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Helicopter at Camp Butmir, headquarters of the Eufor Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Photo: Dzenat Drekovic / DER SPIEGEL
Amid the dispute over the office of High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the EU military mission in the country by one year.
The decision was unanimous.
Russia had previously refused to recognize ex-Federal Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt as a high representative.
Schmidt took up the post in August.
The council members waived Schmidt's planned appearance at the meeting in order not to endanger the extension of the Eufor Althea mission.
It comprises around 600 soldiers and replaced the NATO peacekeeping mission (SFOR) in 2004.
Germany has no longer been involved in the mission in terms of personnel since November 2012.
Russia demands that the office of the High Representative be abolished
The office of High Representative derives from the 1995 Dayton International Peace Accords. Due to his far-reaching powers, he plays an important role in reforms and overcoming political differences in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia has long been calling for the position to be abolished. It accuses the High Representative of a unilateral policy in favor of Brussels and Washington.
Since the end of the Bosnian War (1992 to 1995), Bosnia has been divided into two semi-autonomous republics, one Serbian and one Croatian-Bosnian.
Each part has its own government and parliament.
At the same time there is a joint Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian central government.
However, the situation has been extremely tense since the representative of the Bosnian Serbs in the central government, Milorad Dodik, openly threatened to split the fragile state.
In view of the split-off efforts, Schmidt recently warned of a dangerous escalation.
"Bosnia-Herzegovina is facing its worst existential threat of the post-war period," wrote the German diplomat in his most recent report to the United Nations.
The document was available to the dpa news agency.
Concern over possible breach of Dayton Treaty
The report blames Dodik for the escalation.
The nationalist is currently a Serbian member of the three-person state presidency.
Dodik is preparing the formation of the Serb republic's own army and will in fact dissolve the army of the entire state.
In addition, the politician is already blocking state institutions such as the presidency or parliament through his boycott.
If the international community continues to accept this policy, the Serbian Republic will "remove itself from the constitutional order of Bosnia" and undermine the Dayton Peace Treaty, Schmidt wrote in the report.
The United States' ambassador to the United States, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, regretted Schmidt's absence from the council meeting.
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina are of paramount importance.
France's UN Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière reiterated the "essential role of the High Representative in supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina".
Russia's UN representative Vasily Nebensia, on the other hand, assured that the post would remain vacant: "There is no High Representative and no candidate for the office of High Representative."
muk / AFP / dpa