Clicks: Antonio Zanardi Landi, former Italian ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, favorite to succeed Christian Schmidt

Following the resignation of Christian Schmidt as High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi is being mentioned as the favorite to succeed him, the Sarajevo-based portal Kliks (Klix.ba) reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.

According to these sources, Zanardi Landi has also been highlighted as the American proposal for the new High Representative, and "history shows that whoever the US favors has a great chance."

Ever since the establishment of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) under the Dayton Agreement, there has been an unwritten rule that a European is the High Representative and an American is his deputy.

Kliks states that the appointment of Zanardi Landi or another candidate from Italy would give that country all key international functions in BiH, which has never happened before.

The Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to BiH is Italian Luigi Sorecca, and the current Commander of EUFOR, Major General Maurizio Fronda, is also from that country.

The new High Representative is expected to be elected at the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) meeting in June.

The Sarajevo portal also assessed that the biography of Antonio Zanardi Landi, who was the Italian ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro twenty years ago, does not favor someone who would be a "neutral candidate and who could properly lead the OHR."

Diplomatic sources cited by Kliks believe that he is close to Serbian politics, which, as it is pointed out, would create new antagonisms in BiH.

They recall that in 2023, in an interview with the Belgrade-based Politika, the Italian diplomat "spoke highly of Serbia, how he carries it in his heart, and then of Russia, which raises questions about his neutrality."

"Europe may not agree to an American taking over the OHR, while the Americans want someone who will be acceptable to everyone in BiH. A British candidate is also mentioned as a compromise solution, but without specific information," the text states.