The Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) did not select a new high representative of the international community for Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. According to local media, European countries and the United States were unable to agree on a common candidate, writes TASR based on a report by the HINA agency.
- The PIC Steering Committee was unable to select a new senior official in Sarajevo.
- Christian Schmidt resigned after strong pressure from Washington.
- The United States promotes an Italian diplomat, while France supports René Troccaz.
- The High Representative in Bosnia has the power to pass laws and dismiss politicians.
- Russia demands the abolition of the office, the US wants the gradual handing over of powers to the domestic authorities.
Representatives of the most influential Western countries, the European Union and Turkey met behind closed doors in Sarajevo to choose a successor to Christian Schmidt, who resigned on May 10 after “enormous and unexpected” pressure from Washington. The two-day meeting ended without a common candidate being chosen, but negotiations will continue.
USA prefers Italian
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Washington that the US would like to see an Italian in office. Although he did not directly say the name of the preferred candidate, according to the media it is diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi. He personally attended Thursday’s meeting in Sarajevo.
Several European countries objected to the American choice. France promotes the diplomat René Troccaz, who was also supported by Germany and the United Kingdom.
Position of the office since 1995
The Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina was established after the end of the civil war in 1995. Its task is to oversee the implementation of the so-called Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the inter-ethnic conflict in the region.
Appointed by the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council, the High Representative has extensive powers, including the ability to enforce laws or remove elected officials.
The German diplomat Christian Schmidt used these powers, especially in his disputes with the Bosnian Serb leader and ally of Moscow, Milorad Dodik.
Opinions on the future of the office
In May, during the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in this Balkan state, Russia called for the immediate closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia. The United States supports the retention of this function, but wants the next high representative to gradually hand over powers to local institutions.
In Bosnia itself, Serbian and Croatian leaders are demanding the abolition of this post or at least a limitation of its powers. However, Bosnian (Muslim) officials say the high official’s powers should be preserved.
Importance for the EU
Since the 1992-1995 war, Bosnia has remained divided into Serbian and Bosnian-Croat entities, but only united by weak central institutions.
For European officials, it is important that the new high representative “embodies Bosnia and Herzegovina’s choice to seek entry into the European Union,” as European Council President António Costa emphasized on Monday in Sarajevo.
