H.E. Ambassador Robert Barry
Head of OSCE Mission to BH and
President of Provisional Election Commission

Your Excellency,

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BH and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in the Republic of Srpska are addressing you with a proposal not to allow candidature for the forthcoming elections in BH of those politicians who are living in apartments belonging to refugees and displaced persons who had expressed their wish to come back.
We base our proposal upon a principle according to which the candidates who do not accept the Dayton Peace Agreement should not appear on the election lists. We deem that respecting of the Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, that envisaged return of refugees and displaced persons to addresses where they had lived in 1991, must be an obligation of each candidate who want to stand for office. We are of opinion that it is unacceptable that in the apartments of persons who want to return to their houses and apartment there are still living persons who should be actively engaged in the implementation of the Annex 7, not in direct obstructing the process of return.
At the end, I would like to emphasise that our proposal does not bring in question the rights of displaced persons either to own house or to any status rights.
Hoping that Provisional Election Commission will include our proposals into its Rules, we remain,

Sincerely yours,

Bijeljina – Sarajevo, 17 October 1999

c.o.
- Mr. Ante Jelavic, Chairman of BH Presidency
- Mr. Alija Izetbegovic, Member of BH Presidency
- Mr. Zeljko Radisic, member of BH Presidency
- Mr. Wolfgang Petrisch, High Representative in BH
- Mr. Jacques Paul Klein, SRSG
- Mr. Mirko Sarovic, Vice President of the Republic of Srpska
- Mr. Ivo Andric Luzanski, President of the BH Federation
- Mr. Ejup Ganic, Vice President of the BH Federation
- Mr. Haris Silajdzic, Co-Chairman of the BH Council of Ministers
- Mr. Svetozar Mihajlovic, Co-Chairman of the BH Council of Ministers
- Mr. Neven Tomic, Vice President of the BH Council of Ministers
- Mr. Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska
- Mr. Edhem Bicakcic, Prime Minister of the BH Federation
- Ms. Heike Alefson, Council of Europe