06 08 2007 (AlbanianTimes) Sarajevo _ The chair of Bosnia’s state government, the Council of Ministers, Nikola Spiric, has announced a possible overhaul of the government in September, which may stir new hostilities in the politically tense country.
Spiric said last weekend that after the summer vacations he will analyse the work of each minister and seek a reconstruction of the cabinet “if analysis showed that the work of the ministers had not been satisfactory”.
One minister tipped for possible replacement is Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj, who has clashed with top Bosnian Serb politicians including Spiric and his political leader, Milorad Dodik, president of the Independent Union of Social Democrats, the ruling party in the Republika Srpska.
Alkalaj a seasoned diplomat from the small Jewish community, gained his position as a candidate of the Bosniak-led Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina and is close to its leader, Haris Silajdzic, one of the toughest and most radical Bosniak politicians.
The bad blood between Alkalaj and Bosnian Serb politicians dates back to the start of the new government this year, when a dispute erupted over a dual citizenship agreement between Serbia and Bosnia.
The last incident took place only last week, when Spiric claimed Alkalaj’s conduct of foreign policy was creating tensions and harming the country. He added that Alkalaj did not represent even Bosniaks in the state government – an apparent reference to his Jewish background – which drew counter-charges of anti-Semitism.
Observers believe any attempt by Spiric to replace Alkalaj or any other non-Serb ministers will trigger a fresh political crisis in September. (BIRN)
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