Bosnian Serbs to hold referendum on international representative

May 20, 2010, 23:19 GMT

   Sarajevo - The government of Bosnia's Serb entity - the Serb Republic - said Thursday it would call for a referendum on whether the international representative in Bosnia, Valentin Inzko, is abusing his authority.

   The Serb Republic, which has a long dispute with the representative in Bosnia, accuses him of overstepping his authority and breaching the Dayton agreement that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

   The international representative 'issued orders that clearly exceed his mandate,' the government said in a report sent to the United Nation's Security Council. The council will review the Bosnian situation on May 24.

   'The government will call for a referendum in order to obtain citizens' opinion on years-long practice of the high representative,' the government added.

It is not clear when such a referendum would take place. The poll on the international representative is seen as a trial balloon for a possible vote on secession.

   The Serb Republic also called for closure of the office of the high representative.    

After the war, Bosnia was divided into two largely autonomous regions - the Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina - with a weak central government that Western countries want to strengthen.    

After the war, the international representative in Bosnia was given broad authority in Bosnia, including the power to annul laws and dismiss politicians.