Bosnian Serbs warn against possible breakup of Bosnia
Agence France Presse -- English - December 19, 2004

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Hercegovina Dec 19 - Bosnian Serb President Dragan Cavic warned the international community Sunday that any attempt to abolish the Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb entity, would push Serbs towards a referendum on their independence and the breakup of Bosnia.

Bosnia's system of two entities, established by the Dayton Peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 war, "makes up Bosnia's ... integrity, and any attempt to radically change it would cause a crisis and the possible breakup of Bosnia", he said in a statement.

His comments were issued a day after a local newspaper asked the High Representative to Bosnia Paddy Ashdown about the possibility of abolishing the Republika Srpska (RS) if it continued its non-cooperation with the UN war crimes court.

Ashdown was quoted as replying: "I do not exclude anything and everything is possible."

"This anti-Dayton statement by the high representative, if it is true, is an opportunity for the RS president to warn him that any attempt to abolish the RS would lead towards a referendum, through which the RS would independently decide its way," the statement cautioned.

On Thursday Ashdown sacked nine Bosnian Serb officials and police officers, and announced that the parallel defence ministries in the two entities would be abolished and police activities would be centralised next year.

Bosnia's Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic and Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic, a Serb, resigned on Friday and Saturday, angered by Ashdown's decision, while more resignations of Serb officials in central institutions are to come soon.

Cavic called a meeting of all Bosnian Serb parties for Monday to discuss the sanctions, amid opposition calls for early parliamentary elections.

December 19, 2004 Sunday 2:02 PM GMT

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