On Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Stephen J. Rapp, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time since assuming his position in September. During his one-day visit, Ambassador Rapp met with key judicial officials, including State Court President Meddzida Kreso, State Prosecutor Milorad Barasin, High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council President Milorad Novkovic, and BiH Justice Minister Barisa Colak. In addition, Ambassador Rapp met with members of the international community including High Representative Valentin Inzko and the Ambassadors of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. He also met with representatives of the Mothers of Srebrenica, the Research and Documentation Center, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Committee for Missing Persons. Although this was primarily an introductory visit, Ambassador Rapp discussed vital issues including the implementation of the National War Crimes Strategy, the issue of the the presence of international judges and prosecutors at the State Court and the State Prosecutor’s Office, and regional cooperation. Before becoming the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, Ambassador Rapp served as the Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. From 2001 to 2007, he served as Senior Trial Attorney and Chief of Prosecutions at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Between 1993 and 2001, Mr. Rapp was United States Attorney in the Northern District of the state of Iowa. Prior to his tenure as U.S. Attorney, he worked as an attorney in private practice, served as Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, and as an elected member of the Iowa Legislature.