The Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Zukan Helez, commented on the amendments and supplements to the Law on Police adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NARS), which introduces a reserve component of the police.
He pointed out that the amendments to this Law are unconstitutional and contrary to the Dayton Peace Agreement.
“The introduction of a reserve component of the RS police further destabilizes the security situation in BiH, awakens fears, creates a climate of distrust, and deepens the crisis. I remind you that the international community, specifically the IPTF, dissolved the reserve components of the entity police in 2002 and prohibited their reactivation. With this decision, the regime in the smaller BiH entity is taking us two decades backwards. Dodik’s regime increasingly resembles the rule of war criminals Karadzic and Mladic,” said Helez.
In the continuation of his reaction, he sent an appeal to the international community.
“What is in the head of the deranged Dodik and what his intentions are, are questions for psychiatric experts, but also for the High Representative in BiH and the Office of the High Representative (OHR). I call on the international community to urgently react, in accordance with its decision from 2002, and annul the controversial law introducing the reserve component of the RS police. On this occasion, I would like to inform the public in our country that the Ministry of Defense of BiH and the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH)are in the final stages of processes that will enable the formation of a reserve component of the AFBiH. The formation of a reserve component of the AFBiH is a process supported by the NATO Headquarters in BiH and international partners of our country, in accordance with the Constitution of BiH and the laws of our country, and is fully aligned with NATO standards,” he emphasized.
He explained that the reserve component of the AFBiH, by decision of the Presidency of BiH, can number up to 5.000 reservists.
“The AFBiH belong to everyone. By establishing the reserve component of the AFBiH, we are strengthening the capacities of our armed forces so that they are as prepared as possible to carry out the tasks defined by law, especially their primary role, which is the protection of statehood, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of BiH,” concluded Helez.
Namely, the Ministry of Defense is obliged to form a reserve component in accordance with Article 35 of the Law on Defense.
