Radovan Kovačević, the Serb delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that attempts to appropriate Serb history, culture and heritage, which he described as having existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina for centuries, would not succeed, adding that the same message had been conveyed by the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović.
Kovačević said that the events at the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated how Denis Bećirović, Željko Komšić and what he referred to as the political leadership in Sarajevo view the country.
“They envision a Bosnia and Herzegovina in which Serbs and Republika Srpska have no say and are instead expected to accept decisions imposed by political Sarajevo,” Kovačević said.
He described Cvijanović’s response as appropriate, saying it sent a clear message that neither Republika Srpska nor the Serb people would accept imposed decisions.
“The idea that, after 30 years, foreign members should be brought back into a commission to outvote the Serbs together with you, while at the same time claiming there is no international element involved and therefore no basis for the Serb member of the Presidency to invoke the protection of the vital interests of Republika Srpska, is simply unbelievable,” Kovačević said.
He also referred to the tenure of former U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael Murphy.
“I must remind everyone of one thing. During the period when Michael Murphy was serving as the U.S. ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, we received information that he told representatives of political parties from Sarajevo at one meeting to completely ignore the decisions of Republika Srpska and act as though they were making decisions independently. When one participant asked what would happen if Serb representatives from Republika Srpska did the same while holding equivalent positions, he allegedly replied: ‘Then we will prosecute them through the judiciary,’” Kovačević said.
He reiterated that, in his view, any model of Bosnia and Herzegovina that allows Serbs to be outvoted without the ability to protect their interests is unacceptable and “will not succeed.”
Source: RTRS
