Ambassador Branko Branković told Srna that clearly establishing Christian Schmidt’s status is something that must always be insisted upon—especially during a possible UN Security Council session on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina—because exposing his illegal actions in BiH effectively invalidates all decisions made against the president of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.
Branković said that during the closed consultations held last night at UN headquarters in New York, at Russia’s request, Russian representative Dmitry Polyanskiy emphasized that Dodik is being prosecuted based on decisions made by the illegal High Representative Schmidt—who was not approved by the UN Security Council or Republika Srpska.
“This is what we must insist on. Dodik has been clear about the nature of this situation. The decision by the Central Election Commission (CIK) and the initiative behind it are entirely unlawful! Who is Schmidt? He is merely a tourist, with no mandate whatsoever that he might have had if the UN Security Council had sent him to BiH—but it didn’t,” Branković stressed.
He reiterated that Schmidt, as an unauthorized individual, cannot make any decision with legal force.
“This is as clear as day and needs no further elaboration. If Russia requests a Security Council session, the discussion must clearly and finally settle the matter—that Schmidt is unauthorized and that everything he does in BiH is illegitimate and unrelated to the Security Council or the Dayton Agreement, as we, signatories to the agreement, clearly state,” said Branković, who is also a former Serbian ambassador to the UN.
Branković emphasized again that Schmidt had no right and still has no right to initiate any actions.
“From the moment he crossed the border into BiH, he became a tourist, and he holds no other status—therefore, he has no authority whatsoever,” Branković concluded.
Source: RTRS
