KOŠARAC: IT IS HIGH TIME FOR HIGH REPRESENTATIVE POSITION TO BE ABOLISHED

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, MAY 25 /SRNA/ – More than three decades after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, it is high time for the position of the High Representative to be abolished and for any further imposition of the OHR as a kind of "supra-institution" to finally come to an end, assessed Staša Košarac, Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Košarac stated that, in accordance with the Dayton Peace Agreement and Annex 10, it is clear that the OHR, or Office of the High Representative, does not exist as such. "It concerns exclusively the auxiliary staff of the High Representative, not an office or a `supra-institution,`" Košarac posted on Instagram. He added that over the past decades, the OHR, with political encouragement from Sarajevo, has attempted to impose itself as an official body, which is legally unfounded and unacceptable. The practice of referring to the OHR in public discourse, he says, must stop, especially considering that Article 3 of Annex 10 states: "The High Representative shall appoint such staff, as he or she deems necessary, to assist in carrying out the tasks herein." "In other words, auxiliary administrative staff - not an Office nor some kind of institutional entity, building, or administration. We do not recognize the OHR, because it is not envisaged by the Dayton Accords. BiH can survive exclusively as a Dayton-based category, composed of two entities and three equal constituent peoples," Košarac emphasized. He stressed that democratically elected institutions are the only legitimate holders of authority in BiH, and that the continued existence of the OHR is directly contrary to the country's sovereignty, adding that BiH cannot function under international tutelage.