The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) at yesterday’s session in Sarajevo did not reach a decision for the High Representative to BiH Valentin Inzko to use the bonn powers in resolving the issue of the FBiH Constitutional Court and the functioning of the Council for protecting the vital interest of this court.
The meeting of ambassadors and of member countries of the Board of PIC, which was closed to the public, was held in order to discuss the crisis in the FBiH and came after the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament on Thursday did not confirm the name of the third judge in the FBiH Constitutional Court.
Inzko said that he would convene a meeting of the President and two Vice-Presidents of the FBiH with the Chair of the House of Peoples of the FBiH in order to obtain information from them regarding how they plan to solve the issue of the inefficieny of key institutions in BiH.
“The international community does not support that the High Representative use his powers. This is a problem that BiH politicians have to resolve. There remains a need to solve the issue of the judge. It is necessary to have new names and new candidates to ensure that the Council for protection of vital interests be filled. The High Representative offered to use his office for leaders to gather. This could be a positive step’’, said Patrick Moon, the Ambassador of the US to BiH.
The House of Peoples confirmed that appointment only of Mladen Srdić. It did not give support to Dragica Dragičević, and for Šahbaz Džihanović, delegates from SDA launched the question of vital national interest. Without the election of a judge, the Council for protection of vital interest cannot begin its work and which, among other things, is waiting for the decision on the shift of the FBiH. Mistrust of the government was voted by the parliamentary majority made up of SDP, SBB, HDZ BIH and HDZ 1990, and wishing that ministers from these parties were in the executive branch instead of ministers from SDA, HSP and NSZzB.
Nigel Casey, the Ambassador of Great Britain to BiH, said that at the meeting it was noted with regret that the Constitutional Court still has not been completed with the naming of a judge.
“There is unanimity that this crisis has to be solved by local actors and institutions’’, said Casey. He said that now it is up to the President and Vice-President of the FBiH to immediately work to find new candidates.
“We will continue to insist that local actors have to take responsibility’’, added Casey.
OHR announced that the government has to stop expecting that the international community does their job and that instead, it has to finally appoint a judge.
In a statement, OHR said that all members of the meeting expressed concern over the inefficiency in the work of key institutions in the FBiH.
“It is clear that there is no group of parties in the FBiH is without blame for the current situation’’, announced the OHR, and mentioned that until the resolution for the deadlock in the FBiH government and the FBiH Parliament has to respect its roles, and the parties work together to ensure the functionality of this institution.
