Mesić for NAP: Why is no one talking about ethnic cleansing in RS, that is the essence of the problem

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Former Croatian President Stjepan Mesić is not surprised by the results of the presidential election in which Zoran Milanović won while Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will have to leave Pantovčak. Although Croatian media speculate that Mesić could advise Milanović at Pantovčak, he denied this in a statement to the Patria News Agency.

"No, no. I will not be Milanović's advisor," Mesić said.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, following Milanović's victory, one question is present: will the victory of the social democrat change the official Croatian attitude towards BiH. Former President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović brought the relationship with BiH to the extreme limits of intolerance. Her interference in the internal affairs of BiH had a retrograde effect on both countries.

"According to what Milanović announced during the election campaign, he said that he must strengthen cooperation with the region, that he must cooperate and open the closest possible cooperation with the countries of our region, even though the former president said that she had torn Croatia out of the region, as she mockingly put it. But that really has no basis, because no one can pull Croatia out of something where it exists. The region is a region regardless of who likes what. So, Milanović said he would strengthen cooperation in the region, and that means with BiH as well," Mesić told NAP.

Asked whether Milanović will succeed in acting in a way that does not interfere in the internal relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special emphasis on the BiH Election Law, Mesić says he does not even understand such insistence.

"I don't know why they insist so much, but no one says that these are two levels of elections. One level is for the Parliament and lower bodies of authority, and the other is for the Presidency of BiH, it is quite clear what it is about. From the Croatian corpus, one is elected in the Federation, and everyone votes for him. From the Bosniak corpus, one is elected and everyone votes for him.

So, he must have the support of other constituent peoples as well. From the Serbian corpus, one is elected in the Republika Srpska, but when such a Constitution was created, no one thought that the RS would be completely cleansed of Croats and Bosniaks. Everyone should talk about that, what happened with ethnic cleansing, what about the Bosniaks and Croats from the RS, because it is easy there, when only Serbs vote, others have been cleansed.

No one talks about that, and that is the essence of the problem. As for the election of Željko Komšić, he was elected, he is a representative of the Croatian corpus, and others also voted for him. Everything positive should have been sought from that. It was a civilizational shift that the elections were not a census, but citizens voted based on the person and his program. They voted for him in the sense that they support his policy, not just his nationality. Instead of using that and saying that the Bosniak corpus made a civilizational step forward, it is now being criticized.

And now they are still looking for Macron. Macron will solve the issue of BiH, yeah right?, said Mesić.

We remind you, after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković addressed journalists, and when asked if he spoke with Macron about the constitutional situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Plenković answered affirmatively.

"We also discussed the formation of the Council of Ministers in Bosnia and Herzegovina 14 months after the elections. Our position is known, we want to help Bosnia and Herzegovina, its European path, as well as other countries of Southeast Europe. Likewise, we want all three constituent peoples to be fully equal, which certainly requires an adequate reform of the electoral legislation. This has been Croatia's position for some time and we believe that the current situation should be improved, that is our unified stance," Plenković stated, as reported on the official website of the Croatian Government.