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Petritsch is arguably the most powerful individual in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and he isn’t even a native of the country.
Mr Petritsch, an Austrian,
is in his third year as the international community’s High Representative,
the most senior official overseeing the implementation of the Dayton
Peace Agreement. It is no easy task, even though the post gives him
wide-ranging powers.
He has the right to dismiss even the most senior officials in Bosnia
and Herzegovina – and he has not been afraid to do so.
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The
most notable example was when he sacked leading Croat politician Ante
Jelavic from the three-man presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in March
last year. The decision came after Mr Jelavic threatened to declare
self-rule
for Bosnian Croats, prompting Mr Petritsch to accuse him of undermining
constitutional order.
Although
barred from holding both public and party office, Mr Jelavic was re-elected,
unopposed, as leader of his nationalistic Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) last October.
“It is disappointing that the HDZ has not found a way out of a
leadership crisis,” a spokesman for the High Representative commented.
“This is not a forward-looking exercise.”
On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Dayton accord, Mr Petritsch
bluntly urged Bosnian Serb politicians to stop blocking a raft of legislation
aimed at introducing economic reform and reinforcing earlier commitments
to allow refugees from the war to return home.
“These politicians must realise they are in a situation of responsibility,
and unless they deliver they need to face the consequences,” he
said.
Appointed
in August 1999, after serving as the European Union’s special envoy
in Kosovo and, before that, the Austrian ambassador to Yugoslavia, Mr
Petritsch says progress has been made on the refugee issue.
“After two years I can say that, so far, the return of the refugees
has been successfully realised in this country,” he says. “This
is not talked about very much any longer because it has been so successful.”
Mr Petritsch warns, however, that the process of reconciliation is still
in the early stages. “Scars will remain after the war, after the
ethnic cleansing, because it cannot be totally undone,” he says.
“This sad thing will remain part of the history of this country,
but we will do as much as possible.”
In
contrast, Mr Petritsch says the reconstruction programme was well under
way by the time he took office, although a new problem was emerging
as the level of international aid began to decline.
“It was obvious that we had to start the economic reforms in a
much more comprehensive and forceful manner. This didn’t only mean
privatisation, but also attracting foreign investment into the country.
“This is not just about money, but also management, know-how, and
introducing a new spirit of what the market economy is all about,”
he says.
Although
progress has been made towards transforming the country from a communist-style
and specifically Yugoslav economic model to a market economy, particularly
since the civil war, Mr Petritsch says the change is far from complete.
“This is still very much an aid-driven economy and it needs to
become an investment-driven economy.”
The introduction of reform is made no easier by the complexities of
the social, cultural and ethnic mix in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr Petritsch
urges the country to take steps towards economic unification.
He says: “We need to create a single economic space in this highly
ethnically diverse and otherwise divided country. That is a precondition
for this country to get on its own feet and move towards Europe.”
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