‘Risk of return to war in Balkans,’ says BiH representative Schmidt
Christian Schmidt, UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (‘BiH’) has warned the United Nations that there is increasing talk in the country of a return to war, and that ‘authorities in the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska – one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s two entities, alongside the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – have increasingly embraced rhetoric and actions that could undermine the constitutional framework.’
The Bosnian War waged between 1992 and 1995 and was brought to an end by the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace, also known as the ‘Dayton Accords’.
As has been reported in WorldECR, much recent attention has been focused on Milorad Dodik, a member of the BiH presidency, whose ‘divisive ethno-nationalistic rhetoric [said the US Treasury when it imposed sanctions against him in January] reflects his efforts to advance these political goals and distract attention from his corrupt activities. Cumulatively, these actions threaten the stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of BiH and undermine the Dayton Peace Accords, thereby risking wider regional instability.’
At an 11 May meeting, the High Representative ‘praised international support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s unity, including through targeted sanctions by many governments’ and said, ‘We will not sit still while others seek to dismantle 26 years of peace, stability and progress.’
Turning to the country’s potential membership in the European Union – a path that would help resolve grievances and foster peace and stability – he urged the bloc to keep its doors open to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of the Western Balkan nations.
In April, the UK government imposed sanctions on Dodik, and on another Bosnian Serb politician, Zeljka Cvijanovic for ‘their attempts to undermine the legitimacy and functionality of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina.’ It accused them of ‘deliberately undermining the hard-won peace’ in the country.
