Europe

Europe

UN Security Council approves mandate of European force in Bosnia and Herzegovina

16 November 2011 18:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to adopt resolution 2019, reiterating its support for peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina and reauthorizing the deployment of a European Union (EU) force in the Balkan country, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The council authorized "the member states acting through or in cooperation with the EU to establish for a further period of 12 months, starting from the date of the adoption of this resolution, a multinational stabilization force," said the resolution.

EU Force (EUFOR) Althea, first deployed in 2004, is a military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina that is responsible for maintaining peace and security in the region and helping to build the capacity of the country’s armed forces.

The European mission is also responsible for upholding the Dayton Peace Agreements, which ended inter-ethnic fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 and established the country’s independence and a framework for its institutions.

European Union Force Althea is a military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement. It is the successor to the NATO-led peacekeeping missions in the Balkan country -- the Stabilization Force (SFOR) and the implementation force (IFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The transition from SFOR to EUFOR was largely a change of name and commanders: 80 percent of the troops remained in place. It replaced the NATO-led SFOR on Dec. 2, 2004.

Under Resolution 2019, the council "expresses its intentions to consider the terms of further authorization as necessary in the light of developments in the implementation of the peace agreement and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

The council noted in the resolution that the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been "calm and stable for several years, " but that political leaders in the country must "refrain from divisive rhetoric" if they want to maintain peace and facilitate Bosnia and Herzegovina’s integration into the EU.