Merkel did not invite party leaders: Germany will not mediate constitutional changes!

Germany will not mediate between political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding constitutional changes, Gerald Knaus, leader of the influential organization European Stability Initiative (ESI), told the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

A few days ago, he participated in a closed meeting of experts and key figures from Germany and the European Union responsible for BiH, held in Berlin. According to him, this was preparation for a conference on the Balkans to be held in Germany on August 28, organized by Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor.

- Yes, we had a discussion lasting several hours, and it was solely about Bosnia and Herzegovina. After everything, I have a strong impression that Germany will not initiate or lead an initiative for constitutional changes. The risk of failure is too great, and everyone is aware that it would be difficult to reach an agreement that would bring about substantial changes. Therefore, either the initiative would fail, or something minor and negligible would be agreed upon - says Knaus.

Among others, the meeting behind closed doors included the Head of the EU Delegation, Peter Sorensen, High Representative Valentin Inzko, representatives of the European Commission, and advisors to Angela Merkel. Knaus says it was a very important meeting, which is why the main person in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for BiH and the Balkans interrupted her annual leave.

- I am convinced after these talks that Germany also believes that BiH should be viewed like other countries in the enlargement process. And I am sure that it will not mediate among political parties in BiH, as the EC recently attempted - adds Knaus.

In his opinion, this is the main reason why political leaders of BiH were not invited to the conference in Berlin on August 28, but only the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH and two ministers. The original plan to have the leaders of the main political parties there and to discuss BiH's progress has clearly been abandoned.

Thus, the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović will be able to attend the inauguration of the new Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, scheduled for the same day, without any problems.

- I don't know if the invitation to the leaders was withdrawn after our meeting, but there is such an impression, because I experienced our discussion about BiH as preparation for that conference - says Knaus.

According to diplomatic sources, consultations have been ongoing for a long time between Germany and the United States of America regarding a possible new initiative to resolve problems in BiH, and it was expected to culminate in the spring of 2015. However, it seems that not everything is going according to plan, and officials will likely wait for the election results and then decide on further steps, reports NAP.