Lajcak concedes FBiH has both political, economic problems

12/08/2008

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- High Representative Miroslav Lajcak says the Federation of BiH (FBiH) is neither politically nor economically healthy, and he blames the four parties in government -- the Party of Democratic Action, the Party for BiH, the Croatian Democratic Union and the Croatian Democratic Union 1990. In an interview with the Vecernji List newspaper Sunday (August 10th), Lajcak added the current practises of ignoring minorities and outvoting Croat ministers in government sessions are not the best way to push BiH forward. He said that conflicts within the FBiH government demonstrate an underdeveloped political culture in terms of searching for compromise or negotiating solutions. Lajcak reiterated the political process could improve through constitutional reform, which he says should be BiH's top priority, alongside EU integration.

On Monday, Lajcak again called for compromise on the state property issue, saying it and a positive assessment by the Peace Implementation Council would be the most difficult criteria to fulfil in order to shut down the Office of the High Representative. Meeting with Zlatko Lagumdzija, leader of the main FBiH opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, Lajcak noted that since the BiH constitution does not specify which level of government gets control over assets, political agreement is necessary. (RTRS, SRNA, Dnevni Avaz, Onasa, OHR - 11/08/08)