Dodik believes RS is Serbia's "top priority"

Serb Republic (RS) President Milorad Dodik believes that this Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina "should be a priority for Serbia, in the national sense". At the same time he said the issue of the country's southern province of Kosovo "should be addressed pragmatically". Dodik believes RS is Serbia's "top priority" "I understand that Serbia's number one priority is Kosovo, speaking in the government sense, but nationally, the RS (Serb Republic) is the top priority, because 1,400,000 Serbs live here," he told Tanjug. According to Dodik Kosovo should be viewed with pragmatism, and "that story should be ended". Legitimate requests by Serbs in northern Kosovo have to be granted by giving them "a certain status" and then solving the issues of Serbs in other parts of Kosovo, as well as the issue of Serbian Orthodox monasteries. The integration of ethnic Albanians into Serbia is no longer possible, and the issue of Kosovo is one of continuity, which Serbia should settle with the international community, Dodik stated, adding that the international community had been "unfair" towards the Serbs and the Serb national issue for a long time. "Kosovo cannot be recognized until the humiliation the international community did to the Serbs regarding that issue is mended," he stressed. The RS did not use Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence to declare its own independence, Dodik pointed out. "We had an opportunity back then to say if they can do it, so can we in the RS. We want it. And yet we did not do it. Do you know why? Because Serbia called for a policy territorial continuity in its official policy," he asserted, and added that Bosnia-Herzegovina had not recognized Kosovo because of the entity's stand. Serbs in the RS should be entitled to Serbian citizenship as well, just like ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina can have Hungarian citizenship and Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatian, Dodik stated, adding that he was "a citizen of Serbia himself". "We are not Bosnian Serbs. We are Serbs. I do not come from Bosnia. I come from the RS. That is my message," he underlined, adding that as far as the Serb entity was concerned, Bosnia-Herzegovina was "just a stop along the way, where it has stayed for too long". The post-war Bosnia is made up of the RS and the Muslim-Croat Federation (FBiH) entities. "The Serbs need to identify their national interest in the same way in Serbia and in the RS," he remarked. Dodik publicly supported and campaigned for Boris Tadic in his attempt last month to be elected as Serbia's president for a third term. He now commented on Tomislav Nikolic's victory in the presidential election to say that he "expected institutional cooperation with him, respected the fact he had been elected and that they agreed on some issues and not on others". "I have heard of his anger caused by my appearances at Democratic Party's rallies during the election campaign, but I would like to remind him that he also was here two years ago in support of his party," Dodik pointed out. The RS president thinks Nikolic is going to continue regional cooperation successfully. Commenting on the criticism Nikolic received for saying there had been no genocide in Srebrenica, Dodik stated that "indeed no genocide happened in Srebrenica": "I keep saying that. Of course, someone in The Hague said a genocide of limited scpe had happened there and was committed by individuals. Those individuals have answered for it. Why should then an entire people be bullied with that story." Nikolic is correct in that sense, because he is not defending any of those who are in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and none of those wanted by the ICTY are in Nikolic's surroundings, Dodik said. He also confirmed he would attend Nikolic's inauguration, adding that the RS wished to cooperate and stressing that the council on the implementation of the agreement on special relations between Serbia and the entity should be activated. The RS president reiterated that the next Serbian government should not include those who are going to undermine the joint projects between Belgrade and Banja Luka, and that prime minister candidate Boris Tadic would lose political significance if he included the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the government. "Does Boris need to lose his political significance by including the Liberals? Almost two million people in Serbia have their roots here. Do you think they are going to accept that easily," Dodik wondered. "If he includes them, I am going to tell him that it is a bad move and explain why. I have explained that to him recently when I met him. He also thinks it is not a good thing. He only gets trouble from the Liberals," said Dodik. According to the RS president, it would be "smarter to have United Regions of Serbia leader Mladjan Dinkic in that government". "If I were prime minister, I would think like this. If a group of economic experts were left out of the government, who are definitely in that party, it could become a dangerous opposition. It is better to have them inside, and not as opponents, in the process, and not outside of it," Dodik believes. All those who speak against the RS should know that "we have made not a country here, but a great country," which is the deciding factor in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he noted. "They do not like that in Sarajevo,and the international community does not like the fact we are a factor, but we are a factor. They cannot do anything without us. And the only thing I am glad about is that this 'quasi-Belgrade' is irritated by it," he pointed out. Commenting on the relations with Sarajevo, Dodik said Sarajevo viewed the RS as "some kind of a foreign country that keeps moving further away," but that the Dayton Agreement was there and Banja Luka respected what was written in it, and not that "which has been taken from us or imposed on us." Europe has realized that everything in Bosnia-Herzegovina has to be done through coordination and that the RS "is not prepared to relinquish its autonomy for European integration," but that it wished to strengthen it through the concept of a Europe of regions. "Have you heard of an autonomy canceling itself anywhere in the world? Why should we be masochists and do it to ourselves? I think that is perfectly clear now and that we now have a constructive dialogue with Europe on the issue," he noted. He underlined the legalization of the institution of referendum as one of his accomplishments, adding that it "always has timing." "Today we have the law on referendum. Are we going to hold a referendum on status? I am convinced that we are, but it is done only once in the life of a nation, when such a move is appropriate," Dodik concluded. Milorad Dodik (Tanjug) Tanjug

Dodik believes RS is Serbia's "top priority"

"I understand that Serbia's number one priority is Kosovo, speaking in the government sense, but nationally, the RS (Serb Republic) is the top priority, because 1,400,000 Serbs live here," he told Tanjug.

According to Dodik Kosovo should be viewed with pragmatism, and "that story should be ended".

Legitimate requests by Serbs in northern Kosovo have to be granted by giving them "a certain status" and then solving the issues of Serbs in other parts of Kosovo, as well as the issue of Serbian Orthodox monasteries.

The integration of ethnic Albanians into Serbia is no longer possible, and the issue of Kosovo is one of continuity, which Serbia should settle with the international community, Dodik stated, adding that the international community had been "unfair" towards the Serbs and the Serb national issue for a long time.

"Kosovo cannot be recognized until the humiliation the international community did to the Serbs regarding that issue is mended," he stressed.

The RS did not use Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence to declare its own independence, Dodik pointed out.

"We had an opportunity back then to say if they can do it, so can we in the RS. We want it. And yet we did not do it. Do you know why? Because Serbia called for a policy territorial continuity in its official policy," he asserted, and added that Bosnia-Herzegovina had not recognized Kosovo because of the entity's stand.

Serbs in the RS should be entitled to Serbian citizenship as well, just like ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina can have Hungarian citizenship and Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatian, Dodik stated, adding that he was "a citizen of Serbia himself".

"We are not Bosnian Serbs. We are Serbs. I do not come from Bosnia. I come from the RS. That is my message," he underlined, adding that as far as the Serb entity was concerned, Bosnia-Herzegovina was "just a stop along the way, where it has stayed for too long".

The post-war Bosnia is made up of the RS and the Muslim-Croat Federation (FBiH) entities.

"The Serbs need to identify their national interest in the same way in Serbia and in the RS," he remarked.

Dodik publicly supported and campaigned for Boris Tadić in his attempt last month to be elected as Serbia's president for a third term. He now commented on Tomislav Nikolić's victory in the presidential election to say that he "expected institutional cooperation with him, respected the fact he had been elected and that they agreed on some issues and not on others".

"I have heard of his anger caused by my appearances at Democratic Party's rallies during the election campaign, but I would like to remind him that he also was here two years ago in support of his party," Dodik pointed out.

The RS president thinks Nikolić is going to continue regional cooperation successfully.

Commenting on the criticism Nikolić received for saying there had been no genocide in Srebrenica, Dodik stated that "indeed no genocide happened in Srebrenica":

"I keep saying that. Of course, someone in The Hague said a genocide of limited scpe had happened there and was committed by individuals. Those individuals have answered for it. Why should then an entire people be bullied with that story."

Nikolić is correct in that sense, because he is not defending any of those who are in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and none of those wanted by the ICTY are in Nikolić's surroundings, Dodik said.

He also confirmed he would attend Nikolić's inauguration, adding that the RS wished to cooperate and stressing that the council on the implementation of the agreement on special relations between Serbia and the entity should be activated.

The RS president reiterated that the next Serbian government should not include those who are going to undermine the joint projects between Belgrade and Banja Luka, and that prime minister candidate Boris Tadić would lose political significance if he included the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the government.

"Does Boris need to lose his political significance by including the Liberals? Almost two million people in Serbia have their roots here. Do you think they are going to accept that easily," Dodik wondered.

"If he includes them, I am going to tell him that it is a bad move and explain why. I have explained that to him recently when I met him. He also thinks it is not a good thing. He only gets trouble from the Liberals," said Dodik.

According to the RS president, it would be "smarter to have United Regions of Serbia leader Mlađan Dinkić in that government".

"If I were prime minister, I would think like this. If a group of economic experts were left out of the government, who are definitely in that party, it could become a dangerous opposition. It is better to have them inside, and not as opponents, in the process, and not outside of it," Dodik believes.

All those who speak against the RS should know that "we have made not a country here, but a great country," which is the deciding factor in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he noted.

"They do not like that in Sarajevo,and the international community does not like the fact we are a factor, but we are a factor. They cannot do anything without us. And the only thing I am glad about is that this 'quasi-Belgrade' is irritated by it," he pointed out.

Commenting on the relations with Sarajevo, Dodik said Sarajevo viewed the RS as "some kind of a foreign country that keeps moving further away," but that the Dayton Agreement was there and Banja Luka respected what was written in it, and not that "which has been taken from us or imposed on us."

Europe has realized that everything in Bosnia-Herzegovina has to be done through coordination and that the RS "is not prepared to relinquish its autonomy for European integration," but that it wished to strengthen it through the concept of a Europe of regions.

"Have you heard of an autonomy canceling itself anywhere in the world? Why should we be masochists and do it to ourselves? I think that is perfectly clear now and that we now have a constructive dialogue with Europe on the issue," he noted.

He underlined the legalization of the institution of referendum as one of his accomplishments, adding that it "always has timing."

"Today we have the law on referendum. Are we going to hold a referendum on status? I am convinced that we are, but it is done only once in the life of a nation, when such a move is appropriate," Dodik concluded.