Bosnia-Herzegovina on Course to Join EU

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS - Ten years after the end of a brutal civil war, Bosnia-Herzegovina has become a viable state and is on course to become part of the European Union, the country's international administrator said.

In his final briefing to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Paddy Ashdown said if everything goes according to plan, Bosnia will open talks with the EU on Nov. 21 on a stabilization and association agreement to prepare the country for EU membership.

"This is truly a remarkable achievement for a country as war torn as Bosnia and Herzegovina was just 10 years ago," he said, recalling "a people traumatized by mass murder and ethnic cleansing and contending with the material deprivation wrought by a collapsed infrastructure and a moribund economy."

There was legitimate skepticism in June about Bosnia-Herzegovina meeting the final requirements to open talks with the EU. But in recent months, the major obstacles have been overcome, Ashdown said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051116/ap_on_re_eu/un_bosnia