Bosnia no longer needs international envoy

We believe that the people of Bosnia-Hercegovina must take their country's destiny into their own hands.

Russia will push for the closure of the powerful international envoy's office in Bosnia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday in Sarajevo.

- We believe that the people of Bosnia-Hercegovina must take their country's destiny into their own hands - Lavrov said after a meeting with his Bosnian counterpart Sven Alkalaj.

He added that Russia would "make every possible effort" to achieve the closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in the near future. The post is currently held by Valentin Inzko of Austria.

The fate of the OHR, established to oversee the peace process under the deal that ended Bosnia's 1992-1995 war, will be discussed at a meeting of the 55-nation Peace Implementation Council (PIC) in Sarajevo on November 18.

- The question of the OHR's closure and the use of (the High Representative's) powers, which have started hindering the progress of Bosnia-Hercegovina, must be solved urgently - Lavrov said.

The PIC, which includes representatives of Russia and the United States, oversees post-war Bosnia and the work of the High Representative who has the power to impose laws and sack obstructive elected officials.

However, his authority has been increasingly challenged by Bosnian Serbs who are traditionally backed by Russia.

While Bosnian Serbs insist that the OHR should be closed, the country's Croat and Muslim leaders want it to remain until an agreement is reached on how to revamp the constitution to make it more functional.

Since the end of the war, Bosnia has comprised of two entities -- the Serb-run Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation -- linked by weak central institutions and with their own president and government.

The unclear division of authority between the two entities and the state often leads to paralyses which are usualy resolved by the intervention of the High Representative.

Most of the envoy's decisions targeted Bosnian Serbs who generally oppose strengthening of the state institution at the expense of their broad autonomy.

The post of international envoy was due to be phased out in 2007 but the mandate was extended because of political instability and the failure of local politicians to pass reforms.