Last night Bosnia-Herzegovina was on the threshold of the most important moment in its history since the signing of the Dayton peace accords. It was on the threshold of getting a green light to start stabilisation and association talks, Ashdown said at a press conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday.
He was speaking a day after Bosnian Serb officials refused to approve the establishment of new police regions in Bosnia-Herzegovina that would annul the boundaries between the country's two entities.
Police restructuring according to the principles of efficiency and depoliticised activity and the adoption of legislation on the broadcasting system were conditions set by the European Commission for opening stabilisation and association talks with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
European Commission representatives were scheduled to visit Sarajevo on Wednesday to assess whether the conditions had been fulfilled.
Ashdown said that the future of the whole country was now in danger owing to the behaviour of the Bosnian Serb authorities.
He said that the authorities in Banja Luka should realise that the conditions set by the European Commission would not disappear and that they should change their behaviour if they wanted to join the European Union.
Responding to a journalist's question, Ashdown said that he was not going to take any action, adding that he could not change the Dayton agreement and that responsibility lay with domestic politicians.