Ivanić: Dodik started his election campaign early, misusing serious topics

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The cabinet of the BiH Presidency member from Republika Srpska, Mladen Ivanić, in response to today's statement by the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, regarding the destruction of surplus donated weapons through the "Equip and Train" program by the United States of America, issued a statement clarifying the process of destroying surplus weapons.

- The BiH Presidency (composed of Haris Silajdžić, Nebojša Radmanović, and Željko Komšić) adopted a Decision on resolving surplus weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices for the Armed Forces of BiH in August 2010, which also pertains to the destruction of surplus donated weapons through the "Equip and Train" program by the United States of America.
 
The Ministry of Defense of BiH was obliged to fulfill the obligations arising from that decision and submit a report on its implementation to the BiH Presidency. During 2010, 30,081 American M-16 rifles were destroyed. The BiH Presidency, which included Nebojša Radmanović, did not request reports for the next four years, and during those four years, no surplus weapons were destroyed.
 
The BiH Presidency did not adopt any decision in 2015 to exempt heavy weapons (howitzers, armored personnel carriers, machine guns, rifle machine guns) from destruction. With the decision from 2015, the Presidency only allowed certain parts of the weapons to be used as spare parts before destruction.
 
Serb officers in the Armed Forces of BiH and Serb representatives in the Ministry of Defense of BiH insisted in 2017 and continue to insist that the process of destroying the aforementioned weapons be completed.
 
We consider all disseminated information to be untrue and a misuse of serious topics for a prematurely started election campaign - the statement said.