Željka Cvijanović, the Serb member of the BiH Presidency, stated that the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, realizing that the opposition in Republika Srpska is in a very weak position, has decided to take on their role ahead of the local elections.
Referring to the numerous statements issued by the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo in recent times, criticizing the authorities of Republika Srpska and sending discouraging messages to potential investors, Cvijanović emphasized that it wouldn’t hurt for many embassies in BiH to return to the framework of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
- I am sure that such behavior in the countries they come from would not be tolerated for even 24 hours – Cvijanović said in an interview with “Politika.”
Speaking about the letter recently sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, Elmedin Konaković, to Western capitals, pleading for the retention of the OHR in BiH, Cvijanović said that Konaković does not represent BiH and that he wrote the letter on his own behalf.
- Konaković is just one example of the persistent violation of constitutional procedures by Bosniak politicians, which has been happening continuously, and which is also continuously tolerated by those same foreigners who supposedly defend the Dayton Constitution but are actually dismantling it together with their Bosniak partners. This is a practice that has been undermining BiH for decades – Cvijanović stated.
Regarding the OHR or the role of the High Representative, Cvijanović emphasized that it should have been returned to the framework of the Dayton Agreement long ago, with priority given to dialogue between BiH and the EU if the aim was to give BiH a chance to begin living as a normal democratic state.
- Tolerating a situation where one individual, for example, enacts laws instead of democratically elected parliaments, truly does not seem normal or democratic. However, Konaković and those like him need a foreign tutor who will turn Bosniak political desires into reality, and that’s why he wrote what he did – Cvijanović remarked.
She pointed out that President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik and the director of “Službeni glasnik” Miloš Lukić are being prosecuted for something that would not be prosecuted in any democratic and well-organized country, which is why Bosniak politicians are writing letters around the world, begging for the continued presence of those who have enabled them to use the judiciary to deal with Republika Srpska and its elected representatives.
Regarding the Constitutional Court of BiH, Cvijanović noted that certain patterns exist and that some foreigners support the privatization of joint institutions by the Bosniaks and then support their decisions, which are invariably detrimental to Republika Srpska.
- According to the general belief in Republika Srpska, the Constitutional Court, through its decisions that have created new constitutional solutions instead of protecting the existing constitution, has been a generator of many political crises in BiH. Therefore, there has been a call for its reform so that this institution can gain the necessary credibility and its decisions would no longer be the subject of persistent debates and crises – she said.
Cvijanović emphasized that this is obviously not in the interest of those who are trying in every way to centralize BiH and then accuse Republika Srpska of opposing the deviations in the constitutional system of the country caused by various interventions of the High Representatives or the decisions of that court.
- The reform of the Constitutional Court, as well as the regular judiciary, needs to be approached in a serious and responsible manner so that, on one hand, there is effective protection of the constitution, and on the other hand, general legal security for all citizens and economic entities. Why some are opposed to this is a question for Bosniak politicians and certain foreign embassies – Cvijanović said.
She noted that the future of governance at the BiH level can only rest on dialogue among representatives of the three nations, regardless of the aspirations of some political parties to present themselves as civic.
- And true dialogue will only be possible when political Sarajevo stops dreaming of golden fish from abroad who will deliver a unitary BiH to them on a silver platter – Cvijanović concluded.
Source: RTRS
