GOGANOVIĆ: WESTERN DISAGREEMENT OVER A NEW HIGH REPRESENTATIVE SHOWS THE OHR IS POLITICALLY SPENT

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, JUNE 30 /SRNA/ - The fact that the United States and its European allies cannot agree on a new High Representative is a clear indication that the concept of the OHR has become politically exhausted and that the era of the protectorate has passed, Deputy Minister of Defense in the Council of Ministers Aleksandar Goganović told SRNA.

"The departure of Christian Schmidt is the most important news for BiH. It is less important who will be proposed as his successor; what matters much more is that it has become obvious that there is no longer an international consensus on the institution of the High Representative," Goganović stressed.

He said that Schmidt's departure should be the first step toward the final closure of the OHR.

"BiH cannot build a democratic and European future while an unelected foreigner is making decisions on its behalf. The future of this country can be built only by the two entities and the three constituent peoples through dialogue, compromise, and consistent respect for the Dayton Peace Agreement," Goganović said.

He recalled that Republika Srpska had for years warned that the institution of the High Representative had lost all democratic and political legitimacy.

"I believe the time has come for the international community to finally accept this and allow the domestic institutions to assume full responsibility for processes in BiH without foreign tutelage," Goganović said.

The ambassadors of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council /PIC/ today formally appointed Louis Crishock as Acting High Representative for BiH pending the appointment of a new High Representative, according to a statement published on the OHR website.

Crishock will assume this duty tomorrow, and the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council has committed to reaching agreement on the selection of a new High Representative as soon as possible, intending to complete the appointment by no later than July 14.

The United States is insisting that Italian Antonio Zanardi Landi be appointed as the new High Representative, while EU countries led by France and Germany are pushing for Frenchman René Troccaz to take the position.