Defending the constitutional powers of Republika Srpska means defending the Dayton Peace Agreement, not challenging peace, Marko Romić emphasized during a lecture at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Romić, Secretary General to the President of Republika Srpska and Senior Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Law of the University of Banja Luka, delivered a lecture titled Three Decades of Dayton: A Peace That Never Became a State.
During the lecture, he addressed the constitutional position of Republika Srpska, the imposition of laws and what he described as efforts to replace the Dayton constitutional framework with a centralized system of government.
Romić calls for respect for the Dayton constitutional framework
“Republika Srpska was not established only to be reduced one day to an administrative unit without meaningful powers. Its institutions, self-government and constitutional guarantees are part of the agreement that ended the war,” Romić stated.
He argued that Republika Srpska should not be expected to surrender its constitutional position gradually in the name of political reforms or European integration.
“Therefore, Republika Srpska cannot be asked to accept the gradual abandonment of that position under the pretext of reforms or the European path,” he emphasized.
Romić also stressed that cooperation within BiH must be based on agreement and respect for the constitutional rights of its constituent peoples.
“Cooperation is possible, but not on the basis of outvoting the Serb people and imposing laws. The future cannot be built by weakening Republika Srpska, but by respecting its rights and reaching agreements among equals,” he said.
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of presenting Republika Srpska’s position clearly to the American public.
“This is the position that must also be clearly presented to the American public,” Romić concluded.
Source: RTRS
