Bosnian Parliament Amends Laws for Ousting President

Defying tough U.S. criticism, Bosnian Serb lawmakers allied with suspected war criminal Radovan Karadzic amended laws Saturday to make it easier to oust the president who replaced him.

Robert Gelbard, the top U.S. envoy for the former Yugoslav federation, voiced strong support for President Biljana Plavsic in her power struggle with Karadzic loyalists.

Gelbard held separate meetings with Plavsic in the northern city of Banja Luka and with Karadzic ally Momcilo Krajisnik in Pale, east of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. He warned Karadzic’s backers of grave repercussions if they continue to defy the elected president.

“I can guarantee that the consequences will be extremely serious,” Gelbard said. “Threats against the international community obviously will not be tolerated.”

It was unclear how much weight the Bosnian Serb parliament’s actions would carry because Plavsic had ordered it dissolved Thursday. But Karadzic supporters argued that her move was illegal and convened the assembly Friday.

The outcome of the power struggle could determine whether Bosnia faces another war or moves toward a more lasting peace.

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Plavsic said Saturday that she had taken over the functions of the dissolved parliament and blamed the split within Bosnian Serb ranks on corruption in the Karadzic camp.

Thousands of people later rallied in Banja Luka to support Plavsic for the second day in a row.

Plavsic was elected president of the Bosnian Serb half of Bosnia-Herzegovina after Karadzic was forced to step down last year under the U.S.-brokered peace accords that ended Bosnia’s war.

The parliament adopted a law that would allow for Plavsic’s ouster by a simple majority. A two-thirds majority in the 83-seat legislature previously had been required for such an ouster.

The lawmakers also urged Plavsic to resign and voted to strip her of direct command over the army.

The Bosnian Serb territory, about half of Bosnia, has been split in two by the power struggle, with one part controlled by Plavsic from Banja Luka and the other by Karadzic in Pale.