Komšić: As was the case in Srebrenica, what is happening in Gaza is also genocide

(Patria) - Member of the BiH Presidency Željko Komšić spoke at the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya for TRT Balkan about the political situation in BiH, with an emphasis on the anti-constitutional actions of Milorad Dodik and the support the president of Republika Srpska receives from Serbia.

- We constantly have these cycles of crises. This current crisis seems the most serious because Milorad Dodik, with the aim of preventing the implementation of decisions by the judicial bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has even threatened the use of armed force.

After that, he passed a series of laws in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska that completely degrade laws already adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

In this way, he has carried out what is called an attack on the constitutional order everywhere in the world. That is, a serious blow to the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Komšić points out.

Describing the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he says he wants "this time for the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, judicial and police, to show that they have the will, courage, and strength to implement the decisions of the judicial bodies".

- Because, if that does not happen, we will find ourselves in a phase where all that Dodik and the society around him are doing, of course, will create a new situation on the ground in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a basis for some future escalation of relations, political, ethnic, and whatever in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

So, the situation is not easy at all at the moment, but if I can say so, the good news is that there is no war. There is no war. The situation is like this now, there are no capacities for war and no readiness among ordinary people for such a thing - states Komšić.

The member of the BiH Presidency expects state institutions to apprehend Dodik, the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Radovan Višković, and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandić.

- Of course, no one expects them to do it spontaneously, to do it hastily, but a plan must be made to implement the decisions of the judicial bodies, it must be done. I expect it to happen - says Komšić.

Komšić, along with member of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović, previously requested assistance from EUFOR in arresting officials of Republika Srpska, because "EUFOR has a mandate to react in these situations".

- Of course, no one expects EUFOR forces to be the ones to arrest Dodik, but they should provide some kind of assistance that would enable BiH police forces to implement that decision, they certainly should.

After all, it is worth recalling that in a similar situation, the so-called Croatian Self-Administration case or "Hercegovačka banka", as it is called in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the then SFOR forces, I believe, intervened and enabled BiH police agencies to carry out the task assigned to them - says Komšić.

On Vučić's support for Dodik

Komšić believes that Dodik would not have embarked on this if he had not had the support of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.

- Vučić's support is more important to Dodik than even Putin's. Because, look, Moscow is far away, Russia is far away. Vučić is here - says Komšić.

He adds that, in his opinion, Vučić provided support to Dodik out of his own political interest.

- Given that major protests are currently taking place in Serbia, Vučić needed a topic to divert attention from those protests to something he called "endangering Republika Srpska".

But let's be clear, no one here is endangering Republika Srpska, no one is even mentioning Republika Srpska, questioning its existence.

Here, people are just expecting the judiciary and the police to do their job as stipulated by law. It's not even about, believe me, any settling of scores with Dodik.

This has become... this is a matter of principle. Does the state exist, does it not exist. Can the state act throughout the territory of BiH or can it not act.

That is the battle, political and judicial, that is currently taking place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After all, so many political officials have been convicted, brought to justice, are in prisons in BiH, and no one has ever made a big deal out of it.

At this moment, Dodik is a man who has been convicted, Dodik is a man who does not respect the decisions of the Court and Prosecutor's Office, Dodik is the one who does not respond to the summons of the Prosecutor's Office and the Court, and therefore he must be sanctioned, just as any citizen of BiH would be sanctioned - states Komšić.

He emphasizes that this is all it is about and that there is no animosity towards Republika Srpska, especially not towards the Serb people.

He notes that it is about the decisions of the judicial bodies needing to be implemented.

- They were made based on the law, true, the one imposed by the High Representative, but they were made, they are valid, and these verdicts, or rather these decisions, must be implemented. That is all this is about. Regardless of who it is - Komšić points out.

- It is neither about the fate or future of Republika Srpska, nor about the fate of the Serb people, neither in Bosnia and Herzegovina, nor in the region, nor is anyone motivated by hatred or hostility towards Republika Srpska or towards Serbs. It is only about the implementation of decisions of judicial bodies - concluded the member of the BiH Presidency.

Turkey Cares About BiH

Commenting on the relations between BiH and regional countries with Turkey, he assessed that Turkey cares about Bosnia and Herzegovina and about Bosnia and Herzegovina remaining a whole state and that all the transformation of Bosnia and Herzegovina into a European state happens peacefully.

- Turkey plays a quite significant role in the entire Balkan region. The relations between President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan and Vučić are excellent, the relations between President Erdoğan and Dodik are excellent.

But that does not mean, and I have always told people this, that the Republic of Turkey and President Erdoğan will leave Bosnia and Herzegovina alone and abandoned. On the contrary - claims Komšić.

He adds that Turkey stands by Bosnia and Herzegovina and believes that Erdoğan's messages had a calming effect in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- They were certainly received in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly manner - it is certain that Milorad Dodik did not like them, but I don't know what he was counting on, because the Republic of Turkey's stance towards BiH is well-known.

It even went so far that Dodik lowered his rhetoric and tensions a bit. Because, I repeat, both Vučić, Dodik, and all of us care about good relations with Turkey and President Erdoğan - stated Komšić.

Genocide in Gaza

Komšić has previously compared the genocide in Srebrenica with Gaza, and he expressed the same stance to TRT Balkan.

- As was done in Srebrenica during the war in BiH, but not only in Srebrenica, because the genocidal intent was far broader than Srebrenica.

You have expulsions in Krajina, for example in Prijedor, which have all the elements of genocide, but it is not defined as such in international judgments.

You have a whole plan to cleanse the entire left bank of the Drina of Bosniak Muslims. This was done for years.

And then it culminated and escalated into the genocide in Srebrenica, which was so clear, so proven, that there was no doubt. Of course, something similar is happening in Gaza - emphasizes Komšić.

He believes that if the destruction of an entire people, ethnic and religious group, as complete displacement from one area, "you do it with brute force by killing civilians, women, and children, then what is that if not genocide, motivated precisely by the intention to exterminate that people, or that ethnic group".

- That's why I say, I don't understand people at all when they question genocide. Because genocide is not difficult to see, notice, define. And in today's world, where information travels around the world in a second, everything is visible, everything is clear.

And you can say it's not genocide. It is genocide! Just as it was in Srebrenica, so what is happening in Gaza is also genocide.

- Because it is about the extermination of an entire people, or part of a people, the Palestinian people, or ethnic group - concluded Komšić.