COMMENTARY Europe tidying up: Will a shocking outcome for HDZ and Čović follow?

By: S. Omeragić

---

Dragan Čović, president of HDZ BiH, is under public attack, both among Croats in BiH and in Croatia, after he was Milorad Dodik's guest at the celebration of January 9th in Banja Luka, even though General Slavko Lisica, convicted of war crimes in Croatia, was also decorated at the same ceremony.

The Constitutional Court of BiH declared the celebration of January 9th as the day of that entity in BiH unconstitutional in 2015.

The very next day, Čović traveled to Belgrade, where he met with Aleksandar Vučić, the president of Serbia, and had a very cordial conversation. After the meeting, Vučić stated that "Croats in BiH made a mistake thinking they didn't need an entity." This was the usual official interference of Serbia in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Čović has claimed for years that he will lead BiH into Europe. The question of whether there is any place for his politics there at all is becoming increasingly relevant.

After SDA announced the initiation of proceedings before the Constitutional Court of BiH to change the name of RS, Čović warned about respecting the Constitution. He, who has violated the constitutionality of BiH whenever he could.

Croatian political scientist and political consultant Davor Gjenero stated that "Americans pointed out the Russian background in the position of the president of HDZ BiH ten years ago."

Authorities from Republika Srpska, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, strongly oppose BiH's entry into NATO, blocking the submission of the Annual National Program (ANP). The opposition in BiH has accused Dragan Čović, leader of HDZ BiH, of openly joining Milorad Dodik in stopping BiH on its path to the Alliance.

Just as Željko Komšić, member of the Presidency of the state, conditioned the election of Zoran Tegeltija from SNSD as Prime Minister of BiH with the activation of the NATO path, Čović stated in Mostar on January 21st: "Two Bosniak members of the Presidency are conditioning Mr. Dodik. If they continue like this, they will probably have a reaction from the other side." The statement was full of loyalty and admiration for Dodik, with humble indulgence towards what he is doing against his own country.

In November 2017, the Hague Tribunal issued a final verdict, sentencing six individuals to a total of 111 years in prison, and officially designating HDZ as a party that stands behind the crimes. After that, a certain number of those who believe that HDZ no longer has a place among the members of the EPP (European People's Party) came forward.

"The Party of European Socialists expelled Dodik's SNSD from the European party family several years ago. Due to HDZ's very questionable cooperation with this party, it would be high time for the EPP to also start considering the expulsion of HDZ," Schwarz-Schilling recently wrote.

He warned the President of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, that Čović glorifies convicted war criminals and celebrates 25 years since the creation of "Herceg-Bosna" and is "evidently working on the same thing with the new Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Milorad Dodik, who has been openly working on his secession plans and presenting the Bosnian state as absurd for years."

Čović has so far been internally protected by Croatian representatives in European institutions, and politically promoted by Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, the president of Croatia. However, she has noticeably withdrawn from the firm embrace of HDZ BiH, after the obvious anger from European political leadership. All the fuss about Komšić had taken on the forms of political persecution of a legally elected statesman. He was declared a persona non grata in numerous municipalities with a Croatian majority. In the democratic world, they were completely dismayed. Things will obviously turn upside down. Either Čović will again be with Dodik, but on blacklists, or HDZ will be expelled from the European People's Party.

Europe is forced to react and clean up the political scene in BiH. If nothing else, then due to the verdicts of an international court, in which more than two-thirds of the greatest European jurists accused and judged war crimes committed on European soil.