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Diplomats say something must be done about unrest in Bosnia

This is the largest amount of unrest the country has seen since the end of their civil war in 1995.

By Aileen Graef

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The growing unrest in Bosnia and poor economic conditions have EU foreign ministers and Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu calling for action.

The protests started with a small anti-privatization protest in Tuzla Canton after factory workers were fired and turned into a larger protest. The protesters are calling for the resignation of the government and early elections. Youth unemployment has risen as high as 60 percent.

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"I think what happened there is a wake-up call," said British Foreign Minister William Hague after a meeting with the EU foreign ministers. "We need to focus more effort on helping Bosnia towards the European Union, towards NATO membership so that the stagnation in Bosnian politics and government can come to an end and I think this will become a more important issue in the coming month."

Some believe this to be more about economics than politics. Turkey has had a special interest in Bosnia and sent Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the country. Davutoglu said, "Today is the day to act in Bosnia and we must not wait any longer. Bosnia urgently needs international aid in the form of a new package of political and economic reforms. ... The Dayton peace agreement was of utmost importance for it helped end the war but it is obvious that it now hampers the functioning of the country."

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