Press Release (97)44 18 Apr. 1997

Statement by NATO Secretary General Javier Solana, Sarajevo The NATO-led multi-national force has ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and helped restore peace and hope. Now it is time to reunite and rebuild the country. The focus of our efforts must shift from military to civil aspects of the peace process. As a small step in this direction, I am pleased to announce today that the NATO-led SFOR will lower its military profile in the centre of the capital city, Sarajevo, by vacating the Zetra stadium and opening the way for its reconstruction and use by the people of Bosnia Herzegovina. The former Olympic stadium has been a key support facility for SFOR, providing a communications site, a warehouse for materiel, storage for vehicles, and accommodation and office space for personnel. SFOR will move to alternative facilities this summer. We then intend to remove any temporary structures we have had in place, to the extent possible clean it up, and then turn it over to local authorities no later than the end of September.