Izetbegović: I am surprised by Komšić's move, I offered Čović what we agreed upon

17:30 - The meeting between HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović and SDA Deputy President Bakir Izetbegović has concluded, after DF President Željko Komšić had previously left the meeting room, Patria's reporter states.

As could be heard from Izetbegović, he is surprised by Komšić's decision to leave the meeting. He told reporters that at the beginning of the meeting, he offered only what Komšić and he had agreed upon yesterday.

- SDA offered, or rather, as jointly agreed, four positions to DF plus one that would be jointly chosen, which is the Ministry of Agriculture. Also, Komšić requested that the position for Others, not for Serbs, go to HDZ, which would mean HDZ would have six ministerial positions.

- I am surprised by Komšić's decision today, and we will have to see what happens next through party bodies. Whoever rejoices in this situation must know that they are cutting the branch they are sitting on, because all of us need the Federal government – Izetbegović told reporters.

He further stated that he still does not know what to do in this situation and hopes that Komšić will change his mind.

- SDA will continue to work with one, the other, the third, the fifth..., but we will form the FBiH Government. I repeat, I still hope that Komšić did this in a fit of emotion and that he will be part of the majority again – said Izetbegović.

Dragan Čović also stated that his party will consider the newly emerged situation through its bodies.

- It is important that the FBiH Government is formed as soon as possible for the sake of all citizens and our voters – said Čović.

When asked by reporters whether they would form a minority government because Komšić promised to support such a government, both Izetbegović and Čović said that it was not exactly wise, but that at this moment neither of them could say what would happen next.

Both reiterated that it is important for the FBiH Government to be established by March 11, i.e., next week.

16:35 - Željko Komšić, DF leader, left the meeting and stated that they will not participate in the FBiH Government with HDZ and SDA, Patria's reporter states.

- I expected to get some signals about where this country is heading, and I think we got them today. Yesterday I met with Izetbegović and we did not manage to agree. SDA is ready to accommodate HDZ and give them six ministerial positions. We were offered four. We did not agree to that, because just as we respect the election results of HDZ BiH and SDA, we expect them to do the same in relation to DF – said Komšić. He clarified that DF will vote for a minority government, as he called it, and will not be an obstacle in forming the FBiH Government.

DF remains in coalition with SDA and HDZ BiH at the state level, but Komšić said that if DF is bothersome to them there as well, the party will withdraw.

The meeting between Izetbegović and Čović is still ongoing, Patria's reporter states.

16:07 - The meeting of the SDA, HDZ, and DF delegations on the distribution of portfolios in the FBiH Government has begun in the Presidency of BiH building, reports the reporter of the BiH news agency Patria.

The SDA delegation includes the party's deputy president Bakir Izetbegović, vice-president Adil Osmanović, and the candidate for the composition of the new FBiH Government Fadil Novalić.

The negotiating delegation of the Democratic Front consists of party president Željko Komšić, party general secretary Sifet Podžić, and DF Presidency member Emir Suljagić, while along with HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović, the vice-president of the party and President of the Federation of BiH Marinko Čavara and Dario Karamatić from HSS came to the negotiating table.

15:55 - The start of the meeting of delegations from parties forming the coalition at the federal level is expected in the Presidency of BiH building, reports the reporter of the Patria news agency.

The leaders of the leading political parties in the Federation, SDA, HDZ BiH, and DF, are expected to agree on the distribution of ministerial portfolios in the FBiH Government today. If an agreement is not reached, the situation in the Federation would be considerably complicated, which could also affect the formation of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Five days ago, the same delegation met and tried to agree on the distribution of ministries in the Federation, but those agreements failed, and Dragan Čović, leader of HDZ, announced that if agreements were not reached today either, the SDA, HDZ, and DF coalition could break, which would mean seeking new coalition partners in the Federation, or further delaying the formation of government in this BiH entity, writes Patria.

The process of forming the government in the Federation is blocked by HDZ BiH. Namely, there are 16 ministries in the FBiH Government. SDA is seeking eight ministerial positions, HDZ is seeking six, as is DF. In total, that is 20, or four more desired positions than there are ministerial seats.

Bakir Izetbegović, SDA Deputy President, said during the meeting on Wednesday that SDA is ready to give up one ministerial position for the sake of faster formation of the federal government. DF said they would reduce the number of requested ministerial seats if HDZ BiH did the same, but the party's leader Dragan Čović has not yet given up on six ministerial positions in the FBiH Government, writes NAP.