Wed, May 20, 2009
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned Bosnia could again descend into violence unless its leadership takes steps to heal the ethnic divide.
Biden arrived early on Tuesday hoping to bolster a country still plagued by instability and ethnic division 14 years after the end of Europe's worst conflict since World War Two.
"Today, to be very blunt with you, I personally, and the leadership of my country is worried ... about the direction of your country and your future," Biden said in an address to the country's parliament.
The United States brokered the 1995 peace deal that ended the war that killed 100,000 people, but the country remains divided between its two former adversaries, the Bosnian Serbs and the Muslim-Croat federation.
"With all due respect, and forgive me for saying this in your parliament, but this must stop," Biden said of the divide.
Many diplomats and experts consider Bosnia the least stable part of the Balkans whose troubles could potentially slow the region's common desire to integrate into the Europe Union.
"The only real future is to join Europe," Biden said. "Right now you are off that path ... You can follow this path to Europe or you can take an alternative path. You have done it before," Biden said, referring to the 1992-95 war.
"Failure to do so will ensure you remain among the poorest countries in Europe. At worst, you'll descend into ethnic chaos that defined your country for the better part of a decade."
The speech was not interrupted by applause, but Biden who travels to Serbia on Wednesday, was cheered at the end.
Some analysts say Biden's visit was prompted by a lack of consensus in the European Union to deal decisively with nationalists holding up Bosnian progress.
"Only the United States can build a consensus within the EU for something stronger and strategic," said Kurt Bassuener, a senior analyst in the Democratization Policy Council think-tank. "Brussels will not lead."
WARTIME SUPPORT
As a U.S. senator during the 1992-95 war, Biden supported arming Bosnian Muslims in their fight against Bosnian Serbs, fuelling suspicion among Bosnian Serbs who fret Washington might seek to lessen their autonomy.
War veterans organized peaceful protests in all towns across the Serb Republic at noon, lighting candles and complaining about discrimination against Bosnian Serbs.
"I came today to protest against this American Biden because I am not happy that he came," said Radivoje Susnjar, a disabled man from the city of Banja Luka. "He shouldn't have come."
"He supports Muslims even today, and he has always worked against Serbs," Susnjar explained. "I am certain they have sent him here again with some bad intentions."
By contrast, some say U.S. involvement is essential to prevent an ever more divided Bosnia. "The EU is not capable of getting anything done on this. I'm unfortunately becoming more and more convinced of that," said one European diplomat, who asked not to be named.
EU foreign policy envoy Javier Solana who accompanied Biden during his talks on Tuesday said Bosnia had a future in the EU and urged its leaders to move reforms forward.
"That is a message we want to bring today on behalf of the European Union and together with our American friends. We have been helping together Bosnia-Herzegovina for a long time and will continue help it get closer to the European Union," Solana said. "The help can come from the outside but other things have to be done by you and your leaders.
(Agencies)
