Calls to strengthen Bosnia peace accord

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, has called for additions to be made to the Dayton accord that ended the civil war in Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Mr Holbrooke said Bosnia should have a united army, because as long as each of the three Muslim, Croat and Serb ethnic groups had military forces, peace was threatened.

He also called for an end to corruption, the return of refugees to their homes, the promotion of press freedom and the arrest of people indicted for war crimes.

Mr Holbrooke was speaking at the start of a two-day conference in Dayton to mark the fifth anniversary of the signing of the peace accord on Bosnia.

He was closely involved in negotiating the pact.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service