Speaking at a news conference after an extraordinary session of the party presidency, Tihic said the decision to withhold support to Ashdown was the result of the High Representative's decision to suspend the decision to name the Sarajevo airport after the first Bosnian president, the late Alija Izetbegovic (the founder of the SDA party).
Ashdown made the decision on Friday acting on requests by ambassadors from the most influential western countries and Russia, who said that naming the Sarajevo airport after the Bosniak leader would undermine the process of reconciliation in the country.
Tihic said his party would not give up plans to name the city airport after Izetbegovic "when the time for that comes" and called on party members and supporters to take part in events marking the second anniversary of Izetbegovic's death next week.