World Conservatives Hold Solidarity Meeting in Bosnia

An international alliance of conservative parties, the International Democratic Union, IDU, held the meeting of its Executive Committee and Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in Bosnia on Monday, in a sign of support to its local member parties and to the new EU plan for the country.

The event came four days after German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his British counterpart, Phillip Hammond, visited Bosnia in an attempt to push ahead the EU's new initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Everyone wants to give us a hand, to open doors or windows to us, let in some fresh air and help us move on," Martin Raguz, leader of the Croatian Democratic Union-1990, HDZ 1990, told the media.

The first high-level meeting of IDU members to take place in Bosnia will be presided over by the IDU chairman, New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key.

It will include representatives of 60 conservative parties from 30 countries, including some from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and UK Premier David Cameron's Conservatives, media reported.

The meeting is being hosted by local parties affiliated to this network. The [Bosniak] Party of Democratic Action, SDA, the [Serbian] Party of Democratic progress, PDP, and the two leading Bosnian Croat parties, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ and HDZ 1990 are all members.

During the conference, participants will discuss the state of economic, constitutional and other reforms that are crucial for Bosnia to be able to return to the path of EU integration, media reports said.