PIC urges swift implementation of Odzak agreement in BiH

21/11/2008

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council for BiH ended a two-day meeting on Thursday. Among the concerns it highlighted was the stagnation of the country's reforms.

By Jusuf Ramadanovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 21/11/08

"[The meeting] marked the beginning of the discussion about the future engagement of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina," High Representative in BiH Miroslav Lajcak said. [OHR]

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) met this week in Brussels, to discuss the current political situation in BiH. The main concern the board voiced at the end of the session Thursday (November 20th) was the overall stagnation of reforms, on the country's path to Euro-Atlantic integration.

PIC political leaders voiced "a deep concern over the development of the political situation" over the past four months, due to the slackening pace of reforms and the nationalistic rhetoric used by some politicians.

Although the council expressed support for the political agreement reached on November 8th in the northern Bosnian town of Odzak among the three main BiH party leaders, it underlined the necessity of implementing it. In addition, the practise of disputing the territorial integrity of BiH and the existence of the country's entities must stop, it said.

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried and US Ambassador to BiH Charles English also met with the politicians during the PIC session. They met separately with Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, who leads the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats; Party of Democratic Action President Sulejman Tihic and Croatian Democratic Union of BiH leader Dragan Covic to discuss the current political situation.

Fried and English reiterated the US State Department's support for the Odzak agreement and urged quick implementation. The BiH leaders said reform of the country's constitution is a core priority right now, according to media reports.

Although there was speculation the PIC session would yield definite options for closing the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in BiH, the PIC instead said it would retain the OHR as overseer until BiH carries out needed reforms.

Specifically, the PIC pointed to five goals and two conditions it outlined earlier this year as a prerequisite for closing the OHR -- it particularly stressed the need to define the status of Brcko and to divide state property and army assets. The PIC also noted concern over the delay in adopting a strategy to process war crimes in BiH.

"[The meeting] marked the beginning of the discussion about the future engagement of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This discussion will continue," High Representative Miroslav Lajcak said after the meeting.

The next one is scheduled for March 2009 in Sarajevo.