CVIJANOVIĆ: BiH CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH LOCAL SOLUTIONS, NOT IMPOSITIONS

ZAGREB, DECEMBER 12 /SRNA/ – Serb member of the Presidency of BiH Željka Cvijanović said today in Zagreb that BiH must move forward by seeking local solutions, and not by accepting externally imposed ones.

"Given BiH’s history over the past 30 years, that is, what was envisioned by the Dayton Peace Agreement and what we are living today, it is clear that we are facing a major discrepancy. This discrepancy is the reason why BiH is a deeply divided society," Cvijanović told reporters in Zagreb, where she is attending the International Conference ‘30 Years after Dayton: Opening the Path to Local Solutions’. She emphasized that BiH is an extremely polarized society lacking internal political dialogue. "The visions of the three constituent peoples regarding the past, present, and future are mutually opposed. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to seek solutions," Cvijanović added. She said that today’s conference is an opportunity to analyze certain issues in BiH. "I don’t think we can do that in full detail. We must avoid turning this conference into yet another discussion about war; instead, it must be about peace, because the Dayton Agreement established peace in BiH," Cvijanović said. She noted that establishing peace was a key dimension of the Dayton Peace Agreement. "The second key dimension of the agreement is the fact that it established BiH’s constitutional and political system, though this is often avoided. Peace has never been disturbed, but the constitutional structure of BiH as envisioned by Dayton has been deeply undermined, and that is the source of all problems," Cvijanović stated. According to her, BiH needs to move away from unilateral solutions that contradict the Dayton Peace Agreement if it is to have a chance. "If BiH continues living in a situation where an unelected foreigner imposes solutions, changes laws, and politicizes the judiciary, things he has no right to do, then BiH is in serious trouble, and the prospects for its future diminish," she said. She questioned whether any state can withstand such a high level of foreign interventionism. "It raises the question of whether we can move from something entirely artificial into a new sphere of agreement. I think we should, but I am not certain that the political awareness exists within BiH for that to happen," Cvijanović said. She added that she was encouraged by the remarks of the U.S. ambassador to Croatia regarding the situation in BiH. "The ambassador at this conference referred to what she considers a key turning point for BiH, that there must be no imposition of solutions, but rather an expectation that domestic leaders, meaning representatives of the constituent peoples, agree on the country’s structure. This is a huge step forward, and I regret that the EU has never defined its approach toward BiH this strongly and courageously," Cvijanović said. She reminded that the Dayton Agreement defined BiH as a federal structure, that is, a highly decentralized state with highly autonomous entities. "Republika Srpska wants to preserve this structure, and the Croat component is also dissatisfied with attempts to centralize BiH. They simply want to elect their own representatives, and two out of the three peoples in BiH do not want centralization, as it was never envisaged by Dayton. In contrast, the Bosniak representatives are the ones seeking centralization," Cvijanović said.