HIGH REPRESENTATIVES' DECISIONS SHOULD BE OVERTURNED THROUGH A LEGAL ACT

MOSCOW, JULY 11 /SRNA/ - SNSD President Milorad Dodik said that BiH could survive if all decisions made by high representatives were annulled through a legal act.

"Then, something could be achieved in BiH through dialogue," Dodik said in an interview with RIA Novosti. He emphasized that BiH does not need any foreigner who would have absolute authority. "Parliaments and constitutions around the world have fought against absolutism and monarchies, but in our country, for 30 years they have tried to re-establish some kind of modern-day 'emperor-king' who behaved like a bull in a china shop and created problems in internal affairs," Dodik said. He emphasized that Republika Srpska wants high representatives to leave BiH because they have been creating problems for 30 years. He added that it is encouraging that representatives of the US administration have expressed the need to abolish the OHR and that domestic politicians in BiH should make decisions themselves. "This can be encouraging, given that the position of the United States differs somewhat from that of Russia regarding the timeframe, as they want to close the OHR within one to three years, while Russia and Srpska want this to happen immediately," Dodik said. He pointed out that Republika Srpska and Russia share the same position - they have not accepted Christian Schmidt because he was not approved by the UN, nor was his work. Dodik assessed that the decision of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council to appoint Louis Crishock as Acting High Representative reflects the usual arrogance of the West, because the Dayton Agreement did not envisage such a position. "Although someone was previously referred to by that title, the agreement does not provide for it. On the other hand, it is clear that the Americans have one approach, while the Europeans have a completely different one, which has led to this unusual situation and the emergence of a kind of 'acting high representative'," Dodik said. He emphasized that it is also necessary to abolish the so-called Bonn powers of the High Representative. "From the very beginning, this was an abuse of authority. What is not justified by law cannot have legal consequences," Dodik said.