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world news Diamars 22 Februari 2022

EU mulls ways to stop the possible breakup of Bosnia

(AP) — European Union foreign has for years been advocating that the Dodik with sanctions, but Hungary,
ministers on Monday discussed Serb-run part of Bosnia should leave Croatia and Slovenia are notably op-
ways to ease tensions in Bosnia the rest of the country and unite with posed and likely to scupper any at-
and prevent the possible breakup neighboring Serbia. tempt to impose restrictive measures
up of the ethnically divided Bal- on him.
kan country as the peace agree- The U.S. accused him of “corrupt
ment brokered over 25 years ago activities” that threaten to destabi- Austrian Foreign Minister Alexan-
continues to unravel. lize the region and undermine the der Schallenberg said that “the an-
U.S.-brokered Dayton Peace Accord. nouncements of Dodik and Repub-
“The nationalist and separatist rheto- Dodik says he and Bosnian Serbs are lika Srpska are extremely dangerous
ric is increasing in Bosnia and Herze- being unfairly targeted and wrongly and playing with the integrity of the
govina and jeopardizing the stability accused of corruption. state, and this is for us a no-go.”
and even the integrity of the country,”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell The agreement in 1995 ended the He warned that Bosnia and the Bal-
said in Brussels, where he chaired a war in Bosnia, which killed more kans must not become “a playground
meeting of the 27-country bloc’s for- than 100,000 people and left millions for actors outside Europe.” Russia has
eign ministers. homeless. The accord established two notably pledged support for Dodik
separate governing entities in Bosnia and his associates.
He said the “ministers will have to — Republika Srpska run by Bosnia’s
take a decision on how to stop these Serbs, and another other dominated The EU is also demanding that elec- that then successfully result in the
dynamics in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Bosniaks, an ethnic group that is toral reform be passed ahead of polls formation of a government that can
and to avoid that the country can fall primarily Muslim, and Croats. The in Bosnia later this year. function.”
apart in pieces. This is a critical situ- two are linked by shared, state-wide
ation.” institutions, and all actions at a na- What the EU wants to see, Irish For- “We want to see peace and stability in
tional level require consensus from eign Minister Simon Coveney said, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I think
The United States last month an- all three ethnic groups. is “a full reform package agreed and that reform package would certainly
nounced new sanctions against Bos- implemented in advance of the elec- help that to take place,” Coveney told
nian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who Most EU countries also want to hit tions so that we can have elections reporters.

Putin mulls recognizing separatist eastern Ukrainian regions

(AP) — Russian President invade. Still, the American And Russia decided to pro- terday if he was prepared in
Vladimir Putin convened and Russian presidents ten- long military drills in Belar- With the prospect of war principle to meet with Presi-
top officials Monday to tatively agreed to a possible us, which could offer a stag- looming, French President dent Putin, if Russia did not
consider recognizing the meeting in a last-ditch effort ing ground for an attack on Emmanuel Macron scram- invade, of course President
independence of sepa- to avoid war. the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. bled to broker a meeting Biden said yes,” he told
ratist regions in eastern between U.S. President Joe NBC’s “Today” show on
Ukraine, a move that If Russia invades, the meet- Putin’s decision to consider Biden and Putin, who de- Monday. “But every indica-
would ratchet up tensions ing will be off, but the pros- recognizing the separatist re- nies he has any plans to attack tion we see on the ground
with the West amid fears pect of a face-to-face summit gions only threatened to add Ukraine. right now in terms of the dis-
that the Kremlin could resuscitated hopes that diplo- fuel to the fire. position of Russian forces is
launch an invasion of macy could prevent a devas- Russia says it simply wants that they are, in fact, getting
Ukraine imminently. tating conflict, which would Leaders of the regions re- Western guarantees that prepared for a major attack
result in massive casualties leased televised statements NATO won’t allow Ukraine on Ukraine.”
The publicly staged, pre- and huge economic damage earlier pleading with Putin to and other former Soviet
recorded meeting of the across Europe, which is heav- recognize them as indepen- countries to join as members. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
presidential Security Council ily dependent on Russian en- dent states and sign friend- It has also demanded the al- Peskov told reporters Mon-
came amid a spike in skir- ergy. ship treaties envisaging mili- liance halt weapons deploy- day that Putin and Biden
mishes in eastern Ukraine tary aid to protect them from ments to Ukraine and roll could meet if they consider
that Western powers believe Even as the diplomatic ef- what they described as an on- back its forces from Eastern it “feasible,” but emphasized
Russia could use as a pretext forts inched forward, poten- going Ukrainian military of- Europe — demands flatly re- that “it’s premature to talk
for an attack on the western- tial flashpoints multiplied. fensive. Russia’s lower house jected by the West. about specific plans for a
looking democracy that has Sustained shelling continued of parliament made the same summit.”
defied Moscow’s attempts to Monday in the long-running plea last week. Macron’s office said both
pull it back into its orbit. conflict in Ukraine’s east leaders had “accepted the Macron’s office said that U.S.
between government forces Ukrainian authorities deny principle of such a summit,” Secretary of State Antony
With an estimated 150,000 and Moscow-backed separat- launching an offensive and to be followed by a broader Blinken and Russian Foreign
Russian troops massed on ists. Unusually, Russia said it accuse Russia of provocation. meeting that would include Minister Sergey Lavrov are
three sides of Ukraine, the had fended off an “incursion” other “relevant stakeholders set to lay the groundwork for
U.S. has warned that Mos- from Ukraine — which the The Kremlin initially sig- to discuss security and strate- the potential summit when
cow has already decided to Ukrainians officials denied. naled its reluctance to recog- gic stability in Europe.” they meet Thursday.
nize the regions as indepen-
dent, arguing that would ef- The language from Moscow Amid the hopeful signs, there
fectively shatter a 2015 peace and Washington was more were also worrying ones.
deal for eastern Ukraine that cautious, but neither side de- Starting Thursday, shelling
marked a major diplomatic nied a meeting is under dis- spiked along the tense line of
coup for Moscow, requiring cussion. contact that separates Ukrai-
Ukrainian authorities to offer nian forces and Russian-
a broad self-rule to the rebel U.S. national security advis- backed rebels in Ukraine’s
regions. er Jake Sullivan said the ad- eastern industrial heartland
ministration has always been of Donbas. Over 14,000
But in Monday’s security ready to talk to avert a war people have been killed since
meeting, Putin and other of- — but was also prepared to conflict erupted there in
ficials argued that Ukrainian respond to any attack. 2014, shortly after Moscow
authorities have shown no annexed Ukraine’s Crimean
appetite for implementing “So when President Macron Peninsula.
the deal. asked President Biden yes-