SARAJEVO, Bosnia — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged Bosnian leaders on Tuesday to work together and warned that their country would fall behind the rest of Europe if they did not make overdue reforms.
"We worry that if you do not make progress you will be left behind in the rest of the region," Mrs. Clinton said. "You've got other neighbors who are making progress."
Sarajevo was Mrs. Clinton's first stop on a tour through the Balkan region with Catherine Ashton, the European Union's high representative for foreign policy. The unusual joint trip was calculated to reinforce the point that there are steps Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo need to take to resolve lingering disputes and advance their political and economic integration with Europe.
Sarajevo is a changed city since the bitter internecine conflict in Bosnia was brought to an end 17 years ago when Bill Clinton was president. But mistrust among Bosnian's ethnically divided leadership runs deep and has stymied reforms that the United States and European nations have stated are necessary if Bosnia is to apply for NATO membership or to seek admission in the European Union — a message that was delivered to Bosnia's Serbian, Croatian and Muslim presidents Tuesday.
"Is there a political crisis?" Mrs. Clinton asked. "There is, and that political crisis can only be resolved by leadership."
A major barrier to Bosnia's entry to NATO is the failure of its three presidents to confirm a decision on which military bases and installations will belong to the central government. Although the issue appeared to have been settled in March, observers say Bosnia's Serbian leadership has been dragging its feet. Mrs. Clinton said that if the issue were settled, she would "personally go to the NATO ministerial in Brussels in December" to support Bosnia's application to join NATO, a process that can take years.
An obstacle for Bosnia's admission to the European Union, which would provide important benefits for the country's economy, is a provision of its Constitution that stipulates that posts in the three-member presidency and Parliament be equally divided among Muslims, Croats and Serbs. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the measure violates the rights of smaller minorities since it precludes them from serving in senior government positions.
Ms. Ashton said that if Bosnia wanted to pursue membership in the European Union, its "first priority" must be to act on that ruling.
Riven by ethnic disputes, Bosnia has lagged behind other Balkan states in joining Europe's political and security institutions. Croatia, for example, is a NATO member and is on course to join the European Union next year. Serbia and Macedonia are also candidates for membership in the European Union, a point Mrs. Clinton emphasized Tuesday.
"We leave here and go to Belgrade," she said. "Belgrade is on the path for Serbia to become a member of the E.U. We will then go to Pristina. Kosovo is on the path for a lot of positive changes."
In a news conference after the meeting with Bosnia's leaders, Ms. Ashton also noted that one of her aides had been in contact with Iranians on "how to move forward" the negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. The talks are between Iran and the five members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. Ms. Ashton said she would be in contact with the chief Iranian negotiator, Saeed Jalili, shortly.
Addressing Iran directly at the news conference, Mrs. Clinton said: "The window remains open to resolve the international community's concerns about your nuclear program diplomatically and to relieve your isolation, but that window cannot remain open indefinitely. Therefore, we hope that there can be serious, good-faith negotiations commenced soon."
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