On Wednesday, the Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, answered questions from the United States (U.S.) senators and submitted a report on the situation in the region, and in particular on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Interestingly, Escobar has largely minimized ethnonationalism and separatist policies.
Escobar pointed out corruption as a key problem, saying it was a key cause of young people leaving the country and a major obstacle to Euro-Atlantic integration.
“Dodik is a difficult actor, but he is not the only one. The region is a success story. There have been no conflicts in BiH in the past three decades and it will stay like that,” are some of the key sentences that Escobar embellished in his presentation.
He spoke very little about the election law, emphasizing that Croats and Bosniaks need to have good relations in order for the state to be efficient.
As an appointed official for the Western Balkans on behalf of the U.S., Escobar is responsible for the processes, but in his speech, he minimized key problems in the country, such as a complete stalemate in the electoral reform process and strained relations, but also anti-state moves from Republika Srpska (RS).
It is interesting that Escobar did not find it necessary to emphasize to the senators that, in addition to the conclusions, RS is actively adopting laws that undermine the state and derogate from the previous reforms.
The key problem in the country for this U.S. envoy is corruption. It is a huge problem and a big weight around the neck of the state, however, it is one of the segments of the whole package of problems that hinder the progress of the state.
Escobar did not connect Dodik’s separatist policy at all with the ruling structure in Serbia, from where he received various types of support. He even praised Serbia’s progress in cooperation with the U.S. and NATO, emphasizing that Serbia did not even recognize Crimea as Russian territory. However, Escobar did not give the full picture and did not emphasize that Serbia did not do it solely because of the Kosovo issue.
Senator Ben Cardin took a critical approach, openly saying that Escobar was improving the situation in his presentation and that Dayton should be a temporary solution, and that now the situation is getting worse, asking for an answer about the U.S. plan.
Escobar responded that the U.S. in BiH is working on limited constitutional reforms and that the ultimate goal is the European Union (EU) membership.
It is also interesting to mention that Escobar assessed the role of the High Representative as a mediator, rejecting the use of the Bonn powers with the message that this is the last option and that it should not be planned, and that it is a nuclear option. Thus, Escobar does not view the Office of the High Representative (OHR) as an instance to make decisions.
He concluded that he did not see the destabilization of the situation as dramatic as some commentators saw it. Senator Cardin corrected him, saying that the situation was getting worse and that Escobar was beautifying the situation in BiH.
E.Dz .
Source: Klix.ba
