Bosnia ethnic rights reforms imposed

More than 200,000 people died in the 1992-1995 war

By Alix Kroeger BBC Correspondent in Belgrade

The chief international mediator in Bosnia-Hercegovina has imposed constitutional reforms giving equal rights to the country's three main peoples.

The reform deal was agreed in talks between the main political parties last month, but the parliaments of the two post-war entities - the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian-Serb Republic - failed to ratify the amendments in time for elections to take place later this year.

Wolfgang Petritsch said he would not be obstructed by "nationalist dinosaurs"

It was billed as a test of political ownership - whether Bosnia's leaders would take responsibility for reforming their own constitutions, in line with a key court ruling giving equal rights to the three main peoples across the whole territory of the country.

In the end, they fell at the last hurdle and the reforms were imposed by the International High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch.

The court ruling undermines the post-war division of Bosnia into two ethnically defined entities.

For that reason, nationalists on all sides resisted the reforms.

Talks progress

After two years of prevarication and delay, a deal was finally hammered out last month.

It was due to be ratified by Thursday at the latest in order for elections to be called on schedule for 5 October, 170 days in advance, as required by law.

Muslim and Croat nationalists blocked ratification in the lower house of the Federation parliament, while in the Bosnian-Serb Republic deputies proposed a series of last-minute amendments watering down the agreement.

Mr Petritsch even cut the election period by a day to give the parliaments extra time.

Bosnia's leaders went further and talked more than at any time since the war - but in the end, there was no choice but to impose if the elections were to go ahead as planned.