KOVAČEVIĆ: CAMPAIGN AGAINST SRPSKA FAILED - THEY WANTED DODIK OUT, BUT SCHMIDT AND MURPHY LEFT INSTEAD

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 20 /SRNA/ - Political Sarajevo's efforts to finally confront and bring down Republika Srpska have failed, as President Milorad Dodik prevailed while those who led the campaign against him - Christian Schmidt and former US Ambassador Michael Murphy - have left BiH, Serb delegate in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Radovan Kovačević stated.

Kovačević said that political Sarajevo, together with its mentors and, unfortunately, opposition parties from Republika Srpska, had judged that overturning the electoral will of the people of Republika Srpska was more important than cooperation and compromise, because it represented a step closer to dismantling Republika Srpska itself. "This was a term in which the enemies of Republika Srpska realized they did not have much time and decided to make a final push against Republika Srpska, but Milorad Dodik and Republika Srpska prevailed. Republika Srpska managed to preserve stability and pursue serious development for the benefit of its citizens," Kovačević said. He pointed out the aim had been to target the strongest political figure in Republika Srpska - someone who represents the entity's political unity and enjoys the greatest democratic legitimacy in Republika Srpska. Kovačević said it had been expected that Republika Srpska would cause unrest, which was why arrest warrants and searches had also been launched. "They wanted Milorad Dodik to leave, but Christian Schmidt and Michael Murphy left instead. Schmidt was told that he had to leave BiH or face consequences. The German ambassador openly said they were very dissatisfied that Schmidt had to leave before the elections. They wanted him to control the elections. Murphy, who together with Schmidt led the campaign against Republika Srpska, was also forced out," said Kovačević, who is also an SNSD spokesman. He reiterated that Republika Srpska and SNSD had demonstrated that they were open to cooperation during the current term, which had initially proceeded normally, with legislation being proposed and BiH receiving EU candidate status. "But then the campaign against Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik and other officials from Republika Srpska began. They said they would wipe out SNSD with a bulldozer. What does that mean? SNSD and Milorad Dodik are not the point here. The point is that Dodik and SNSD are the choice of these people. If you attack the choice of these people, you are attacking the people," Kovačević stressed. Speaking to RTRS, he pointed out that, unfortunately, opposition parties in Republika Srpska had also legitimized those attacks through their conduct, showing that they considered political positions more important than the will of the people and the constitutional position of Republika Srpska. "Political Sarajevo thinks it is BiH, so it can impose things on us. BiH can only be what Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH agree on, together with the three constituent peoples within them. Every time you ignore the position of Republika Srpska, which we present in accordance with the Constitution, and where under the Constitution you have no right to make a decision without our position, yet you make one anyway, it means that Republika Srpska does not matter to you and that you want it to disappear," Kovačević said. He stressed that it was extremely important for political figures in Republika Srpska to understand this, as attacks from Sarajevo were continuing.