Commander Hart: NATO is closely monitoring the situation in BiH!

Commander of the NATO Headquarters in BiH, Brigadier General Merle D. Hart, spoke to the BiH news agency Patria about the security situation in BiH, military property and surplus weapons, as well as his visits to BiH as a military pilot during the aggression against BiH. Commander Hart's mandate ends in June this year.

NAP: You know that we are facing one of the biggest crises since Dayton to date. You have followed the situation with demonstrations in several BiH cities. How do you view this?

HART: I see it as a combination of the lack of progress by government officials, not only on the path to NATO, but also the stagnation in reforms that has led to public dissatisfaction.

NAP: How would you assess the security situation in BiH?

HART: It is difficult to make a complete analysis. Personally, I think there is mistrust and concern. We saw that on February 7th during the demonstrations. These were protests by all citizens due to the inefficiency of the authorities.

NAP: There is still no political consensus on BiH's entry into NATO. However, it will happen, it's only a matter of when? How do you comment on this?

HART: As far as BiH's progress towards NATO at the political level is concerned, that progress is limited. As far as the Armed Forces of BiH and their progress are concerned, it is quite good. The Armed Forces are modernizing as much as they can. They are implementing policies, programs, and training according to NATO standards. This week, the eighth rotation of soldiers from the 4th Infantry Brigade departed for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. My intention as Commander of the NATO Headquarters, as well as my predecessors, is to make the Armed Forces of BiH and the Ministry of Defense of BiH an "island of excellence" within the Council of Ministers of BiH, so that this Ministry has a domino effect on other ministries and the state.

NAP: The commander of the Bulgarian troops in EUFOR announced that instability in BiH could lead to ethnic conflicts in BiH, adding that the whole of BiH is unstable. How do you comment on this?

HART: We are continuously monitoring the situation on the ground, and I want to emphasize that NATO and NATO Allies are closely monitoring the security situation in BiH.

NAP: BiH has not resolved its surplus weapons nor registered its prospective military property. How do you view this?

HART: These are two separate issues. First, I will say something about surplus weapons, ammunition, and explosive ordnance. The Ministry of Defense of BiH has established a Strategic Committee in which not only the BiH Armed Forces participate, but also international representatives, including representatives from UNDP, OSCE, embassies, including the US Embassy, EUFOR, and NATO. We are working together to create an inventory, to know what is available. Not only in terms of sales, but to ensure that this entire process is transparent. Not only when we talk about sales, but also about the destruction of surplus weapons.

Regarding military property, in April 2010, the North Atlantic Council invited BiH to join the Membership Action Plan, but the condition for activating that Membership Action Plan is that 63 locations designated and identified as prospective military locations for the BiH Armed Forces are registered to the state of BiH with the right of use by the Ministry of Defense. There have been countless attempts to pass a law by which the Council of Ministers would allow the registration of this property to the state, but there is no political will to harmonize the laws and procedures that would enable this.

NAP: During the aggression against BiH, you came as a pilot, delivering humanitarian aid to citizens in BiH. How do you view this from this perspective and the role you hold today?

HART: My experience from the 90s is that I participated in delivering humanitarian aid to BiH citizens. I cannot compare that role I had then with my current duty as Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo. Back then, we were working on delivering food, blankets, and other necessities in protected zones. I did not have interaction with people, with individuals then. It is different now. I have communication with politicians, but also with ordinary people. Simply put, I cannot compare these two situations.