EU threatens Bosnian nationalists with sanctions
Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:05 GMT
European Union flags are seen outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels ahead of an EU heads of state summit, October 27, 2010. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
BRUSSELS, March 21 (Reuters) - The European Union warned nationalist politicians in Bosnia on Monday they could face sanctions for paralysing reforms and damaging the Balkan state's progress towards EU integration.
Sanctions, such as asset freezes and visa bans, would be part of broader EU efforts to push for democratic change in Bosnia and help break a political stalemate threatening to undermine its fragile economy.
The former Yugoslav state is made up of the Serb Republic and a federation in which Bosnian Muslims and Croats share power, an uneasy arrangement created by the Dayton peace accord in 1995. The groups have failed to form a central government since an October election.
At a meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers urged Bosnia's political leaders to "engage responsibly and in a spirit of compromise" to overcome divisions and agree on a functioning government. In a statement, they said they backed a proposal by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to impose sanctions if necessary.
"Asset freezes and visa bans could be implemented when they are needed," said one EU diplomat after the meeting.
In the latest sign of deep ethnic unease, Croat nationalists refused to join a multi-ethnic coalition last week, making it unlikely Bosnia will have a functioning central government without fresh elections [ID:nLDE72F2GX].
As with the rest of countries in the Balkans, Bosnia hopes to join the EU, but it is unlikely to make substantial progress towards accession while it is being overseen by an international envoy and EU-led peacekeepers and without significant reforms.
The EU uses restrictive measures such as travel restrictions and asset freezes to exert pressure on officials around the world.
In separate discussions on Monday, foreign ministers slapped financial sanctions on former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and several of his close associates as well as extended lists of Libyan and Belarussian officials affected by asset freezes and visa bans.
For details of Bosnian efforts to form a governments, please click on [ID:nLDE72F1T6]. (Reporting by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Patrick Graham)
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