Izetbegović: Kajganić has encouraged genocide deniers, we call on the HJPC to dismiss him

(Patria) - SDA President Bakir Izetbegović, following a session of the SDA Presidency, presented the conclusions they adopted on the current political situation.

One of the conclusions states that Serbia is not a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement but a signatory and must strictly adhere to it.

"We expect and call on the institutions and EUFOR to prevent mass gatherings in Srebrenica on the day the Srebrenica resolution is adopted in the UN on May 2nd.

SDA calls on the High Representative to annul the decisions of the Srebrenica Municipal Assembly on changing street names.

It also calls on the BiH Prosecutor's Office to finally start acting according to the Criminal Code of BiH and prosecute the denial of genocide. Their failure to prosecute has encouraged further denial of genocide. The escalation of this practice is a direct consequence of the Prosecutor's Office's inaction and their statements and interpretations. If there are no indictments for genocide denial, we call on the HJPC to dismiss Milanko Kajganić, who bears the greatest responsibility for the Prosecutor's Office's inaction in these cases," said Izetbegović.

He added that the Trojka (the Three) continues to make concessions to Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović.

SDA calls for the adoption of the Law on the Southern Interconnection.

Adopted conclusions of the SDA Presidency

1. The SDA Presidency warns that the secessionist policy pursued by Milorad Dodik represents a threat to peace, the greatest since the 1990s.

Through continuous attacks on the constitutional and legal order, assaults on the Dayton Peace Agreement and the position of the OHR, constant creation of crises, a flood of daily insults and threats to Bosniaks, denial of genocide, and Islamophobia, Dodik is deliberately creating an atmosphere that could escalate and cause serious consequences for peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All domestic and international actors must be aware of this and take measures to put an end to such a policy.

We warn the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) that by attacking the achieved level of reforms, attacking the Constitutional Court of BiH by refusing to elect judges from the RS entity, passing the Election Law of the RS contrary to Annex IV of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and threatening that Serbs and Bosniaks cannot live together, which is a flagrant attack on Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Milorad Dodik is attacking the foundations of the Dayton Peace Agreement with unforeseeable consequences.

The threat that "Muslims can live on 25 percent of the territory" is particularly dangerous – which can be understood as an intention to continue with the genocidal project and ethnic cleansing, as well as the fascist thesis that "Serbs cannot live with Bosniaks" – which is reminiscent of wartime and war criminals Karadžić and Krajišnik.

The adoption of a false report on Srebrenica in the National Assembly of the RS, the voting of the entity election law, the law on referendums, and a series of other anti-Dayton moves, intensify the secessionist policy defined by the SANU memorandums and the SNSD Declaration from 2015.

2. The SDA Presidency considers that the policy of the Republic of Serbia, which was found responsible for violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by the International Court of Justice, is dramatically complicating the situation with its increasingly open support and encouragement of Dodik.

Historical revisionism, distorted interpretation of court rulings, but also of reality in general, and the daily dissemination of untruths about the "endangerment of Serbdom," increasingly resemble the policy from the time of Slobodan Milošević's regime. History has taught us that whenever Serbian leaders talk about the endangerment of Serbs, they plan to endanger others.

We call on the Peace Implementation Council and the states that are witnesses to the Dayton Peace Agreement to warn Serbia that supporting secessionist policy can lead to the destabilization of the region. Serbia is a signatory to the Dayton Peace Agreement and is obliged to strictly adhere to it. Any attempt to undermine the Peace Agreement would primarily mean undermining peace, stability, but also the entity structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina established in Dayton.

We call on the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and EUFOR to prevent provocative mass gatherings in Srebrenica, which Milorad Dodik's regime is announcing on the day the Srebrenica Resolution is adopted.

3. The SDA Presidency calls on the member states of the United Nations to adopt the Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica at the General Assembly. Such a resolution is a debt to the victims of the greatest crime in Europe after World War II. Its adoption is also necessary because the leaderships of Serbia and the RS entity, as followers of the Greater Serbia policy responsible for genocide, openly and systematically deny this crime, glorify war criminals, and insult the victims.

We ask the High Representative to annul the decision of the Srebrenica Municipal Assembly on changing street names in Srebrenica.

4. The SDA Presidency demands that the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina finally start acting according to Article 145 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which prohibits and punishes the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, as well as the glorification of war criminals.

The escalation of this negative practice in the RS entity is a direct consequence of the inaction of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., the failure to file indictments and punish those responsible for committing this criminal offense. If such practice continues until July 11, 2024, we call on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH to dismiss the current Chief State Prosecutor Milanko Kajganić, who bears the greatest responsibility for the inaction of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the aforementioned provisions of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

5. The SDA Presidency calls on the parties of the Trojka to stop trampling on the dignity of the Bosniak people and other BiH patriots. By agreeing to the dictates of SNSD and HDZ, yielding with self-humiliation, readiness to weaken the OHR and disempower the Central Election Commission of BiH together with SNSD and HDZ, and simultaneously creating a false narrative of "relaxation of relations" and "compromises," the Trojka is causing dangerous damage to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The leaders of the Trojka parties must know that they do not have the right and will be prevented from betraying the interests of the state for their own positions.

6. The SDA Presidency considers the halting of Bosnia and Herzegovina's NATO path unacceptable and calls on the Trojka parties to urgently ensure the adoption and submission of the Reform Program (ANP) for 2023 to NATO headquarters with their coalition partners, as well as the preparation of this document for 2024. We remind that the previous government, in which SDA and DF participated with SNSD and HDZ, adopted and sent Programs for three years to NATO, thereby introducing Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Membership Action Plan (MAP). After the formation of the new government, no Reform Program has been sent to NATO headquarters.

7. The SDA Presidency welcomes the strengthening of EUFOR with the arrival of Strategic Reserve Forces from France, and expects that their cooperation with the Armed Forces of BiH and their presence throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina will contribute to maintaining a secure environment for all citizens.

8. The SDA Presidency demands that the ruling coalition finally prepare and submit the Budget of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2024 to the procedure. The fact that the budget has not been adopted, contrary to all legal deadlines, once again confirms that state government functions only when it is in the interest of SNSD and HDZ.

9. The SDA Presidency assesses that the imposed Government of the Federation of BiH, with its incompetence, is rapidly eroding the economic stability of the Federation established during the mandate of the previous Government. The imposed Government is obliged to present precise information to the public about the reasons for the enormous, almost daily borrowing, which could reach one billion marks this year alone. They are also obliged to explain what the borrowed funds are being spent on.

10. The SDA Presidency assesses that the imposed Government of the Federation of BiH is not taking effective measures to stop the rise in prices of basic foodstuffs. So far, activities have been focused exclusively on media promotion of the prime minister and ministers, from which citizens have received no benefit. It is particularly worrying that the increase in salaries and pensions does not remotely follow the increase in prices.

Instead of measures that would ease the lives of citizens, the federal government announces an increase in the price of electricity and telecommunication services, which will be a new blow to their standard of living. The incompetence of the imposed government is further underscored by the fact that in a very short period, Elektroprivreda BiH has incurred a debt of 140 million KM.

11. The SDA Presidency calls on the imposed government in the Federation of BiH to finally ensure the adoption of the Law on the Southern Gas Interconnection in the FBiH Parliament. All deadlines announced by Nikšić, after he withdrew the previously adopted law from the procedure, have long since passed. SDA proposed the Law and there is no reason why it should not be adopted.

We expect international interested partners to warn Nikšić and the Trojka that they should not meet the demands of HDZ, and allow them control over the Southern Interconnection.

12. The SDA Presidency asks the OHR to extend by three months the deadline for the amendment to the Constitution of FBiH concerning the procedure for electing the Government of the Federation of BiH to take effect. After the ruling structure did nothing, SDA proposed an amendment to this amendment that would exclude the House of Peoples from the procedure, as is the case at the state level and in the RS entity. Given the short deadline, until May 1st, within which the ruling coalition is preventing the amendment change through inaction, it would be necessary to extend the deadline for its adoption.

13. The SDA Presidency congratulates Armin Hodžić on his historic achievement and election to the Croatian Parliament, expressing confidence that he will, as before, successfully work on the affirmation and protection of the Bosniak national minority in Croatia.