The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Talks Aimed at Breaking Bosnia’s Deadlock Continue
Sarajevo | 09 October 2009 | Srecko Latal
The talks are set to continue in 10 days, after the senior international delegation – led by US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Sweden, which currently holds EU’s rotating presidency – delivered to local politicians a package of conditions and incentives that they hope will help break Bosnia’s arduous political deadlock.
Western diplomats, who sounded cautiously optimistic in their initial statements, said the meeting will be resumed on 20 October, after the leaders of Bosnia’s two entities – Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim)-Croat Federation and Serb-dominated Republika Srpska – have some time to consider the proposals.
President of the strongest Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, SDA, Sulejman Tihic, told media after the meeting that if politicians take up the offer, Bosnia may be given a chance to apply for EU candidate status by the end of this year.
Local and international sources said that local leaders were also offered the prospect of a speedier entry into the EU's visa-free regime as well as faster NATO membership. These incentives were offered to persuade local politicians to accept a list of requirements, including constitutional changes that would improve the functionality of Bosnian institutions and fulfill remaining conditions for the closure of the Office of the High Representative, OHR.
Republika Srpska Premier Milorad Dodik said after the meeting that any constitutional changes can be discussed and decided upon by Republika Srpska's institutions only.
“We shall see how this will go. We think that the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina should not be changed,” Dodik said.
Despite this statement, as well as the fact that several local leaders who participated in the meeting have repeatedly rejected proposed constitutional changes, some local and international officials sounded moderately optimistic after the meeting.
US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said there was a general feeling that there was a broad understanding among local politicians that this was the key moment for Bosnia's leaders to do something.
EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said that the next 10 days will be the most important for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I am satisfied because we have finally lived to see a coherent approach of the United States of America and the EU. What is being offered to us as a perspective in the case we reach a quality agreement over constitutional changes will certainly encourage all residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said leader of the Croat Democratic Union, HDZ 1990, Bozo Ljubic.
The end of the meeting was marked by an incident, after local police prevented a group of civic activists from demonstrating against the indolence of local leaders in front of the Butmir base.
“This is incredible. There is really no more democracy in this country. This is the end of this country. There is nothing more,” one of the frustrated activists told media.
The meeting, held in the EU peacekeeper’s camp Butmir near the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, took place amidst the biggest political crisis since the end of the Bosnian war. Vicious political rhetoric between local political leaders, that began in the run up to the 2006 general elections, has over the past three years continued to escalate, and has intensified over past months.
Echoing the sense of urgency given to these talks, and the fact they are taking place in a military base, some media have dubbed the negotiations “Dayton 2,” after the November 1995 peace talks in the Wright-Patterson Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio, which ended Bosnia’s 1992-5 war.
The meeting was attended by the heads of seven main Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim), Serb and Croat parties.
The Bosniaks were represented by Sulejman Tihic from the Party of Democratic Action, SDA and Haris Silajdzic from the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina, SZBH, while Zlatko Lagumdzija represented his opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP.
The Bosnian Croats were represented by the leaders of the Croat Democratic Union, HDZ and HDZ 1990, Dragan Covic and Bozo Ljubic.
Bosnian Serbs were represented by the leader of the ruling Alliance of Social Democrats, SNSD, Milorad Dodik and representative of the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, Branislav Borenovic.
Dragan Cavic from the recently established Democratic Party refused the invitation to attend the meeting while the second-strongest Serb Democratic Party, SDS, was not invited at all. Local and international analysts say this was a major gaffe by the EU and US organisers.
