BOSNIA'S PRIME MINISTER NIKOLA SPIRIC RESIGNES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 2,2007) - Bosnia's Prime Minister Nikola Spiric resigned yesterday over a parliamentary reform proposed by the International Comunity's High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak.

"For 12 years foreigners have run this country and this is not good. I resign and this is the only right decision," said Spiric.

Lajcak has proposed new rules designed to strengthen the ability of the Bosnian state to enact further reforms that would lead to Bosnian membership in the European Union.

The proposals would change the way a quorum is calculated in order to make it more difficult for lawmakers to block decisions simply by not showing up.

On Wednesday, Lajcak's reform proposals won support from the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, which is comprised of more than 40 countries and international organizations that oversee the conditions of the peace agreement in Bosnia.

"The only objective of these measures is to streamline the decision-making process in the Bosnian Council of Ministers and the Parliament and they are necessary to speed up the reform process," the Peace Implementation Council said.