BiH public might obtain in May proposed changes to the Constitution of the FBiH on which a group of experts, appointed by Ambassador Patrick Moon in Sarajevo, began to work on last week.
Kasim Trnka, professor of International Law, who is a member of the expert team, said the goal is to give suggestions to BiH politicians in what way the FBiH can be rearranged.
‘’There are no given parameters. Last week, we had a meeting with Professor Moon. He told us that there are no restrictions, but that the US will not accept any further divisions, especially not a third entity. That, for the US, is not a solution’’, said Trnka.
Trnka does not expect for expert groups to make a document that would argue for the further division of BiH, but a ‘’normal system’’ that would make possible a more efficiently functioning of the bigger entity in BiH.
‘’Basically, our entire constitutional system breaks between elements of civil society and elements of national equality, to which is now added ‘Sejdić-Finci’, and which requires respect for the equality of national minorities. There now has to be a model that would be a combination of the protection of civil and collective rights’’, explained Trnka in a statement for the Sarajevo-based newspaper, ‘’Dnevni Avaz’’.
He believes that it does not mean the acceptance of the concept ‘’consocial democracy’’, and that this type of suggestion is detrimental to BiH.
‘’The suggestion that democracy is created inside the territories in which a national government would be formed and in within this framework democracy would develop, and that the elite would eventually agree on mutual interests, is not good for BiH. It leads to centralization and further divisions’’, said Professor Trnka.
Trnka has announced a series of meetings in the coming days, and added that in one place all that has until now been said about reform of the FBiH will be collected. According to him, ideas will also be collected in the field.
‘’There is always the risk of failure. We are also aware of that. When there has not been an acceptable solution for 17 years, then it is clear that we before us are a very difficult task. We are not under the illusion that we will suffer criticism’’, he said.
When asked when this topic can be discussed, this constitutional law expert said that everything has to be finished six months before elections are held, so by April of next year.
Trnka announced that an expert team will meet with a large number of people and organizations.
A meeting is scheduled with Jakob Finci, one of the plaintiffs in BiH for the violation of human rights because, under the Constitution, members of the national minority do not have a right to run for office at the state level.
