SARAJEVO,Bosnia - Bosnia needs an institutionalised and transparent constitutional-reform process, the international community's High Representative and EU Special Representative in Bosnia, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, wrote in his weekly newspaper column.
In his article, which appeared in Dnevni avaz and Nezavisne novine,Schwarz-Schilling wrote that following talks with party leaders he hoped it would be possible to set in motion “a process that culminates in a settlement”.
“I am pleased to say that most party leaders have been constructive in these talks and have shown a willingness to move beyond unilateral declarations and media sound bites to engage in practical dialogue within the framework of an institutionalised constitutional-reform process,” the High Representative wrote.
“Bosnia has a particularly complex constitutional arrangement.The current set-up was agreed at Dayton, during peace negotiations after nearly four years of war and is an integral part of the peace accord.”,he said
The international community's High Representative and EU Special Representative in Bosnia pointed out that the peace accord has enabled Bosnia to move forward and to establish peace and security, but warned that it also created a complicated and inefficient structure that will increasingly hamper this country’s future development.
“Now that the peace implementation process and with it the institution of the High Representative are gradually coming to an end – and Euro-Atlantic integration is the key task – it is time to reform the constitution and develop a stable, self-sustaining and efficient state structure,” Schwarz-Schilling wrote.
“The so-called April package remains on the table and, if adopted in its current form or revised form, would represent an important step forward.It would not, however, be the end of the process but the beginning,” he said.
Schwarz-Schilling explained that other countries that have undergone successful constitutional reform have usually established constitutional-reform commissions or conventions to provide the institutional framework.
He suggested that such a process should be set within the country’s institutions – primarily the Bosnian Parliament – and led by Bosnia's politicians with input from across the Bosnian society supported by facilitation and assistance from the international community.
“The international community – in particular the European Union and the United States – stands ready to assist with facilitated guidance, but ultimately this reform must be taken forward and agreed by Bosnia’s political leaders.This will require constructive engagement and a willingness to make compromises,” Schwarz-Schilling wrote.
Schwarz-Schilling stated on Saturday night in Sarajevo that most of Bosnia's political leaders,the US Ambassador to Bosnia Douglas McElhaney and the Head of the European Commission Delegation in Bosnia Dimitris Kourkoulas expressed readiness at the meeting to work together with the OHR and accelerate Bosnian constitutional reforms. He added that the next meeting can be expected this week in Sarajevo.
A paper was offered to Bosnia's political leaders, obliging them to continue negotiations on constitutional reforms, but no documents were signed.Frame agreement for continuation of negotiations was not reached but talks will continue.
Haris Silajdzic (SBiH),Zlatko Lagumdžija (SDP BiH),Mladen Bosic (SDS), Bozo Ljubic (HDZ 1990), Mladen Ivanic (PDP) and Milorad Dodik (SNSD) attended the meetng.
Zlatko Lagumdzija (SDP BiH) left the meeting for, as he stated, a pointless draft of a political agreement offered by the High Representative, who wants to amnesty the people who did not accept the so-called April Package.SDA president Sulejman Tihic and HDZ president Dagan Covic did not attend the meeting.
