Izetbegović: I expect a final conflict between the international community and Dodik

(Patria) - The leader of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Bakir Izetbegović was a guest on tonight's Dnevnik D of Federal Television.

He spoke about numerous current topics, and at the beginning, he touched upon the political crisis we entered after the High Representative Christian Schmidt imposed amendments to the Election Law.

Dodik goes all the way

- There is a saying - crises are opportunities. At some point, we must go through a deep crisis for things and relations in BiH to change. Until the side represented by Milorad Dodik changes its attitude towards the state of BiH and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, there will be no improvement for the country - said Izetbegović.

In that context, he adds, Serbian politicians themselves must change these policies, or the international community must overcome them. When asked if the High Representative's intervention was necessary, Izetbegović replied that it was.

- After 15 years of our attempts, it was high time to somehow achieve transparent, fair, and honest elections in BiH. It would have been better if it were a domestic product, SDA offered it. This is the first step, I hope the project will succeed and that we will have real General Elections in 2026 - states Izetbegović.

The seven-day deadline given by the leader of RS and SNSD, Milorad Dodik, to his coalition partners to choose between accepting Schmidt's decision and the coalition has expired. When asked if he expects a stalemate on BiH's European path, Izetbegović said:

"As far as I know Dodik, he will try to go all the way. He will create delays, he will put us in a political limbo, he will withdraw elected representatives, legislative bodies will not function. We saw that during the SDA's time as well. He will try to force the international community to back down, to have it his way, but I think he will face a tougher response this time."

He also commented on the leader of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, saying that he does not think he intends to oppose the international community.

- He also found himself in a situation where those who supported him indiscriminately until yesterday have started to criticize him. He is silent, he does not have a proper response to that, he does not want to quarrel further with that side. When it comes to the Southern Interconnection and his people on the blacklists, I think he has assessed that it is wiser for him to remain silent - assesses Izetbegović.

Dodik's invitation to SDA is not serious

According to him, Dodik's invitation to SDA in terms of a potential coalition is just a threat towards the Trojka, it is not a serious invitation.

- I think our conditions are not, nor is there a chance for them to be met for now. Dodik, who on that day set out to attack the OHR, the constitutional and legal order of BiH, the Election Law, the Criminal Code, from whom a threatening statement escaped - that Bosniaks have enough 25 percent of the territory - these are probably their Belgrade stories and pipe dreams, invites SDA to join the coalition after all that.

A serious invitation is not made in such a way. Either Dodik will change his policy or he will be changed. When these policies change, when there is a generation of Serbian politicians ready to work constructively for BiH, SDA will be there - says Izetbegović.

He also points out that the opposition in RS is more radical than the authorities in words, but when they entered the 'shoes of responsibility' - SDS and PDP worked constructively.

- One thing is what is said to satisfy the voter base, and another is what is done. With Dodik, it's the opposite. He is worse than you think from personal interaction with him, he appears as a relatively acceptable politician when you talk to him one-on-one, and then he has very tough policies - explains Izetbegović.

The Constitutional Court of BiH partially accepted the appeal of PDP and annulled certain decisions of the state court, and when asked if this gives hope that SNSD could lose its levers for blockades in the BiH Parliament, as SDP repeated the same mistake as SDA with the election of the fourth delegate, Izetbegović answers:

"SDP did that completely consciously when they saw what happened in the previous term. SDA did that to appease the other side to relax relations. However, after what SNSD did to us during the mandate with SDA, the SDP's decision is far more serious and irresponsible.

Both are failures, but one thing is, after SDA's attempt to appease the other side, after a four-year stalemate, SDP should not have done that at all. It is possible that the PDP representative will be elected, but again, there are three from SNSD who can stop whatever they want by simply leaving the session, and they will not hesitate to do so."

Izetbegović also emphasizes that Dodik has countless ways to stop life in BiH if he wants to - by leaving the Council of Ministers, the House of Representatives, using entity voting. But, he says, it would be somewhat easier with the loss of the fourth position in the House of Peoples.

Due to the Bill on the Constitutional Court of BiH, Bosniak delegates left the last session of the House of Peoples. Izetbegović explains how they will act in the future.

- Sessions that do not have this matter related to the unconstitutional attempt to change the composition and functioning of the Constitutional Court on the agenda are possible. We cannot allow that. We had a consensus of all representatives, NiP, SBiH, DF, and SDA are also there. Other topics and sessions that do not have this agenda item remain - states Izetbegović.

The US intelligence community has information that conflicts could occur in BiH this year. Izetbegović responds that the people in BiH are not ready for conflict.

- I don't think politicians will be ready to lead to conflict. We will have a conflict between SNSD and the international community. That conflict will be current. This is the time of truth. This time, it will face a decisive response, primarily from the OHR, which is encouraged by the PIC countries and the US, and it will put a stop to such behavior by Dodik - Izetbegović believes.

A huge price has been paid

He also answered the question of whether the BiH authorities have made impressive progress on the European path:

"We don't know at all when we will get these negotiations. A huge price has been paid to both SNSD and HDZ for the Trojka to take power and for something to be achieved, and now a huge balloon is being inflated from that.

As long as such policies from RS are on the scene, there is no European path. Negotiations may begin, but they will either stop or move at a snail's pace. We have not received anything tangible so far."

When asked if there is a conflict of US and EU policies in BiH, he says there is some rivalry, but he doesn't see a particular problem with it.

- Schmidt relies heavily on the American side, the Europeans support him, and now there will be a final conflict between the international community and the policies led by Dodik, and Dodik's side will lose - predicts Izetbegović.

He also commented on his relationship with the Americans and the US Embassy.

- I meet with foreign ambassadors. I received four ambassadors from important European countries at SDA in the last few months. As for Murphy, my relationship, nor SDA's, is not problematic in relation to him and the US.

We are grateful to the US for what they have done and are doing for this country. But it is their decision to strike at SDA as well, because, among other things, they have accusations from the Serbian side that they are working against Serbs with the Muslim elite. So it is necessary to prove that this is not the case.

This false claim that I have some financial interests - which ones, what kind, why isn't it said? Instead, processes are being fabricated, like with Fadil Novalić or Osman Mehmedagić, and these will turn out to be fabricated processes.

My wife is intentionally attacked, and her surname, this is done to satisfy the other or third party in BiH, because there are no real arguments against SDA so far. SDA is a party that has always been the engine of everything important and good for this country - notes Izetbegović.

He assesses that the judicial system in BiH is 'terrible', and that SDA has a serious problem, because its 'vice-presidents have started to be prosecuted seven years ago, and it is claimed that we control the prosecution'.

- No, that's not true. The rule of law is what we should rely on in the future. The tool for this is the judiciary and real judges like the man of integrity Perić, who said what he had to say about the Novalić verdict. He suffered sanctions for it, he was punished because he said it was a rigged process. Of course, it is a rigged process - Izetbegović believes.

American sanctions

He also touched upon American sanctions.

- We will have to pay a price. SDA is paying a collateral price for it. To be more convincing, they are also hitting us, without a real reason. Asim Sarajlić has not been convicted in court.

Time will show that he, Novalić, and Mehmedagić were harassed for no reason and that the deserving Prime Minister of FBiH is currently behind bars and fasting during Ramadan - innocent in prison. Just as it was proven for my father. Our judiciary has learned by inertia to obey certain authorities - says Izetbegović.

In the end, he said that he is not convinced that there will be a coalition between SDA-DF-SBiH-NES in the local elections.

- It takes two, three, four to reach an agreement. SDA extends its hand to everyone. There are chances, but I am not convinced, but it is not overly important either. The real fight follows between the two policies in the 2026 elections - the one that effectively surrendered BiH to Dodik and Čović and the one that was not ready for it - concluded Izetbegović for Dnevnik D.