Bosnia’s new top international envoy takes office

German politician Christian Schmidt yesterday took over as the top international envoy in Bosnia despite opposition from Russia and Bosnian Serbs who consider him "illegal" and say they won't work with him.

The former German agriculture minister succeeded Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko, whose decision to end his term by imposing a ban on genocide denial in late July angered Bosnian Serb political representatives.

The 1995 massacre of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces, a few months before Bosnia's war ended, has been deemed genocide by a number of international judicial verdicts.

But Serb leaders usually deny the atrocity amounted to genocide, instead calling it a "great crime".

The main role of the UN representative in Bosnia is to oversee the implementation of the peace deal that ended the Balkan country's 1992-1995 war between its Croats, Muslims and Serbs.

The official also has various executive powers, including to impose laws and sack elected officials.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina must be put back on the political agenda of the international community and the European Union," Schmidt said during his inaugural speech yesterday.

"I am very optimistic about the ability of the international community, Europeans, Americans and all other countries of the world to work together to achieve this."