Izetbegović: I am not on bad terms with Milanović

(Patria) - RTL reporter Damira Gregoret spoke with the president of the Party of Democratic Action and Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegović, ahead of his meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Zagreb.

RTL: About ten days ago, you criticized Croatian Prime Minister Plenković as well as President Milanović for Milorad Dodik's visit. You said, I will consider whether to come, and here you are. Why are you here?

I did not say I would consider, but I said that Croatian leaders should not be left to Dodik's interpretations, that we must of course talk and that I would respond to Mr. Plenković. As for Mr. Milanović, I think we will have to wait first for him to meet his colleagues, partners from BiH, members of the Presidency. At this moment, it is the chairman, Mr. Džaferović. It was not good at all and it is disrespect towards Džaferović by Milanović, disrespect towards BiH and its structure and constitutional order. He should have met with Džaferović first. To skip him and go directly to Dodik, whose policies are destabilizing, his messages are bad, anti-integrationist. We know his attitude towards Bosniaks and Croats in RS, a year and a half ago he awarded a medal to General Lisica who bombed Zadar. Why with such a man before the Chairman of the Presidency? Today I will meet with Mr. Plenković, and Mr. Čović and two foreign ministers, Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Croatian, will be with us.

RTL: What will be on the table? Will you discuss the most important topic for Croatia - the position of Croats in BiH. Will the issue of amending the election law be opened?

Of course, that will be one of the topics, but we must harmonize everything to make changes to the Election Law. Not just to cut out with scissors or tweezers only what one party is interested in. It is very complex and everything must be applied.

RTL: But you must understand the dissatisfaction of Croats in BiH given that Željko Komšić was chosen by the will of Bosniaks?

He was chosen by the will of the citizens. We cannot count bloodlines and forbid people who to vote for. It is stated in our Constitution that one Bosniak, one Serb, and one Croat must be elected. Not a Bosniak, Croatian, and Serb representative...

RTL: But Dayton ensures equality for all three peoples?

Well, of course. But this was done according to the Constitution and the law. On the other hand, the formation of the federal government has been blocked by HDZ for two years. They said, until we get the Election Law as we are interested in, there will be no federal government. For a year now, the formation of the federal court has been blocked by HDZ. We have our demands and we need to find a compromise. First and foremost, I came to Zagreb today to change the atmosphere. To not seek solutions with Dodik but among ourselves.

RTL: I have to quote what Milanović said: "Komšić is parasitizing at the expense of Croats in BiH"?

That is a very ugly statement. Komšić was able to get 400,000 citizen votes because he always stood on the right side. Komšić's fault is that he did not participate in the joint criminal enterprise, that he is not with Prlić and others in The Hague now. One should not insult people.

RTL: But you still understand the dissatisfaction of Croats?

I understand the frustration of Croats with that, but let them also understand my and our frustration that we have not had a federal government for two years. We need to meet each other halfway, and before that, create a better atmosphere in BiH, a better political climate in BiH, better relations between Bosniaks and Croats, better relations between Croatia and BiH. For a decade, we have been seeking to resolve some open issues that are to our detriment. The property of our companies here in Croatia has never been returned, huge resources of Lake Buško are being used, the Pelješac Bridge is being built, and BiH's access to the open sea has not been resolved, and at this moment it is Trgovska Gora. We expect Croatia to make strides.

RTL: Are you asking for something in return?

I did not come today to trade or complain to Plenković, nor for Čović and I to argue in front of him. I came to change the atmosphere and paradigm in the mutual relations between Croatia and BiH, and between Bosniaks and Croats. Every time we have done that, things have moved forward. Whenever Croats have agreed with Serbs in BiH and in the Balkans in general, only radical Serbian nationalists have profited. This has been empirically confirmed.

RTL: And we constantly hear criticism from you, and the Pelješac Bridge is one example. You were not on good terms with former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and now not with Milanović either. Why is that?

I am not on bad terms with Milanović. I will meet with him after he first meets his partners. It is not good when Milanović says that Bosnia is a 'shit country', that Komšić, who was elected by the citizens, is a parasite. We do not make such statements. I will gladly meet with him and try to resolve such matters. As for Grabar-Kitarović, she used to say that 4,000 people returned to BiH from the Syrian battlefield, that we have radical Islamist camps, which greatly hinders our path to the EU and NATO alliance. This was completely in conflict with the proclaimed Croatian policies of offering us a hand and helping us on that path. She added two zeros. For 40 returnees, she says 4,000.

I think Plenković, who has worked in the EU for a long time, knows the standards very well and knows very well what the EU expects from Croatia and from us. That he can be of help.