2 hours agoDodik opposes the US: We will implement our policies
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)US Secretary of State Antony Blinken through a special letter sent to Bosnian Serb officials urged them to stop blocking the work of BiH institutions, but Serbian member of the Bosnian Presidency Milorad Dodik on Wednesday showed no willingness to do so, despite the sanctions threats by Washington. In one [...]
At a meeting in Sarajevo, BiH presidency members were handed BiH's letter to Blinken by his adviser, Derek Chollet, who arrived on a new diplomatic mission along with US special envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar.
The full content of the letter was not immediately published, but Dodik said at a news conference in Sarajevo that Chollet told him that the United States was against unilateral decisions planned in Republika Srpska and demanded that the work of the BiH Presidency, the Council of Ministers and Parliament be unblocked.
These organs have been blocked because Republika Srpska officials have refused to make any decisions since August. Thus, they initially planned to withdraw the law sanctioning denial of war crimes, but later Dodik presented a plan under which RS would take over numerous competencies given to BiH as a state from post-war reforms.
Dodik on the American blacklist
The United States, if forced, will impose sanctions. I told them at the meeting that you want to impose your sanctions and we will implement our policies”, Dodik said, adding that possible US sanctions will exacerbate the situation. Dodik is currently in the black “list” of Americans, because he has been banned from travelling to the United States since 2017, reports the Croatian news agency, IndexTransmission Express.
Despite pressure from the international community, Dodik has not given up on devaluation of all decisions made by high-ranking representatives of the international community since 1995.
He announced that the military's status, the issue of indirect tax collection and the judiciary will be regulated by “norms” in a new way after the RS parliament makes the necessary decisions expected in December.
Dodik claims all of this is in line with the Dayton Agreement and poses no threat to peace because “RS has no plans for secession”.
“Situate is complex, we have seen several meetings that are taking place in Europe and we understand messages, but we hope that the constitution will be respected and decisions made based on constitutional solutions”, Dodik said, surprised at warning of sanctions against him for the policy he follows.
He thinks Europe should welcome and support its behaviour instead of receiving threats from Berlin and London calling it <x0hister caused by Muslim mercenaries”.
Dodik said he does not fear claims such as those he is “pending jail” due to his unconstitutional behaviour, which he claims protects his colleague in state leadership, Sefik Xhaferovic. He also denied the right to challenge Zeljko Komschina, saying he had re-cut “a people's right to legitimate representation and that it had nothing to do with RS.
After meeting with Chollet, Xhaferovic told reporters that it is now clear to all that no unilateral withdrawal from state authorities is possible and that open issues should be resolved through dialogue within existing structures.
“I am convinced that institutions will be unblocked and continue on the path to reforms”, Xhaferovic said, avoiding comments on Dodik's statements.
