“Referendum not to be on RS status”

Republic of Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said Thursday that the forthcoming referendum in the RS would not be a referendum on the status of the entitity. He added, however, that he would never deny the right of RS to hold such a referendum at some time. “Referendum not to be on RS status” “The referendum is a problem both as an act and a right, because we might as well call a referendum on climate change and have the right challenged. Our referendum law upholds most of the EU acquis, and we are still being denied the right to hold a referendum,” Dodik said at a roundtable dubbed “Republic of Srpska - Referendum as a Challenge”, organized by Tanjug in Belgrade. Announcing the steps RS would take after its citizens, as is expected, support the view that the functioning of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Court and Prosecution are violating the Dayton Accord and the interests of the RS, Dodik said that the Serb politicians would propose that the Laws on the Court and Prosecution of Bosnia-Herzegovina be amended and that the article which implies retroactive application be abolished. He pointed out that the announced RS referendum was a response by a sovereign nation to countless instances of being outvoted in the parliament and to frequent abuses of authority of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR). “RS has a duty to implement the Dayton Accord as it was written, and not as some are wont to interpret its content, and it is precisely the OHR that continually violates the text of the document by taking away jurisdictions from RS and giving them to Bosnia-Herzegovina, to which the document gives authority only in the sphere of foreign policy,” Dodik explained. The RS president recalled that the OHR had intervened in the political and legal system of Bosnia-Herzegovina on more than 200 occasions, taking 56 jurisdictions away from the Serb entity. He stressed that RS was not against Bosnia-Herzegovina as a confederal-federal state but was certainly against the efforts to centralize the state outside the Dayton Accord. “Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is now a divided state, could be functional in line with the Dayton agreement, if there were enough will to implement it,” Dodik said. “We are not against Bosnia-Herzegovina and its international political capacities and territorial integrity, but we call for respecting the internal regulation which implies the existence of RS and its jurisdictions,” the RS president underscored. “The EU wants a single partner in Bosnia-Herzegovina to talk to, but this should not mean withdrawal of jurisdictions of the RS, but rather coordination between the two entities and three constituent nations,” he said. “A single partner for talks in Bosnia-Herzegovina means establishing coordination, but they want majorization, and not coordination. If the majorization is continued, I cannot rule out the RS right to declare its status,” said Dodik. Milorad Dodik at the roundtable in Belgrade (Tanjug)

“Referendum not to be on RS status”

“The referendum is a problem both as an act and a right, because we might as well call a referendum on climate change and have the right challenged. Our referendum law upholds most of the EU acquis, and we are still being denied the right to hold a referendum,” Dodik said at a roundtable dubbed “Republic of Srpska - Referendum as a Challenge”, organized by Tanjug in Belgrade.

Announcing the steps RS would take after its citizens, as is expected, support the view that the functioning of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Court and Prosecution are violating the Dayton Accord and the interests of the RS, Dodik said that the Serb politicians would propose that the Laws on the Court and Prosecution of Bosnia-Herzegovina be amended and that the article which implies retroactive application be abolished.

He pointed out that the announced RS referendum was a response by a sovereign nation to countless instances of being outvoted in the parliament and to frequent abuses of authority of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR).

“RS has a duty to implement the Dayton Accord as it was written, and not as some are wont to interpret its content, and it is precisely the OHR that continually violates the text of the document by taking away jurisdictions from RS and giving them to Bosnia-Herzegovina, to which the document gives authority only in the sphere of foreign policy,” Dodik explained.

The RS president recalled that the OHR had intervened in the political and legal system of Bosnia-Herzegovina on more than 200 occasions, taking 56 jurisdictions away from the Serb entity.

He stressed that RS was not against Bosnia-Herzegovina as a confederal-federal state but was certainly against the efforts to centralize the state outside the Dayton Accord.

“Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is now a divided state, could be functional in line with the Dayton agreement, if there were enough will to implement it,” Dodik said.

“We are not against Bosnia-Herzegovina and its international political capacities and territorial integrity, but we call for respecting the internal regulation which implies the existence of RS and its jurisdictions,” the RS president underscored.

“The EU wants a single partner in Bosnia-Herzegovina to talk to, but this should not mean withdrawal of jurisdictions of the RS, but rather coordination between the two entities and three constituent nations,” he said.

“A single partner for talks in Bosnia-Herzegovina means establishing coordination, but they want majorization, and not coordination. If the majorization is continued, I cannot rule out the RS right to declare its status,” said Dodik.