Regardless of Serbia's Stance, RS Authorities Will Proceed with Organizing Referendum on January 9th

Four RS officials - Mladen Ivanić, Milorad Dodik, Mladen Bosić, and Željka Cvijanović - after a meeting in Belgrade where they did not receive support for holding a referendum on January 9th from Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, announced that the referendum will be held on September 25th, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

- We remain united in our intention to defend the idea of a referendum - Dodik told the media after the meeting.

RS Prime Minister Željka Cvijanović stated that the discussion in Belgrade was useful and that the political leaders of BiH Serbs were informed that Serbia would not interfere in the referendum issue.

- Serbia has full understanding for the developments in RS and the entire region. This is our decision in RS. The leadership of all political parties based in RS has made a decision, and we see no reason for any uproar that has followed. In BiH, an uproar is made even if someone doesn't like the direction in which the birds are flying. Now we also have the Central Election Commission that refuses to provide voter lists, which they are obliged to do by law - Cvijanović said.

President of the Serbian Democratic Party, Mladen Bosić, said that he heard a lot of information he was unaware of at the meeting in Belgrade.

- I appeal to everyone to avoid escalation that would take us back twenty years. It reminds me of '91, and many of us haven't moved beyond the beginning - Bosić said.

 

We remind you that the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) called on RS authorities not to hold the referendum. Russia expressed a dissenting opinion and did not support the joint statement. The PIC considers the violation of the Dayton Agreement to be impermissible, as is any attempt to redraw the borders of BiH.