The advisor to the president of Republika Srpska, Ognjen Tadić, stated that citizens feel that peace is threatened only because political Sarajevo has attacked the Dayton Peace Agreement. He emphasized that politicians must make rational decisions and that everything Republika Srpska does is based on preserving Dayton, the Constitution, and the competencies granted by these documents.
“This is a peace agreement. Anyone attacking it—and they have been doing so for 30 years—is sending a signal that someone is attacking peace. In this situation, Republika Srpska’s position is completely clear because everything it does is aimed at preserving the Dayton Peace Agreement,” Tadić said in an SRNA podcast.
He explained that he conducted research on social conflicts in this region, which showed that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not capable of producing its own war.
“I have assessed this region as a battleground where others fight, and we consequently get involved,” Tadić said.
He noted that this definition can be supported by the fact that all conflicts arise from differences in values or interests.
“There is an additional reason here, which is the tradition of conflict. Even when we want the same thing and think alike, we still have the potential for conflict. However, it cannot ignite from within us alone. We have learned to maintain stability even when we argue,” Tadić said.
He stressed that he fears conflict only because it could serve the interests of certain European states, meaning that a new hotspot could be used as an excuse for creating some new European defense architecture.
“However, this again does not come from us. Our responsibility extends only to the point where the people have expressed their will. Among Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, the people have clearly stated that they want Dayton principles, as everyone who participated in the elections signed to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Constitution of Republika Srpska. Beyond that, it is no longer the people’s responsibility, but that of the elected representatives, to resist foreign influence,” Tadić emphasized.
He said that everyone must recognize those within their own people who seek conflict, respond appropriately, and prevent any such scenario.
Tadić stated that Republika Srpska had no other option but to fight for its constitutional competencies in this manner. He pointed out that the trial against the president was just one phase in the dismantling and disempowerment of Srpska, orchestrated by political Sarajevo, Christian Schmidt, and the former US ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael Murphy.
“Schmidt accepted that role and went into the field to assert control. He managed to do so in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, partially at the state level, but he achieved nothing in Republika Srpska. Republika Srpska resisted,” Tadić emphasized.
He pointed out that sanctions had no effect on Republika Srpska officials, which is why they resorted to political disqualification of President Milorad Dodik, who opposed imposed solutions.
“There were those who said the president should not have gone to court, but that would have only shortened Schmidt’s path to his desired outcome,” Tadić said.
He assessed that the president’s decision to enter the legal process was the right one, as it bought time and allowed the court to make a proper decision, preventing the Bosniak political factor from escalating conflict with Republika Srpska.
“If the Bosniak side had refrained from entering this conflict and an acquittal had been delivered, it would have been beneficial for them as well. Not only would the crisis factor have appeared different, but there would have been an internal unity factor reinforcing the idea that Bosnia and Herzegovina should be a sovereign state,” Tadić noted.
Speaking about the verdict against Republika Srpska’s president, Milorad Dodik, Tadić said that it was not a personal issue for the president.
“When the president of Republika Srpska takes an oath on the Constitution, should it also state at the bottom that none of it applies if Christian Schmidt thinks otherwise? That is not democracy, and it has nothing to do with human rights and freedoms. That is not Europe!” Tadić emphasized.
Soruce: RTRS
