Bosnia must step up co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) the EU warned on Thursday.
Speaking after a meeting with Bosnian Prime Minister Adnan Terzic, enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said ICTY co-operation is a “critical condition” for concluding EU negotiations.
“Bosnia has entered a dangerous zone and we discussed this today. Bosnia Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska in particular must achieve full co-operation with the ICTY,” Rehn told a press conference.
“We expect Bosnia and all state administrations to work towards achieving full co-operation.”
Sarajevo began talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) late last year and EU integration remains one of the country’s chief political objectives.
Countries participating in SAA talks are only invited to join the EU fold once they have fulfilled strict criteria.
And Bosnia is under increasing pressure to step up ICTY co-operation by locating and arresting war crimes fugitive Radovan Karadzic.
On Wednesday UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte visited the Bosian Serb enclave of Banja Luka to repeat calls for the arrest of Karadzic.
The Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik told Del Ponte, “the political will exists [to capture Karadzic.] Whether that is [technically] possible is another question.”
Karadzic is suspected of hiding in different places including both the Republics Srpska and Serbia and Montenegro.
But speaking in Brussels on Thursday Terzic insisted neither Karadzic nor wanted Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic were on Bosnian soil.
“Neither Mladic nor Karadzic are present in Bosnia Herzegovina, but their support networks are,” he declared.
“It is the responsibility of Bosnia Herzegovina to unblock these support networks and we will work to do this. We are committed to bringing results so that Del Ponte can conclude that we are co-operating fully with her investigation.”
Rehn also used Thursday’s meeting to encourage Bosnia to step up reform of the police services and broadcasting laws.
“Bosnia Herzegovina will finalise police and public broadcasting reforms,” Terzic assured the commissioner.
Last week Europe’s foreign ministers welcomed new constitutional changes in Bosnia – another key factor in SAA negotiations.
“[This is] a significant step forward towards, making Bosnia-Herzegovina's state institutions more functional and better able to meet European standards,” the commission said in a statement.
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