SDA: We call on HDZ BiH to stop its duplicitous policy

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Main Board of the Party of Democratic Action convened in Sarajevo today, and after the session, the public was informed through a statement about eight conclusions adopted at the session. The press conference that was supposed to be held has been cancelled.

"The Main Board of SDA gives full support to the Party President Bakir Izetbegović in the negotiations on forming the Council of Ministers of BiH. The Main Board of SDA assesses the policy pursued for over a decade by Milorad Dodik and SNSD as detrimental to the state and all its peoples and citizens. Since 2006, Dodik has insulted and belittled the state of BiH and its institutions on an almost daily basis, speaking of BiH as an impossible and unsustainable state, speaking without hesitation about the division of the country, erasing the border on the Drina, drawing new borders in the Balkans. At the same time, he insults Bosniaks, chauvinistically stating that "Muslims will not judge me", calling Bosniak returnees "occupiers of Podrinje", calling the adhan "howling", attacking their identity, denying the Bosnian language, denying genocide, trying to change the character of the war, decorating war criminals. From 2006 to the present day, he has threatened a referendum almost 50 times on various occasions. The crisis surrounding the establishment of government and Dodik's attempt to impose the will of the entity on the state in areas for which it is exclusively competent, thereby halting BiH's NATO path, are just the culmination of such a policy," says the GO SDA.

They add that they recognize that the ultimate goal of this policy and its mentors is to "by violating and not respecting laws and decisions, as well as the foreign policy orientation previously established by the consensus of all parties, halt BiH's path towards NATO and the European Union, as well as to completely block and render state institutions meaningless in order to completely dismantle BiH. Such a destructive policy is a threat to stability and peace in BiH, as well as in the region."

The Main Board of SDA calls on SNSD to stop the policy of destabilizing the state, as it cannot bring anything good to anyone, especially not to the Serb people and the RS entity, in whose name such a policy is allegedly conducted.

"We call on SNSD to start fully respecting the Constitution and laws of BiH, and to respect the signed Principles for forming government at the BiH level, which were signed by the leaders of SDA, SNSD, and HDZ BiH, Bakir Izetbegović, Milorad Dodik, and Dragan Čović," the conclusions state.

The Main Board of SDA considers Milorad Dodik and his demand not to respect the laws defining BiH's NATO path to be the sole and exclusive culprit for the crisis surrounding the formation of the government.

"We remind that Article 3 of the signed Principles provides for 'improving relations with NATO, in accordance with all relevant decisions, which includes the development of plans'. SDA will not give up on its principles, which are the functioning of the state in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law, and will not allow the entity to impose itself on the state in matters that are exclusively state competencies. The GO SDA calls on all relevant interlocutors to continue discussions on forming the government and reach a consensus that will enable the sending of the Annual National Programme (ANP) and the appointment of a candidate for the composition of the Council of Ministers of BiH. If everyone adheres to the signed agreement, respects the Constitution and the law, government at all levels can be established in a short period," the conclusions of the GO SDA state.

The GO SDA calls on HDZ BiH to stop its duplicitous policy, by which it simultaneously allegedly supports the NATO path, but also refrains from sending the Annual National Programme to NATO headquarters.

"We call on HDZ BiH to propose a candidate for the position of President of the Federation of BiH in order to finally initiate the procedures for appointing a new convocation of the FBiH Government. The Main Board of SDA condemns the claims of HDZ leaders, primarily Dragan Čović and Božo Ljubić, that 'Herceg-Bosnia created Bosnia and Herzegovina', and that this para-state creation is a 'roadmap for constitutional solutions in BiH'. These claims clearly and unequivocally reveal that the goal of HDZ policy is the ethnic segregation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This goal is only masked by talk of alleged inequality and false self-representation as 'bearers of European values'. No 'European values' are, nor can they be, the creation of para-states, advocating for ethnic divisions and segregation, or celebrating criminals who led that so-called Herceg-Bosna, and who were convicted by the Hague Tribunal for a joint criminal enterprise," the conclusions state.

The GO SDA calls on the OHR, the guarantor states of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the member states of the PIC, and all other relevant factors of the international community to take a more decisive stance against destructive policies that could lead BiH into a deep crisis, produce instability, and ultimately threaten peace in BiH and the region. Expressing concern and lukewarm reactions only further encourage the leaders of destructive policies. Given that Milorad Dodik announces a deepening of the crisis through the actions of the National Assembly of the RS, we expect decisiveness in preserving the Dayton Peace Agreement to be shown immediately, thereby stopping further destabilization of the situation in BiH in a timely manner.