PIC session in Sarajevo: Will a decision be made on banning the RS referendum, Russia sides with Dodik

Today, ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) member states in BiH will express their views on the issue of holding a referendum in the smaller BiH entity, writes the Patria News Agency.

The session was supposed to be held last week, but it was postponed the day before with the explanation that additional consultations were underway.

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to our country, Peter Ivancov, stated that he is against banning the referendum and, after a meeting held in Banja Luka with the President of RS, Milorad Dodik, supported this form of citizens' expression on the Day of RS, which the Constitutional Court of BiH declared unconstitutional, while leaving the possibility to choose any other date for marking this day.

On the other hand, the ambassadors of the USA and Great Britain, as well as Turkey, which represents the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) member states in the PIC, are categorically against holding the referendum, considering it to be undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Today's session will be turbulent, as there are indications that some other "stronger" countries might declare themselves against banning the referendum or supporting the High Representative Valentin Inzko to use his Bonn powers.