VKBI: Devastating consequences of Greater Serbia policy, international community must guarantee security for Bosniaks and the state of BiH

(Patria) - The Council of Bosniak Intellectuals held a press conference today to discuss recent events in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, as well as the narrative increasingly heard about Bosniaks being imposed by officials from Republika Srpska.

The VKBI states that following the inappropriate and brazen adventurous attack by Milorad Dodik and the regime under his control on all values of Bosnian society and the state, articulated in the sessions of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on March 27/28, 2024, it is the obligation of the democratic, especially academic, public to argue and point out the overall concept of the Greater Serbia policy and all its devastating consequences for peace and stability in the country, the region, and beyond.

"In its destructive campaign against the state of BiH, it continuously uses the war propaganda of the Greater Serbia state project, which also produced the aggression in the nineties against all neighboring countries of Serbia, and especially against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, within which, alongside unprecedented expulsions, ethnic cleansing, and the most horrific crimes against humanity, the crime of genocide against Bosniaks was also committed.

In an attempt to realize these goals, it considers Bosniaks the biggest obstacle and impediment. Therefore, it attempts, based on completely untrue historical facts, contrary to all final court rulings of UN courts, international resolutions, declarations, and positions, to actualize the narrative about:
- The 'Bosniak Islamic factor' as a threat to peace and stability in Europe;
- Denying the genocide in Srebrenica, despite rulings by the highest international and domestic courts, thereby 'digging' into the deepest wound of the Bosniak people;
- Intentionally reducing Bosniaks, an ancient European historical people, to the term 'Muslims,' thereby insulting and belittling a culturally and historically indigenous people of Bosnia;
- Through schizophrenic, anti-civilizational, and almost Nazi statements, projecting a 'Bosniak ghetto' onto 25% of the territory of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Accusing Bosniaks, or the Bosnian and Bosniak political establishment, without any argument or valid fact, of undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement and abandoning its implementation."

They say that Dodik consciously, intentionally, and systematically presents completely distorted facts and outright lies, but this is not a project he devised, but rather the darkest minds of SANU, who have publicly, without significant opposition from democratic forces, established the motto of Serbian lies in the 'Serbian world.'

"We lie to deceive ourselves, to comfort others; we lie out of compassion, we lie out of shame, to encourage, to hide our misery, we lie for honesty. We lie for freedom. Lying is a form of Serbian patriotism and a confirmation of our innate intelligence. We lie creatively, imaginatively, inventively" (D. Ćosić).

By accusing others of violating the Dayton Agreement, the authorities of Republika Srpska and their political sponsors continuously and systematically violate the majority of the provisions of this trilateral international treaty, whose signatories are the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, and the then-FR Yugoslavia. This can be precisely determined by analyzing the implementation of its provisions.

In Serbia and Republika Srpska, it is constantly stated that Serbia is the guarantor of the Peace Agreement, even though it is obvious and quite clear that Serbia is one of the signatories to this agreement, thereby assuming the prescribed obligations and responsibilities in its implementation.

"From the first sentence of the Agreement, it clearly follows that this was an interstate armed conflict in which, obviously, BiH did not attack either Serbia or Croatia. Serbia and Croatia undertook an explicit international obligation to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Contrary to this obligation, neighboring countries interfere in the internal affairs of BiH daily and to the greatest extent.

The first sentence of Article I of the Constitution of BiH stipulates that BiH is a state with international and domestic legal capacity. Its state borders and membership in the UN and other international organizations, as well as signed international treaties, are guaranteed. The Constitution guarantees the international and domestic legal continuity between the Republic of BiH and BiH.

The Constitution, nor any legal document, grants entities the character of statehood. Entities are a creation of the Constitution of BiH and cannot exist outside of that framework. The regime in Republika Srpska has been trying for years to grant the entity the character of a state. The secession plan is elaborated in detail, which is direct anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional action and can only lead to new conflicts, including armed ones.

The Constitution and Annex 6 of the Agreement guarantee the application of the highest international standards of human freedoms and rights. Instead, the regime in Republika Srpska continues the systematic ethnic cleansing of the non-Serb population, which was largely achieved during the aggression against BiH. The Constitution and Annex 3 of the Agreement stipulate that the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH adopts the Election Law of BiH. The attempt to adopt a 'parallel' election law in Republika Srpska is a direct anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional action of the secessionist regime in Republika Srpska.

Article III of the Constitution of BiH specifies the system of distribution of competencies between the state and the entities. In addition to the explicitly listed state competencies, BiH institutions can also assume competencies when necessary to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH, as well as when implementing Annexes V to VIII, which means when it is necessary to implement the protection of human freedoms and rights, as well as the return of refugees. There is also the possibility for entities to mutually transfer certain competencies to the state. The Republika Srpska regime intentionally does not include the application of these additional constitutional competencies.

The campaign of so-called unilateral return of competencies to the entity is also an anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional action that serves the secessionist policy. The President of Serbia, who is an obvious co-creator and mentor of the anti-constitutional policy and practice of the Republika Srpska regime, deceives the public when he claims there is no provision in the Constitution that would question the property of Republika Srpska. He is not interested in the provisions on state continuity, the International Agreement on Succession of former SFRY, several decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH, and other relevant facts. The Constitutional Court of BiH is defined by the Constitution, so all decisions it makes are within its constitutional jurisdiction. Vučić knows this very well, but for his own evidently malicious interests, he ignores it and deceives the domestic and international public.

The Constitution prescribes the general principle that public authorities shall proportionally reflect the national structure of the population. Parity representation of constituent peoples, but not of others and citizens, is prescribed only for the Presidency of BiH and the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament. In practice, this exception has become the rule. The Constitution does not apply this right to any other institution – rather, proportional representation of the national structure of the population applies.

In its destructive attack on the state, the regime in Republika Srpska is particularly bothered by foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of BiH and the Office of the High Representative. Since these institutions are part of the Dayton and constitutional order, attacks on them are direct anti-state and anti-Dayton actions. By fighting against the so-called foreign factor, the regime in Republika Srpska consciously and maliciously confuses the issue, because the existence of these institutions is justified as long as there is a threat of secessionist and anti-constitutional action, which is precisely what they are doing.

The regime in Republika Srpska has constantly opposed all attempts at democratic reintegration of society and the state. An example of this is the disregard for the implementation of Annex IX on public corporations. True, other factors have not shown excessive willingness to implement this annex either.

In its attempts to realize its secessionist anti-constitutional project, the authorities from Republika Srpska have extensively misused the tools provided for the protection of national and entity equality to block laws and projects of general interest. Because of this, among other things, the minimum requirements for the country's progress on the Euro-Atlantic path have been difficult to meet, they state.

The VKBI expects a decisive and swift reaction from domestic and international actors because Dodik and his mentors from Serbia can cause a disaster, which we thought was behind us, that befell former Yugoslavia in the nineties.

"The democratic and civilized world, the leading democratic states of the European Union, Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Japan, Turkey, and many others, must urgently support the democratic institutions of BiH and confront the dark political leaders of today.

1. We expect the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina to immediately open a case and promptly file a criminal complaint against Dodik for denying the genocide against Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica in July 1995, as stipulated by the amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH, based on statements made at the session of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska;
2. We demand that the members of the Presidency of BiH immediately intensify negotiations with NATO with the aim of implementing Article 84 of the Law on Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is in force and was adopted by the BiH Parliament;
3. That through the OHR, the provisions on the employment of non-Serb population in the institutions of the Republika Srpska entity be immediately implemented;
4. That international forces stationed in BiH be immediately and without delay engaged, deployed to the border with Serbia, as well as in the Republika Srpska entity where Bosniak returnees live, to provide necessary protection to the Bosniak population. Otherwise, we demand that members of SIPA be deployed in Bosniak returnee settlements in the Republika Srpska entity;
5. We demand that the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to BiH provide a statement on Dodik's statements in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, especially in the context of presenting Bosniaks, due to their Islamic faith, as a threat to security in the region. A statement is necessary due to the fact that the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the PIC represents the countries of the Islamic Conference.

In the past few months, we have repeatedly appealed to domestic and international representatives, especially the OHR, to stop the anti-Dayton, anti-constitutional, and political rampage of the Republika Srpska regime, because the threats, announcements, and illegal actions of Dodik and his coalition partners create general insecurity for the people and nations living in BiH. The leadership of Serbia fully supports the Republika Srpska regime, as it did in the nineties. The geopolitical and geostrategic situation clearly indicates that BiH is also in an extremely dangerous space (both politically and territorially), and that it is once again the subject of games over which it certainly cannot influence.

The Bosniak people, as well as all others who consider BiH their homeland, if security is not provided to them, will be forced to organize themselves and all patriotic forces for the biological survival and survival of their state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is possible as a state of full human rights and freedoms for all peoples and citizens throughout its territory, and certainly not as a state where ethnic-territorial division will be established. The existing political system, it should be clear to everyone, was established on blood, expulsions, and persecution, and the results of war crimes and genocide must necessarily be expelled from the foundations of Bosnia and Herzegovina's political system. This is also an obligation of all democratic friendly states, which unfortunately have not clearly wished to set this principle as a priority in reforms, so that BiH can be a democratic, free, and sovereign state – an equal member of the family of European states.