AfP calls for US reaction in BiH: Stop the escalation of political and ethnic tensions

(Patria) - The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), a leading global non-partisan global network with over 150 members working in 181 countries to end violent conflict and build sustainable peace, today sent an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, U.S. Representative to the UN Security Council Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

AfP states it is concerned about the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, in its open letter, calls for an urgent reaction from the United States to prevent the escalation of the current situation.

We are hereby publishing the open letter from AfP in its entirety:

- AfP is deeply concerned about the significantly deteriorated security conditions in BiH and the inadequate response of the international community, which is failing to resolve the current crisis and is weakening the Office of the High Representative in BiH. The U.S. and the international community must act now to prevent violence and conflict and build sustainable peace in BiH and the entire region through all available diplomatic and development tools.

Although BiH has avoided full-scale war since 1995, the country has never been closer to another ethnic crisis than it is today. Security and stability in BiH are threatened by Milorad Dodik's threats to re-establish a Serb army and withdraw from state-level institutions. Dodik is emboldened by the support of nationalist politicians from Croatia, as well as Russian diplomats who seek to diminish BiH's sovereignty and prevent the country's entry into NATO.

While the U.S. Representative to the UN expressed concern over Dodik's statement to completely withdraw Republika Srpska from state institutions, adding that such claims represent a "dangerous path" for BiH and the wider region, the U.S. State Department's response to this increasingly unstable situation is insufficient. The U.S. announcement of partial constitutional and electoral law amendments could serve to solidify ethnic divisions, and the announced aid for economic development will not mitigate the scale of the crisis.

Furthermore, media reports from the U.S., the United Kingdom, and BiH have revealed that the High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt, was unable to present his annual report to the UN Security Council. The act of silencing the High Representative in the UNSC represents a serious threat to the OHR, the international institution responsible for overseeing the implementation of the civilian aspects of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war in BiH. It is alleged that the U.S., the United Kingdom, and France negotiated an agreement with the Russian Federation to extend the mandate of NATO-backed European Union (EUFOR) forces in exchange for the removal of all references to the Office of the High Representative. The OHR report is now public and states, among other things:

- Since the writing of this report, Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the greatest existential threat in the post-war period. Persistent, serious challenges to the foundations of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) by the authorities of the Republika Srpska entity, led by the largest party in RS, SNSD, headed by BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik, threaten not only peace and stability in the country and the region, but, if the international community does not respond, could lead to the annulment of the Agreement itself, Schmidt's report states.

AfP calls on the U.S. State Department to use all available diplomatic means to de-escalate political and ethnic tensions in BiH and to strengthen support for the OHR instead of diminishing its role in civilian oversight of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The U.S. should also implement its newly announced enhanced sanctions to strengthen the targeted sanctions regime against Dodik from 2017, which was imposed due to his violation of the rule of law, defiance of the BiH Constitutional Court, and obstruction of the Dayton Agreement. The U.S. should work with its European counterparts to introduce additional sanctions to enhance their impact. Furthermore, the U.S. must urge NATO to undertake urgent contingency planning, as indicated by the Democratization Policy Council, to address the reconstitution of Bosnian Serb forces in BiH and further threats to the integrity of BiH and the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, per Annex 1A.

We call on the United States and the international community to act decisively and urgently. Without urgent, coordinated action to stop the nationalist tide in BiH, curb the efforts of Serb separatists to create a "Serbian world" movement, reject the increasingly corrosive influence of Russia, undertake tangible legal reform that protects the fundamental rights of the people of BiH, and strengthen the credibility and support for the OHR, the disintegration of the state, ethnic violence, and conflict are a credible and serious threat, the open letter from AfP states.

(Oslobođenje)