Bišćević Tokić: Murphy again wants to form government in BiH against the will of citizens

(Patria) - The statement by former US Ambassador to BiH Michael Murphy that SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović, during talks on constitutional reform in 2021-2022 held in Neum, said that he "might be able to live with the partition of BiH" represents his attempt to indirectly influence the outcome of the upcoming elections again, believes MP in the FBiH Parliament Jasmina Bišćević Tokić (SDA).

In this regard, Bišćević Tokić, in a statement to the Patria News Agency (NAP), recalls that Murphy showed a pronounced tendency towards political interventionism during his tenure as ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in the pre-election and post-election periods.

- It should also be said that the context in which Murphy, as a former high diplomatic official, makes statements is as important as the content of his statement. And the context and content of Murphy's statement seriously call his credibility into question - says Bišćević Tokić.

She emphasizes that the fact that Murphy offered no material evidence for his claim, nor did he refer to witnesses who could confirm the truth of his statement, speaks volumes.

- A claim that cannot be based on facts, nor supported by material evidence, is untrue, regardless of who made it.

Besides the fact that this statement was made before the start of the election campaign for the General Elections in 2026, which is not unimportant, it is important to note that it was made by a person who was neither an active nor a passive participant in the negotiations held in Neum.

When we add to this the fact that the statement is made with a serious reservation of "perhaps", and that the information about the alleged statement of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović about readiness for the partition of BiH is based on the principle of "hearsay", then it becomes clear that such a statement does not meet the elementary standards of truthfulness - says Bišćević Tokić.

Our interlocutor reminds that Michael Murphy took over the duty of ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina on February 18, 2022, and that the negotiations in Neum were held and concluded in January of the same year.

The negotiations were mediated by the US and the EU, represented by Angelina Eichhorst and Matthew Palmer. Therefore, adds Bišćević Tokić, Michael Murphy was not even present at the talks in Neum and did not represent the US.

- This fact confirms that Murphy learned about the statement he attributes to Bakir Izetbegović only "second-hand". However, a serious and responsible diplomat cannot base their views and statements, especially those concerning the fate of a country, on unverified or "second-hand" information - notes Bišćević Tokić.

Although he was not a participant in the negotiations in Neum, she emphasizes that Michael Murphy's statement implies that he was, in some strange way, aware of the details discussed during the meeting.

- Given that he allegedly knows the details of the talks from Neum, the question can be legitimately asked why Murphy does not tell the domestic and international public who among the domestic actors, and with the support of which international officials, developed the plan for the partition of BiH?

And why, if the proposal for the partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina was set as the basis or framework for negotiations, were the protagonists of such a proposal not sanctioned and excluded from the negotiations - added Bišćević Tokić.

According to her, the aggression against BiH, the period after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, but also this statement by Murphy show that the main problem of international policy towards BiH is that international officials have always had a problem with those who "allegedly agreed" to the partition of BiH, and never with those who, even with the direct or indirect support of certain international officials, partitioned BiH.

- And instead of calling out and condemning those who wanted to partition BiH in Neum, Michael Murphy baselessly accuses SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović, who clearly and loudly opposed the BiH Election Law that would finally legalize apartheid.

Unlike this completely unfounded statement by Michael Murphy, it will be recorded that after taking office as ambassador to BiH, it was Murphy himself who strongly supported internal disintegrating policies aimed at partitioning BiH and who, in a completely undemocratic manner, excluded SDA, an undoubtedly state-building political party, from power - concluded Bišćević Tokić in an interview with NAP.