News | Serbian Unity Congress

May 12, 2008 on 3:45 am | In News in English, Republic of Srpska |

SARAJEVO — U.S. Ambassador to Sarajevo Charles English says that Bosnia-Hercegovina is only halfway to EU membership, and that a lot of political compromise is still required.

“If Bosnia-Hercegovina wants to have a real chance of joining NATO or the EU, its political leaders have to do a lot more. They can’t fritter away three years on bitter debates over every reform or waste their energy on narrow ethnic interests,“ English said.

At a debate organized by the Association for Independent Intellectuals Circle 99 in Sarajevo, the ambassador told the Serbs that “they have to accept that their future lies inside Bosnia-Hercegovina.“

“Lasting prosperity and development can and must be entirely common. There’s no doubt that a prosperous and successful Republic of Srpska can exist only as part of a strong and prosperous Bosnia-Hercegovina,“ he stressed.

Related posts:

• The concept of international justice will be on trial, too, The Guardian
• Karadzic’s Arrest: Bosnian Myths Rehashed, Chronicles Magazine
• Karadzic Arrest In Serbia Shows Power Of Elections, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
• Ivor Roberts: A nation that is still divided over Europe, The Independent
• Into the Bosnian Quagmire, Part 2, antiwar.com