Closure of the United Nations Observer Mission in Prevlaka

The United Nations Observer Mission in Prevlaka, Croatia, officially closed Sunday, marking the end of some ten years of UN peacekeeping on the disputed peninsula. In 1996, the mission took over from a 14-person military observer mission established under the United Nations Protection Force in October 1992.

The closure of the small mission, always comprised of fewer than thirty observers, underscores its success in ensuring a safe and secure environment on the Prevlaka peninsula. Through much of the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia, the war in Kosovo, and other seminal events in the former Yugoslavia, the mission kept the peace.

The stability promoted by the mission’s presence on the peninsula aided the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Croatia. At the end of the month, the UN will also close the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which provided the Prevlaka mission’s administrative and budgetary support. The completion of both mandates closes an important chapter in UN efforts to keep the peace in the region. As of January 1, 2003, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo will be the sole UN peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia.