Lawyer and legal representative of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, Goran Petronijević, stated today that Republika Srpska is not in a constitutional and legal crisis, but Bosnia and Herzegovina is—and that since the moment Christian Schmidt assumed the position of High Representative, without it being done in accordance with international law, the Dayton Agreement, and the UN Charter.
Speaking for TV K1, Petronijević said that from that moment all problems began, stressing that Christian Schmidt was appointed in an unlawful way, while all previous High Representatives were appointed in the prescribed manner.
“Christian Schmidt is not the High Representative—he is a German diplomat, period. In the proceedings against President Dodik, we received official reports from the Russian Federation and China, members of the Security Council, stating that Schmidt did not go through the election procedure. When a permanent member of the Security Council asserts that he cannot perform that function, for us there is no legal dilemma,” Petronijević emphasized.
According to him, Schmidt was placed in the position by Angela Merkel, with the support of part of the Western, that is, Brussels administration, after the mini-resolution proposed by Russia was rejected.
He explained that the proposal had been for Schmidt to serve as acting High Representative for one year, but without Bonn powers, until a suitable person was found.
“Since that proposal was rejected, nothing further happened. The consequence of this is an abuse of office—the fact that he was not appointed in the prescribed way, and that he assumed legislative powers, completely sidelining the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, which is the only body authorized to legislate. According to the Dayton Agreement, the High Representative has the role of overseeing implementation of the agreement and informing and advising on it,” Petronijević said.
He added that, in his view, the European political approach is losing legitimacy.
“European illiberalism is trying to crush rights and replace them with rules, but that leads to the fact that they have no power. Europe has no real strength to act that way. Very soon they will face the fact that they have nothing to threaten with,” he noted.
According to Petronijević, the root of the crisis lies in laws Schmidt intended to impose, aimed at stripping Republika Srpska of its property.
“Everything is turned upside down. Serbs, President Dodik, SNSD, and the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska are accused of undermining BiH. On the contrary, they are trying to preserve BiH by, as much as possible, returning the system to the original Dayton powers. That is the only way it can function. Otherwise, with these imposed powers, BiH is a monster and dysfunctional,” he concluded.
He also stressed that BiH does not have a legitimately constituted Constitutional Court.
“BiH has only one judicial institution provided for by the Constitution, and the prescribed composition of that court. That court cannot work or make decisions without the two Serb judges. How can a court rule when its composition is not in line with the Constitution? These are invented institutions, and Republika Srpska has been brought to the brink of existence,” Petronijević underlined.
Speaking about the announced referendum in Republika Srpska, Petronijević said that the people will, in his opinion, reject the unlawful decisions.
“The way Christian Schmidt acts, with the support of the Brussels wing of the EU, is crucial. That part of Europe seeks a new hotspot. They are encouraging BiH and political Sarajevo to persist in their crude attempt to push decentralization. But BiH is not a centralized state. In this situation, the sovereignty of the Serb people has disappeared,” he stressed.
He added that Republika Srpska will continue to live with its own institutions and carry on.
Commenting on political changes in Srpska, Petronijević emphasized that the process of forming a new government was conducted in line with procedures.
“The previous prime minister, Radovan Višković, resigned. That means a new government must be elected. This process has been completed, I congratulate the new government, and I am confident that in this composition it will achieve better results,” Petronijević said.
Source: RTRS
