Balkans
UN Security Council renews EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 12 months, the UK says unanimously
The Security Council extended the EU-led force in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year on 30 October; the UK, which says the vote was unanimous, also urged respect for Dayton and backed the High Representative.
The UN Security Council on Friday 30 October renewed the authorisation of the European Union-led stabilisation force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR Althea, for another 12 months. The United Kingdom, in its statement to the Council, said the renewal was unanimous.
According to the UN press office, the vote came during the Council’s semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UN preview said that Denis Bećirović, the Bosniak member and current chair of the country’s tripartite Presidency, was expected to take part together with representatives of Croatia and Serbia, who can speak without a vote under the Council’s rules. The European Union was also invited to brief the Council.
What London told the Council
The UK statement opened with condolences over what it called the “tragic crash of an EUFOR helicopter near Brčko”, paying tribute to those who died and were injured. Geopolitiki has not found an official EU or EUFOR account of the incident, so the circumstances and casualties are not described here.
On the mandate, the UK said EUFOR’s “continued presence plays a vital role in ensuring peace and security” in the country. It welcomed the peaceful conduct of the 4 October elections and the first nationwide use of election technology, which it said strengthened integrity and transparency.
It also pointed to the latest report of the international High Representative, which it said shows “significant challenges” remain: continued obstruction of state institutions, failure to implement decisions of the Constitutional Court, and no progress on state property. London said elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia offer a chance to reset regional relations and recommit to the Dayton principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Office of the High Representative and the Dayton framework
The UK defended the Office of the High Representative as playing “a vital and legitimate role” and said it backs the acting High Representative, appointed by the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board and empowered to use executive powers where necessary under Chapter VII resolutions. It said the conditions for completing the so-called 5+2 agenda have not yet been met, and that choosing the next High Representative is a matter for the Steering Board, adding that it hopes agreement on a successor comes soon.
London also condemned the glorification of convicted war criminals. It noted that Ratko Mladić was convicted by an independent UN tribunal of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and said the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia must be respected. Describing the Dayton Peace Agreement as “one state, two entities, three constituent peoples, and ‘others’”, it said unilateral calls for secession or a third entity are contrary to Dayton and risk peace and stability, and it voiced support for the country’s Euro-Atlantic ambitions.
The statements of other Council members and of the Bosnian representatives had not been published on the UN press site at the time of writing. The positions above are those of the United Kingdom alone.