CVIJANOVIĆ: WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF MEETING ANY DEMANDS THAT RUN CONTRARY TO THE INTERESTS OF SRPSKA

EAST SARAJEVO, December 4 /SRNA/ - Serb member of the Presidency of BiH Željka Cvijanović told SRNA that it is entirely logical- and no surprise - that the heads of parliamentary clubs from the ruling coalition in the Republic of Srpska did not respond to the invitation to attend a meeting of the Peace Implementation Council /PIC/, even though the invitation was not sent by Christian Schmidt personally, but by his deputy.

"And even when we did respond, that is a thing of the distant past - back when there was still some hope that any kind of dialogue, even that one, could lead to a solution. We have long known that it serves only as an umbrella providing cover for illegal interventions by High Representatives," Cvijanović said, responding to questions about why representatives of the ruling coalition from Republika Srpska in the House of Representatives declined to attend the non-Dayton PIC meeting. She reminded that the Dayton Agreement neither envisages the existence of such a format, nor obligates domestic representatives to participate. "The fact that Christian Schmidt didn't sign the invitation is irrelevant-he attended the meeting and commented afterward, just as expected. Why should we grant legitimacy to someone who has trampled the will of the voters, violated the rule of law, interfered in financial matters, discredited democratically elected institutions, and ultimately contaminated BiH's so-called European path?" Cvijanović emphasized. Commenting on SRNA's observation that Sarajevo-based parties used the PIC meeting to accuse the Republika Srpska leadership of halting BiH's EU path, Cvijanović responded that such parties are not a matter of concern for her or for Srpska. "It is absurd when minor parties - with not a single elected representative from Republika Srpska - lecture the people of Srpska about whom they should elect and how they should live or organize their institutions. We have decided not to remain trapped by artificially imposed topics," she said. Cvijanović stressed that they have no intention of participating in any meeting where they are expected to pretend that nothing has happened and that a brighter future awaits-on the condition that Sarajevo keeps taking while Banja Luka keeps giving. "Our priorities relate exclusively to the stability of the institutions of the Republic of Srpska. In short, we have no intention of meeting any demands that run contrary to the interests of the Republic," Cvijanović concluded. A two-day PIC meeting was held in Sarajevo, attended by representatives of political parties from the Federation of BiH and opposition parties from Republika Srpska represented in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.