The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Denis Zvizdic and the Speaker of the House of Peoples, Bakir Izetbegovic sent a joint letter to European Parliament President David Sassoli, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Union (EU) High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, European Council President,Charles Michel and members of the Council, Speakers of the House of Representatives and Senate in the United States (U.S.) Congress, Nancy Pelosi and Joseph Leahy, and other relevant representatives of the EU institutions, the Council of Europe,and the U.S.
This letter was sent to several hundred addresses, including all MEPs, members of the Bosnian Caucus in the U.S. Congress, as well as the foreign ministers of EU member states.
In the letter, Zvizdic and Izetbegovic warn of the current situation in BiH and the possibility of escalation of tensions created by unconstitutional and illegal activities of part of the political forces from the Republika Srpska (RS) entity.
The leaders of both houses of the PABiH reminded of the consequences of the last war, which resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the RS entity, the demolition of Catholic and Muslim places of worship. and the erasure of traces of Bosniaks and Croats in this part of BiH. They also reminded that after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, with the strong support of the international community, the process of normalization and reconciliation in BiH started and that in the meantime, significant success has been achieved.
“Also, we can say with certainty that BiH would be a far more stable and successful state today if it were not for the activities of the SNSD political party led by Milorad Dodik. In the last 15 years, at first modestly, and over time more openly and harshly, this politician and his associates have slowed down the country’s progress on its Euro-Atlantic path and gave their best to maintain apartheid towards Croats and Bosniaks in the RS, ” it was mentioned in the letter.
Izetbegovic and Zvizdic pointed out that in the official documents from the Congress from 2015, the SNSD stated as its strategic goal the secession of the RS entity from BiH, ie the completion of Karadzic’s and Mladic’s goals by political means.
Such a policy, it was added, calls into question the results of the enormous efforts that have been made in recent decades to implement important reform processes, in which the international community has also made great efforts.
“Now these are valid laws of the state of BiH, and the basic principle of the legal hierarchy that applies in all democratic states is that lower levels of government and their parliaments cannot change or repeal valid state laws,” it was added.
Izetbegovic and Zvizdic remind that the EU and the U.S. are among the signatories of the Dayton Agreement and that they have the obligation to react in case of violation of its provisions, so that specific activities are expected that would confirm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH.
E.Dz.
Source: BHRT
