Contact Us

Bosnian Serb leader demands expulsion of British, American, German ambassadors

Anadolu Agency WORLD
Published March 29,2024
Subscribe

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik demanded Thursday that the ambassadors of the UK, Germany and the US and the international community's high representative to Bosnia be expelled and declared "enemies of Bosnia."

''If that does not happen, Republika Srpska will immediately leave the decision-making system, but with our people staying there but not making decisions. We will break up the partnership with the political parties,'' Dodik, who is president of Republika Srpska (RS), one of two entities of Bosnia Herzegovina, said in his address before Republika Srpska's National Assembly in Banja Luka.

He added that he would ask Serbia for protection.

Serbia is a guarantor of the Dayton agreement, which entails the preservation of Bosnia's Serb entity.

Dodik also demanded that the decisions passed by the international peace envoy Christian Schdmit be annulled within a seven-day period, saying if this is not done, he will demand that the House of Representatives pass changes to the Election Law, strip the Central Election Commission of power and confirm that the only place where laws can be passed is the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's high representative made ''technical changes'' on Tuesday to the Balkan country's election law.

Schmidt-who is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Dayton accords, the 1995 agreement that ended the Bosnian war-announced that he decided to make changes in the election law regarding the integrity of the election process.

According to Dodik, Bosnian politicians cannot agree on what is written in the Constitution, which is that laws are passed by Bosnia's Parliament and not imposed by someone.

''You think we are silly and crazy. You'll see how silly we are and crazy in the coming days. I'm not threatening anyone. They want Republika Srpska to be humiliated again with the applause of support of Bosniaks from Sarajevo. I think they are stupid in the political sense, because if they think that they will keep the Serbs in such a Bosnia Herzegovina, then they are seriously mistaken,'' he said.

Dodik then announced new arrangements in the structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a possibility.

''Republika Srpska will pass a declaration and confirm the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina but also the constitutional organization of two entities and three constituent peoples. Republika Srpska will withdraw from the Indirect Tax Administration, the Armed Forces and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and will through other agreements activate the law on agency for medicines and other laws prepared in urgent procedure, and Republika Srpska will pass its own law on elections and adopt its draft today already,'' said Dodik.

Bosnians want to arrest Dodik, the former director of Serbia's Security Information Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, said Wednesday.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warned Wednesday that difficult days await his country and said he would soon inform the nation about the challenges.

''Difficult days are ahead for Serbia. At this moment, it is not easy to say what kind of news we have received in the last 48 hours," he said on social media, but indicated that it is related to direct threats to Serbia's national interests.

''They directly threaten our vital national interests, both Serb and Republika Srpska,'' said Vucic.