OSCE Chairman-in-Office appoints Ombudsman for Bosnia and Herzegovina

VIENNA, 21 December 1995 - The Chairman-in-Office (C-i-O) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Hungarian Foreign Minister László Kovács, appointed Ambassador Gret Haller of Switzerland today as Human Rights Ombudsman for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ambassador Haller, who holds a doctorate in Law from the University of Zürich, is presently the Swiss representative to the Council of Europe. In 1994, she was President of the Swiss National Council (Lower House of the Federal Parliament), and in 1990-94, she was member of the Swiss Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe. In 1985-88, she was municipal councillor and member of the city of Berne municipal government in the Department of Education. In 1978-84 she practiced law at a private firm. Throughout her career, Amb. Haller has specialized in the field of human rights.

The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina calls upon the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE to appoint a Human Rights Ombudsman for a non-renewable term of five years. The Ombudsman may not be a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina or of any neighboring State. According to the agreement, the Ombudsman "may investigate, either on his or her own initiative or in response to an allegation by any party or person, non-governmental organization or group of individuals claiming to be the victim of a violation by any Party or acting on behalf of alleged victims who are deceased or missing, alleged or apparent violations of human rights..." The Ombudsman will "issue findings and conclusions promptly after concluding an investigation. A party identified as violating human rights shall, within a specified period, explain in writing how it will comply with the conclusions. " Should a person or an entity not comply, the Ombudsman will forward the report to the High Representative and the Presidency of the appropriate Party. (See Dayton Agreement, Annex 6, Part B).

At their 7-8 Meeting in Budapest, Foreign Ministers of the OSCE decided that the OSCE Mission in Sarajevo will, upon request, support the Human Rights Ombudsman.