MEP Strik clear: Do not accept a compromise that will entrench ethnic divisions

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - A political crisis threatening to escalate is underway in Bosnia and Herzegovina, wrote today MEP from the Greens group (Netherlands) Tineke Strik, who is on an official visit to BiH, on her Twitter account.

Members of the European Parliament Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) and Dietmar Köster (S&D, Germany) are on a two-day visit to BiH where they intend to hold talks with numerous political actors in BiH in light of recent events and the current political crisis.

Strik emphasized that the European Union should be stricter towards provocations by member of the BiH Presidency Milorad Dodik, rather than rewarding him, for which she clearly called for financial sanctions against Dodik in order to protect the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The European Union and the United States are now negotiating a deal in which they appear to be yielding to some demands of Dodik and representatives of Croats to calm the situation. There is a great risk that the compromise will entrench ethnic divisions in the country and thereby only worsen the political crisis," Strik believes.

She also wrote that today she had a very fruitful but concerning meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations and activists in BiH who shared their concerns with her, and she fully supported their call for increased participation in vital ongoing discussions about the future of the country.

Head of the European Union Delegation to BiH Johann Sattler, after meeting with the MEPs, wrote on Twitter that it is good to see strong commitment and engagement from MEPs in shaping the response to the current crisis in BiH, and emphasized that de-escalation must be the first step in that process.

As representatives of their political groups for BiH in the European Parliament, MEPs Köster and Strik will, during their visit to BiH, speak with various officials including the High Representative in BiH Christian Schmidt, representatives of the Central Election Commission, representatives of various political parties including the opposition, as well as representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations.

Strik and Köster will hold a press conference on Saturday at the Holiday Hotel.