Speaking to the Banja Luka-based newspaper by phone from London, Ashdown said the rejection of European Union police reform principles in the Serb entity's parliament was very bad for the country and disastrous for the entity.
Speaking of the consequences of the rejection, Ashdown said the Office of the High Representative would not be able to complete its mandate in Bosnia or transfer powers to local authorities.
Secondly, he said the Serbs in the Serb entity were now totally isolated, with no free visa regime, no new investments which would create new jobs, and no prospect of following Serbia and Montenegro on the way to Europe.
And thirdly, Ashdown said the last three years had shown that the Dayton peace agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia in 1995, was not an obstacle to change and reform.
He underlined that the consequences of the Bosnian Serb parliament's decision would be very difficult and serious.
Ashdown also commented on Serb entity Prime Minister Pero Bukejlovic's statement that negotiations could continue.
No, they cannot. You have nothing to negotiate and nobody to do it with. You have put yourselves in this position in which you will remain until you are ready to adopt European principles. When you are ready, call us, said Ashdown.
He went on to say that the SDS must realise that the EU had not changed its principles for anybody and would not do so for the SDS either. He added the Bosnian Serb entity must realise that the authorities in Belgrade would concentrate on its way to Europe and would not go back to help Banja Luka.
On Wednesday, the Serb entity parliament rejected the European Commission's proposal for a police reform which would ensure the authority of the police on the state level, eliminate political influence on police work, and organise police districts which would cross current entity borders.