The legal representative of Republika Srpska, Lazar Stjepanović, emphasized that the Office of the High Representative (OHR), with or without the so-called Bonn powers, cannot continue to exist if the narrative of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path is to be taken seriously.
“That office will have to be closed because no European country functions in such a way, with a body like that within itself,” Stjepanović stated.
According to him, over the past nearly 30 years, the high representatives have maximally abused the so-called Bonn powers.
“When you read them, it is clear that they do not grant any legal authority to the high representative to actually change laws or the Constitution, or, in the end, to suspend legal acts, as was done in the Federation of BiH,” Stjepanović told Glas Srpske.
On the other hand, he added, Republika Srpska had no mechanism to resist this, as those actions were carried out under the backing of the U.S., the United Kingdom, and other Western powers.
“If we look at things from a legal perspective, those powers never actually granted the high representatives the ability to change laws — and yet, that is exactly what they did,” Stjepanović said.
He pointed out that the most recent statements by officials from Republika Srpska are calling for a return to the framework of the Dayton Agreement, including Annex 10, which concerns the mandate of the OHR.
Source: RTRS
