EU urges Bosnian leaders to agree on key reforms

(SARAJEVO) - European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn urged Bosnian leaders on Monday to reach an agreement on key reforms on the eve of a meeting with EU and US officials.

"This is absolutely essential and crucial to achieve concrete results ... on Tuesday and Wednesday," Rehn told reporters after meeting with Bosnian Prime Minister Nikola Spiric.

Rehn expressed hope that "we can achieve a political agreement which will facilitate Bosnia-Hercegovina to move forward toward a credible application for EU membership".

Bosnia's Croat, Muslim and Serb leaders are to meet with EU and US representatives on Tuesday in Sarajevo in a second round of talks on reforming the country's constitution and unblocking a long-lasting political stalemate.

They first met in Sarajevo on October 9, but the meeting ended without a deal.

Since the 1992-1995 war Bosnia consists of two semi-independent entities -- the Serbs' Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. The two are linked by weak central institutions while each has its own government.

The blurred division of authority between the two entities and the state often leads to paralysis and the West has for long been insisting on strengthening the central institutions at the expense of the ethnic regions.

However, Bosnian Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said he rejected EU and US measures proposed with the aim of unblocking the political deadlock and has accused the international community of favouring the Muslim community.

"The only solution for Bosnia-Hercegovina is that local political actors talk about an acceptable model for the country and not that behind proposals that we are getting there is always a protection of Bosniaks' (Muslims) national interests," he said.

However, Dodik told Bosnian Serb television he would take part in Tuesday's talks.

Bosnian Serbs have repeatedly rejected any attempt to boost joint institutions at the expense of their autonomy.