Senior officials of the U.S. State Department and the European External Action Service (EEAS) began in Sarajevo on Sunday a series of meetings with representatives of political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to encourage them to agree on changes to the BiH Election Law.

The special U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, and the EEAS Director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey and Great Britain, Angelina Eichhorst, first met with a delegation of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) led by Bakir Izetbegovic.

Then they met with representatives of the Croat Democratic Union of BiH (HDZ BiH), led by Dragan Covic. In the afternoon, they are expected to talk with representatives of opposition parties.

On Monday, they are scheduled to meet with members of the parliamentary task force drawing up amendments to the election law, and then with the members of the BiH Presidency.

Speaking to the press after Sunday's talks, Izetbegovic said, “We are close to a solution via a legislative package and previous negotiations. A huge path is behind us. We have similar views and willingness.”

He said Palmer and Eichhorst now had to agree with the opposition a format that would make a solution even closer.

Covic said earlier he expected a final agreement to be reached with the mediation of Palmer and Eichhorst. He said the HDZ BiH and the SDA had practically agreed on possible solutions for the election of members of the Presidency and the upper houses of the state and Federation entity parliaments.

Palmer and Eichhorst are expected to present their impressions on Monday.