"Bosnia in worst crisis since war"

Source: Tanjug

NEW YORK -- High representative Valentin Inzko has said in Washington that Bosnia is undergoing the worst crisis since the end of the war in 1995.

Valentin Inzko (file)

The referendum on the Bosnia Court and Prosecutor's Office called by the Serb entity in the post-war Bosnia, the Serb Republic (RS), was "a part" of that crisis, according to the Austrian diplomat.

"It has been 7 months since the elections and the country still has no government, while the RS has called a unilateral referendum against the decisions of the courts and the high representative," Inzko said during a lecture at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

According to him, the RS referendum must not be allowed to happen and destroy the achievements of the last 15 years. He warned that he would make his decision on the issue at the right moment.

Inzko stressed that he was not against the referendum as a notion, but that it had to fit a certain legal framework, meaning that the issues important for the whole country could not be decided in just one part of it.

This is the greatest challenge to the Dayton peace agreement since its signing and it is time the international community dealt with the situation, Inzko underlined.

The international community is united more than ever right now, he noted, adding that he had received support from all members of the UN Security Council when it comes to the referendum.