The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the UN headquarters in New York on May 8, 2018. High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Valentin Inzko on Tuesday warned against the deepening political division in his country and asked the international community to prevent a further deterioration of the situation. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Valentin Inzko on Tuesday warned against the deepening political division in his country and asked the international community to prevent a further deterioration of the situation.
"There seems to be less and less trust and dialogue among politicians, who are more focused on nationalist issues and have little interest in finding practical solutions," Inzko told the UN Security Council.
Irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric challenging the fundamentals of the Dayton Agreement, which put an end to the 1992-95 Bosnian War, is not new. But there is a "worrisome escalation" of such statements in the last six months, he said.
Senior officials from the Bosnian Serb Republic have continued to deny the statehood of Bosnia-Herzegovina and advocate eventual secession. Public comments were also made glorifying convicted war criminals and calling for the return of a Republika Srpska army, he said.
Some Croat officials have mused about a territorial re-organization of the country and have threatened to dissolve the state if the current electoral issues are not resolved to their satisfaction, he added.
Since the end of the Bosnian War, the country has been divided into the Bosnian Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat Federation. Both have a wide autonomy but share one presidency, parliament and government.
"All public figures must choose their words carefully and responsibly," said Inzko. "Bosnia-Herzegovina is a single multi-ethnic sovereign state consisting of two entities, in which all citizens -- the three constituent peoples and others -- live and work together, and elected officials above all have a responsibility to contribute to peace and reconciliation."
The situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina requires continued attention and unity of effort by the international community, he said, warning that post-war achievements must not be taken for granted.
