The legal team of Milorad Dodik, his son Igor and others received before the District Court in Florida until August 25 to submit an objection to the explanation of the US administration, which requested the dismissal of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by Dodik’s legal team in April, challenging the sanctions that Dodik and the others were under until October last year.
Journalist Ivica Puljić from Washington spoke about the extension of the deadline and the possible reasons for such a decision.
“It’s a common decision. It’s summer, maybe there aren’t enough judges, prosecutors, lawyers and so on. Dodik’s lawyers asked for the deadline to be extended, and the court approved it. Now the deadline is no longer until the end of this month, but until August 25. It’s still a kind of gray area and not everything is the clearest,” Puljić said.
Extended deadline for response
According to Puljić, the court in Miami approved the request of the legal team led by lawyer Robert Davy Garson, who, according to Puljić, is also a lobbyist for Dodik in the United States of America.
“The court in Miami simply granted Dodik’s legal team, led by attorney Robert Davy Garson, to extend the deadline for responding to the US government’s request to dismiss the lawsuit,” Puljić said.
He reminded that the sanctions against Dodik and his associates were lifted in October last year, during the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“Dodik and his company enjoyed the support of, among others, the US Minister of Finance and US President Donald Trump, the very people who lifted the sanctions. Therefore, these are some things that are very strange. Why Dodik is doing this is a bit unclear,” Puljić said.
According to him, there are reactions in the Congress of the United States of America to the decision to lift sanctions.
“There are reactions in Congress. They think that, I can say it openly, it is stupid. They have asked on several occasions for the sanctions to be returned to Dodik. People from both parties in Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, have asked for this, while the executive power is doing absolutely nothing for now,” said Puljić.
What is behind the new lobbying offensive?
Speaking about allegations of criticism in the American media due to the effects of lobbying by Dodik’s legal and political team, Puljić assessed that one should be careful here.
“I don’t know, I wouldn’t really tell the American media. Maybe somewhere in some insignificant media. It can’t be said that the American media paid attention to it. Believe me, it’s simply not a topic in the leading American media. There are a few sentences about all this in some smaller media,” Puljić said.
However, he claims that Dodik launched a new lobbying offensive in the United States of America.
“American political activist, Zionist and Dodik’s lobbyist Marc Zell thanked Republika Srpska for protecting the Jewish community, as he says, in these dangerous times,” Puljić said.
Puljić then conveyed a part of Zell’s message, in which he presented the Republika Srpska as the protector of the Jewish community, while at the same time making serious accusations against the Muslim authorities in Sarajevo.
In this context, Puljić recalled the allegations of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about the presence of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Puljić, however, pointed out what he considers to be an important part of the context that, according to him, Dodik’s lobbyists are leaving out.
“What is not stated, what Dodik’s lobbyists are avoiding, is the fact that in March of this year, Bosnia and Herzegovina officially designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, along with other European countries,” said Puljić.
He also reminded of several other states that have complied with that decision.
The new American strategy and Dodik’s role in it
As another example of a change in approach in part of American political circles, Puljić cited an article published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, which deals with the issue of American interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As he stated, the authors of the text are advocating the reduction of international supervision over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a change in American policy towards the region.
“They write that they consider the removal of international supervision, referring to the OHR, as a way to enable the local population to self-determination, portraying RS leaders, like Dodik, as potential friends of the anti-globalization policies of America and Europe,” Puljić said.
According to him, the authors are advocating an end to international intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a change in American policy towards the RS, among other things, through an effort to reduce Iranian influence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“American security is at stake, state the authors of the text, and add a few more elements of Iran’s influence on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and describe Dodik as a man who has been fighting for decades against globalist programs promoted by the European Union and previously the United States of America,” said Puljić.
Puljić believes that Dodik continues to intensify lobbying in the United States of America, especially through connecting his own political views with part of the American right and supporters of Donald Trump.
“From the very beginning, Dodik’s support for President Trump was obvious. These efforts were followed by the strong support that President Trump has among Americans of Serbian origin. So, these are new things and Dodik continues even deeper with his lobbying,” concluded Puljić, Federalna writes.
