Roundup: UN envoy urges Bosnia to seize opportunity, working for peace

Bosnia and Herzegovina must seize the opportunity to "finally say farewell to the politics of the past" and decisively commit to a new way of doing politics that puts the interests of citizens firmly in the first place, said a UN envoy here Tuesday.

It is of special significance this year as the Balkan country is expected to mark the 20th anniversary of the end of the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the Second World War, said the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Valentin Inzko, while briefing the UN Security Council on the current situation in the country at a regular meeting of the 15-nation council,

"Bosnia and Herzegovina has been given a fresh chance and it must be taken," said Inzko, who also stressed that the European Union's initiative offers the country a chance to end years of stagnation.

In July, Bosnia and Herzegovina will mark the 20th year anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and in November, the Dayton/ Paris peace Accords that ushered in peace to the region. The Bosnian conflict in the 1990s left 100,000 people killed.

"Peace is of course a priceless commodity. It should never be taken for granted. But it is the base, not the end state," said Inzko who, an Austrian diplomat of Carinthian Slovene origin, assumed his office in March 2009.

It is "entirely right" that after 20 years, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina -- especially the young -- expect "so much more" from their country and their politicians, he said. According to him, Bosnia has the highest young unemployment rate in Europe, and many of the young people are leaving the country.

Inzko urged the newly elected authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to come together to deliver steps by taking advantage of European Union (EU) initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and to inject the country with a sense of renewed optimism about the future.

According to him, the government is showing signs that they are ready to implement the written agreement, adopted in March, which has opened the way for the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union to enter into force.

However, he said that progress will require concrete results, some of which will be very difficult to deliver. This includes creating new jobs, improving functionality of institutions and the rule of law when it comes to fighting crime and corruption.

"I believe that a great deal can be achieved in 2015 if there is renewed commitment within the country and among its political leaders to pull together and work together, to work as one," he said.

There are politicians, however, who may be tempted to follow the "negative and dangerous path," he said, pointing to recent developments that have directly challenged the Peace Agreement.

Of particular concern is the Declaration adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska that challenges the authority of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also of concern is another party document that threatens to hold an independence referendum in Republika Srpska, one of the entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2018.

"As I have made clear repeatedly, the Peace Agreement does not grant the Entities the right to secede, and any attempt to change the Peace Agreement requires the agreement of all parties," he said. "The drawing of borders in Bosnia and Herzegovina is behind us. Division and secession are failed strategies that were defeated twenty years ago. Their place is in history books."

He insisted the expanding force of forward-looking people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is getting ever stronger by the day.

Inzko also said the international community is "duty bound to recognize the importance of this moment," and called on it to help the forces of positive change in Bosnia and Herzegovina reach their "surge capacity."

European Union foreign ministers and Bosnia signed an economic and trade pact on March 16 that has been on hold since 2008, paving the way for Bosnia's accession to the union if it implements key political and economic reforms.

Bosnia, which has not yet formally applied for European Union membership, has been identified by the 28-member bloc since 2003 as a potential candidate.

In late January, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina signed a statement, putting the European Union membership as a strategic goal for the country. Endite