Krug 99 calls citizens to protests on June 2nd: The knee of the Serb-Croat political coalition is on our necks!

(Patria) - The Association of Independent Intellectuals Krug 99 held an extremely dramatic session today titled "How can BiH emerge from a new political siege?".

The introductory speakers of the session, Prof. Dr. Enver Halilović and diplomat Fuad Đidić, along with the president of Krug 99, Adil Kulenović, sent an alarming warning to the public: Bosnia and Herzegovina is at a historic turning point and facing a final attempt at constitutional and territorial destruction of the country, N1 reports.

Diplomat and publicist Fuad Đidić compared the current state of the country to the complete suffocation of democratic and state institutions.

“'I can't breathe anymore' – that is, in short, the state we are living in today. The knee of the Serb-Croat political coalition is on my neck, and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is captured and pushed into a blockade. This situation was preceded by blackmail, followed by concessions, step by step, for years. Bosniaks have been expelled from power, and decisions are made without them and beside them.”

Đidić warned that this is not a military blockade with tanks and barbed wire, but a insidious political siege whose ultimate goal is the liquidation of the internationally recognized state of BiH and its transformation into a territory managed from ethnic centers.

According to him, the key battle is for resources, minerals, water, and energy, and the final act is planned for early June at the upcoming session of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC).

“The battle should end very soon – with the division of state property, or more precisely, the division of territory. The goal of this session is for the international community in an expanded composition, with a new High Representative, to legalize this new project of de-territorialization of BiH.”

Halilović: “Schmidt was an assistant to secessionist and separatist policies”

Former rector and professor Dr. Enver Halilović emphasized that the political siege has been ongoing for about fifteen years, but it culminated during the mandate of the current High Representative, Christian Schmidt, who is about to resign. Halilović directly called Schmidt a “political assistant” to the factors besieging BiH.

“Through his inaction, he supported the political secessionism of the authorities of Republika Srpska. By changing the Election Law of BiH, suspending the Constitution of FBiH for 24 hours, opposing Slaven Kovačević's appeal, and imposing authorities after the 2022 elections, Schmidt directly participated in the political siege of Bosnia.”

Halilović stressed that the administrative Dayton organization is today interpreted secessionistically as a division of state territory, and that the leadership of RS wants to create a sovereign political unit by appropriating state property and territory.

As a peaceful way out of this crisis, Halilović proposes a complete abandonment of the wartime concept of ethnic division of the state and the appointment of a new High Representative who will be pro-Bosnian and pro-Euro-Atlantic, and who will work towards legal equality for all people.

Adil Kulenović called citizens to the streets: “No retreat, see you on June 2nd in front of the OHR!”

The president of Krug 99, Adil Kulenović, stated that a state does not fall when it loses territory, but when people stop believing it is worth defending. He sharply criticized certain centers of power within the PIC that are announcing a reduction in the High Representative's powers and relativizing the decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH.

“This is not reform – it is a withdrawal of international protection at a time when separatism and ethno-territorial divisions are more aggressive than ever since the end of the war. The forces that want to divide state property and territory are precisely pushing today for the High Representative to be weakened. If the international community gives in, it will send a message that Dayton is open for revision.”

Due to all of the above, Krug 99 has issued an official invitation to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of party affiliation, to mass and peaceful protests that will be held on Tuesday, June 2nd, at 6:00 PM in front of the OHR building in Sarajevo.

Three key demands of Krug 99 and the citizens:

Preservation of the existing powers of the High Representative until all decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH are implemented and a functional mechanism for state protection is established, along with the reform of the imposed Constitution on civil democratic principles.

Uncompromising respect and execution of all decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH – no political option should relativize them.

Clear and decisive opposition to any attempt at territorial division or transfer of competencies from the state to the entities, especially when it comes to state territory, property, and borders.

“Citizens, we did not survive the wartime siege by chance. We must not allow a new, more insidious siege to suffocate Bosnia and Herzegovina. No rhetoric can replace the strength of popular revolt. No retreat! No division! BiH remains whole,” concluded Kulenović.