Former top envoy warns Bosnia heading for break-up: report

(SARAJEVO) - Bosnia is heading for a break-up due to chronic failures of its joint institutions, former top international envoy to the country Paddy Ashdown warned Sunday urging EU to take a stronger stance.

"I do believe that the danger is that Bosnia becomes a black hole of dysfunctionality," British politician Ashdown told the Sarajevo-based Dnevni Avaz daily.

"The dynamics in Bosnia-Hercegovina are moving towards dissolution, towards break-up, not unity," he warned.

Since the end of its 1992-95 war, Bosnia remains split into two semi-independent entities -- the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Serbs' Republika Srpska. The two share weak central institutions, while each has its own government.

Ashdown, who was the international community's high representative to Bosnia between 2002 and 2006, criticised the European Union for allowing Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to block moves to strengthen joint institutions.

"Europe should be much more determined and not allow the destruction of (the state) that was created," he said.

Since the end of the war the international community has been trying to boost Bosnia's central government, managing notably to unite the country's armed forces, customs services and tax system.

But the process was slowed down since a failure in 2006 to adopt a package of reforms aimed at making the central institutions more efficient.

Serbs oppose stronger central institutions, while Muslims, who are a majority in the former Yugoslav republic, are in favour.

According to the peace deal that ended Bosnia's war, the high representative has the power to impose laws and sack elected officials.

During his tenure Ashdown did not shy away from using these powers, sacking dozens of officials who opposed reforms.

But his successors have abandoned his forceful approach, believing that it harmed Bosnia's democratic development.