Čović calls on PIC and Schmidt to react: Do not succumb to street pressure

(Patria) - The President of the Croat National Assembly of BiH and HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, stated ahead of today's session of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) that he expects the High Representative to make a final decision amending the Constitution of the Federation and the Election Law of BiH in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH, which ensures the equality of constituent peoples and their legitimate representation, all of which was confirmed by the Mostar Agreement two years ago.

"The equality of constituent peoples is the foundation of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Any violation of the central Dayton principle of equality leads to unwanted destabilization of the country. Succumbing to street pressure and threats of violence would completely undermine the credibility of the High Representative's institution.

The general impression is that the most important representatives of the international community have recognized that systemic discrimination against the Croat people cannot bring anything good to our homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina," Čović stated.

He added that the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH is clear and unambiguous, and that he expects "that the most important international actors in the country will not side with those factors that have been boycotting good-faith negotiations for five years.".

Political dialogue and compromise must be the principle of stability and progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the agreed and signed agreement of political officials from June 2020, with the presence of international officials, is a guarantee of the reform processes needed in BiH regarding changes to electoral legislation with limited constitutional amendments.

Resolving key priorities is the main task of the Peace Implementation Council. They must support all necessary steps for stable political dialogue and ensure the implementation of political agreements and progress towards foreign policy goals, i.e., Euro-Atlantic integration. Making a decision that will strengthen equality will ease political dialogue and contribute to achieving BiH's candidate status by the end of this year.

Finally, we must stabilize the political situation in BiH, remove all discrimination, and establish equal status for the three constituent peoples and all other residents of BiH, create foundations for a better life, develop and progress so that every person has a dignified life in our homeland, BiH.