Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried met yesterday with leaders in field of politics, defense, and civil society, as well as with the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Christian Schmidt, and after the meeting, she shared with the public her view of the situation in the country, Klix.ba writes.
Donfried stressed that this was her first visit to the Western Balkans, and said that during yesterday’s meetings she gained an idea of the severity of the problems in BiH.
”I see why many consider this to be the most difficult period since the end of the war. I reiterated the United States (U.S.) support for BiH, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and multiethnicity. The U.S. wants BiH to be a functional, efficient, and accountable state with the honorable and honest participation of leaders of all parties,” said the assistant.
She explained that Washington wants the entities within BiH to be functional.
”This means that BiH must refocus on restoring the functioning of state institutions and on the reforms needed for the country to progress on its Euro-Atlantic path,” Donfried points out.
During the visit, Donfried said she sent a clear message yesterday that boycotts, blockades, and attempts to undermine the state are destabilizing and dangerous and should be stopped.
”The U.S. is not trying to abolish the Republika Srpska (RS), but the U.S will not stand by while the current leadership of the RS seeks to break up the state. Leaders at all levels of government have a responsibility to exercise power inclusively with respect for all BiH citizens, and to work together to support reforms and investments that will benefit everyone,” she added.
She emphasizes that the U.S. will continue to hold all leaders accountable for corruption or destabilizing action.
”I also talked to BiH officials about Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. The U.S. appreciates the fact that the countries of the Western Balkans, including BiH, have joined democracies around the world in condemning the brutal Russian war against Ukraine,” said Donfried.
Finally, she stressed that she wanted to emphasize once again that BiH citizens have a basic democratic and constitutional right to participate in fair elections.
”We hoped that an agreement on electoral reform would be reached, which would improve the quality of elections for all citizens, and take into account issues that are important for the constituent peoples of BiH. Unfortunately, HDZ BiH and SDA did not have the courage to compromise, which is in itself a central element of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and did not reach a quality agreement,” she emphasized.
In conclusion, the American official emphasized that the leaders must focus on the October elections.
”There is no legal, technical or political reason for postponing them. The U.S. wants to help BiH. However, we cannot do the job of elected political leaders whose responsibility is to renounce nationalism and corruption and to work responsibly for the exercise of power, compromise, and reconciliation,”concluded Karen Donfried at the end of her address.
E.Dz.
