Bosnia’s international peace oversight body failed on Thursday to reach agreement on a successor to Germany’s Christian Schmidt, who unexpectedly stepped down last month, claiming he had come under pressure from the United States.
Talks on the appointment will continue, according to Schmidt, who resigned in May from the Office of the High Representative (OHR), the institution responsible for overseeing implementation of the U.S.-brokered Dayton Peace Agreement that brought an end to the Bosnian conflict in 1995.
“These consultations will continue,” Schmidt said in a video message in his capacity as chair of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), the body responsible for nominating the High Representative. “All participants are looking forward to agreeing on a consensus candidate in the coming days, with the aim of completing the transition by the end of June.”
The PIC Steering Board comprises representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. Russia has suspended its participation in the group.
The U.S. State Department, which has recently stated that the “U.S.-led nation-building era has passed” and has argued for a more limited mandate for the position, has backed veteran Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi for the role.
Speaking before Congress on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Washington’s support for Landi, describing him as “an Italian gentleman” capable of providing stability to the office.
However, despite reports that Landi travelled to Sarajevo on Thursday to attend the meeting, member states failed to reach a consensus on his appointment.
Many diplomats and political analysts maintain that the Office of the High Representative should remain in place while Bosnian Serb and Croat separatist forces continue to obstruct the functioning of state institutions, posing a threat to the country’s territorial integrity, stability and economic development.
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The UN's International Maritime Organization has paused escort operations through the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo ship was reportedly attacked near Oman, with two U.S. officials accusing Iran of the attack.
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An aircraft roughly the size of a car crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and a heavy police presence as authorities sealed off the area and gave no immediate explanation for the incident.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck Japan's northeast coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and no irregularities were found at nuclear facilities, the authorities said.
As Western Europe battles a deadly heatwave that has shattered temperature records, disrupted transport and power supplies, and forced the closure of schools and cultural landmarks, attention is turning to whether El Niño is playing a role in the extreme conditions.
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution on Wednesday that would have directed President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress formally authorised military action.
The Kremlin has denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming Moscow is pressuring Belarus to support an expanded Russian military campaign in Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. At least 589 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency crews and international rescue teams race to respond.
The United Nations' top human rights official has called for independent investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration detention facilities, citing a rise in fatalities among people held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
An aircraft roughly the size of a car crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and a heavy police presence as authorities sealed off the area and gave no immediate explanation for the incident.
Montenegrin police, working alongside the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, have arrested an Iranian national accused of carrying out a series of cyberattacks that allegedly caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage to U.S. infrastructure.
South Korea is set to dramatically expand its unmanned warfare capabilities, with plans to integrate drones across all branches of its military as tensions with North Korea continue to shape the country's defence strategy.
Fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have begun to recover following an interim U.S.–Iran agreement aimed at stabilising the waterway after months of disruption during conflict, industry data shows.
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