EU takes over UN Bosnia mission

(1 Jan 2003) 1. Wide of handing over ceremony in front of EU building, EU policemen and politicians standing, 2. Two shots of EU policemen to attention 3. Close up policeman 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Commissioner Sven Fredriksen, Head of EU police mission "The European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Hercegovina, the EUPM, begins its work today and, as its commissioner, I would like to take this opportunity to address you, the people of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Today, on the first of January 2003, the European Union deploys its first police mission as a part of its Common Foreign and Security Policy." 5. Close up policeman 6. Policewoman presenting the EU flag to Fredriksen 7. They salute each other and Fredriksen hands flag back to the policewoman who places it in a stand 8. Various of policeman 9. Ceremony host salutes Fredriksen 10. Policemen leave formation 11. Policewoman posing for photographers with EU flag STORYLINE: The European Union on Wednesday hoisted its dark blue banner in Bosnia to officially mark the transfer of peacekeeping duties from the United Nations to the EU. The EU mission, the first of its kind organised by the union, is set to end in 2005. The European Union replaces the United Nation's mission, which ended on Tuesday after a decade in Bosnia. The EU takes over the United Nation's postwar mandate of reforming and monitoring the local police force to ensure that it is professional and does not include people who committed crimes during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Sven Fredriksen of Denmark, who headed the UN police mission, will lead the EU police mission. He promised to help build a police force that "serves and protects all people unconditionally", regardless of ethnicity, in a speech during the New Year's Day ceremony at the former UN headquarters in Sarajevo. The EU police mission includes about 500 international police officers who will deployed in Bosnia along local police. UN peacekeepers were deployed in Bosnia from the beginning of the country's 1992-95 war. When the war ended, the UN mandate changed to police reform. About 15-thousand troops who are part of a NATO-led stabilisation force are also deployed in Bosnia. On Wednesday, they handed over control of the Sarajevo International airport to Bosnian authorities. French peacekeepers had managed the air traffic control and airport property since 1992. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...