The US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina is a busy man. Apart from his official duties, he has undertaken to rewrite the Constitution of the Federation of BIH because, as he noted in an interview with Al Jazeera, the current system is too expensive and inefficient.
Despite a busy schedule, however, Ambassador Moon has also devoted time on a number of occasions to visit Republika Srpska to advise President Dodik. He has advised that the problem of state and defense property should not be resolved according to the agreement reached among the major Bosniak, Serbian, and Croatian parties. Apparently the Ambassador favors the position of a different political party instead.
He has also advised on the question of where Christian churches in the municipality of Srebrenica should be located in relation to Muslim places of worship. The Ambassador also disagrees with the existing election law which allows the residents of all RS municipalities to elect their municipal officials in local elections. Apparently the Ambassador has a better system to propose, perhaps one more efficient and less expensive.
On another visit to the RS, in a media interview, the Ambassador called upon citizens to take to the streets to show their disapproval of elected leaders. Admittedly this may be more efficient and less expensive than governance by officials who stand for office and are elected by the voters.
But recently the Ambassador’s patience seems to be running out. In his most recent visit to Republika Srpska he announced that he would not meet with President Dodik because his efforts to advise the President had become “frustrating.” This comment inspired us to imagine, for example, how patient the Governor of Texas might be should the French Ambassador to Washington visit Austin to advise Governor Perry on the best way to manage municipal elections in Dallas or on the need to supervise the respective locations of the Southern Baptist and Sunni Muslim places of worship in San Antonio.
In an effort to reduce frustration all around, we suggest the Ambassador review the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a relevant provision of which is set out below.
Article 41
1.Without prejudice to their [ diplomatic ] privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State.
