Quoting a senior SDS official, the "Nezavisne novine" daily said that the opposition of the Bosnian Serb government and its head to the proposed police reform could lead to Bukejlovic's replacement.
At the meeting with the SDS leadership last Wednesday, High Representative Paddy Ashdown warned the Serb officials that unless progress was made and they softened their position on the police reform until the next meeting on that topic, to be held in Mostar on August 23, the EU would seriously consider the possibility of admitting Bosnia-Herzegovina to its membership without the Serb entity. Ashdown also threatened a possible ban on the SDS and the replacement of its officials.
According to the daily's source, Cavic and Bukejlovic had completely opposed positions on the police reform. After the meeting, Cavic accused Bukejlovic of obstructing the process of police reform, stating that responsibility for a possible failure of the talks would rest exclusively with him.
The reform of the country's police forces is one of the remaining obligations from the Feasibility Study for the opening of talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union.
The European Commission insists on the adoption of three EU principles - the transfer of police authority from entity governments to the central government, the organisation of police forces into ten districts crossing entity borders, and the depoliticising of police.