Zukić for Patria: It is unacceptable for the keys of anything, even a gas pipeline, to be in the hands of destructive policies!

(Patria) - The House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament adopted the Bill on the "South Interconnection of BiH and Croatia" gas pipeline by urgent procedure in the middle of last week, which, in order to enter into force, must also be adopted by the House of Peoples.

Regarding this important project, the construction of which would free our country from dependence on Russian gas, as well as expectations from the upcoming session of the House of Peoples, the head of the Bosniak Caucus in the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament, Muamer Zukić (SDA), spoke to the Patria News Agency.

Zukić says that the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) BiH has a dominant position in the work of the current federal government, while, on the other hand, the Trojka parties, as coalition partners, evidently have a subordinate role.

- In such a balance of power, when an issue that is not in the interest of HDZ appears on the agenda, then problems and delays in work arise. So far, nothing that has not received the green light from HDZ has generally passed, and this is probably the first serious law that has passed the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament that is clearly not in their interest in this form. Therefore, the events from the mentioned session are not overly surprising - Zukić points out.

Zukić did not want to comment on the role of US Ambassador Michael Murphy, who intervened on several occasions with pro-Bosniak oriented representatives to support the law, referring us to the federal representatives who had the opportunity to see firsthand what was happening in that regard.

And in a social media post the day after the South Interconnection Law was adopted, Zukić wrote that the "Bosnian gas pipeline is in anti-Bosnian hands," and also added:

"Dodik holds the tap of one gas pipeline (eastern). HDZ opposes the establishment of an alternative flow (southern), unless its tap is in Čović's hands. More or less, all according to Putin's dictate. I don't know if any pro-Bosniak policy would support such an arrangement".

We asked him to explain his post in more detail.

- Unfortunately, there are destructive political forces in our country that, more or less openly, work to the detriment of the state. It is unacceptable for the keys to anything vital for Bosnia and Herzegovina, including gas supply, to be in the hands of such openly or covertly destructive policies.

Therefore, support for the South Gas Interconnection Law is unquestionable, because the realization of this project will mean the end of exclusive dependence on Russian gas coming through RS. However, although another alternative is an step forward in any case, we will not achieve the full effect if the other gas supply also depends on policies that are not clear when it comes to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is why the role of BH-Gas is extremely important! The announced reorganization of BH-Gas and the establishment of so-called field offices is an extremely sensitive issue and carries potential risks - Zukić tells us.

We also asked him if he thought the Speaker of the House of Peoples, Tomislav Martinović, would convene a session within the legal deadline of 45 days.

- In the conversation I had with Speaker Martinović, he told me that he would try to schedule a session of the House of Peoples in the coming days, i.e., next week. He also told me that the cantonal assemblies have scheduled their sessions to discuss cantonal budgets, which may complicate the determination of the date for the session of the House of Peoples, as the delegates are also representatives in the cantonal assemblies.

If, by any chance, certain obstructions appear in that regard, there are alternative ways provided for by the Rules of Procedure. Ultimately, delegates from the Bosniak Caucus can also sign a request to convene a session. We will do everything within our power according to the Rules of Procedure to have the Law considered at the session of the House of Peoples as soon as possible - states Zukić.

Even if the South Interconnection is adopted by the House of Peoples, HDZ still has a whole range of possibilities to, if not prevent it, then at least significantly slow it down, such as invoking vital interest, voting in the Council of Ministers of BiH (on the intergovernmental agreement), and after all, that gas pipeline will have to pass through some municipalities headed by HDZ mayors...

- The realization of such a large project is not simple. It is clear that there are many potential obstacles until final implementation. However, given the obviously undisguised interest of important world factors in this project, it is not unrealistic to expect that it will ultimately be successfully realized despite the resistance from HDZ.

It is important for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina that no bad compromises are made in the implementation. It would be extremely detrimental if the compromise or appeasement of HDZ were done in such a way that the tap, valve, or some switch that can stop the gas supply is positioned at an address (a regional office of BH-Gas) which is certain to be exclusively politically controlled by HDZ - concluded Zukić in an interview with Patria.

(D.K.)