The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, chaired a meeting of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board Political Directors in Brussels yesterday. It was the High Representative’s first such meeting.
The High Representative’s future strategy for Bosnia Herzegovina was discussed. At the heart of this strategy lies the new concept of “ownership.” Mr Petritsch emphasized that we have reached a watershed in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, and that it is now time for the authorities in this country to acknowledge that they are primarily responsible for this country’s problems, not the International Community.
The Foreign Ministers of the full PIC Steering Board will be asked to endorse the High Representative’s strategy when it meets in New York on Wednesday next week.