Bosnian Serb official calls on EU and international community to act in Bosnia

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The EU and the international community’s High Representative need to react if Bosniaks cannot agree among themselves on who will enter the State level government and whether they want to form it with the winning Serb and Croat parties, said the Secretary-General of Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Luka Petrovic

“Bosniak people have some fears about Serb and Croat caucuses which is why they disputed the nomination of the Council of Ministers Chairman. The people now representing the government, who are in the technical mandate should put an end to this by saying they’ve lost the election and that they are stepping down,” Petrovic told the Alternativna television station from Banja Luka.

As the strongest party in the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) entity, the SNSD has quickly formed the government in this part of the country, after the October general election.

When it comes to the other Bosnian entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH) shared by Bosniaks and Croats the situation is still in a deadlock.

Several Bosniak parties are still holding talks among themselves and with left-wing parties, on who will enter the State-level government within the “pro-Bosnian” bloc.

Petrovic noted that Bosniak politicians must respect the will of the other two people and look for the lowest common denominator for Bosnia to survive because no one can imagine Bosnia the without election winners from the RS or without the Croat parties.

He added that he believes the EU and the international community’s watchdog in charge of overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, the Office of the High Representative, will take measures against Bosniaks refusing to delegate their representatives for the State level government.

“We only want to work, and if they don’t, if they want to create conflicts, then that’s their problem. That way they will only stagnate which will be disastrous for their future,” Petrovic added. 

The RS authorities, led by the SNSD, have repeatedly called for the closure of the Office of the High Representative, saying it only adds to Bosnia's instability and that it is working against the Serb interests and the interests of the RS.

As the High Representative has the so-called Bonn Powers, which allow them to impose decisions, laws and impose sanctions on political entities and politicians, the RS authorities claim that those decisions have no legitimacy, as they were not made by the elected officials from either of the two Bosnian entities.