Duraković: Ivanić works for the interests of another country while receiving a salary from BiH, Vučić pretends to be a peacemaker

The man chairing the Presidency all these days is actually working in a very cunning way in the interest of another country that is in dispute with BiH, and that is the highest possible act of betrayal of institutions, said academician Esad Duraković on TV 1 regarding Mladen Ivanić, reports Patria.

- Bakir Izetbegović simply had no choice. Many people today complain that the request for revision is being politicized, but those who complain make a logical error by saying that it should not have been submitted for political reasons. So there was no choice, it is a decision concerning history and the future - Duraković.

Duraković also commented on Ivanić's appearance, stating that he has been saying all along that institutions were bypassed in the process of the revision request and that action was taken outside of institutions.

- I want to point out a flagrant substitution of theses here. What is it about? Mr. Ivanić, not so long ago, on January 9th, violated the Constitution by parading the army, and these were soldiers from RS, thus it is divided - he did not respect the highest institution of BiH, which is the Constitutional Court.

TV1: Ivanić says that everything was done according to the law.

DURAKOVIĆ: We shall see, but the referendum is unconstitutional and he came to mark a holiday that is unconstitutional. He is a man who substitutes theses when it comes to unconstitutional actions. The man chairing the Presidency all these days is actually working in a very cunning way in the interest of another country that is in dispute with BiH, and that is the highest possible act of betrayal of institutions. Essentially, he works for the interest of another country while receiving a salary from this one.

TV1: To what extent will the filing of the revision request disrupt relations between the two countries?

DURAKOVIĆ: They are already disrupted, but they will be further disrupted. I don't know to what extent, but in analyzing these situations, one fundamental thing must be kept in mind. The current political leadership of both RS and Serbia has not renounced its war aims regarding BiH. Therefore, whatever is done here, they will find another excuse to attack the very foundations of BiH. We saw what Vučić said. That he is a peacemaker. Look, on January 9th, Dodik clearly spoke about how he is against the country and how he loves Serbia. After him, the President of Serbia, Nikolić, spoke and used a very venomous sentence - not like Dodik, but like a snake in the grass, a very perfidious political reptile who will work to dismantle BiH. Unfortunately, Serbia is led by Nikolić, who fought in BiH, Vučić, Dačić, etc.

It is very important for us, both Bosniaks and Serbs, to have good interstate relations, and that is not a cliché, but I don't think it is possible with the politicians who are currently on the political scene because they are living actors of the crimes that happened here. That generation needs to die out for us to start anew.

TV1: Vučić wants to see Serbia as a country that guarantees peace. Why then doesn't he face the revision and put an end to it?

DURAKOVIĆ: They are probably afraid of the verdict. I have said many times, without wanting to compliment him, that Vučić is a top politician. He knows how to behave in politics. The only real solution for the future is for him and others to say: Yes, there was genocide, and the Court has already made a decision. We admit it, there was genocide, we did it, a terrible thing, we will not do it again, we ask for your forgiveness and to build the future. Then the conditions will be met.

TV1: Why doesn't he do it?

DURAKOVIĆ: Because they have not yet given up on their war aims.

TV1: Politicians from RS were harsher in their reactions than politicians from Belgrade.

DURAKOVIĆ: That is Vučić's wisdom. As far as I can see, he is the most powerful Serb in the world. He persistently pretends to be a peacemaker and then incites politicians in BiH to attack BiH's institutions, while he will be the peacemaker. That is great mastery.

TV1: Why don't politicians from RS face the events that happened during the war, the genocide in Srebrenica, why don't they respect the Court's decisions?

DURAKOVIĆ: We are dealing with people - and I am talking about the establishment, never equating them with the people - who clearly have no moral considerations. I just mentioned Ivanić, who receives a salary from this country and works in the interest of another, Radmanović did the same, the President of RS is doing it, etc. People to whom no arguments reach their conscience. It is known that the Court ruled that RS is actually a genocidal creation because genocide was committed in Srebrenica, and it was stated in that verdict that the main institutions, i.e., the army and police, committed genocide. It is a genocidal creation, and they are unable to admit it, but they want to torment us until their final goal is achieved, which is secession.

TV1: How do you comment on the stance of the leader of HDZ BiH? Critics accuse him of forgetting Croatian victims by not supporting the filing of the revision request?

DURAKOVIĆ: Mr. Čović is a special case, he acts more subtly, but he is clearly in a political agreement with Dodik. They are great allies in the project of the final breakup of BiH. Nothing surprises me from Čović. He just stated that the revision is a matter for one nation. Well, genocide was committed against Bosniaks, but what encourages me is the dissonant tone of the Catholic Church because it cares about the space where Croats lived, not about politics. The head of HDZ 1990 spoke differently than Čović. Criticism is emerging here, and I think it is completely justified.

TV1: Did Izetbegović show wise and good policy in this case?

DURAKOVIĆ: I am not a lawyer for any political party or any leader. Bakir Izetbegović simply had no choice. Many people today complain that the request for revision is being politicized, but those who complain make a logical error by saying that it should not have been submitted for political reasons. So there was no choice, it is a decision concerning history and the future. First and foremost, it is a moral issue because what right does any person have - well, ten thousand people were massacred in Srebrenica, that's not important and it should be forgotten so that we can build good relations with Ivanić and Dodik. No one has the right to do that, regardless of the final outcome of the revision request, which is questionable, but that's another story.

TV1: Why is it questionable?

DURAKOVIĆ: Because that court is under great political influence. As far as I know, Serbia is the most important regional country for Europe. We know that very important parts of the documents were blacked out, which in my opinion is judicial falsification of evidence, so it is possible that they will decide differently, but that does not mean that one should not have reacted in this way.

TV1: Izetbegović was criticized for consultations in the City Hall. Critics used this to say that the request was not on behalf of BiH, but that an informal group of citizens was deciding something. How do you see that?

DURAKOVIĆ: To be honest, I think it was a wrong step. I was invited there, but I didn't go because I think it was done very clumsily. It is everyone's legitimate right to consult, but it should have been done off-camera because those who criticize it now have an argument. Despite this mistake, it does not affect the final decision.

TV1: Did the public need to be informed and should the BiH team's approach have been presented, as this also opens the door for various speculations?

DURAKOVIĆ: The Court will decide on that, whether Mr. Softić has a mandate, whether the documentation is valid. Although I am not a lawyer, I will say that it is not realistic to expect the public to be informed about the evidence and arguments because it is a major duel between states, and you cannot reveal evidence in public because the other side will use it, and I think that is normal in law.

TV1: How will a positive or negative decision by the Court be reflected in society?

DURAKOVIĆ: I think this noise from RS will subside over time. We had dramatic announcements when the census was held, if we don't agree on certain numbers, I think it will subside. However, if there is a negative decision by the Court, if it does not accept the request or rules negatively, some parties will use it to attack Bakir and SDA and say, look what you have done, you have damaged relations in BiH and achieved no results. That is a possible scenario, and then other opposition parties will capitalize on it. Such a possibility does not prevent us from trying to do everything that legal procedure allows us in this case.

TV1: How is the International Community behaving?

DURAKOVIĆ: Yesterday, the Russian ambassador convened a session of the PIC, and that clearly shows that they have influence here. The International Community is not behaving correctly. They should support this revision request. It was shocking for me when Mr. Moore said that justice should be sought but that filing the request is not good. That is illogical, and these are the absurdities of the International Community.

TV1: We have a crisis in Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, and BiH. Who benefits from constant conflicts?

DURAKOVIĆ: These are some tectonic shifts that indicate that the borders here have not yet been definitively drawn. I think the current Serbian leadership is counting on that, and probably some in BiH as well. Montenegro, as far as I can see, is in a serious situation, which means that the EU, which is bureaucratized, did not act when it could have acted, and now that Russian influence has strengthened, problems are arising. Urgently, before joining the EU, they should join NATO and then resolve issues as they arise.