After the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) failed to reach a consensus on the election of a new high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina at today’s session, the Embassy of the United States of America in Bosnia and Herzegovina told the Radiosarajevo.ba portal that Washington still unreservedly supports the Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi and that it is not considering any other candidate.
As a reminder, on July 14, the members of the PIC failed to reach an agreement on the election of a new high representative, which is why the acting high representative Louis J. Crishock will continue to perform this function until a consensus is reached.
When asked by the Radiosarajevo.ba portal about the reasons why an agreement was not reached, as well as about the possibility of considering new candidates, the US Embassy did not comment on the course of today’s talks, but they clearly emphasized that the American position remains unchanged.
“The United States of America continues to support the highly qualified Italian candidate, Ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi, for the next high representative in BiH. The United States of America is not considering any other candidate for that position,” the US Embassy stated in a response to the Radiosarajevo.ba portal.
The American Embassy recalled that Louis Crishock was appointed acting High Representative after the European members of the PIC failed to reach a consensus at the beginning of June.
“Louis Crishock is currently the Acting High Representative, and he was chosen by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) after European members failed to reach a consensus at the meeting held on June 3 and 4. He will step down as Acting High Representative after the PIC selects a new High Representative,” the US Embassy said in a response.
Speaking about his mandate, the US Embassy emphasizes that Washington has full confidence in the current acting high representative.
“The United States of America believes that Acting High Representative Louis Crishock has all the necessary powers to preserve stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and implement the Dayton Peace Agreement,” they told the Radiosarajevo.ba portal.
The American Embassy did not answer the questions about why a consensus was not reached among the PIC members at today’s session, when the talks could be continued, or whether the lack of agreement was due to disagreements about specific candidates or broader differences about the future role of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to earlier information, Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi and French diplomat René Troccaz were among the candidates discussed, but the members of the PIC failed to reach a common position on their appointment. Until the election of a new High Representative, Louis J. Crishock will continue to hold the position as acting officer.
