Former envoy warns situation in Bosnia worsening

In an interview for the British monthly Prospect Magazine, Ashdown said that there was a lack of will-power to deal with the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"If you’re going to build peace after conflict you need strategic patience, which the West hasn’t got. They also thought 'good old Paddy has done it all, let’s not bother about Bosnia any longer.' Bosnia has got worse and worse and the EU has shrugged its shoulders. We have lost will-power," he warned.

Ashdown was serving as the international community's High Representative in Bosnia during the 2002-2006 period, where he was overseeing the civilian part of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, the document which ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

As the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ashdown was the nation’s de facto leader, helping the country on the path to peace. Now, he fears a return to war.

"It was the poster boy for post-conflict reconstruction. We moved the country towards sustainable peace. Since then the whole thing has gone into reverse. Nobody is worried. They sort of shrug their shoulders and say it will be OK in the end. It won’t be OK in the end", said Ashdown.

"I can think of no set of circumstances best calculated to return Bosnia to conflict. If anyone believes you can have peace in Europe if you have war in the Balkans, you need to learn from history," he added.

According to him, an alliance of Washington and Europe working together is the key to a solution.

"A single plan focused on increasing the functionality of the state. Do not give them a single penny if they don’t. Use what sanctions you can against those who stand in the way. We’ve got more instruments of leverage in Bosnia than in any other country on earth," Ashdown added.