Schmidt: Dodik's dismissal is also on the table, Sejdić-Finci ruling first, then others, Nešić should stop and guarantee my safety

(Patria) - High Representative Christian Schmidt was a guest on BHT's Jutro za sve, where he spoke about why he wasn't at the UN Security Council, European Court of Human Rights rulings, Milorad Dodik...

He stated that he will go to the UN next year and present the report, and this time he had obligations in BiH.

When asked by host Zvonko Komšić how he commented on the statements made before the UN Security Council by the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Željko Komšić, Schmidt said it would be good if we all worked together for this country to progress on the path to the EU.

"BiH representatives must first resolve their internal issues at some point, and I noted with regret that if one member makes a statement at the international level, then another claims it is not their stance, as Željka Cvijanović did.

BiH is a country with its specifics. People want to hear about the situation in BiH, and I would like to suggest that work be done jointly within the Presidency. All those who try to present the situation in their own way, which I also do," he said.

He stated that there is a need to implement reforms, implement the Sejdić-Finci ruling, as well as the Election Law reform, to ensure that ballots are counted and tallied as they should be and that there are no election thefts.

"The UN is a place where you should not talk about someone's views or positions, but present facts. We had a situation where there was no government, no judges of the Constitutional Court of FBiH, so this is a decision within a year. We didn't have a government, if you don't have a government, you must have a functional government to make further decisions. Some people were involved in resolving these issues. What happened in Neum? Why was there no agreement? Don't think that the EU will say - oh well, you can't agree," Schmidt said, explaining why he suspended the FBiH Constitution for 24 hours.

When asked if his decision was lobbied by Croatia, he said that he makes decisions himself.

Regarding actions in the BiH entity of Rs, Schmidt announced that he intends to talk with representatives of Rs about returnees.

"I think we need to work on how Annex 7 can be functional and implemented," he said.

He invited Željka Cvijanović to talk on behalf of the citizens.

Speaking about Milorad Dodik, the High Representative said that Dodik should perhaps listen to friends from the region in addition to Putin.

"He talks about some kind of unification with Montenegro, Rs, Serbia; I don't understand Mr. Dodik's intention. I haven't heard from Belgrade that someone is questioning my position. BiH is based on an agreement by all those in Dayton, and I think the right path is European integration," he said.

To a direct question about whether he will dismiss Milorad Dodik, he replied that everything is on the table.

"But a decision needs to be made, and I will make my decisions based on an assessment of the overall situation. Voters should decide on the future of the politicians who represent them. That will show what the citizens want," he said.

He added that Aleksandar Vučić does not support the "Serbian world" and Milorad Dodik's announcements.

"Both Croatia and Serbia are signatories to Dayton and have agreed that things will remain as they are, and there is no agreement on changing borders, and the only path is the European path," he said.

He also had a message for the BiH Minister of Security, Nenad Nešić.

"His obligation is to ensure the safety of citizens, but also of me. He clearly shows that his task is to guarantee my safety as well; if he is not aware of that, then he has misunderstood his task. There are many people from the international community who are following what he is doing, and he should stop," Schmidt said.

When asked what is problematic in the Slaven Kovačević v. BiH ruling, Schmidt reiterated that its implementation will lead to additional challenges.

"The issue is that the court must decide on this. We must implement the decisions. Our goal should be to work on implementing the rulings made by the court. This will lead to additional challenges, and the international community must make additional efforts to implement the rulings. I have read that Kovačević case several times. You have the opinion of the Venice Commission, and I think we should wait. It has now reached the second instance, and now we must wait. Court rulings must be implemented, but the Sejdić-Finci ruling must be resolved first," Schmidt concluded.