NATO's Enyeart: BiH MAP challenged by elections

28/07/2010

The new commander of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo talks to SETimes about the path to NATO membership.

By Vlado Kos for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo – 28/07/10

US Army Brigadier General David Enyeart. [NATO]

US Army Brigadier General David Enyeart assumed command of NATO headquarters in Sarajevo on June 10th -- just two months after the Alliance's foreign ministers gave conditional approval to Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) Membership Action Plan (MAP).

But BiH must first resolve the issue of allocating various defence properties between the two entities. Enyeart sat down with SETimes correspondent Valdo Kos to discuss how the country can achieve this goal.

SETimes: After BiH's conditional MAP, how do you see the political climate in the country? Is it good enough to achieve an agreement on unmovable defence property?

Brigadier General David Enyeart: BiH has been working towards NATO membership … for many years. This shows that the necessary long-term political commitment and consensus does exist across the entire country. The political climate in BiH is now dominated by the upcoming [October] election. The need to satisfy the final condition for the MAP has been overshadowed by the election, and the resolution of the ownership of defence property is now a political issue.

However, this is not the time to lose forward motion in the mistaken belief that BiH is already active within MAP. Activities within MAP are based on an Annual National Programme (ANP), and NATO has stipulated that BiH cannot begin its first ANP until defence property has been resolved. BiH could fulfil the one condition that NATO has applied, but the responsibility lies with BiH political leaders.

SETimes: Discussions about the MAP are virtually non-existent. Can you explain why there is so little being said?

Enyeart: There may be little public discussion, but within the government work is definitely going ahead to draft an ANP. This is being done by the BiH Council of Ministers' NATO Co-ordination Team. There is considerable overlap between the NATO programmes that BiH is already working on and the ANP.

Specifically, the content of any future ANP will be very similar to the work that is currently being done within the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). BiH should be prepared to continue working within IPAP if defence property has not been resolved by the start of the next MAP cycle in September.

SETimes: What role will NATO HQ Sarajevo play in the facilitation of talks on unmovable defence property?

Enyeart: NATO HQ Sarajevo has been working with the ministry of defence and other parties to help resolve this issue, and we remain ready to support this effort. We are assisting in the research of the titles and paperwork to prepare the property for legal turn over to the government or entities. We have also prepared a draft intergovernmental agreement to assist in resolving this last step so BiH can activate MAP. We hope that BiH can move forward and make this a top priority.

SETimes: You took over the command of the NATO HQ in Sarajevo from another US officer. What does the continued presence of a US commander of the NATO HQ say about the future of the Alliance's commitment to BiH's stability?

Enyeart: At a time when our military resources are under huge pressure, the continued involvement of the United States in NATO HQ Sarajevo shows how important we regard the stability of the Western Balkans and Bosnia Herzegovina as key factors in European security.

But let me be clear, this is not a US mission. The unique character of NATO is its ability to connect Europe and North America, and our HQ in Sarajevo is an excellent example of that shared vision.

SETimes: Why should Republika Srpska (RS) welcome NATO membership for BiH?

Enyeart: The benefits of joining NATO are improved national and regional security, stability, economic development, a more professional and cost efficient military, strengthened democratic institutions and moving closer to membership in the EU. These benefits have been well proved for over 60 years and by 28 different member nations. People living in RS could expect the same improvements to their standard of living.