The Joint Commission for Defense and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) organized yesterday an overview conference on the topic “Legislative framework, current situation and plans of the institutions of BiH in the field of defense and security”, and it seems that this time they managed to argue over the topics of state property and the NATO path to BiH.
Commission member Jasmin Imamovic points out that the members of this commission were informed about the work of defense and security institutions.
“We will have a meeting with the NATO delegation. Our goal, as a committee of the new convocation of the BiH Parliament, is to get information from the institutions for defense and security, to listen to reports in order to know what our next course of action is,” Imamovic said.
On the issue of state property, Imamovic said that the rules are clear.
“State property belongs to the state. The subject of state property is the state. We have that continuity. We need to sort out what is the object of state property and what types of state property they are and determine how to use them. This, of course, should also be passed by the state parliament,” told Imamovic.
Commission member Radovan Kovacevic (SNSD) referred to the announcements of Defense Minister Zukan Helez that BiH is closer to NATO and said that this is a story that does not belong to political decency.
“I emphasized that we do not prejudice the membership and that there is only cooperation. I regret that Minister of Defense Helez did not respond to the conference today. I would have a lot to say to him. As a minister, who should have a minimum of political decency, he should represent the interests of all citizens. We see that he is saying that BiH is getting closer to NATO. Imagine if everyone behaved like Helez and if Kosarac saw that meat was exported only from the RS or if the finance minister only cared about the financial interests of the Republika Srpska (RS). This is not the way we should work in BiH. BiH can only function on the basis of compromise,” Kovacevic said yesterday.
When it comes to state property, Kovacevic points out that Dayton doesn’t stipulate that it is a matter for the state but for the entities.
“I am ready to work and act in accordance with Dayton and the Constitution of BiH. There is no body called Peace Implementation Council (PIC) anywhere. It is a non-existent body. If we are going to be legalists, PIC does not exist. It is unnecessary to discuss their conclusions. The property was settled by Dayton The Dayton Agreement clearly determined what the competencies of BiH are and what belongs to BiH. In Article 3.3, it is written that everything that is not expressly stated as the competence of BiH belongs to the entities. It is clear that the property belongs to the RS and the Federation of BiH (FBiH). We from RS are ready to sit down tomorrow with the representatives of the FBiH and make an agreement and predict what is needed by BiH and its institutions and to cede it as entities to the state,” Kovacevic said.
Also, the member of the Commission Kemal Ademovic (NiP) addressed the public and said that BiH’s membership in NATO will be decided in the parliament, and possibly in a referendum.
“Today, the directors and deputy directors of security agencies submitted abbreviated reports and said what was done and what the problems were. I must say that the 20 percent increase in the budget at the BiH level stabilized the work of these agencies, including the Ministry of Defense, because salaries were increased. When it comes to what Kovacevic mentioned, related to the NATO path. It is a fact that we are an associated member of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO and I am the chairman of the delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the NATO alliance. We were at the spring session. The final decision on joining NATO – will be decided by the authorities at the BiH level, and ultimately by the citizens in a referendum. I promise that we will seek a compromise, an agreement, and come to the best solutions for BiH,” said Ademovic yesterday.
On the issue of state property, Ademovic points out that the Constitutional Court of BiH has issued judgments on this issue and that they must be respected.
“The High Representative is a constitutional category. The Constitutional Court is a constitutional category. It made several judgments that speak about state property. If we say that we respect Dayton, then the High Representative is also the Constitutional Court. I would not enter into further controversy. I prefer that we agree to pass a law in the BiH Parliament,” concluded Ademovic, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
