[JURIST] Bosnian BiH presidency member Haris Silajdzic [Wikipedia profile] on Monday called for an amendment to the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) constitution [text] that would end the country's division into ethnic mini-states and create a unified nation. Silajdzic's proposal was a reaction to Monday's International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] ruling in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro [ICJ docket]. The ICJ ruled [JURIST report; text] that the Serbian government was not directly responsible for genocide during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war [Wikipedia backgrounder], but that Serbia failed to meet its obligations to prevent genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention [text]. The war ended with a peace agreement that split BiH into a Muslim-Croat federation and a Bosnian-Serb mini-state called Republika Srpska. Bosnia and Herzegozina have a three-member presidency [official website] that always includes a Croat, a Bosnian, and a Serb. Silajdzic said the ICJ decision suggested that Bosnian Serbs generally committed genocide during the time that led up to the creation of the constitution. Calling the constitution a "product of genocide," Silajdzic indicated he would push for its annulment.

Most Bosnian Croats and Muslims from the Bosnian-Croat Federation support a unified country. Most Bosnian Serbs nonetheless support the current division and Republika Srpska PM Prime Milorad Dodik [official profile, in English] has stressed the need for talks about the ruling and the future of the constitution. AP has more.