RUSSIA WILL CLEARLY STATE TOMORROW THAT SCHMIDT HAS NO LEGITIMACY

SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 30 /SRNA/ - The Russian Ambassador to BiH Igor Kalabukhov told SRNA that during tomorrow's meeting of the UN Security Council, the Russian Federation will take a principled stance that Christian Schmidt has no legitimacy and that the OHR should be closed, adding that it will be very interesting to hear the position of the United States.

"Russia supports the closure of the OHR because it has become an obstacle, and when it comes to certain changes, that is already a matter of agreement on specific issues that are difficult to discuss at the moment," the Russian diplomat said, declining to speculate on media reports that Schmidt may soon leave BiH. He expressed hope that, over time, the approach of some representatives of the international community toward the situation in BiH would change, leading to a better understanding of Republika Srpska's positions. "In this sense, I hope that the distribution of the Republika Srpska Government's Report will serve as an incentive for members of the Security Council to learn firsthand what is happening," Kalabukhov said. He expects that during tomorrow's meeting of the Security Council, the Russian Federation will once again reiterate its principled position regarding both Schmidt and the OHR. "It will be an objective presentation, and we will see what the position of the other permanent members of the Security Council will be. In this sense, it will be very interesting to hear Washington's stance," the Russian ambassador said in a statement to SRNA. Kalabukhov said that, generally, good conditions can now be created to encourage the most important goal desired by both Russia and the international community, which is an internal dialogue in BiH on all current issues. "Right at the beginning of the process, after the departure of High Representative Valentin Inzko, I said regarding Schmidt that part of the international community decided not to act on the principles of international law," Kalabukhov emphasized. He recalled that at the time he had warned that Schmidt's illegitimacy would be the cause of major problems in BiH, and even in the region, which has now become evident.