Stop Politicising the Pelješac Bridge Story, It Is About BiH's Sovereignty

The story about the construction of the Pelješac Bridge has been ongoing for more than ten years, and in recent days it has been brought back into focus, becoming one of the main topics on the political scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports the Patria agency.

A particularly dangerous thing seems to be the politicisation of a legal matter. Can anyone dare to take sides in a legal matter against the interests of the state of BiH!? There are more and more such people in our country these days!

After the European Commission decided to allocate funds to Croatia for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, and after it became clear that Croatia has no intention of abandoning the bridge construction, the Party of Democratic Action also reacted. It seems with a ten-year delay, but with a clear message. However, whether they will remain principled until the end, time will tell.

The President of the Main Board of the SDA, Halid Genjac, stated that this dispute should be resolved through an agreement between the two states, and that since 2007 there has been enough time for that, but that BiH, if no agreement is reached, will be forced to seek its rights before relevant international courts.

He said that the official position of the BiH Presidency, adopted on 17 October 2007, is that BiH opposes any construction until the open issue regarding the determination of the maritime border line between BiH and Croatia is resolved. Genjac emphasised that representatives of ministries and various expert groups can discuss this, but that no one without the consent of the BiH Presidency has the right to sign any agreement related to the construction of the Pelješac Bridge. Claims that this involves construction on Croatian territory are incorrect, because it is not Croatian territory but international waters.

His statement provoked sharp reactions from opposition parties, which accused the SDA of doing nothing for ten years to prevent the construction of the Pelješac Bridge to the detriment of BiH, and that it reacted only now solely to gain certain political points by allegedly opposing the bridge construction, as parties in BiH have already begun their pre-election campaign for the 2018 General Elections. It is to be hoped that all forces in BiH will unite as soon as possible around the strategic interests of the state of BiH, because politicians serve the people, not themselves, so their primary goal is to protect the interests of the state and the sovereignty of BiH.

SDP representative in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović told the Patria agency that the state leadership of Bosnia and Herzegovina should not be criticised and subjected to a media campaign regarding announcements that the controversial bridge will be built regardless of the other side's opposition, but, he says, they should urgently take serious steps to protect the interests of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- The key body that should react in this case is the BiH Presidency, the BiH Parliament also has its share of jurisdiction, as does the Council of Ministers, which should work more than it does now. They are often asleep when it comes to some important issues for the state. The issue of state sovereignty and territorial integrity is important for the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens. We must start developing a sense of statehood in people. And, in addition, it should be known that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not only what happens in the centre of Sarajevo or some other city; BiH is every inch of its territory - Bećirović stated.

The President of the SDP BiH, Nermin Nikšić, called on the domestic authorities to sit down with their colleagues from Croatia as soon as possible and resolve the issue of the maritime border between the two countries.

- The authorities of BiH, and above all the SDA, which is the backbone of that authority, have been doing nothing for years to start resolving at least some of these issues. Apart from the undefined state border, the very important issue of the status, i.e., the return of the enormous property of BiH located in Croatia, has never been resolved. The Pelješac Bridge, the issue of the border and property, the use of BiH's natural resources - all of this should be put on the table and resolved openly. So, the BiH Council of Ministers and the BiH Presidency have missed many opportunities to initiate the necessary procedures to start resolving these issues. I call on them to finally do so - Nikšić stated in an interview for NAP.

Besides the SDP, other opposition parties such as the Democratic Front have also raised their voices against the announced construction of the Pelješac Bridge. Interestingly, media under the control of the HDZ have called these left-wing parties "more radical Bosniak parties than the SDA itself."

Croatian media are very harsh, sometimes extremely base, against the leaders of opposition parties. Fahrudin Radončić, leader of the SBB, is inclined to believe that the SDA is politicising the story around the bridge construction, which is a 100% story of HDZ's Dragan Čović, but also of politicians in the Republic of Croatia.

The current Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated a few days ago that Croatia, despite BiH's objections, will continue with the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, and that it will be completed by 2020 or at the latest 2021.

That the issue of the Pelješac Bridge construction is a purely political issue with no connection to Croatia's economic development is confirmed by statements from representatives of the Croatian SDP.

- The Pelješac Bridge is neither economically nor politically viable. In Croatia, there are many more priorities that could be covered with that money. The bridge would not increase GDP or exports, nor would it significantly contribute to the development of that region. Access to that region could be ensured in another way - stated the then SDP representative in the Croatian Parliament, Ljubo Jurčić, about ten years ago.

A group of BiH parliamentarians decided to send a letter to the International Community demanding that the illegal construction of the Pelješac Bridge be halted.

- We ask you to help us resolve the problem and dispute that Bosnia and Herzegovina has with the Republic of Croatia and that the European Commission stop financing the illegal Pelješac Bridge, which the Republic of Croatia wants to build in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and by attacking the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, all with the aim of permanently separating/cutting off Bosnia and Herzegovina from international waters (the open sea), which represents a violation of the international legal order because it would prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from exercising unrestricted "free communication and navigation" of all types of vessels, overflight of aircraft and laying of energy submarine cables, and would prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from participating in energy supply and the implementation of EU energy policy, and all of the above would affect Bosnia and Herzegovina being transformed from a Maritime state into a land-locked country - states, among other things, this letter, which will be sent to the address of the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Federica Mogherini, but also other European officials, including the address of the High Representative in BiH Valentin Inzko.

BiH parliamentarians also recall the ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in the dispute between Slovenia and Croatia from June this year, by which Slovenia was granted a junction corridor to international waters 2.5 nautical miles wide and 12 nautical miles long, applying the regime of "free communication and navigation" the same as in international waters, without the possibility for Croatia to abolish that corridor and apply methods of control and punishment.

Now we need to find those who have the will and wisdom to react and properly take care of state interests.