Council of Ministers to be formed on Sunday: Only one ministerial and one deputy position disputed

Around 5 PM, the meeting of political leaders in the building of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded, reports the Patria news agency. 

Dragan Čović was the first to address, stating that with this meeting they made a step towards the formation of the government, but he would not speculate on what each side demanded.

-We all showed interest in completing this task. On Sunday at 4 PM, we will have another meeting, and I believe we will then officially reach an agreement regarding the formation of the executive authority at the state level. I am optimistic because today's meeting was marked by a spirit in which everyone wants the same thing, said Čović.

Čović said there were no meetings outside the premises of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bakir Izetbegović briefly told reporters that out of ten issues, they agreed on eight, and that everyone showed interest in concluding this process as soon as possible.

He did not specify which two issues were not agreed upon, but said they were “one ministerial and one deputy position about which there are still dilemmas.”

Mladen Bosić said he was leaving Sarajevo satisfied, as they did not encounter any insurmountable obstacles.  

-This is the first formal meeting regarding the formation of the government, because everything so far was either at the bilateral level or not formal, so the success is even greater, emphasized Bosić.  

Komšić pointed out that he believes an agreement can be reached on Sunday and that the Council of Ministers could be formed as early as Monday.  

- Bosnia and Herzegovina has its chance and should not miss it, and the formation of the Council of Ministers is precisely one of the steps towards Euro-Atlantic integrations, said Komšić.

The deadline for forming the Council of Ministers is March 11.

The participants of today's meeting agreed that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina could also be formed soon.  

The meeting of party leaders began in the building of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina around 3:45 PM. 

Last night, a working meeting was held on the same topic, attended by the presidents of SDS, PDP, and HDZ, Mladen Bosić, Mladen Ivanić, and Dragan Čović.