Smajić: The chief negotiator cannot be proposed by SNSD and HDZ, Bosnia's European path must not be in the hands of those who deny the state

(Patria) - Members of the ruling coalition Trojka, SNSD and HDZ reached an agreement last year that left it to Milorad Dodik to appoint the chief negotiator of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European Union.

That agreement represents a serious political mistake and an open betrayal of state interests, because the most important European position was handed over to those who have been working against the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina for years, believes Džemal Smajić (SBiH), a delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Smajić points out that at the same time, Bosniaks are discriminated against in state institutions, as they have the fewest positions in key places.

- Today, SNSD and HDZ use that agreement to manipulate the public and accuse others of blockades, while the real responsibility lies solely with Trojka, which knowingly handed over decision-making mechanisms to Dodik and thus enabled him to control key processes on Bosnia's European path - says Smajić.

According to his words, the question arises by what criterion the chief negotiator must be a Serb from the smaller BiH entity?

- The European Union did not request that, nor is such a rule prescribed anywhere. It is purely a political agreement and yet another exclusion of Bosniaks from the decision-making process in the state apparatus - states Smajić.

He emphasizes that today, among the five representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Council of Europe, there is not a single Bosniak.

- That is unacceptable and shows to what extent Trojka betrayed the principle of equality by making political concessions to SNSD and HDZ. Precisely because of the protection of state interests, which are being undermined by Dodik's and Čović's cadres, that negotiator should not come from SNSD and HDZ.

Bosnia's European path cannot and must not be in the hands of those who deny the state. Trojka must clearly state whether it stands behind the agreement by which Dodik takes control of the EU accession negotiation process.

If it does, then it is a continuation of trampling on the dignity of BiH citizens who want to join the European Union and NATO. Bosnia and Herzegovina must finally have representatives who represent the state and all its citizens, and not exclusively the interests of Čović and Dodik - concluded Smajić.