The attacks on the political “Eight” in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) entity do not stop. This party took power from the SDA, which was in the same coalition for the previous 20 years. Is a responsible policy with a perspective emerging?
The conclusions from the meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Elmedin Konakovic (NiP) and the President of the Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik (SNSD) are still actual, and the SDA accused the head of the BiHdiplomacy that “he is humiliating himself by going to Banja Luka at Dodik’s feet”.
On the other hand, the messages that Konakovic sent in Banja Luka were last heard 15 years ago, when the then president of the SDA, Sulejman Tihic, said from the National Assembly of the RS (NARS), that this entity is an integral part of BiH and that no one can abolish it without the will of the Serbian people.
Political reality
“This is a country consisting of two entities, that is the political reality. And it can be changed only in the BiH Parliament with a two-thirds majority, when we all vote for it,” said BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konakovic during his visit to Banja Luka.
Some, criticizing the Minister of Foreign Affairs Konakovic for deciding to go to Banja Luka first, characterized the visit as an official visit abroad, putting the RS in the context of an international visit. That, says Asim Metiljevic, a political analyst from Sarajevo, is a sly attempt to inadequately present the cooperation between the two leaders.
“They are coalition partners. It’s pointless to put it in that context. They formed the government at the state level and it is normal for them to meet. That is a sly thesis,” noted Metiljevic.
The political struggle is currently being waged to take over the government of the Federation, which is at least formally headed by the SDA. This party has already announced that it will block all moves in the House of Peoples, if the will of the citizens is not respected. On the other hand, Konakovic has already announced that the head of the new government will be Nermin Niksic, the first man of the SDP. If such a proposal does not pass in the parliament of the entity of the FBiH, that is, if it is blocked in the House of the People, he will, as he announces, take over the government in another way.
“While we take care and make decisions in the interest of our citizens, it is sad to see how he humiliates himself for the umpteenth time by going to the feet of Dodik,” said Novalicafter Konakovic‘s visit to Banja Luka, accusing him of being ready to hand over state property and the most valuable resources, including those on the Drina River, to Dodik. All that to keep his ministerial position.
Misunderstanding of the matter
Nevertheless, the whole story about state property, analysts say, is not fully understood and is a topic that needs to be agreed upon. Asim Metiljevic recalls the decision of the Constitutional Court, which said that there is nothing controversial in the construction of the hydroelectric plant Buk Bijela (one of the projects on which the RS and the Federation need to reach an agreement, even though the issue of the border between Serbia and BiH has not been completed) and that that issue only needs to be regulated by laws that define what belongs to whom.
Current topics
During the meeting between the new head of diplomacy of BiHElmedin Konakovic (NiP) and the president of the RS Milorad Dodik (SNSD), extremely friendly tones could be heard. Dodik expressed his satisfaction that the Council of Ministers, thanks to the established mechanism, started its work and stated that he will consult with Konakovic on every open issue. At the same time, he warned that there are a number of issues on which it will be difficult to reach a consensus, and one of them is the issue of imposing sanctions on Russia. Dodik also pointed out that he will seek to reduce international interventionism, that is, to exclude the influence of foreigners in the work of institutions such as courts and prosecutor’s offices, DW reports.
E.Dz.
