EU to hit uncooperative Bosnian politicians with sanctions

Dec 14, 2010, 23:12 GMT

   Brussels - Bosnian politicians seen as disrupting the political process in the country could soon be facing European Union sanctions, diplomats from the bloc said on Tuesday.

   Bosnia is currently under the authority of an international special representative, who has the right, in extreme cases, to overrule and sanction national politicians.

   That system is expected to end because it is seen as incompatible with EU membership. EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton is expected to propose in January to replace it with targeted sanctions on uncooperative politicians, diplomat sources said.

But an EU affairs ministers meeting in Brussels watered down a reference to the move, simply welcoming to Ashton's intention to 'strengthen the EU's ability to effectively engage' in the country.

An earlier draft said she was planning 'a proposal to enable the Council (of EU states) to impose restrictive measures on people whose actions threaten the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement.'

Belgian foreign minister Steven Vanackere, whose country holds the EU presidency, defended the decision saying there was no need to anticipate Ashton.

'There is no need to mention what we expect, we will see what (she) will propose,' he told reporters.

The 1995 Dayton agreement put an end to more than three and a half years of bloody civil war, and fixed Bosnia's borders. But the leader of Bosnia's Serbs, Milorad Dodik, often challenges that set-up, threating to secede from the federal state.

   Because of arguments over its institutional set-up, and related power struggles between its Muslim, Serb and Croat politicians, Bosnia has been mired in political deadlock for years, turning it into a laggard on the EU path.

   Ministers reiterated calls for the country to 'urgently address' the stalemate.

   Turning to other EU hopefuls, Croatia was told that conclusion of its accession talks 'is within reach,' but also urged to step up the fight against corruption, guarantee the rights of minorities and refugees, and pursue war crimes suspects.

Vanackere said the EU presidency hoped to advance further on 22 December by closing EU-Croatia talks on three more 'chapters,' or technical dossiers, leaving only seven out of 35 still unresolved.

Montenegro also received positive news.

'We have given the green-light to Montenegro's candidate status,' said Vanackere, confirming that the formal decision will be taken by EU leaders meeting on Thursday and Friday.

Other Balkan nations were reminded of the EU's 'unequivocal commitment' to integrate them into the bloc, but only once entry conditions are met.

Serbia - seen as the Balkans' most influential country - was again urged to hand over war crimes fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic to the United Nations' Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague.

ICTY prosecutor Serge Brammertz, who had been invited to brief EU ministers, said Serbian authorities should step up search efforts and work harder to dispel the war hero image that Mladic still enjoys, despite accusations of having masterminded the Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity committed in Europe since World War II.

'We would very much like to see at the political level ... the clear message ... that there is an absolute need to have Mladic arrested, that there is nothing heroic about being allegedly responsible for killing civilians,' Brammertz said.

Ministers also urged Serbia and its former province Kosovo to 'quickly' start a dialogue on mutual cooperation issues, a process due to be brokered by the EU.

   Kosovo is the poorest country in the region, and its development is hampered by the fact that it has won limited international recognition since breaking free from Belgrade in 2008.

Within the EU, five of its 27 states refuse to recognize its independence. For this reason, every reference to it being integrated into EU programmes and being granted trade and visa concessions was made 'without prejudice to member states' positions on status.'