The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, announced today that he has suspended the financing of the SNSD and United Srpska from budgetary funds at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
These are parties led by the President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and the President of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, both fugitives from the Bosnian judiciary.
“I have made a decision suspending all payments of budgetary funds for financing the SNSD and United Srpska parties,” Schmidt told reporters in Sarajevo.
As he stated, all budgetary funds for financing the aforementioned parties will be redirected to a special account in the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“All budgetary funds for financing political parties intended for the SNSD and United Srpska, at all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the state, entity, cantonal, city, municipal and Brčko District levels, will be suspended and redirected to a special account in the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Schmidt said.
Anti-Dayton Activities
He stressed that this decision supports the efforts of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to “oppose the current flagrant attacks by the ruling coalition of Republika Srpska led by SNSD and United Srpska on the fundamental principles of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
He added that the leaderships of SNSD and United Srpska are at the forefront of anti-Dayton activities.
“The SNSD and United Srpska are continuously instrumentalizing the institutions of Republika Srpska in order to prevent the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina from effectively exercising their competences and implementing their decisions throughout the territory of the entire country”, said Schmidt and continued:
“The territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state are indisputable. Both entities and the Brčko District have rights guaranteed by the peace agreement. These constitutional rights remain, but these rights require respect for Dayton, democracy and acceptance of the rule of law”.
He further said that the leadership of the SNSD and United Srpska are encouraging the RS institutions and their citizens to commit criminal acts by threatening the citizens of Republika Srpska with sanctions if they show any form of resistance and disobedience.
“This is contrary to the interests of the citizens of Republika Srpska. The citizens of RS have equal rights to decide for themselves and politicians should not force them to obey. Citizens are threatened with criminal prosecution if they do not behave in a manner consistent with the pressures being exerted on them. We do not need fortresses in BiH, and those who think we need fortresses are not working in the interests and future of this country. State institutions, legislative, executive and judicial authorities have their foothold in the Dayton Peace Agreement,” Schmidt emphasized.
Decision comes into force immediately
He said that any opposition to this decision would be subject to criminal liability.
The decision comes into force immediately, and will be reviewed when these parties, Schmidt said, begin to respect the Dayton Peace Agreement.
“This decision comes into force immediately. When these parties demonstrate full respect for the Dayton Agreement, I will reconsider this decision, because anti-Dayton action has its consequences,” Schmidt said.
The High Representative announced that he would visit Butmir today and meet with the EUFOR commander.
The political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina followed after the Court of BiH sentenced RS President Milorad Dodik to one year in prison and a six-year ban on holding the office of entity president at the end of February, for disrespecting the decisions of the High Representative in BiH.
The BiH Prosecutor’s Office then issued an arrest warrant for Dodik, as well as RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković and the President of the RS National Assembly Nenad Stevandić. They are suspected of the crime of “attack on the constitutional order” after the RS National Assembly adopted, and Dodik signed, a decree on the publication of laws prohibiting the activities of state judicial and security institutions in that BiH entity.
The Court of BiH previously accepted the proposal of the State Prosecutor’s Office to issue an international arrest warrant for Dodik and Stevandić, who are charged with the crime of “attack on the constitutional order”. Interpol did not issue an international arrest warrant, and the Court of BiH requested a review of that decision.
Dodik has since crossed the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina several times to travel abroad.
Members of the Republika Srpska Ministry of Internal Affairs last night prevented inspectors from the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) from serving Dodik an arrest warrant in East Sarajevo, AA writes.
