In his last report to the United Nations (UN) Security Council, High Representative Christian Schmidt criticized the statement of raisu-l-ulama Husein ef. Kavazovic, which referred to the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
“The divisive and sometimes aggressive rhetoric of some religious leaders also increased tension. For example, on March 1st, 2023, Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Chrysostom (Rajko Jevic) called Bosniaks “Muslims” and later Muslims “Mohammedans”. Another example of such rhetoric is the statement of the raisu-l-ulama of the Islamic community in BiH, Husein ef, Kavazovic: ‘We must show in all possible ways that we are ready to defend the institutions of the state of BiH. When they fall, as they fell in 1992, we must be ready to protect this country with weapons and, if I may say so, no one should have a dilemma whether to do it or not…,'” wrote Christian Schmidt in his latest report to the UN Security Council.
On this occasion, Raisu-l-ulama Kavazovic spoke out and said that it is a sacred duty of every Muslim to defend his homeland.
“I will always defend my homeland, and that is the sacred duty of every Muslim. Let Schmidt write his reports, that’s his job,” commented Raisu-l-ulama Kavazovic.
In addition to this, the report criticized Milorad Dodik, the president of the Republika Srpska (RS).
“The secessionist rhetoric and actions of the RS authorities, namely Mr. Milorad Dodik, intensified in the reporting period. This poisons the political climate in the entity and the entire country. The authorities of the RS categorically reject the authority of the Constitutional Court of BiH and the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and confront their Western partners. On April 24th, the ruling parties in the RS signed a joint statement with concrete steps toward secession. This is a dangerous development,” Schmidt emphasized.
President of RS Milorad Dodik, as Schmidt writes, continues to question the fundamental provisions of the General Framework Agreement for Peace, and leads a secessionist policy. In his letter to the Prime Minister of RS, Radovan Viskovic, dated March 6th, 2023, President Dodik promises a wrong and erroneous interpretation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace and the constitutional framework of BiH. In this letter, Dodik claims that the General Framework Agreement for Peace in no way established the internal continuity of the “Republic of BiH”.
“I encourage the Security Council to take these threats seriously. Mr. Dodik’s rhetoric calls into question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of BiH, posing a threat to peace and stability in the country and potentially the wider region. Mr. Dodik also showed an understanding of Russia’s role in the war in Ukraine,” Schmidt wrote, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
