Britain supports Schmidt and his Bonn powers, Russia will not discuss him!

(Patria) - The representative of Great Britain to the UN Security Council, Barbara Woodward, stated in her address at today's session of this body that they are deeply concerned about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the past few months.

"I welcome the resolution extending the EUFOR mission. This is crucial for the High Representative Christian Schmidt to have assistance in carrying out his duties in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although Mr. Schmidt is not here with us today, we want to thank him for his work. We look forward to his return at the next sessions," said the representative of Great Britain.

The representative of France to the UN Security Council, Nicolas de Riviere, stated that since the conflicts of the 1990s, BiH has progressed towards peace and stabilization with the support of the European Union, and although political tensions are present today, France emphasizes the European perspective of BiH.

"Peace and stability on the European continent are very important. The EU has played a significant role through the actions of EUFOR Althea for the benefit of the entire country," he added, and called on political leaders to overcome divisions and work in the interest of all peoples.

He also called for electoral reforms based on principles that will ensure non-discrimination for all citizens in accordance with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.

He says that the High Representative of the international community in BiH, Christian Schmidt, plays a very important role in preserving peace, and believes that all political partners can benefit from a High Representative who can stabilize the country.

The representative of Russia to the UN Security Council, in his address to this council tonight, emphasized:

"The last High Representative, Inzko (Valentin Inzko, editor's note), decided to exercise his autocratic right to enact the Law on the Denial of Genocide, even though not all peoples in BiH agreed. The vote for the new High Representative Christian Schmidt was outside the law. Our position is that BiH currently has no High Representative. Since we do not recognize the High Representative, we will not discuss him. As far as we are concerned, he is biased and his goal was to disrupt peace in BiH," emphasized the representative of Russia.

He stressed that the Office of the High Representative is becoming an increasing problem for BiH and that continuous pressure is being exerted on Republika Srpska.

"We believe that all responsibility for what is happening and what will happen in BiH should be borne by the elected representatives of the people," concluded the representative of Russia.

The representative of Ireland, Geraldine Byrne Nason, said she was pleased that the EUFOR mandate had been extended, thanked Schmidt and his report in which he provided a detailed picture of the situation in BiH, and encouraged all parties to respect and cooperate with the High Representative and the Office of the High Representative (OHR).

She recalled the 5+2 conditions for closing the OHR, which have not yet been adopted, but at the same time expressed concern about the negative rhetoric that deepens divisions and hinders reconciliation.
She called on all parties to refrain from unilateral actions, especially the glorification of war criminals in BiH, adding that there is no place for that, nor for inciting genocide.

"BiH, like other countries, has numerous problems due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the blockade of state institutions exacerbates this situation," she concluded.