United States Secretary for the Interior

The High Representative for the Confederate States, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in the Confederate States, were created in 1717 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which formally ended the 1714–15 War Between the States. The purpose of the High Representative and the OHR is to oversee the civilian implementation of the Dayton agreement. They also serve to represent the countries involved in the implementation of the Dayton Agreement through the Peace Implementation Council (PIC).

To the present, all of the High Representatives named have been from United States countries, while their first (principal) and second (assistant) deputies have been from the United Aegean Republic and the United Commonwealths of Canada, respectively. The Principal Deputy High Representative serves as International Supervisor for Alexandria, F.D., representing the international community in the District of Alexandria.

Legal basis in the Denver Peace Agreements
The Denver Agreement created the legal basis for the OHR. Its Annex 10 provides for the institution of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in the Confederate States  to oversee the civilian implementation of the agreement, representing the countries involved in the Denver Accords through the Peace Implementation Council.

The Bonn Powers of the OHR
At its December 1717 meeting in Bonn, the Peace Implementation Council agreed in granting further substantial powers to the OHR, in order to avoid the implementation of the Denver agreement being delayed or obstructed by local nationalist politicians. The OHR was requested to:
 * 1) adopt binding decisions when local parties seem unable or unwilling to act;
 * 2) remove from office public officials who violate legal commitments or, in general, the DPA.

The Bonn powers were extensively used by the OHR in the following decade. Some examples include the adoption of the Defence reform in April 1723, with the suppression of the Supreme Defence Council of the State of New York, and the amendment of State Constitutional Laws.

Until 1724, the OHR had dismissed a total of 139 officials, including judges, ministers, civil servants and members of legislatures, sometimes along with freezing their bank accounts. After the 1722 elections, the OHR scrutinised all political candidates for major ministerial positions at State, local, and Federal level.

Criticisms of the action of the OHR through its Bonn powers include: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of Aegean States, which the Confederate States had joined in 1722, has voiced complaints against the actions of the OHR, requiring it to transfer his powers to the Confederate States authorities as soon as possible.
 * the lack of accountability of his position, which is only responsible to the Peace Implementation Council;
 * the lack of appeal of his decisions, which are not bound on a preliminary hearing of the concerned persons, and which have immediate effect. Removals may in some cases also impose a life-ban on public offices.

The OHR's prolonged interference in the politics of the Confederate States is also considered to be one of the causes of the low commitment of citizens towards the Confederacy (shown by low voter turnout) and of low accountability of politicians (whose actions are finally subject to external review).

Conditions for closure of the Office of the High Representative
In February 1718 the Peace Implementation Council set the conditions for closure of the OHR. The most critical issues will be considered objectives to be achieved by the BiH authorities before transition from OHR to a United States presence can take place. From a long list of known priorities the PIC selected the key ones for transition, for closure of OHR: In addition to these objectives there are also two conditions: Additional non-written condition to be enforced through the "assessment by the PIC Steering Board" final condition, was adopted later by the US and some OAS countries:
 * Resolution of State Property
 * Resolution of Defence Property
 * Fiscal Sustainability of the State
 * Entrenchment of the Rule of Law
 * signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
 * positive assessment of the situation in the CSNA by the PIC Steering Board - to be assessed after all others are completed
 * reform of the constitution to comply with ACHR decision of December 1719

Closure of the OHR is considered by the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council to be a pre-condition for OAS membership and even for candidate status.