UN extends peacekeeping mission in Bosnia

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - United Nations on Wednesday decided to extend the mandate of the European Union Peacekeeping Force (EUFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina by a year.

At the session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held in New York, 15 UNSC member states approved the decision to extend the mandate of EUFOR.

The current mandate is expected to expire on Nov. 5.

Operation Althea, formally EUFOR, is a military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was established in 2004 to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton peace agreement and ensure security in the country.

Fergal Mythen, permanent representative of Ireland to the UN, drew attention to the importance of the presence of the High Representative Office (OHR) and EUFOR in the country.

Germany, after the war between Russia and Ukraine, decided to deploy a military contingent to the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia where it had withdrawn troops from EUFOR 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, Sven Alkalaj, permanent representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to UN, strongly criticized High Representative Christian Schmidt.

Alkalaj argued that the electoral law enacted by Schmidt through imposition violates annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement and destabilizes the country.

While voters were at polls, Schmidt announced decisions that he had enacted the controversial electoral law reform, using his "Bonn powers."

Schmidt claimed that he signed two decisions for the functionality and timely implementation of the election results in the document that he called the "functionality package" and added that the decisions were related to the government and coalition building processes.

While the US Embassy in the capital Sarajevo supported Schmidt's decision, it still remains unclear how politicians will react.