Recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are positive and offer hope that the country will make progress after six very difficult years, High Representative Valentin Inzko told senior US officials in Washington today. At the same time, Inzko stressed that the job “is not yet done” and would require continued engagement of the international community to ensure that the Dayton peace Agreement continues to be respected and the institutions continue to function.
The talks with US officials were an opportunity for an exchange of views on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of the forthcoming meeting of the Peace Implementation Council on 22-23 May in Sarajevo and ahead of the High Representative’s six-monthly address to the United Nations Security Council.
Meeting with William J. Burns, the Deputy Secretary of State, and Samantha Power, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council, Inzko said that it was essential that the US remained strongly engaged in BiH. “While the country has made progress since the formation of the new Council of Ministers in February, significant challenges still remain.”
Speaking of Mostar, Inzko reiterated the need for political parties to implement the ruling of the BiH Constitutional Court and enact limited changes to the electoral system in the city, so that municipal elections can take place as in the rest of the country.
Following his meetings in the US capital, the High Representative will travel to New York, where he is due to address the UN Security Council on Tuesday to present his semi-annual report on the implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina.