DODIK: REFERENDUM DOES NOT EXPLICITLY SPEAK ABOUT INDEPENDENCE, BUT IS A SERIOUS WARM-UP

BELGRADE, AUGUST 28 /SRNA/ – The President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik says the upcoming referendum in Republika Srpska does not explicitly address independence, but will serve as a "serious warm-up".

"Republika Srpska will position itself in accordance with our right to self-determination," Dodik said. Dodik says Republika Srpska has no intention of backing down and pointed out that the Muslims want to eliminate him from politics, not realising that this only further strengthens the Serbs. "I am a dangerous witness for many. I am an unplanned event because I managed to preserve Republika Srpska for 30 years. That's why they're nervous," Dodik stated in an interview for Politika, which will be published in full in tomorrow's issue. Speaking about relations with the US, Dodik said he had a two-hour conversation with US President's special envoy Richard Grenell about how to ensure the best possible cooperation with the new US administration. "BiH is an illusion built by Trump's opponents, therefore that message needs to reach the president of the United States," Dodik emphasized. Speaking on political cooperation with Israel and the Jewish people, Dodik noted that this is not a matter of reflex. "When BiH, by circumstance, was a member of the expanded UN Security Council, I did not allow it to recognize Palestine as a state. That was the decisive vote in the Security Council, and I was aligned with Israel the entire time," Dodik said.