High Representative to BiH Valentin Inzko issued Decision yesterday on temporary financing of FBiH for first three months of this year.

Inzko announced at the press conference in Sarajevo that he issued a Decision proposed by the government of FBiH and adopted by House of Representatives of Federal Parliament on January 18.

Clarifying his decision, High Representative said he did it so payment for pensioners, endangered categories and all other budget users would not be stopped.

“I have not changed or supplemented this decision which had been earlier adopted by FBiH institutions”, said High Representative yesterday at a press conference in Sarajevo, adding that he consulted with many local leaders and the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC).

Inzko underlined that the PIC Steering Board was disappointed that some political parties and authorities in the four cantons blocked the constitution of the FBiH House of Peoples and thus the work of other government institutions.

“I made the decision reluctantly but without hesitation, because it became clear that the time for local institutions to ensure continued payments to budget users in the coming months had expired”, said the High Representative.

He pointed out that his intervention was not an invitation to those responsible for obstructing the decision on temporary funding to "continue with their political power games that are led recklessly on the expense of the most vulnerable segments of society."

He warned that in the next nine weeks, legislative and executive authorities of FBiH must be formed and the budget for this year agreed upon and adopted, so that payments would not be completely stopped.

“This means that the four cantons which did not elect their representatives to the House of Peoples must stop blocking and fulfill their constitutional obligations.

Otherwise, political leaders who stand behind this obstruction will have to bear responsibility for any consequences resulting from it”, said Inzko.

He announced that in the coming weeks, together with the PIC Steering Board, he shall review the situation and if the blockade continues, a possibility of adoption of additional measures is not excluded.

Inzko said that he had full support of all the ambassadors of the PIC Steering Board to make this decision, except the Russian Federation Ambassador, who believes that the use of "Bonn powers" should be strictly limited to cases of destabilization of the Dayton Peace Accords.

Decision on temporary financing of FBiH, in the amount of 320.696.946 KM is valid until March 31 this year.