It is unbefitting for a diplomat to interfere so directly and fervently in the internal affairs of their host country. Michael Murphy’s farewell pamphlet appears to be a personal attack on Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, legal experts suggest, RT Balkan reports.
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael Murphy, in his interview with Srpskainfo, commented on a range of issues, predominantly focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s internal matters, as is his usual approach. However, his primary focus was on Republika Srpska and President Milorad Dodik. Murphy accused Dodik of being responsible for all the negative processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, claiming the president lied, engaged in corruption, and pursued anti-Dayton policies.
The response from Republika Srpska’s president came quickly, with Dodik labeling the U.S. ambassador as the greatest calamity to have struck Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Every evil comes to an end, and soon we will bid farewell to Murphy, the greatest misfortune to ever strike Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is the largest natural disaster this country has endured, and the damage he has caused will take years to repair,” Dodik stated.
Dodik described Murphy as the biggest polluter of the public space, a schemer, and a corrupt protector of criminals, using his last days in office to further poison relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Dodik, Murphy’s actions harmed all three constituent peoples.
“Murphy is a disgrace to diplomacy, a gathering point of complexes who will be forced to live obsessed with hatred towards me. I don’t harbor such feelings. So, goodbye,” Dodik concluded.
Legal experts note that Murphy’s behavior is unbecoming of a diplomat and that his farewell remarks seem like a personal vendetta against Dodik.
“When Iran’s supreme leader addresses the public, he provides instructions on what to do and who to support or remove as obstacles. However, this is Europe, and we are an ancient people with the Dayton Peace Agreement, which we also signed. I acknowledge the role of the U.S. in ending the war, which I respect, but its role in creating the conflict, dismantling Yugoslavia, and instigating the war was equally significant. Anyone representing the U.S. should understand their words will be viewed through this lens,” legal expert Ognjen Tadić told RT Balkan.
Tadić lamented that the U.S. has not used the past 30 years to adopt a balanced approach toward all reconciled parties.
“Corruption, as mentioned by Ambassador Murphy, is undoubtedly a problem, but every U.S. Embassy favorite has been implicated in it at some point, raising questions about the credibility of these messages. Ultimately, Ambassador Murphy will soon leave his post, and it is only then that I expect an honest interview. American diplomats often speak truthfully only after retirement. For instance, one former U.S. ambassador advised then-Prime Minister Dodik in 2006 to start discussing a referendum and the independence of Republika Srpska. Another former deputy ambassador later remarked to me, ‘Do you think that Muslims, who were once Christians, should be more of a U.S. responsibility than the Serbs?’ Food for thought,” Tadić concluded.
Source: RTRS
