Interview: Karadzic's arrest opens new horizons in Western Balkans[fr][de] 

Lajčák, a career diplomat from Slovakia who is also the Special Representative of the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the news of the arrest of war criminal Radovan Karadzic was received with joy in Sarajevo and peacefully in Republika Srpska (the Serbian entity under the federal Government, covering around 49% of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina). He believes this marked an important step for internal reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as improving communication with Serbia. 

The High Representative commended the new Serbian government for cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and its commitment to European integration. He also raised hopes that the entire region would benefit from this new climate. 

Explaining the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lajčák compared the Balkan country to "a carriage with four wheels, each one of different size," the wheels being the three constitutive peoples (Bosniak, Serb and Croat) and the international community. He said the main problem was that his partners from the three communities "see their side of the story and tend to ignore the others". He described his work as similar to that of a football referee, showing yellow and red cards when the "game goes wrong". He also saw an advantage in coming from a new EU member, Slovakia, which has transition experience. He also stated that he has his own personal experience to share. 

Lajčák said the recent establishment of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the successor to the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, was a sign of confidence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He expressed hope that that RCC will play a very important role in preparing the countries of the region for the challenges of European integration. The High Representative of the International Community spoke strongly in favour of keeping the European perspective alive and attractive for the countries of the Western Balkans. "I see no alternative to this," he stated. 

To read the interview in full, please click here.