THE (IN)CORRECT DARKNESS: Belgian Edouard d’Aoust is the man in the shadows at the OHR and works against the interests of the state of Bosnia!

By: Rasim Belko

Little is unknown about the moves of the current High Representative Christian Schmidt from his arrival to the present day. He suspended the Constitution and imposed solutions that go beyond the acceptable and democratic framework, introducing anti-democratic values into the system. Most of Schmidt's moves have led to general dissatisfaction among the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, protests, and political chaos that remains unresolved to this day.

The groundwork for Schmidt's moves is created by the OHR's Legal Department, and a Belgian calls the shots there, although his actions might easily lead one to believe he is a Croat, or more precisely, an executor of Andrej Plenković's wishes.

Edouard d'Aoust is the key person in the OHR's Legal Department who advises the High Representative and suggests solutions when the head of the OHR imposes (makes) certain decisions. What d’Aoust is doing is clearly in complete opposition to both the mission and tasks of the OHR, as well as to the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina to one day be organized as a modern European state.

The name Edouard d’Aoust has surfaced in relation to the OHR's work before, 20 years ago, and it continues to surface today. Knowledge of everything he has done gives grounds to qualify him as a figure who works exclusively in the interests of our neighbors.

The fact that d’Aoust has been active in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1998, whether at the head of the OHR's Legal Department, through the OSCE Mission, or the EUSR, clearly shows that he is deeply involved in all processes. However, this fact also raises the question of who has been continuously “keeping” d’Aoust in positions within key international organizations in BiH that decide the fate of this country.

We reliably know that d’Aoust is currently dealing with an issue that is not within the OHR's jurisdiction at all, namely the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in the case “Kovačević v. BiH”.

The whole story is known; BiH agents lack legitimacy because their mandates have expired, but d’Aoust, for reasons known to him, is doing everything to ensure that the illegitimate request of the BiH agents for the Grand Chamber to be involved (a layman's appeal against the verdict) is accepted.

The head of the OHR's Legal Department is doing this in conjunction with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the key person in this operation, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and domestic representatives of Croatian politics and interests.

These activities of the man in the shadows at the OHR give grounds to consider d’Aoust as a person working against the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to his own interests and the interests of those who have kept him in key positions of European organizations and the OHR in BiH for 25 years.

If Christian Schmidt wishes to preserve the little remaining credibility, if any is left, Edouard d’Aoust must be stopped from acting against the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Otherwise, the OHR exposes itself to the possibility of confrontation with the entire political and civil mass in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which could lead to more serious consequences, even the complete dissolution of the OHR.

If the goals and interests of the man in the shadows, Edouard d’Aoust, and the OHR align, and the current trend of action continues, then it is up to all those who lead, love, and wish to see Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole and modern state to make maximum efforts for both d’Aoust and Schmidt to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as possible.