Russia has asked the United Nations Security Council to hold a vote on a draft resolution calling for the abolition of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina by July 31 next year, the Russian Embassy in BiH confirmed to RTRS.
They could not specify when the resolution should be considered at the Security Council session, because, they say, it is a technical issue. They reiterated that Russia’s position on the appointment of the High Representative was explicitly stated and that the Resolution presented by Russia and China to the UN General Assembly would once again emphasize that position.
Russia and China have proposed resolutions to the United Nations Security Council that would immediately revoke the powers of the high representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes the Washington Post.
A brief draft resolution, received by the Associated Press on Wednesday, states that the powers given to the High Representative at the 1997 Dayton Peace Conference Implementation Conference are no longer needed given the progress made by BiH’s political parties.
The resolution supports the appointment of High Representative Christian Schmidt until July 31, 2022, when it envisages the closure of the Office of the High Representative, it is further stated.
The ambassadors of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, the international body that led the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, officially appointed Schmidt as the next High Representative on May 27, the American newspaper reminds.
He is due to take office on August 1 after the departure of Austrian Valentin Inzko, who was in office for 12 years.
The WP recalls that Russia did not agree with the appointment of Schmidt and has long called for the abolition of the High Representative, but also raises the question of whether the UN Security Council, which was not included in the Dayton Accords, will have the power to close the High Representative’s office.
They say Russia and China will almost certainly face opposition from the US and European members, Klix.ba writes.
