EU Delays Decision On Changing Bosnia Troops` Role

Others say Brussels should move quickly with plans to replace the OHR with a enhanced EU High Representative.

The European Union agreed on Thursday to delay changing the role of its military force in Bosnia but expects its candidate for the country’s next high representative to be approved this month, officials said.

A meeting of EU defence ministers in Prague agreed that the security situation in Bosnia was stable and the peacekeepers’ military objectives had been met, but political reforms were not complete, Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova said.

“For the moment there has been no decision” on when to change the role of the Bosnia force to training and support, Parkanova, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told a news conference.

Bosnia is made up of two autonomous regions, the Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb Republic. The Muslims and Croats want a stronger state but the Serbs want to keep a high level of autonomy in their region.

Parkanova said ministers would discuss the future of the 2,200-strong EU force again in May but agreed that the change of role should “not take too long” and that EU states should not unilaterally withdraw troops.

Some EU states say there should be no decision to end the military operation in Bosnia until there is agreement to close the Office of the High Representative, established under the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war.

Others say Brussels should move quickly with plans to replace the OHR with a enhanced EU High Representative.

The roles have been shared and EU states agreed last month to propose Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko to replace Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak.

The proposal requires approval by Bosnia’s international Peace Implementation Council, and a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said this was expected at a PIC meeting at the end of the month.