German Ambassador to BiH, Margret Uebber, stated that her country and other members of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, which oversees Bosnia’s peace process, strive for the office of the country’s international administrator to be closed but that the function of the High Representative is still important for fulfilling the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement, strengthening stability and security, as well as for guaranteeing the territorial integrity of BiH at this time.

The Office of the High Representative (OHR) is the seat of the official who oversees the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which also contains Bosnia’s Constitution.

German politician Christian Schmidt was recently appointed to the post.

Uebber explained that the conditions for the OHR to close down were defined in the ‘Agenda 5+2’ by the Political Directors of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board.

With the appointment of Schmidt to the High Representative post, Germany wants to return the issue of BiH to the international agenda, she said.

“At the same time, we want to give new impetus to fulfilling the ‘5 + 2’ agenda. The German government is convinced that the function of the High Representative is still important for fulfilling the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement, strengthening stability and security, as well as for guaranteeing the territorial integrity of BiH,” she told Nezavisne Novine.

But she stressed that the presence of the international community in BiH cannot and must not release domestic politicians from their primary responsibilities for the fate of the country and its people and that the Dayton Peace Agreement remains central.

“At the same time, especially when it comes to the Constitution of BiH, we do not see it as something that is in principle unchangeable, changes must be possible,” she said, giving the example of European Court of Human Rights rulings referring to discrimination in terms of reforming the election legislation to end discrimination in the country, which she argued, “would require limited changes of the Constitution.”