Bosnian Prime Minister: 'Future of Balkans Largely Depends on U.S.'

The Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adnan Terzic, told the VOA that his nation needs the stronger political presence of the U.S. in his country.
Washington, D.C., May 20, 2005 - The Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adnan Terzic, today told the Voice of America (VOA) that his nation needs the stronger political presence of the U.S. in his country.

Describing his meeting earlier in the day with Assistant Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, Terzic told VOA that his country is "hoping he (Burns) will help bring our region into the U.S. foreign policy focus, because the future of the Balkans largely depends on the U.S. involvement and devotion to it." Terzic made his comments during an exclusive TV interview at the VOA headquarters in Washington.

During the interview, Terzic told VOA his trip to Washington had expanded from the original mission of meeting with financial leaders, including incoming World Bank Director Paul Wolfowitz, to include meetings with U.S. policymakers. In addition to Burns and Wolfowitz, Prime Minister met with U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). The Prime Minister added that the positive comments he received from U.S. officials about Bosnia's role as a partner in the global fight against terror and human trafficking will encourage the Bosnian nation to undertake better efforts in restoring the country and democracy.

VOA's Bosnian Service broadcasts Studio Washington, a 30-minute TV news program that is also simulcast on radio each weekday. In addition, the Bosnian Service broadcasts a weekday TV headline news feed and a 15-minute radio program to the region. Programs are also available on the Internet at www.VOANews.com/Bosnian.

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people. Programs are produced in 44 languages, including English.

For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 401-7000, or E-Mail publicaffairs@voa.gov.