The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH), Zeljko Komsic, addressed the United Nations (UN)Security Council regarding the discussion on the situation in BiH and the extension of the mandate of the EUFOR Althea mission.
At the beginning, Komsic thanked the members of the Security Council for their decision to extend the mission’s mandate, emphasizing that it is a decision of key importance for preserving peace and stability in BiH. He expressed special gratitude to the permanent representative of Greece.
Political crises and threats of secession
In his address, Komsic reminded that the past six-month period, presented through the Report of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), was marked by numerous political crises, which, as he said, were mostly connected to the court case against Milorad Dodik and the ruling of the Court of BiH.
“The goal of these political crises was to create conditions for the secession of the Republika Srpska (RS) from BiH,” Komsic said, adding that the decisions of the High Representative Christian Schmidt served only as a pretext, while “the real intention is a long-term attempt to destabilize and dismantle BiH.”
According to him, such activities have currently been halted thanks to the engagement of international partners, but, as he said, the danger of secession attempts still exists.
Attacks on Schmidt and attempts to abolish the OHR
Komsic warned that the attacks on High Representative Christian Schmidt are actually directed against the very institution of the OHR, with the goal of completely eliminating it from the political life of BiH.
“The ultimate goal of these attacks is not Schmidt as a person, but the abolition of the OHR, which would eliminate an entire annex of the Dayton Peace Agreement, thereby endangering the peace agreement itself,” Komsic emphasized.
He added that although he has often criticized Schmidt and his actions, he must point out that “all the decisions Schmidt made were not only his own, but were made in full coordination with international representatives in BiH, even at their request.”
The existence of the OHR as part of the Dayton Agreement
Komsic reminded that the OHR is an integral part of the Dayton Peace Agreement, defined by Annex X, and that all formal preconditions for its operation still exist.
“There is not a single formal precondition for closing the OHR, because the conditions known as the 5+2 criteria, set in 2008, have not been fulfilled. There is only a political desire of certain domestic and foreign actors to eliminate the OHR,” Komsic said.
He warned that “such moves would represent a blow to the structure of BiH and could potentially endanger the peace arrangement in the country and the region.”
Call for reforms and transition
Speaking about the future of BiH, Komsic emphasized that there are two options – a short-term one, which implies appointing a new High Representative and keeping the OHR, and a long-term one, which means initiating the transition of BiH into a truly democratic state.
“It is time for BiH to begin its transition toward a modern, democratic state based on the rule of law and the protection of human rights. That is the path toward European integration,” he emphasized.
Komsic called on international partners to support BiH in implementing constitutional and institutional reforms, concluding that “delaying these processes would be a dangerous game with the stability of BiH, the region, and the entire European continent.”
