Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik on Thursday called on his parliament to annul the decision to call a referendum which sparked a political crisis in Bosnia.

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Dodik's proposal to vote on the cancellation of the referendum will be on the parliament's agenda on May 31, said speaker Igor Radojicic.

Dodik's Union of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) has a majority in the parliament of Republika Srpska.

Dodik's move comes after last week's talks with EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton who had promised him a reform of Bosnia's judiciary system that should resolve all disputed questions.

Ashton's surprise visit to Bosnia came amid a growing rift between the Bosnian Serb leadership and the top international representative in the country, Valentin Inzko, who had demanded the cancellation of the referendum planned for June.

The poll would have asked Bosnian Serbs if they support the country's central justice institutions tasked notably with handling cases of war crimes, organised crime and corruption.

It would have also asked whether they support the international representative's power to impose laws or fire elected officials if they go against the Dayton peace accords.

The top international envoy oversees civilian aspects of the accord that ended the 1992-1995 war.

Post-war Bosnia consists of two semi-independent entities -- the Serbs' Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. The two are linked by weak central institutions while each has its own government.

Source: AFP