SARAJEVO, June 5 (BV) – The United States warned it could reconsider its role in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the international body overseeing the country’s peace process failed to agree on a successor to the outgoing High Representative.
The Peace Implementation Council (PIC), which oversees the implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended Bosnia’s war, was unable to reach a consensus on a replacement for German diplomat Christian Schmidt. Schmidt unexpectedly resigned last month, saying he had come under pressure from Washington.
“European indecisiveness and the PIC’s failure to fulfill its responsibility toward Bosnia and Herzegovina are forcing the United States to reconsider its role in the current international presence in the country,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.
Washington expressed disappointment that European countries failed to unite behind a common candidate, preventing the appointment of a new High Representative.
The United States supported veteran Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi, arguing that the next envoy should have a more limited mandate. According to unconfirmed reports, most European governments instead backed French diplomat René Troccaz.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for Bosnia, which remains deeply divided along ethnic lines more than three decades after the war.
Analysts say the disagreement highlights growing tensions between Washington and its European allies over the future direction of Bosnia and the wider Western Balkans.
“This can be seen as the United States asserting itself as an independent actor in the region, rather than continuing the unified transatlantic approach that has largely existed since Dayton,” a U.S.-based analyst told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
In recent months, the U.S. administration has signaled a shift in its Western Balkans policy, placing greater emphasis on economic interests, energy cooperation and “mutually beneficial partnerships,” potentially reducing its reliance on the traditional international oversight model in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The consultations on Schmidt’s successor are expected to continue in the coming days, leaving uncertainty over the future of the international mission that has played a central role in Bosnia’s post-war governance since 1995.