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Bosnia: 'Integrate or face isolation' warns international envoy
(AKI) The top international official in Bosnia, Miroslav Lajcak, warned local leaders on Thursday they must choose between isolation or European integration and would have to accept the consequences of their political choices. Im here today to tell you that you have to make a collective decision whether you want integration or isolation, Lajcak told a joint session of both chambers of Bosnian parliament, attended by leaders of main political parties. The Slovak diplomat said political atmosphere in Bosnia was poisoned by negative rhetoric, mutual accusations and absence of a desire to find solutions for its burning problems." Lajcak's warning followed more than a year of futile efforts by the international community to force local Muslim, Serb and Croat leaders to reach an agreement on police and constitutional reforms. These are the main preconditions for Bosnia being allowed to begin pre-entry talks with the European Union. He noted that no progress had been made in the past year in implementing reforms to aid Bosnia's integration in Europe and appealed to local politicians to return to normal, constructive policy which would be useful to everyone. Lajcaks appeal came after local Muslims and Serbs, the countrys two biggest ethnic groups, last week rejected his proposal for police reforms, which would reduce power of entities police and strengthen the security forces on country level. Posted by: Fred 2007-09-07 |
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