For Bosnia, a Test of Conscience: Former Diplomat Warns against Sacrificing Peace for Profit in High Representative Showdown

SUMMARY: Former Bosnian diplomat and Justice For All United Nations Operations director Saffet Catovic warns against the reported American attempt to undermine its own 1995 Dayton Accord in order to construct a pipeline. A tenuous peace in Bosnia, which suffered a genocide whose beneficiaries now stand to benefit from the pipeline plan, should not be jeopardized for the sake of potential short-term commercial benefits.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK (July 24, 2026)

As diplomats convene to decide the next High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Imam Saffet Catovic, a former Bosnian diplomat and Director of United Nations Operations for Justice For All, has issued a stark warning against turning a post meant to safeguard peace into a tool for corporate gain.

The reported U.S. push to appoint an inexperienced candidate to clear the way for a controversial $1 billion gas pipeline, the “Southern Interconnection,” has drawn sharp condemnation. The project, reportedly awarded without a competitive tender, has raised profound concerns about corruption and its potential to fuel secessionist agendas. The pipeline threatens Bosnia and Herzegovina’s natural heritage by cutting through protected sites and river crossings, while committing the country to a fossil fuel future. It will release an estimated three million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at full capacity, a reality that environmental organizations warn flies in the face of Bosnia’s vast renewable energy potential.

The Bonn Powers, which allow the High Representative to impose laws and remove officials, could be exploited for commercial advantage rather than used to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement.

European officials have expressed fears that a compliant High Representative could issue a special law dividing state property between the entities, effectively handing a victory to secessionist leader Milorad Dodik and undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional order. The EU has warned that the project jeopardizes Bosnia’s European integration.

“The international community is once again at a crossroads. The decision on who will be the next High Representative is not a minor diplomatic tussle. It is a defining moment that will reveal whether the world has truly learned the lessons of Srebrenica,” said Catovic. “We are witnessing a calculated effort to turn the Bonn Powers, a safeguard against genocide, into a weapon for corporate profit. To weaken Dayton for a pipeline contract is to betray the memory of the 100,000 victims of genocide.”

The next High Representative must possess proven experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans, demonstrate an unwavering commitment to countering genocide denial and resist all pressure to privilege corporate interests over the public good.

“We cannot allow the world to fail Bosnia and Herzegovina again,” Catovic added. “The legacy of Srebrenica and the credibility of American leadership hang in the balance.”

Justice For All is a U.S.-based human rights and anti genocide organization, accredited to the U.N., that emerged from the Bosnia Task Force in the 1990s.

Contact: Imam Saffet Catovic, Director of U.N. Operations

Email: saffet@justiceforall.org.  Phone: 202-908-JUST

Website: https://www.justiceforall.org

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