EU calls for ending divisive rhetoric in Bosnia-Herzegovina

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – Divisive rhetoric in Bosnia and Herzegovina should come to an end, an EU official said on Wednesday, expressing hope that the UN will extend the mandate of an EU military mission in the country.

“The situation in Bosnia Herzegovina is a source of serious concern for the European Union, and it has also been the focus of a great deal of diplomatic activity,” Peter Stano, the European Commission’s foreign affairs spokesperson, told reporters in Brussels.

The country fell into political turmoil in July when Serb officials started boycotting federal institutions after outgoing High Representative Valentin Inzko introduced a new law banning the denial of genocide and criminalizing the glorification of war criminals.

The crisis escalated last month when Milorad Dodik, leader of the Serb-run Republika Srpska, announced a pullout from the main federal institutions in order to achieve sovereignty.

A joint EU-US high-level mission visited the country last week to find solutions to the current political crisis, Stano explained.

“The European Union’s message is clear… the divisive rhetoric should stop, and unilateral actions jeopardizing the territorial integrity of Bosnia Herzegovina should also stop,” he said.

He also added that the bloc is closely following the UN Security Council talks on Bosnia and Herzegovina this week, and expressed hope that the mandate of the EU-led military mission Operation Althea would be extended.

In 1995, the Dayton Agreement ending the Yugoslav Wars created a complicated double-federative system of two main entities, the Republika Srpska and the Croat-Bosniak-populated Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

​​​​​​​The treaty also set up the institution of the Office of the High Representative, giving extensive powers to the international community’s peace envoy in order to ensure civilian implementation of the agreement. The EU's Operation Althea has been overseeing the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement since 2004.