Vol. 478 No. 5
35 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the length of time there has been unrest in the former Yugoslavia; the actual success of the input by the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11510/97]
The current phase of unrest in the Balkans is generally considered to date from the death of Marshal Tito. Extreme ethnic nationalism re-emerged in the late 1980s and led to the break-up of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, starting with the secession of Slovenia and of Croatia in 1991, and culminating in the terrible war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended in 1995.
The situation in the former Yugoslavia has been of the utmost concern to the international community since the beginning of the conflict. The question was a priority issue for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Union during the Irish Presidency, when among other developments, the first post-war national elections were held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and democratically-based institutions were established. The European Union, and its member states, have contributed enormous energy and resources, both material and personnel, from the outset of the conflict, as part of the international effort to restore peace and stability to the region. Since this is an ongoing process it is not possible to evaluate at this stage the final outcome.
