At the UN Security Council’s meeting yesterday regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce said the next High Representative in BiH will have “a far more limited set of responsibilities.”
“The OHR was never intended to be permanent. . . . The next High Representative’s task will be to transfer responsibility for running and maintaining [BiH] institutions to local leaders,” Bruce said.
She continued, “One day, there will no longer be a need for such a role. To complete that task, the next HR must enjoy the trust of all communities in Bosnia. Most importantly, that person must be committed to a sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Bruce added, “A sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina is one in which decisions are made by local leaders driving pragmatic locally owned solutions facilitated by international voices rather than dictated by them.”
Christian Schmidt, the German who currently claims the title of High Representative, announced Monday that he will step down as soon as a successor is named.
Successive High Representatives have imposed laws on BiH by personal decree despite having no legal authority to do so and the BiH Constitution’s provision requiring that all laws be approved by the legislature.
Bruce’s full statement is here.
