UNITED NATIONS, May 1. /TASS/. The UN Security Council should help prevent a conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina where the situation is deteriorating quickly, Russia's envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"The reason why the Russian Federation has requested today's meeting is the sharp deterioration of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The already fragile situation in that country risks deteriorating further in the near future," he said. "We often hear in this chamber that the Security Council must prevent conflicts. Many countries declare this issues to be at the top of their agenda, and the UN secretary general often speaks about it. The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in our view, is exactly the case where the Council can show its worth in terms of prevention."

The Security Council "needs to react to the situation," the diplomat said.

Nebenzya said Security Council members, including Russia, had received a letter requesting an urgent meeting of the Security Council from the Serbian member of the BiH Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic. The letter said that "critical developments are taking place in her country, a part of which she represents, that could undermine the functionality and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina," according to the Russian diplomat.