KOVAČEVIĆ: KONAKOVIĆ ADMITTED JUDICIAL INSTITUTIONS IN BiH ARE USED TO PERSECUTE SERBS AND CROATS

BANJA LUKA, JULY 14 /SRNA/ – Judicial institutions in BiH are being used to persecute Serbs and Croats, specifically their democratically elected leaders, and this was demonstrated by the recent statement o NiP leader Elmedin Konaković, SNSD spokesperson Radovan Kovačević said.

Kovačević said he was surprised by Konaković's statement that BiH institutions had been strengthened to confront statements made by Serb and Croat political leaders. "It is rare in politics to hear such an open admission that someone controls the judiciary. Konaković and his party colleagues have effectively told us that they control judicial institutions in order to confront, suppress and subordinate Serbs and Croats in BiH," Kovačević said. He described the statement as scandalous and said it should prompt a public response. "What institutions have they strengthened, and for what purpose? What did SNSD leader Milorad Dodik and HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović say yesterday that threatens anyone? They said they supported cooperation between the Serb and Croat constituent peoples, but not at the expense of the third constituent people. Dodik also said he respects the constituent status of the Croat people in the same way he respects that of Bosniaks and Serbs. What is there to condemn? Anyone who respects the Dayton Agreement should welcome such statements," Kovačević said in a statement to RTRS. He argued that the real problem is that Bosniak political parties do not respect the Dayton Peace Accords but instead seek a BiH governed exclusively by themselves, with authority over both Serbs and Croats. "The problem for them is that the alliance between SNSD and HDZ BiH has told them to forget about that. That is why they are reacting in such a disgraceful way," Kovačević pointed out. He referred to the statement by Dodik and Čović that a separate electoral constituency should be established for the election of the Croat member of the BiH Presidency. "Why is that necessary? Because all three constituent peoples must be equal and each must have the right to elect its own representatives. Yet they say that is unacceptable and claim it would undermine the system. Instead, they argue for proportional representation. We have been listening to that deception for far too long," Kovačević said. He reminded that the Constitution of BiH contains no provision on proportional representation. "It guarantees equality among the three constituent peoples. If they now believe that having a larger population means they should dominate state institutions, they can forget about it," Kovačević pointed out. He added that such an approach is entirely contrary to the Dayton Peace Accords, which, he said, Bosniak parties claim to defend. "Equality among the three constituent peoples must be guaranteed. All decisions imposed by High Representatives must be repealed. Democratically elected representatives of the peoples and citizens of BiH must assume responsibility for governing the country. That is the only way BiH can survive. If they truly want the country to endure, we have offered them a platform for both agreement and its future. If they do not, that is their choice. They are welcome to live with the consequences," Kovačević concluded.