RS leader: Bosnia should break up

BELGRADE Bosnia-Herzegovina is a country put together through a peace agreement that was forcefully implemented without the consent of "both sides", says Milorad Dodik. "This cannot endure," the leader of the Serb entity in Bosnia, the Serb Republic (RS), told B92 on Monday. RS leader: Bosnia should break up The post 1992-95 war Bosnia was organized into its Serb, and Muslim-Croat Federation (FBiH) entities, via the Dayton peace accords. But the RS leader believes that the country still exists today "only because there is the international community". Dodik advocates a break-up of Bosnia-Herzegovina, "so that we can all, in a way, get some rest", and adds that the changes to the Dayton accords "took 53 jurisdictions away from the RS, accumulated a large administration, and unified the military through deception." "I do no wish to see the RS live a fallacy like Bosnia-Herzegovina, because that is a whim of those who wish to impose the Dayton Agreement," Dodik was stated, and specified that he would not have any objections to the peace deal had it been maintained in its original form. A recent European Commission noted that the RS had "developed capacities", said Dodik, and added that "nobody is asking why the Federation does not". "Serbs like the RS more than the Federation, while those who survived the war terror in Sarajevo, now look to move out of the city." "I do not think that Bosniaks (Muslims) are bad people, I have a problem with their policy that wishes to dominate, to outvote, to introduce Turkey as the dominant political force in Bosnia-Herzegovina that will determine measures and conditions for our further path," he stated. Commenting on war-time political and military leaders of Serbs in Bosnia, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who are now on trial for war crimes in the Hague Tribunal, Dodik said: "Those are people I know from a previous life. My principle is that they are not guilty until found guilty. They had an important contribution to the creation of the RS. Their responsibility for breaking the law is their own, not that of the RS." He added that the Hague cases "are putting neither the RS nor Bosnia-Herzegovina on trial", while the rulings "can only have speculative outcomes". "Such as the attempt to impose a genocide in Srebrenica, they made the decision, but I think it was a politically motivated decision," Dodik stated, and reiterated his stance that the crime in Srebrenica did not amount to genocide. He also announced that he would soon meet with Biljana Plavsic. Speaking about the recent local elections, Dodik conceded that his SNSD party was disappointed at losing many mayoral posts, but that they saw it "more as a warning than a debacle": "On the level of (the number of) councilors, we are still the dominant party." Dodik also announced internal party elections in the coming period, as well as its "consolidation, and analysis of its performance". Milorad Dodik (Tanjug, file) B92

RS leader: Bosnia should break up

The post 1992-95 war Bosnia was organized into its Serb, and Muslim-Croat Federation (FBiH) entities, via the Dayton peace accords.

But the RS leader believes that the country still exists today "only because there is the international community".

Dodik advocates a break-up of Bosnia-Herzegovina, "so that we can all, in a way, get some rest", and adds that the changes to the Dayton accords "took 53 jurisdictions away from the RS, accumulated a large administration, and unified the military through deception."

"I do no wish to see the RS live a fallacy like Bosnia-Herzegovina, because that is a whim of those who wish to impose the Dayton Agreement," Dodik was stated, and specified that he would not have any objections to the peace deal had it been maintained in its original form.

A recent European Commission noted that the RS had "developed capacities", said Dodik, and added that "nobody is asking why the Federation does not".

"Serbs like the RS more than the Federation, while those who survived the war terror in Sarajevo, now look to move out of the city."

"I do not think that Bosniaks (Muslims) are bad people, I have a problem with their policy that wishes to dominate, to outvote, to introduce Turkey as the dominant political force in Bosnia-Herzegovina that will determine measures and conditions for our further path," he stated.

Commenting on war-time political and military leaders of Serbs in Bosnia, Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, who are now on trial for war crimes in the Hague Tribunal, Dodik said:

"Those are people I know from a previous life. My principle is that they are not guilty until found guilty. They had an important contribution to the creation of the RS. Their responsibility for breaking the law is their own, not that of the RS."

He added that the Hague cases "are putting neither the RS nor Bosnia-Herzegovina on trial", while the rulings "can only have speculative outcomes".

"Such as the attempt to impose a genocide in Srebrenica, they made the decision, but I think it was a politically motivated decision," Dodik stated, and reiterated his stance that the crime in Srebrenica did not amount to genocide.

He also announced that he would soon meet with Biljana Plavšić.

Speaking about the recent local elections, Dodik conceded that his SNSD party was disappointed at losing many mayoral posts, but that they saw it "more as a warning than a debacle":

"On the level of (the number of) councilors, we are still the dominant party."

Dodik also announced internal party elections in the coming period, as well as its "consolidation, and analysis of its performance".