Merkel pledges Germany's support to Bosnia

During a short stop in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, on Thursday, Chancellor Merkel met with the chairman of Bosnia's council of ministers, Denis Zvizdic, as well as the chairman of its three-person collective presidency, Mladen Ivanic.

Following their talks, Merkel called on all levels of government in the country, which is split into two largely autonomous entities, to work together to implement economic and social reforms championed by Germany and Britain in a joint initiative launched last year.

"In Bosnia we see problems which have to be overcome," Merkel said. "The region can function if Bosnia is developing well."

In January, the Muslim, Serb and Croat members of the Bosnian presidency signed a joint declaration expressing their willingness to implement reforms crucial for meeting the criteria for EU membership. Last month, however, the leaders of the mainly Serb entity, Republika Srpska, refused to sign off on the plans.

Despite the roadblock, Ivanic, who is a Serb, said he was optimistic that a reform agenda could be agreed in the coming weeks, that would allow Bosnia to apply for European Union membership by early 2017 at the latest.

Almost two decades after the end of Bosnian conflict, the country remains deeply divided with Bosnian Muslim, Serb and Croat politicians and officials often splitting along ethnic lines. At more than 27 percent, the unemployment rate also remains stubbornly high.

Srebrenica anniversary

Merkel's short stop in Bosnia-Herzegovina came just two days before the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, in which around 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces.

Before leaving Sarajevo, the chancellor visited the Srebrenica Massacre Memorial Museum and met with members of the "Mothers of Srebrenica," an organization that represents relatives of the victims of the massacre.

"I came here at the time when we remember the Srebrenica genocide... I think that we all need the courage to create such a future in which really horrible things could never happen again," Merkel told reporters.

"It is particularly important to remember the victims and to reflect on the past, but that should be done along with an eye on the future," Merkel said. Her spokesman later tweeted a short video of the chancellor's visit to the museum.

Remains arrive

As she spoke, the remains of around 136 newly identified victims of the massacre were being transported from Visoko, near Sarajevo, towards the cemetery and memorial to the massacre just outside of Srebrenica, where they are to be buried in a joint funeral on Saturday. More than 6,000 others have been buried there since 2003, when the cemetery and memorial at Potocari was opened. The convoy carrying the remains has since arrived at Potocari.

Bosnia was the last of three stops on Merkel's two-day Balkan junket, which also took her to Albania and Serbia.

pfd/kms (Reuters, dpa, AFP, AP)