Slovenia’s top diplomat warned Bosnian Serbs against holding a referendum that could threaten the integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and jeopardize the Balkan nation’s chances of eventually joining the European Union.
The Serb-run half of the country, Republika Srpska, will hold a plebiscite on Oct. 25 in defiance of central authorities in the capital of Sarajevo and the international community. The vote takes place amid growing ethnic tensions in the nation of 3.3 million still struggling with the consequences of the brutal war that ended three decades ago.