The United States and the European Union condemned on Wednesday the intention of the Bosnian Serbs to block the functioning of the central institutions of this divided country because of the trial against their political leader Milorad Dodik, tried for the rejection of the authority of High international representative who ensures compliance with the peace agreement.
The Parliament of the Republika Srpska (RS) adopted on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday a dozen «conclusions»calling in particular on the representatives of this Bosnian entity in the central institutions not to participate in decision-making relating to the process of bringing the country closer to the European Union, because of a “political trial” carried out, according to them, against Milorad Dodik. The latter, president of the RS, has been on trial since the beginning of the year for non-compliance with the decisions of the High International Representative.
They also called on Milorad Dodik not to respond to summons from the State Court in Sarajevo during his recovery from hiatal hernia surgery on December 9 at a clinic in Belgrade.
“The conclusions adopted by the Parliament of the RS (…) constitute a serious threat to the constitutional order of the country”wrote the embassies of the United States, the EU, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in a joint statement.
According to the press release, these conclusions are “contrary to the Dayton Peace Agreement and directly undermine the authority of (central) state judicial institutions and Bosnia's Euro-Atlantic path”.
Close to the Kremlin, Milorad Dodik is targeted by American and British sanctions for his separatist activities and suspicions of corruption.
The extraordinary session of the RS Parliament was organized after Milorad Dodik was summoned to a hearing on Wednesday, postponed for now until Monday, December 30. His trial has entered its final phase. According to his lawyer, doctors recommended that he rest for three months.
“The US sanctions were a lead-in to the trial of the President of Republika Srpska. What they failed to do with sanctions, they want to achieve in court.accused RS Interior Minister Sinisa Karan during the parliamentary discussion. According to him, the trial against Milorad Dodik “will determine whether Bosnia has a chance of surviving”.
In their press release, the embassies of Western chancelleries reiterated their “support for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and multi-ethnic character” of Bosnia, as well as to the international representative, currently the German diplomat Christian Schmidt.
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