Petritsch used to be the international community's high representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He now serves as Austria's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, and also chairs the Senior Advisory Board of the Bosnia and Herzegovina 2005 association.
The Board also includes Lakhdar Brahimi, special adviser to the UN secretary-general; Erhard Busek, Stability Pact coordinator; Marrack Goulding, former UN under-secretary; Tadeusz Mazowiecki, former UN human rights rapporteur; and Predrag Matvejevic, professor at La Sapienza University in Rome.
"Our desire is to propose a platform for dialogue on the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Petritsch said at a press conference, adding that this and next year were crucial for the country because the implementation of the Dayton agreement should be completed during that period of time and further steps should be taken to ensure Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership of the European Union.