Bosnia peace process goes uncertain as US-Europe in disagreement

US and European officials failed to agree by Thursday on a top international envoy to keep the peace in Bosnia after two days of meetings, outgoing high representative Christian Schmidt confirmed.

Established as part of the 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia’s inter-ethnic war, the high representative oversees the civilian implementation of the accords and enjoys sweeping powers in the Balkan nation.

European countries, Russia and the United States have disagreed recently over the power held by the high representative, who is appointed by the steering board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) tasked with overseeing the Dayton agreement.

German diplomat Schmidt, whose resignation from the post in May was unexpected, said that the consultations will continue and expressed hope for the selection of a consensus candidate in the coming days.

The United States, meanwhile, voiced frustration that its preferred candidate, Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi, failed to garner consensus and threatened to walk away from the peacekeeping body.

A State Department spokesperson pointed to ‘European indecisiveness’ as being behind the failed talks and said, “the United States would reconsider our role in the current international presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Since the 1992-1995 war, Bosnia has remained split between its Serb and Bosniak-Croat entities, linked by weak central institutions.

During his time in post, Schmidt used the high representative’s powers, including the ability to impose laws or dismiss elected officials, which drew him into conflict with Bosnian Serb leader and Moscow ally Milorad Dodik.

At the time of his resignation, Schmidt cited ‘huge and unexpected’ pressure from Washington as one of the reasons for his stepping down.

The United States supports maintaining the post but wants the next high representative to transfer authority to Bosnian institutions.

In May, Russia called for the immediate closure of the high representative’s office during a UN Security Council meeting on events in the Balkan nation.

Within Bosnia, Serb and Croat leaders have called for abolishing the post or at least reducing its powers.

But Bosniak officials argue that the high representative should preserve his discretionary authority.

On a visit to Sarajevo on Monday, European Council President Antonio Costa said, “the next high representative should follow Bosnia and Herzegovina’s choice to pursue European Union accession.”

In addition to Zanardi Landi, Rome’s former ambassador to Moscow and Belgrade, French diplomat Rene Troccaz has been put forward as a potential replacement for Schmidt.

Troccaz, who serves as France’s special envoy to the Western Balkans, enjoys support from the United Kingdom and Germany.