Preparations for the Implementation of International Peace Cooperation Assignments for International Electoral Monitoring Activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

March 3, 2000

Municipal elections are scheduled to be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 8 this year, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will supervise the whole process of preparations and conduct of these elections.
The OSCE has requested a contribution of personnel for its electoral monitoring activities from the countries concerned, including Japan, and Japan for its part intends to cooperate in accordance with the International Peace Cooperation Law. The conditions of consent of the receiving country and the cease-fire agreement between the parties to the conflict are considered to be fulfilled for the electoral monitoring activities by the OSCE.
Japan has been studying a dispatch of personnel for the electoral monitoring activities, and made an announcement on March 1 on the decision to proceed with preparations for the dispatch.
About 850 personnel in total are to be dispatched from the relevant countries for the electoral monitoring activities of the OSCE. Taking into account its past experience including three dispatches of monitoring personnel for the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan intends to examine the number of persons to be dispatched.

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