Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported threats from Serb separatists in Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina to join Serbia; what steps, if any, they intend to take in response; and what discussions have they had with NATO regarding those threats.

The UK takes very seriously talk of secession and other threats to undo the progress of the last twenty-six years in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We have called on those responsible to cease this destabilising and divisive rhetoric. The UK works closely with our partners in NATO and the EU to support the integrity of BiH as a single, sovereign state, comprising two entities. In the UN Security Council in recent weeks we helped to renew the stabilisation force's (EUFOR's) mandate for a further 12 months and support the High Representative. We also support the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, including though the secondment of UK staff officers, whose work includes building the capacity of the BiH Armed Forces. The UK will continue to support BiH in implementing domestic reforms and tackling challenges to peace and security. Further discussions of how to support stability in BiH took place at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Riga, which the Foreign Secretary attended.