Bosnian Stalemate Disappoints Implementation Council

Bosnia’s Peace Implementation Council said on December 12-13 that no progress had been made in the country since the last PIC meeting in July.

Valentin Inzko, representative of the international community and head of the Office of the High Representative, OHR, said they expected a new government to be formed as soon as possible.

Bosnia’s six main parties have failed to reach agreement over the composition of a state-level government 14 months since the general elections.

The current state government, operating on a “technical mandate”, failed to adopt a state budget either for 2011 or 2012.

One other burning topic at the PIC meeting was the future of Brcko District.

Not part of either of the country’s two autonomous entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, Brcko has been under a separate administration with its own international “supervisor” since the 1990s.

A decision on ending the role of the international supervisor is expected by May next year.

Roderick Moore, current supervisor, said there had been an intensive discussion but no decision as yet.

On the other side, the PIC welcomed the publication by the Republika Srpska on December 1 of a map that shows the inter-entity boundary line running besides, not through, Brcko. Previously the Republika Srpska has claimed ownership of Brcko.

After the PIC meeting in Sarajevo. Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, said he was disappointed that no decision had been made on ending Brcko’s supervision.

“It is obvious that the Bosniaks [Muslims] in Sarajevo have influenced the PIC decision not to end Brcko’s supervision,” Dodik said in Banja Luka.

He described the continued presence of the international community in Bosnia as artificial and once again urged closure of the whole OHR.

 Valentin Inzko, speaking after the PIC meeting, recalled that in order for OHR to be closed, Bosnia has to achieve five objectives and two specific conditions set by international community - and these were issues on which no progress had yet been made. 

Finally, the PIC expressed concern with the lack of implementation of a Bosnian Constitutional Court ruling on the electoral system for southern town of Mostar, which ordered changes to the number of representatives from different parts of town on the municipal council.