Hoofd van de EU-politiedienst in Bosnië overleden (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The head of the European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM), Sven Frederiksen, died suddenly on Monday, 26 January, probably of a heart attack. He was 56.

Mr Frederiksen, a Danish police officer, had been in command of the EU's first European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) operation since 1 January 2003.

Javier Solana, the EU's foreign chief, expressed shock and sadness at the tragic death of Sven Frederiksen.

"The international policing family has lost one of its most distinguished representatives. I lost an outstanding collaborator and a friend. His biography is proof of his engagement and commitment to the stabilisation of the Balkans", Mr Solana said in a short statement.

The death of Mr Frederiksen comes as important decisions are to be taken on the launch of a peacekeeping operation in Bosnia, possibly before the end of the year.

Last week, on 22 January, NATO and EU leaders held what were described as "exploratory contacts" in Brussels on the EU taking over from NATO's mission in the country.

The task would be the EU's third peacekeeping mission after operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) and in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Mr Frederiksen's task with the the European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM) was to monitor, mentor and inspect local police forces. The mission is scheduled to run until the end of 2005.

Sven Frederiksen had great experience and knowledge about the Balkans.

He formerly served the UN in Croatia and assisted UN special Envoy Carl Bildt in the preparations of the Dayton Peace Accords in Geneva in 1995. He was appointed by the WEU (Western European Union) as Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Interior in Albania in 1997 and became UN CIVPOL Police Commissioner in Kosovo in 1999.