cold war saw conflicts which became mediated and produced peace agreements in Slovenia (where the brief independence conflict was mediated by the EC Troika in 1991), Croatia (between Croatian and Serb populations 1991-1995), in Bosnia (between Croatian, Serb and Bosniak populations 1992-1995), in Macedonia (where mediation played a key pre-emptive role in preventing large scale conflict in 2001), in Kosovo (between Kosovar Albanians and Serbian population and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), but also between FRY and NATO, 1998-1999), and a conflict in the Presevo Valley (between Albanians in South Serbia and FRY, 2000-2001). The continued fall-out of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia also saw mediated agreement and ultimate dissolution of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

In 1991, after nationalist parties won the first multi-party elections in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a violent process of disintegration commenced. With its mixed population, Bosnia-Herzegovina became the centre of the following civil war that began in 1992 between the newly formed army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly Muslim Bosniacs), and the parastatal forces of self-declared Bosnian Croat (Herzeg-Bosnia) and Bosnian Serb (Republika Srpska) entities within Bosnia-Herzegovina, supported by Croatia and Serbia, with various, often short-lived, coalitions. The General Framework Agreement (Dayton Peace Agreement), signed in 1995, split the country into two ethno-federal entities, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Republika Srpska, and included continued peacekeeping and institutional administration by international actors.

Kosovo

The conflict between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians has a long history and always involved territorial disputes as well as ethno-political, cultural and linguistic factors. The most recent phase of the conflict began in November 1997 when the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA or UCK) began their campaign for the independence of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY – then Serbia and Montenegro). The subsequent war lasted until the NATO intervention, which undertook bombing campaigns of Belgrade and other places in Serbia during spring 1999. The main agreements solving the conflict were internationally driven and, finally, a UNSC resolution imposed a post-conflict arrangement in the wake of what was essentially a NATO military victory. In February 2008, Kosovo’s parliament declared independence, but independence is still internationally disputed.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Bosnia Local peace processes
Parties: REPRESENTATIVE OF SERBIAN COMMUNITY Radovan Karadzic; REPRESENTATIVE OF CROATIAN COMMUNITY Mate Boban
Third parties: -
Description: This short agreement provides for the territorial division of Bosnia between the Serbian and Croatian communities, but does not include the Bosnian Muslim community. The parties also announce an immediate, permanent ceasefire to be supervised by the EC.

Agreement document: BA_920506_The Public Announcement (Graz Agreement).pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: Groups→Racial/ethnic/national group→Rhetorical
Page 1, Untitled preamble
We are determined that all of the disputed points, including the confinement of two constitutive units - croatian and serbian - in Bosnia should be solved by peace-abiding means and agreements, and the representatives of croatian and serbian national community have established, that in accordance with the “confinement work map”, the presence of disagreement, in the following cases

Page 1, 6.
In accordance with above mentioned agreements, the reasons for armed conflicts between Serbs and Croatians, at the Bosnian territory, are ended...
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: Power sharing→Territorial power sharing→Other
Page 1, 1.
In Mostar, the serbian side consider that the border is the Neretva River, and the croatian side consider that the whole city of Mostar, the city area is included in the croatian unit.

Page 1, 2.
In the south of Mostar, the croatian side consider like a part of croatian unit, the area determined 1939, i.e. borders of Hrvatska Hanovina. The serbian side consider the Neretva River as a border line between the serbian and croatian unit.

Page 1, 3.
Both sides are agreed to take care of space and communication compactness, in the area of Kupres, as well as in the Bosanska posavina (Derventa, Bosanski Brod, Odzak, B. Samac, Orasje, Modrica).

Page 1, 4.
Both sides are determined to persevere in the principles adopted at the Conference of EC, regarding BiH, and according to that principles, they are agreed to respect the agreed standards for defining the rational territories, in all disputed points, with the arbitration of EC.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
Page 1, 6.
In accordance with above mentioned agreements, the reasons for armed conflicts between Serbs and Croatians, at the Bosnian territory, are ended. It is announced that all inclusive and permanent cease-fire will be supervised by EC, which is effective from today, May 6th 1992, at 24.00hrs.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: ICTY Court Records, Karadzic trial, exhibit D04060.E
http://icr.icty.org/

THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

We are determined that all of the disputed points, including the confinement of two constitutive units - croatian and serbian - in Bosnia should be solved by peace-abiding means and agreements, and the representatives of croatian and serbian national community have established, that in accordance with the “confinement work map”, the presence of disagreement, in the following cases:

1. In Mostar, the serbian side consider that the border is the Neretva River, and the croatian side consider that the whole city of Mostar, the city area is included in the croatian unit.

2. In the south of Mostar, the croatian side consider like a part of croatian unit, the area determined 1939, i.e. borders of Hrvatska Hanovina.

The serbian side consider the Neretva River as a border line between the serbian and croatian unit.

3. Both sides are agreed to take care of space and communication compactness, in the area of Kupres, as well as in the Bosanska posavina (Derventa, Bosanski Brod, Odzak, B. Samac, Orasje, Modrica).

4. Both sides are determined to persevere in the principles adopted at the Conference of EC, regarding BiH, and according to that principles, they are agreed to respect the agreed standards for defining the rational territories, in all disputed points, with the arbitration of EC.

5. With this agreement the reasons for break of Conference of EC, regarding BiH, are ended, so both sides are searching for an urgent continuation of the Conference.

They are insisting that the confine arbitration should be executed in agreed period, i.e. May 15th.

6. In accordance with above mentioned agreements, the reasons for armed conflicts between Serbs and Croatians, at the Bosnian territory, are ended.

It is announced that all inclusive and permanent cease-fire will be supervised by EC, which is effective from today, May 6th 1992, at 24.00hrs.

REPRESENTATIVE OF SERBIAN COMMUNITY Radovan Karadzic

REPRESENTATIVE OF CROATIAN COMMUNITY Mate Boban