Palmer appointed election reform overseer in Bosnia

United States has appointed former envoy for Western Balkans Matthew Palmer, as a person responsible for monitoring the election reform programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a decision that Washington says is a sign of his commitment to the region.

Gabriel Escobar, who was named Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs earlier this month, said in an interview for Radio Free Europe on September 17th that Palmer will be the lead US man on the subject.

Escobar said election reform in Bosnia is one of the first steps to be addressed so that the Western Balkans become the most functional “” as a state.

“I am very happy that Matt (Palmer) will continue to do his job because he has extraordinary knowledge, has extraordinary contacts and great vision of how elections in Bosnia must function”, Escobar said.

He added that the elections should be <x0 more transparent, more responsible for people's will”.

Some regional analysts have been critical of what they have described as attracting US engagement in the region, especially Bosnia, since the beginning of 2000.

Escobar said the appointment of Palmer as the main official for Bosnia's elections is “an important sign” of American commitment to this state.