Izetbegović: HDZ will have to provide mechanisms in the House of Peoples to prevent all blockades

(Patria) - Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and President of the Party of Democratic Action Bakir Izetbegović said that the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is strengthening, which is the cause of the current crisis we are facing.

- When you look at a number of things that have happened in the last year, you will see that the state is strengthening, or rather that some anti-state forces are on the defensive. The plaque with Radovan Karadžić's name was removed in Pale, the church in Konjević Polje was demolished, the Constitutional Court made a number of decisions that did not allow state property to be seized and transferred to the entity level, the OHR finally passed a law prohibiting the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals. This is already a panicked reaction of these forces that are on the defensive – Izetbegović stated for BHT 1. 

The SDA president announced intensive meetings next week with the US Special Envoy Matthew Palmer and the Director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey and Great Britain at the European External Action Service Angelina Eichhorst. Izetbegović also announced the possibility of filling vacant ministerial positions in the FBiH Government next week.

Responding to a question about his candidacy for the Presidency of BiH, Izetbegović said that this issue is not among his priorities at the moment.

- Believe it or not, I completely forget about that in the face of the problems we have now. If only I could achieve peace in the country, get our institutions working, and then have elections – Izetbegović stated.

Speaking about the last meeting with the European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, the President of HDZ BiH Dragan Čović, and the President of SNSD Milorad Dodik, Izetbegović said that nothing new happened, but that it is necessary to talk.

Izetbegović also spoke about how he had previously offered the possibility for the BiH Parliamentary Assembly to adopt new amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH that would include everything contained in the amendments passed by Valentin Inzko, with certain novelties such as prohibiting the denial of crimes committed in Jasenovac.

- Then we had Dodik's reaction, who said that I insulted the Serbian people. Now Dodik has come around to what I proposed a month ago. This is indeed the solution, for the BiH Parliament to adopt a law and for the OHR to automatically withdraw its law, if the content is the same or similar – Izetbegović stated.

When it comes to amendments to the Constitution and election legislation, Izetbegović said that HDZ's blockades at the federal level have reduced the chances of reaching an agreement.

- What HDZ is asking for the Presidency of BiH, we were ready to give unilaterally during the April package and with the File model. Now we are no longer ready for that because of what they have done. Now they will have to provide mechanisms in the House of Peoples that will permanently prevent such behavior as they have exhibited in the past three years. And without that, they will not get what they are interested in. This discrimination where a minority harasses the majority must be resolved, and HDZ is doing that. If they hadn't done that, they would have more easily achieved what they want. Without it, let them be angry, they will not get it. Let both foreigners and HDZ hear this, they will not get it without it – Izetbegović stated.

He added that there will be no two electoral units in FBiH and no asymmetric solutions, but that it is possible to resolve the issue of electing members of the Presidency while simultaneously resolving the issue of the powers and competencies of the Houses of Peoples, in a way that they exclusively consider issues related to the protection of vital national interests.

- They have stopped 150 various decisions and laws for us, including 37 laws. For example, the strategy related to spatial planning in FBiH has been on hold in the House of Peoples for seven years. They do not have the right to these things. Bookmakers in BiH earn more than Elektroprivreda, all these mines and Telecom combined. They did not allow us to tax them. This is not a vital interest of the Croatian people. This may be a vital financial interest of some politicians. They will have to give up doing such things – Izetbegović stated.