Representatives and delegates of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina from among the Serbian people elected from the Republika Srpska sent a letter to the European Parliament and the US Congress in which they present their view of the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, making unfounded and dangerous claims about terrorist cells in Bosnia and Herzegovina that could be activated.
At the beginning of the letter, they point out that the Dayton structure of BiH and the mechanisms established by the Dayton Peace Agreement are of key importance for the stability of BiH because the management policies and prevailing views of the world of the three constituent nations are “very different”.
“For example, the largest Bosniak political party is strongly Islamist-oriented. Eliminating the constitutional elements of the division of power is therefore unthinkable for Serbs and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” it said.
They believe that the Constitution of BiH is under attack from the high representative and other foreign actors who, as they claim, are centralizing BiH contrary to the Constitution of BiH. They add that RS opposes further erosion of the Constitution.
“Among those trying to abolish the Dayton Compromise are politicians who represent the Bosniak people in BiH, who often pose as post-nationalist reformers who advocate what they call a ‘civil state’ of BiH. No one should be fooled by this verbal trickery. the majority of the population in BiH, the ‘civil’ BiH that these politicians call for would be a country ruled by Bosniaks for Bosniaks. The mentioned nationalist policies of the largest Bosniak parties, as well as their constant efforts to achieve dominance in the institutions of government in BiH, confirm their intention to rule BiH without Serbs and Croats,” the letter reads.
The authors claim that the RS continues to support BiH’s efforts to become a member of the European Union and implement the reforms necessary to achieve this.
“The significant progress that BiH has recently achieved in the reforms necessary for the start of EU membership negotiations shows what domestic leaders in BiH can achieve when they are left room for agreement,” it said.
They add that in order to join the EU, it would be necessary to close the Office of the High Representative.
“Another reform that is clearly needed for BiH to move forward on the path to EU membership is for the judges of the Constitutional Court of BiH to be citizens of BiH instead of foreign judges with reserved positions forming a dominant bloc,” the letter reads.
They believe that the EU has rightly stated that the replacement of foreign judges is one of the 14 key priorities for the European integration of BiH and that this reform must be completed without delay.
“Only after several decades of refusal of the Bosniak parties to accept the long-overdue reform in which foreign judges would be replaced by domestic ones, in June 2023 the NSRS made a decision to temporarily suspend the implementation of certain decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina until the issue is resolved by the Parliamentary Assembly BiH. RS hopes that the issue of foreign judges will soon be resolved in a package with the other fourteen key priorities of European integration,” the authors of the letter emphasize.
About the High Representative
In the following, they point out that the Dayton Peace Agreement did not authorize the high representative to impose decisions in BiH and add that the last legitimately elected high representative left BiH in 2021.
“Leaving aside the fact that Schmidt is not a legitimate high representative, the self-aggrandizing of dictatorial powers over BiH and its citizens is a brazen and shocking abuse of the rule of law. No one, including even a legitimately appointed high representative, has any legal authority to make laws in BiH by mere decision”, it is stated.
The authors condemn the imposition of changes to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which establishes prison sentences for non-implementation of decisions of the High Representative. They claim that in response to “lawlessness”, the National Assembly of the RS adopted a law suspending the publication of OHR decisions in the Official Gazette of the RS.
“Officials of the Republika Srpska are being prosecuted under a fictitious law by an unconstitutional prosecution, before an unconstitutional court, with the aim of carrying out a tyrannical, anti-democratic, illegal decision by a foreigner against legally elected and appointed officials who simply carried out formal procedures that they were obliged to carry out by law.”
In the continuation of the letter, the authors claim that BiH has been a haven for “radical Islamists” for a long time.
“The largest party representing the majority national group in BiH, the Bosniaks, is explicitly Islamist in its ideology,” it states.
They add that there are villages in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina where the residents implement Shariah law, and that parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina inhabited by Bosniaks are still home to numerous “sleeper cells of Al Qaeda and ISIL”.
“Which could potentially be activated if and when the order arrives. Although the security situation seems to be stable in parts of BiH inhabited by Croats and Serbs, unfortunately, most of Sarajevo’s political institutions and media houses are not ready to face this problem.” it is stated.
The authors believe that the current war in the Gaza Strip will worsen the situation and bring new security problems to the country.
“In light of these facts, it is inexplicable that the OHR, under, under like many Western countries, is trying to centralize Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby concentrating all power in the hands of Bosniaks and strengthening the Islamist elite in Europe,” it is stated.
The letter is signed by member of the Collegium of the House of Representatives of BiH Nebojša Radmanović, member of the Collegium of the House of Representatives of BiH Nikola Špirić, chairman of the SNSD Club in the House of Representatives of BiH Sanja Vulić, chairman of the Club of Serbs in the House of Representatives of BiH Sredoje Nović and representative of the Democratic Alliance – Demos in the House of Representatives of BiH Čedomir Stojanovic, Klix.ba reports.
