ČOVIĆ: OHR MUST BE CLOSED IMMEDIATELY, ECONOMY STANDS NO CHANCE UNDER CURRENT CONDITIONS

ZAGREB, DECEMBER 12 /SRNA/ – President of the Croat National Assembly of BiH Dragan Čović stated that the Office of the High Representative must be closed immediately, adding that the domestic economy has no chance of success if BiH continues to be governed through imposed decisions.

Čović said that every attempt to reorganize anything in BiH is met with fierce resistance, and that maintaining the status quo only strengthens the position of those who run BiH as a semi-protectorate. Speaking at the international conference “30 Years After Dayton: Seeking Local Solutions,” held in Zagreb, he stressed that the imposition of the issue of “state property” has brought the entire economy to a standstill. Regarding the imposition of decisions, Čović noted that Christian Schmidt’s idea was to counter then-President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik and halt all investments in Srpska. He pointed out that around EUR 10 billion of investments were blocked in the Federation of BiH due to Schmidt’s actions. Čović said that the current situation is not the greatest crisis since the Dayton Agreement, adding that the real crisis was the pressure from international institutions when former High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch issued more than 240 decisions, and his successor Paddy Ashdown around 430 decisions, sanctioning 180 Croat officials at all levels of government. He also recalled the example of tanks entering Hercegovačka Banka, the only private bank of its kind, and questioned whether anyone was ever held accountable and whether any criminal activity was ever found. Čović added that an entire system was disrupted, that the blow was primarily economic and directed at Croat representatives, and that they had written documents stating that the economic position of the Croat people needed to be reduced to the level of the other two peoples in BiH. "The economy has no chance in such circumstances," Čović stressed. He added that yesterday demonstrated the powerlessness of the BiH system. "To invest about EUR 50 million, and then someone comes and says that the most frequent border crossing between BiH and the EU cannot be opened," Čović said. Regarding the Southern Gas Interconnection, Čović emphasized that it is a strategic interest of the Croat people and that they want to launch the process immediately. "It passes predominantly through areas where Croats live. We have proposed removing it from the ‘BH Gas’ project, allowing an American company to take over the work," Čović stated.