Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the role of EUFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement. [161000]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: This Government is a committed supporter of EUFOR Operation Althea. It plays a critical role in helping to deter political and ethnic tensions, which might threaten the country's stability. The renewal of EUFOR's executive mandate later this year is vital to ensure this safeguard continues.

This year the UK is contributing a company of Irish Guards to the EUFOR regional reserve, as a demonstration of our commitment to the EUFOR mission. The Irish Guards trained alongside Bosnian and Herzegovinian forces in country in April in an effort to help improve the latter's capabilities and change perceptions toward NATO.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Minister will represent the Government at the 11 July Commemoration of the Srebrenica massacre. [161001]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: The Government is usually represented at the memorial event held in Srebrenica by our ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Senior Minister of State, my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi, also attended in 2010 and 2011. This year the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), Baroness Warsi and the Attorney-General will represent the Government at the 'Remembering Srebrenica' commemoration event on 11 July at Lancaster House.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to support Bosnia's Euro—Atlantic Agreement aspirations since 2012; and if he will make a statement. [161002]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: The UK Government strongly supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU and NATO membership ambitions. We continue to deliver clear and consistent messages to the country's political leaders on the importance of a committed effort to meet the conditions required for progress along the EU and NATO accession paths. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), stressed this most recently when he met Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Minister in London in April.

The UK is supporting this process and the work of the EU through a number of programmes designed to help Bosnia and Herzegovina make the reforms necessary for accession. These include work to help improve the judicial and security sectors, and ensuring that the rule of law is enshrined, thus strengthening internal stability.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the continuation of the role of the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina. [161003]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: This Government supports the continued role of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) for Bosnia and Herzegovina in ensuring implementation of the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement. We maintain that the OHR should remain until the five objectives and two conditions (known as the ‘5 + 2’) for its closure are met. There has been no progress on the ‘5 + 2’ this year.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina with his German counterpart; and what the outcome was of that discussion. [161004]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: Both the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I frequently meet our counterparts, His Excellency Guido Westerwelle and Mr Michael Link and discuss current challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the Western Balkans. Our senior officials also have frequent contact with their German counterparts, most recently discussing the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the meeting of the Peace Implementation Council in Sarajevo in May.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his Bosnian counterpart; and what the outcome was of that meeting. [161005]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), last met the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, His Excellency Zlatko Lagumdzija on 17 April in London. He expressed his deep disappointment that Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leaders had failed to reach agreement on bringing the Constitution into line with the 2009 European Court of Human Rights ruling on Sejdic Finci, so that all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina might stand for election to the presidency and the House of Peoples irrespective of their ethnic background. The Secretary of State stressed UK commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina's ambition for EU and NATO membership, but made clear that the onus was on the country's leaders to make the reforms necessary to move their country forward in the interests of its citizens.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement in Bosnia- Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement. [161006]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: In recent months in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have seen actions challenging the authority of state-level institutions and laws, and the authority of decisions made by the High Representative, as well as inflammatory nationalistic rhetoric. In Republika Srpksa, President Dodik continues to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, thus undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement. In Mostar, the failure of local institutions to implement the Constitutional Court's decision on Mostar's electoral system violates the peace agreement and prevents the population from participating in a vote on their local political representatives. I am concerned also at the continuing disregard for the rule of law throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As a member of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, the UK works closely with the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UK Government fully supports the continuing role of the High Representative as the final authority in theatre on the implementation of the civilian elements of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The UK is also a strong supporter of the EU-led peacekeeping mission, EUFOR Althea, whose executive mandate remains an important safeguard of stability. We remain resolutely committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign and stable country on the path to the EU and NATO.

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