Dodik says RS to go ahead with September 25 referendum

Dodik says RS to go ahead with September 25 referendum

He made these statements during a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Petr Ivantsov.

Dodik's cabinet said in a statement that the referendum was the main topic of their conversation.

Ivantsov said that the Russian Federation agrees that the people of the Serb Republic have a right to express their stance by way of a referendum.

Dodik and the Russian diplomat "also exchanged opinions on some other current issues in the RS and in Bosnia-Herzegovina," the statement said.

"Lawsuit"

On Tuesday, bakir Izetbegovic, chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who represents Bosniaks (Muslims) in this tripartite body announced that he would file a lawsuit against the RS before the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina over the RS National Assembly's decision to hold the referendum.

According to Izetbegovic, who is also the leader of the SDA Party, the Constitutional Court's ruling according to which January 9 cannot be celebrated as RS Day because it discriminates against all non-Serbs in the entity, was binding, " and you cannot ask the people about decisions by the Constitutional Court."

Izetbegovic also said he would ask the Constitutional Court to adopt a temporary measure which would place the referendum "on hold" as well as a measure for banning the referendum, Beta has reported.