Staff and agencies
Friday February 22, 2002
Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown is expected to be named as the new high representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Lord Ashdown, who has a long association with the country, is set to begin a two-year stint as the international community's high representative in the former Yugoslav republic in May.
He will have final responsibility for implementing the terms of the Dayton peace accord signed by the warring factions in December 1995.
Advised by the peace implementation council, Lord Ashdown will have the power to dismiss officials who obstruct the completion of the Dayton process and to impose legislation where necessary.
Lord Ashdown is to replace Wolfgang Petritsch, who has been high representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina since August 1999.
An official announcement is likely to be made by the Foreign Office next week.
Teletext reported Lord Ashdown as saying he was realistic, not optimistic about the situation in the country.
"During the siege of [the Bosnian capital] Sarajevo, I twice visited the city and escaped through a tunnel under the airport.
"It is a difficult situation in Bosnia but there is peace. Bosnia has come a long way in a short time.
"I'm not optimistic about Bosnia, I'm realistic. There is normality, a currency, the army is back in the barracks - it is stabilising."
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/libdems/story/0,9061,655497,00.html
