U.S. “frustrated” by RS president’s statements

BANJA LUKA, SARAJEVO The U.S. administration is concerned about Republic of Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik’s recent statements about Radovan Karadzic and NATO. “The U.S. therefore believes that meetings with Dodik would not be useful and appropriate at the moment,” U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Patrick Moon has said. U.S. “frustrated” by RS president’s statements Moon explained that he particularly had in mind Dodik’s latest statement in The Hague. He stressed that it was a 180-degree turn when compared to the RS president’s statements made eight years ago when he had called for the arrest of Karadzic whom he called a “criminal”. “This time, the statement was completely different. He praised Karadzic for what he had done for the RS. Basically, he said that he had done everything right from the very beginning. We have a problem with those kinds of statements,” Moon told RS Radio Television and stressed that Dodik’s statements were “frustrating for the U.S. government and are against its position on Karadzic’s role in the war”. Dodik responded to the ambassador’s comments the same day, saying talks with him were “no less frustrating” because the U.S. did not want to face the Serbs’ problems. RS Deputy President Emil Vlajki on Wednesday responded to Moon by saying that all three constituent peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina were frustrated by the U.S. and its “destructive actions”. Vlajki told the U.S. ambassador that it would be good if he thought a little about this fact. “The ambassador of the most powerful country in the world refused to meet with President Dodik while visiting the RS because the president allegedly has a frustrating effect on him?! Dodik told him after this postmodern way of diplomatic verbal, ‘polite’ communication that he was frustrated by the behavior of the most powerful country in the world that just does not get the Serbs’ frustration,” Vlajki said in a written statement. Turkish Anadolu news agency has released analysts’ opinions about Moon’s statement on Dodik who say that it was a clear signal of the U.S. that it wants to isolate the RS president somehow. In a statement for Fena news agency, Moon pointed to some of Dodik’s statements about NATO. According to him, an agreement on how to resolve issues of the military and state property between six political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina was reached but “there has been zero progress since then”. “We do not know why there are problems in Banja Luka. We believe conditions are good and that we can move forward and that conditions that were important to Dodik have been met,” the U.S. ambassador said. He reiterated that he had not met with Dodik last Tuesday because “talks with him have become frustrating”. However, Moon noted that he had meetings with other members of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and other RS parties and that he hoped that conditions would be met in the future for his meeting with Dodik. “I believe we need to give some time to make an assessment regarding a meeting with Dodik,” the U.S. diplomat said. He reiterated that the U.S. administration believed that meetings with Dodik were at the moment neither useful nor appropriate. He explained that the U.S. administration did not cut ties with the RS president but that it believed that this was not the right time for a meeting. Moon underscored that the U.S. wanted to see Bosnia-Herzegovina progress toward NATO and that it would appreciate “statements that are little less nationalistic and oriented more toward the country’s progress”. The U.S. believes that better cooperation between all leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina was necessary in order for the country to make progress in its Euro-Atlantic integrations. Milorad Dodik is seen during Radovan Karadzic's trial in the Hague Tribunal (ICTY print screen) Tanjug

U.S. “frustrated” by RS president’s statements

Moon explained that he particularly had in mind Dodik’s latest statement in The Hague. He stressed that it was a 180-degree turn when compared to the RS president’s statements made eight years ago when he had called for the arrest of Karadžić whom he called a “criminal”.

“This time, the statement was completely different. He praised Karadžić for what he had done for the RS. Basically, he said that he had done everything right from the very beginning. We have a problem with those kinds of statements,” Moon told RS Radio Television and stressed that Dodik’s statements were “frustrating for the U.S. government and are against its position on Karadžić’s role in the war”.

Dodik responded to the ambassador’s comments the same day, saying talks with him were “no less frustrating” because the U.S. did not want to face the Serbs’ problems.

RS Deputy President Emil Vlajki on Wednesday responded to Moon by saying that all three constituent peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina were frustrated by the U.S. and its “destructive actions”.

Vlajki told the U.S. ambassador that it would be good if he thought a little about this fact.

“The ambassador of the most powerful country in the world refused to meet with President Dodik while visiting the RS because the president allegedly has a frustrating effect on him?! Dodik told him after this postmodern way of diplomatic verbal, ‘polite’ communication that he was frustrated by the behavior of the most powerful country in the world that just does not get the Serbs’ frustration,” Vlajki said in a written statement.

Turkish Anadolu news agency has released analysts’ opinions about Moon’s statement on Dodik who say that it was a clear signal of the U.S. that it wants to isolate the RS president somehow.

In a statement for Fena news agency, Moon pointed to some of Dodik’s statements about NATO. According to him, an agreement on how to resolve issues of the military and state property between six political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina was reached but “there has been zero progress since then”.

“We do not know why there are problems in Banja Luka. We believe conditions are good and that we can move forward and that conditions that were important to Dodik have been met,” the U.S. ambassador said.

He reiterated that he had not met with Dodik last Tuesday because “talks with him have become frustrating”. However, Moon noted that he had meetings with other members of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and other RS parties and that he hoped that conditions would be met in the future for his meeting with Dodik.

“I believe we need to give some time to make an assessment regarding a meeting with Dodik,” the U.S. diplomat said. He reiterated that the U.S. administration believed that meetings with Dodik were at the moment neither useful nor appropriate.

He explained that the U.S. administration did not cut ties with the RS president but that it believed that this was not the right time for a meeting.

Moon underscored that the U.S. wanted to see Bosnia-Herzegovina progress toward NATO and that it would appreciate “statements that are little less nationalistic and oriented more toward the country’s progress”.

The U.S. believes that better cooperation between all leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina was necessary in order for the country to make progress in its Euro-Atlantic integrations.