UN Bosnia report slammed by Moscow

Moscow’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin has questioned the objectivity of a report presented to the UN Security Council by the international representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Valentin Inzko.

In his address to the Council on Tuesday, Churkin accused Inzko of “highlighting negative aspects” of the situation in the Balkan country and “ignoring” any positive changes. Apparently, it has been done “deliberately” in order to “justify the necessity of his future existence.” Speaking at the session, Inzko stated that the need for his office to remain in the country “will continue until such time as Bosnian and Herzegovina is self-sustainable and firmly and irreversibly on the path towards EU and NATO integration,” the UN official website reported. Meanwhile, Moscow insists that at the current stage of the Bosnian settlement the international community should let the Balkan nation decide its own fate.“Practically, it means the abolition of the office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Churkin said, as cited by RIA Novosti. The Russian ambassador believes that both the Bosnians and Herzegovinians have demonstrated their ability to come to agreements and find compromises without any external interference.The 1992-95 Bosnian war ended with the conflicting sides signing The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement. It laid the groundwork for the creation of the federal Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is home to three large ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. The country is composed of two political entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republika Srpska. While both entities have their own state bodies, the country is in fact powered by the Office of the High Representative, which is responsible for overseeing implementation of civilian aspects of the Dayton Accord.