JELIĆ: RESPECT FOR WHAT THE DAYTON GAVE IS THE ONLY RECIPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL BiH

BANJA LUKA, MAY 26 /SRNA/ - SNSD deputy of the Republika Srpska National Assembly Petar Jelić has told SRNA that the only recipe for a successful Bih lies in respecting what was granted by the Dayton Peace Agreement, as well as in mutual respect - between the two equal entities and the three constituent peoples.

“This is the same recipe mentioned by the Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović during her visit to the U.S.A. She wasn’t speaking about herself, but about what Republika Srpska is and what the Dayton-based BiH is. This is something that Bosniak political representatives and the opposition in Republika Srpska, who have been increasingly aligning themselves with official Sarajevo and Bosniaks, must learn to understand,” emphasized Jelić. He has pointed out that a dirty anti-Serb campaign being conducted in Sarajevo circles through the local media, which the opposition in Republika Srpska has aligned itself with, labels the foreign ministers of Serbia and Croatia, as well as other officials, as aggressors, while Republika Srpska representatives are branded with the worst insults and called separatists. “The goal is clear: to diminish what happened in Ohio, i.e. to avoid sitting down at the table and making decisions. For 30 years, we’ve lived under such conditions and a lynch atmosphere. Bosniaks do not want an equal agreement; instead, they prefer internationals’ cheerleading approach, which guarantees them a privileged position over Serbs and Croats. That wish will not come true; this is the only certainty,” Jelić stated. He reminded Bosniaks that Serbia is a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which must be respected. He stressed that all Republika Srpska and Serbia want is respect for the Dayton Accords, which brought peace to BiH and a framework within which the constituent peoples can live and work as equals. “As the Serb member of the BiH Presidency also said, the balance established by the Dayton is slowly being eroded - not through democratic terms of office, but through the actions of unelected international politicians. This must be stopped. We’ve heard the same messages from Serbia, which respects the Dayton and BiH,” said Jelić. He stated that only Bosniak representatives are voicing opposing views, simply because they advocate unitarism, which will never take root in BiH. “Their idea of a civic BiH is not possible. Even the illegitimate Christian Schmidt, whose unlawful interventions they constantly invoke, has said that. Bosniaks can only build a functional BiH together with Serbs and Croats, so no Schmidt can make the Serbs and Croats, and their rights, disappear as they would like. Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Republika Srpska, and the Federation are realities that no bureaucrats or non-papers can change,” said Jelić. Regarding the opposition in Republika Srpska, Jelić stated that they use every opportunity to speak out against legitimately elected government representatives. “We expect a minimum from them - expected of every representative of Republika Srpska: to condemn the war-mongering and anti-Serb rhetoric that we’ve heard recently from Bosniak circles. It is clear to everyone that the politics of both Bosniaks and the opposition in Republika Srpska are built on lies, not on the laws of BiH, the Constitution, or the Dayton. That is why we call on them to return to the fundamentals of the Dayton, to respect the letter of the Dayton, and to finally stop calling on internationals to resolve issues in BiH. The only legitimate interlocutors can be domestically elected politicians from the two entities and the three constituent peoples, who represent the will of the voters,” Jelić concluded.