Joint statement issued by the President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the President of the Republic of Croatia on 27 March 1993 at Zagreb

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Country/entity: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yugoslavia (former)
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Joint statement issued by the President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the President of the Republic of Croatia on 27 March 1993 at Zagreb
Date: 27 Mar 1993
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: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Bosnia peace process
Parties: President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Franjo Tudjman; President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic
Third parties: -
Description: This joint statement declares the support of both Presidents for the Vance-Owen Plan, and pledges further cooperation between the two countries and support for implementation of the plan. It also calls for the arms embargo on Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to be lifted.

Agreement document: BA_930327_Joint Statement.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, 4.
Presidents Tudjman and Izetbegovic express their preparedness for close cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and emphasize the need for comprehensive cooperation between the Croatian and Muslim people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the implementation of the Vance-Owen Plan, and particularly in the event of the continuation of aggression.
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: Page 1, 4.
Presidents Tudjman and Izetbegovic express their preparedness for close cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and emphasize the need for comprehensive cooperation between the Croatian and Muslim people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the implementation of the Vance-Owen Plan, and particularly in the event of the continuation of aggression.

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: No specific mention.
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: Page 1, 5.
If the Serbian side fails to meet the demands of the international community for the implementation of the Vance-Owen Plan and if its aggression continues, the Presidents request that the arms embargo on Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina be lifted.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
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: Page 1, 3.
Both Presidents remind the international community of continuing aggression by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, which should be taken into account when planning the engagement of peace forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the extension of the UNPROFOR mandate in Croatia.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Letter dated 93/03/29 from the Permanent Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/25487)
http://repository.un.org/

Joint statement issued by the President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the President of the Republic of Croatia on

27 March 1993 at Zagreb

1. The Republic of Croatia supports si.gning of the Vance-Owen Plan by Messrs. Alija Izetbegovic and Mate Boban.

2. The President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Franjo Tudjman, and the President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Mr. Alija Izetbegovic, request from the international conununity that the VanceOwen Plan be effectively and consistently implemented, bearing in mind the ineffective implementation of the Vance Plan in the Republic of Croatia because of the systematic obstruction by the Serbian side.

3. Both Presidents remind the international community of continuing aggression by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, which should be taken into account when planning the engagement of peace forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the extension of the UNPROFOR mandate in Croatia.

4. Presidents Tudjman and Izetbegovic express their preparedness for close cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and emphasize the need for comprehensive cooperation between the Croatian and Muslim people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the implementation of the Vance-Owen Plan, and particularly in the event of the continuation of aggression.

5. If the Serbian side fails to meet the demands of the international community for the implementation of the Vance-Owen Plan and if its aggression continues, the Presidents request that the arms embargo on Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina be lifted.

Zagreb, 27 March 1993

President of the Republic of Croatia

Dr. Franjo Tudjman

President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alija Izetbegovic