NEBENZYA: SCHMIDT BLAMES SERBS FOR HIS OWN FAILURES

NEW YORK, MAY 12 /SRNA/ - The Office of the High Representative /OHR/ is the main factor of instability in BiH, and Christian Schmidt has attempted to blame Serbs and the authorities of Republika Srpska for all his negative actions, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated.

Speaking at the UN Security Council session on BiH, Nebenzya said the OHR has been transformed into a tool of the West and is carrying out legal violence over BiH. He stated that the illegal appointment of a retired German politician was not in line with international practice and was contrary to UN Security Council resolutions, which, in his words, delegitimized the OHR. Nebenzya said the West had shown it wanted to privatize the process of resolving the situation in BiH by sidelining those who do not agree with the OHR approach. "Schmidt tried to hypocritically shift responsibility for his destabilizing actions onto Republika Srpska, to blame Serbs and their leaders for all sins, while in fact these are people who simply want to be independent from any dictate", Nebenzya said. He stressed that closing the OHR is the first step toward stability in BiH and that it is time for the peoples in BiH to gain real sovereignty and decide their own future through internal dialogue based on the Dayton Agreement. Nebenzya also said Schmidt's departure is a step in that direction, but added that the problems created during his tenure still need to be resolved. He further referred to the involvement of Berlin, London and Paris in BiH's internal affairs, saying it has contributed to instability and that Western policies are undermining the Dayton Peace Accords. Nebenzya warned of growing interethnic tensions in BiH, claiming that Western interference is aimed at reshaping the Dayton framework and the constitutional structure based on equality of the three constituent peoples and two entities.