ŠOLAJA: WASHINGTON'S STANCE IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL IS MUCH MORE MODERATE

BANJA LUKA, MAY 7 /SRNA/ - Political scientist Bojan Šolaja said that the Serb member and Chairwoman of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović pointed out in the UN Security Council that Christian Schmidt is a generator of political crisis in BiH, and highlighted that it was interesting to hear a much more moderate stance from the United States during the debate than before.

"We heard clear positions from Russia and China regarding the work of the high representatives and Christian Schmidt as the illegitimate and illegal high representative. You could also hear a more moderate stance from the US, which did support the Office of the High Representative as outlined in the Dayton Agreement, but gave no support whatsoever to what are referred to as the Bonn Powers," Šolaja told SRNA. He said that Cvijanović presented the facts very well regarding the causes and consequences of the political crisis in BiH, and also spoke about potential solutions. Šolaja said that the part of Cvijanović's address concerning Schmidt's actions was particularly significant, especially the fact that his appointment was not carried out through a relevant resolution. "There was talk about how Schmidt's actions have led to a crisis in BiH. The so-called Bonn Powers were mentioned, which have no legal foundation either in the Dayton Peace Agreement or in any relevant formal act," Šolaja emphasized. Commenting on the reaction of the BiH Ambassador to the UN Zlatko Lagumdžija to Cvijanović's speech, Šolaja noted that it was not surprising, as Lagumdžija merely repeats what is in the interest of political Sarajevo, regardless of the actual course of the discussion at the UN. "They continue to repeat what they want to hear, rather than what the reality is. The reality is that the U.S. has a much more moderate stance compared to earlier, that China has a much more concrete position, and that Russia has demonstrated its clear stance to the fullest extent. We also didn't see any significant reaction from France," said Šolaja.