Covic negotiates only when losing a battle

By: Armin Aljovic

Dragan Covic thinks that Bakir Izetbegovic made a wrong move by requesting a revision of the lawsuit against Serbia for genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The revision has undermined already fragile relations between political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Covic further thinks that all three BH Presidency members had to have a say in decision making process, and not only Izetbegovic. For him, the question of revision of the lawsuit is not only a legal but also a political question! And Bosnia and Herzegovina ought to speak with one voice. Any other way of communication is embarrassing before the international community.  

One could say that Covic's political attitude is undecided; almost looks like he's sitting on a flip-flop. When it was finally announced what came from The Hague, he stated that he would not comment on credibility of Sakib Softic. As it turned out, he was not for the revision after all. He feared being open about it because of the pressure by his own constituency, the families of Croat victims, even Catholic Church.

It is curious that Covic, along with Ivanic and other politicians from RS, are now requesting Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak with one voice before the international institutions. What could he possibly do with one voice? His political metaphors reveal a man who wants for each member of the choir to sing his own song, and for the audience to enjoy the chaos.

At the end of January, Covic's voice spoke on his own in the name of Bosnia and Herzegovina before the European Parliament, when the Resolution about Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted with the addition of federalization. He did not ask for consensus of the other two presidency members. Zeljana Zovko, former BH ambassador, Covic's person, crossed over to the side of Republic Croatia in the European Parliament, and fought fiercely for Brussels to agree to the federalization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Or, better say creation of the third entity with ethnically clean Croat nation. Surely, such politics she did not practice in Brussels but in West Mostar, in the name of HDZ politics.   

One could say that the politics of HDZ's and HNS's politics is founded on the motto: 'What is mine is only mine, what is yours, is yours and mine.'

If somebody confronts such politics, Covic will craftily hide behind the Croat people. To defend every Covic's sin, there's a story about 'endangered Croat people'. The Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are endangered as much as the other two peoples in BiH. However, it is not the people who endangered themselves. To what extent is Covic responsible for the endangerment of Croats? The Croat people are not self-governed. They are governed by Covic and HDZ.

Who is endangering the Croat people on the ethnically clean territory?!  

Despite the endangerment, the goals are being met: New territories and towns are taken, one nation, one party, one leader... And all that speaking with one voice.