Halilović and Muhasilović warn: Pan-Serbian Assembly set guidelines for the creeping disintegration of BiH, Bosnian politics must respond

(Patria) - Anti-Bosnian doctrines and ideologies of the "Declaration of the Pan-Serbian Assembly" are the topic of today's round table jointly organized by Krug 99 and NGO Guardians of Bosnia.

Professor Enver Halilović from Krug 99 stated that the declaration of the Pan-Serbian Assembly represents a state synthesis of Greater Serbian, nationalist, and hegemonic projects.

“The Declaration of the Pan-Serbian Assembly was created by the President of Serbia Vučić and the President of Republika Srpska Dodik. The Declaration has, first and foremost, a legal, practical-political form and content, it has state-binding usability. Ethnic content is the core of Serbian national-state policy and vice versa. This postulate, given the ethnic confusion of Serbs, makes Serbian national policy conquering, hegemonic, Greater Serbian, great-state, in relation to all peoples living with those whom the Serbian authorities call Serbs and towards whom they develop a protective and political relationship.

The Declaration on the Protection of National and Political Rights and the Common Future of the Serbian People is a legal-political aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a strong anti-Bosnian, anti-state, and anti-Dayton blow to BiH. To the same extent, and in the same sense, in which the Declaration is Serbian legal-political aggression against BiH, it is an irredentist-secessionist legal-political attack by Republika Srpska on the integrity and sovereignty of BiH. The Declaration significantly limits the legal and political sovereignty of BiH in one of its administrative parts, in Republika Srpska. To the extent that it legally and politically integrates Republika Srpska into Serbia and unites them, it disunites BiH and separates Republika Srpska from it.

The Declaration directly denies the legality and legitimacy of the High Representative in BiH Christian Schmidt and rejects his decisions. The Declaration announces the determination to create some possible new state form of united Serbia and Republika Srpska, i.e., the dismemberment of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It foresees the introduction of the Day of Statehood of Republika Srpska. It strongly opposes the election law at the state level of BiH. The Declaration very clearly, but very subtly denies: non-Serbian Slavic identities (Croats, Bosniaks, Montenegrins); it denies the identities of non-Serbian Slavic languages in the region (Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin); everything created in the Serbian language, in its two pronunciations, is considered a Serbian cultural value, which means that Bosniak, Croatian, Montenegrin culture created in the Bosnian, Croatian, and Montenegrin languages is denied; it speaks of the Serbian people, not only of Orthodox, but also of Catholic and Islamic religious spirituality, etc. By adopting the Declaration, the irredentist-secessionist process of Republika Srpska, which is shamefully called separation, is intensified and internationalized, BiH's access to the EU and NATO alliances is prevented and hindered, the work of state bodies of BiH is obstructed politically, on the principle of consensus of peoples and entities, the creeping, peaceful disintegration of BiH is carried out,” said Halilović.

Professor Jahja Muhasilović from NGO Guardians of Bosnia stated that Greater Serbian policy grossly denies the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We are in a situation where we have a political leadership that unfortunately does not understand the dangers coming from Belgrade. We have a leadership that, when a Serbian helicopter lands in BiH, says it is not their jurisdiction. We are in a very difficult situation. As Guardians of Bosnia and Krug 99, we recognized that it is high time to respond to such aggressive policy and to mobilize the broader political, academic, economic elite and the general public to respond to Serbian irredentism. It is high time to get serious and respond to those who are trying to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH,” he emphasized.

Muhasilović stated that the goal is to “make it normal for Serbian logistics to enter BiH, i.e., into the BiH entity of Republika Srpska”.

“This helicopter in Trebinje was a test balloon. They received a message in Belgrade that something like that was feasible and that they could do it in the future. The responsibility lies with our political scene; if we are an independent state, then we must defend that independence and sovereignty. The Pan-Serbian Assembly has given instructions on where Serbian policy should move next, and they are implementing it. If they do not receive a response, they will continue with more aggressive steps to merge the entity of Republika Srpska with Serbia,” said Muhasilović.

Halilović added that the document of the Pan-Serbian Assembly foreshadows a whole series of legal and political activities that will take place on the Serbia-Republika Srpska or Serbia-BiH line.

“The holding of assemblies that will confirm this declaration and guide further activity not only towards BiH but also in the wider region has been announced. If the adoption of this document by the Serbian Assembly, i.e., the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, is not prevented, I expect a very worrying political process not only in BiH but also in the region. This is a signal of unrest in the future in the countries of the Balkans,” said Halilović.