The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Valentin Inzko, who resigned on Thursday after 12 years in that position, stated that the Dayton Peace Agreement does not predict a peaceful separation in BiH.
In an interview for Politika, daily news from Belgrade, Inzko, while answering the question on the “non-papers” that have appeared recently, told that they did great political damage and created an atmosphere of instability.
Commenting on the initiatives to close the Office of the High Representative (OHR), Inzko stated that the politicians who are most responsible for its existence are the ones who talk the most about the need to close it.
He mentioned that in 2009 when he got this position, he received a paper on which it was written “closing the OHR as soon as possible”, but only with the previous fulfillment of “five plus two conditions”, among which is the realization of the rule of law.
Inzko added that in time there was a readiness to close it, but it did not happen, as he stated, because “there was a story once again that the inter-entity line should be the border, that the BiH Constitutional Court should not be respected, that BiH is an untenable state and that it needs to peacefully separate… “.
As Inzko stressed, the decision to close the OHR can only be made by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), on the recommendation of the High Representative, which should be supported by evidence from which it can be concluded that all the set conditions have been met.
When asked whether he intended to respond to the Republika Srpska (RS) Assembly over the rejection of his request to withdraw recognitions awarded to individuals who were convicted by The Hague tribunal, Inzko said he was still considering what to do.
“Punishment is not the goal, but catharsis and I am sorry that it was not done,” added Inzko.
As for the law on genocide denial, which he announced he would impose, he noted that there are some other combinations and that he lives in the hope that a domestic solution will be reached since that, as he believes, would be the best option, Nezavisne writes.
E.Dz.
