Bakir Izetbegovic, the leader of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), has dismissed the possibility of one-on-one talks on electoral reform disputes with leader of the HDZ BiH party Dragan Covic at the upcoming meeting with European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels.

“I can always meet for a coffee with Mr Covic and Mr Michel, but holding further one-on-one talks with Covic – I won't do that ever again,” Izetbegovic said in an interview with the Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT.

Izetbegovic, who is the Bosniak politician and leader of the centre-right SDA party is one of the main actors alongside the Bosnian Croat leader Covic in the talks on electoral reform, which were up to recently mediated by the EU and US.

Speaking to BHRT, he noted that the leaders of 15 parties that have deputies in Bosnia and Herzegovina's state parliament would be visiting Brussels on 12-13 June and meet there with European Council President Michel.

The EU official recently held talks in Sarajevo with Covic and Izetbegovic on disputes regarding the implementation of election results in the country and ways to step its integration with the EU.

The SDA leader now rejects the possibility of such a format for meetings, demanding that other parliamentary parties take part in the talks as well.

Izetbegovic said that in earlier talks on the election reform regarding the model of election of members of the BiH Presidency and members of the House of Peoples of the Bosniak-Croat Federation entity, the HDZ BiH party and its leader Covic had unrealistic demands.

“He made increasingly big demands. We won't accept it. He must change the way he treats us, the pro-Bosnian and Bosniak bloc and reduce his demands,” Izetbegovic said.

The SDA has adopted conclusions welcoming the European Council president's involvement in efforts to resolve disputes in BiH, describing as ‘absurd’ claims that decisions by the international community in BiH favour the Bosniak side and the SDA.

“We reject as unfounded and absurd frequent claims by BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and a number of other actors close to them about the West unconditionally supporting Bosniaks and the SDA,” the party said.

It added that the SDA and representatives of the EU, the USA and the Office of the High Representative in BiH have the same goal, “building a functional, democratic state with stable institutions and ensuring the rule of law.”