Bosnian President Optimistic on Future

(Prague, Czech Republic — April 15, 2008) A member of the three-person Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic visited RFE/RL headquarters in Prague today to discuss developments in his country and the outlook for the future.

Komsic told RFE/RL broadcasters he is optimistic that still-raw ethnic divisions can heal, pointing to successful cooperation in the field of defense. “I am very proud of what my country has achieved,” Komsic said, noting that “people who fought against each other in the 1990s war are now working together in a unified defense system.”

In an interview broadcast by RFE/RL’s South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service (SSALS), Komsic spoke about changes under way in Bosnia-Herzegovina to fulfill requirements for joining NATO and eventually the European Union.

Komsic currently holds the rotating chair of the three-person Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. An ethnic Croat and native of Sarajevo, Komsic is a member of the multi-ethnic Social Democratic Party. He is in Prague on a working visit to expand bilateral ties with the Czech Republic.

RFE/RL’s South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service (SSALS) broadcasts nine hours of programming a day to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, produced in Prague and in the service’s bureaus in Belgrade, Banja Luka, Podgorica, Prishtina, Sarajevo and Skopje and transmitted to listeners via satellite and shortwave signals and AM and FM frequencies provided by local affiliate stations. SSALS programming is also available via the Internet, at the service’s website www.slobodnaevropa.org, www.evropaelire.org and www.makdenes.org and at www.rferl.org.