Western officials overseeing the Bosnian peace process have warned that the Bosnian branch of Croatia's nationalist HDZ party may be barred from running in local elections in April.

A spokeswoman for the European security organisation, the OSCE, Tanya Domi was quoted as saying that the Croatian party had refused to comply with an order to remove several officials from office for obstructing efforts to strengthen peace in Bosnia. In November the OSCE and the Office of the High Representative sacked twenty-two officials from all three ethnic groups.

But Western officials said five Bosnian Croat mayors had not yet stepped down.

The issue is to be discussed at a meeting of the Provisional Election Commission next week.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service