NKRBH - #501 INTL

National Congress of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina

ONLINE NEWSLETTER - International

No. 501

October 22, 2007

http://republic-bosnia-herzegovina.com/

CONTENT

1. NEITHER BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA NOR EUROPE SHOULD BEND TO THE BLACKMAIL OF THE “REPUBLIC OF THE SERBS”

2. DID LAJCAK GIVE IN TO BLACKMAIL?

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1. NEITHER BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA NOR EUROPE SHOULD BEND TO THE BLACKMAIL OF THE “REPUBLIC OF THE SERBS”

Oct. 22, 2007.

On Sunday, all media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reported that Milorad Dodik's party (SNSD) made an ultimatum to High Representative Miroslav Lajcak, threatening that all Serb office holders in government institutions in BiH will collectively resign from their posts in 10 days, if Mr. Lajcak does not withdraw measures which removed certain procedural obstructions from legislative and government processes, and which he imposed using the “Bonn powers”.

Remember that with the adoption of the Bonn powers, Bosnia and Herzegovina became a de jure and de facto protectorate of the United Nations.

This threat by the leaders of the entity “Republic of the Serbs” (RS) closely echoes a move by Serb ultra-nationalist leaders carried out in 1992, with the difference that this time they are not being backed by heavy artillery dug into the hillsides around Bosnian towns by the Yugoslav National Army of Serbia and Montenegro.

Bosnia and Herzegovina finds itself in this situation today because of past concessions to those extortions of the quasi-state Republic of the Serbs, created and backed by Serbia. We will repeat the lesson that was learned then: one must never give in to blackmail, because an extortionist always demands more.

We remind the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the international community that the Dayton agreement suspended and replaced the constitution of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. With this ultimatum, the RS seeks to paralyze the institutions of BiH as defined in Dayton, including the Bonn powers wielded by the High Representative, and continues its broader campaign to obstruct the implementation of the Dayton agreement. The proper resolution of a situation in which one party to an agreement is not holding to the obligations assumed under the agreement, is to revert to the last legal state before the agreement was put into effect -- in this case, to the constitution of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Therefore, these threats by the RS to dissolve BiH if its demands are not met should not be taken seriously. In fact, by paralyzing the Dayton Bosnia, and yet again proving the Dayton experiment to be a failure, the RS is only inviting its own dissolution, and a return to the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Additionally, as stated above, BiH already is a protectorate of the international community. The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina gave their consent to create this protectorate by agreeing to the Bonn powers, in the interest of achieving stability, and reversing the effects of ethnic cleansing (genocide). They gave the Office of High Representative the Bonn powers, with the expectation that they would be used, if needed to achieve those goals. Therefore, the use of those powers should never be deterred by blackmail from the leaders of the Republic of the Serbs. The Office of High Representative can and should use the Bonn powers, and use them beyond simply marginally strengthening the institutions of the state at the expense of the entities. Namely, if the entities refuse to live up to their assumed obligations, and continue to block the Dayton institutions or their reform, the OHR should suspend the failed Dayton constitution altogether, and organize elections according to the laws of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That would restore the constitution of the state that was suspended by illegal means -- extortion, aggression and genocide.


We must not bend to this blackmail, because it would imperil both Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people, as well as destroy the authority held by Europe. If Dodik and his cronies succeed in blackmailing the High Representative and Europe, there will be no more Bosnia and Herzegovina, only chaos.

National Congress of the Republic Bosnia-Herzegovina

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2. DID LAJCAK GIVE IN TO BLACKMAIL?

BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS: Today (10.22.2007) the daily “Nezavisne Novine” from Banja Luka is reporting that High Representative Lajcak visited Premier Dodik of the "Republic of the Serbs", in response to Mr. Dodik’s resignation announcement. After the meeting, they spoke with the media, and announced that Mr. Lajcak had clarified to Mr. Dodik the imposed modification of the BiH parliament procedures. Dodik stated that he now finds acceptable Mr. Lajcak’s explanation that the new necessary majority for passing laws in the parliament must include representatives from both entities. Still, Dodik reiterated that the measures that his party resorted to would remain in effect until he received a written legal document that would confirm what Lajcak had explained to him.

While their statements to the media are not sufficiently precise, it seems that the story of these measures has changed from what had been reported earlier. Namely, the stated intention was to lessen the ability of a small minority of representatives belonging to one entity to block legislation in the parliament. However, by what Dodik and Lajcak now say, it seems that this ability of a minority to blockade has been preserved by this measure. In fact, we have a concern that it may become even easier to block legislation, and so we hope that the written clarification that will be delivered to Dodik will be available to the rest of us as well.

We cannot speculate on whether this really was only a misunderstanding between Lajcak and Dodik, or a change of course by Lajcak forced by Dodik’s ultimatum. Either way, it seems that the effective blockade of Bosnia’s Dayton institutions will continue.

Muhamed Borogovac Ph. D.