RS officials could leave institutions over referendum

The Serb republic (RS) will withdraw all officials from Bosnia's institutions if the high representative chooses to annul the decision to call a referendum. This is according to a report in Banja Luka daily Glas Srpske. RS officials could leave institutions over referendum Serb member and current chair of the Bosnian three-member presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic, as well as all RS members of the Bosnia Council of Ministers will withdraw from their positions, says the newspaper, quoting a source close to the RS government. According to the source, all RS judges and prosecutors will leave the Bosnia Court and Prosecutor's Office and all RS deputies will pull out of the parliament. "If we do not have the right to decide about the institutions we fund, then there is no point in taking part in their activities. Let them build a country on their own then," the source stated. High international representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina Valentin Inzko confirmed on Tuesday he would repeal the decision to call the referendum unless RS did so itself, explaining that the court and the prosecutor's office were under "national jurisdiction and not under any of the political entities" The Peace Implementation Council is set to convene on Thursday and Inzko stated earlier that he will make his decision about the referendum at the meeting. The high representative thinks the referendum goes against the Dayton peace agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia. The RS called the referendum, set to take place in June, to allow the people to vote on whether they agree with the laws imposed by the high representative, particularly when it comes to the Bosnia-Herzegovina Court and Prosecutor's Office, set up in 2003. The 1995 Dayton peace deal ended the war in Bosnia, dividing that country into the Serb and Muslim-Croat entities.

RS officials could leave institutions over referendum

Serb member and current chair of the Bosnian three-member presidency Nebojša Radmanović, as well as all RS members of the Bosnia Council of Ministers will withdraw from their positions, says the newspaper, quoting a source close to the RS government.

According to the source, all RS judges and prosecutors will leave the Bosnia Court and Prosecutor's Office and all RS deputies will pull out of the parliament.

"If we do not have the right to decide about the institutions we fund, then there is no point in taking part in their activities. Let them build a country on their own then," the source stated.

High international representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina Valentin Inzko confirmed on Tuesday he would repeal the decision to call the referendum unless RS did so itself, explaining that the court and the prosecutor's office were under "national jurisdiction and not under any of the political entities"

The Peace Implementation Council is set to convene on Thursday and Inzko stated earlier that he will make his decision about the referendum at the meeting. The high representative thinks the referendum goes against the Dayton peace agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia.

The RS called the referendum, set to take place in June, to allow the people to vote on whether they agree with the laws imposed by the high representative, particularly when it comes to the Bosnia-Herzegovina Court and Prosecutor's Office, set up in 2003.

The 1995 Dayton peace deal ended the war in Bosnia, dividing that country into the Serb and Muslim-Croat entities.