IT WOULD BE BEST TO CLOSE THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH REPRESENTATIVE

BANJA LUKA, MAY 30 /SRNA/ - It would be best to close the Office of the High Representative /OHR/ in BiH, and if someone had to come, then that person should have a limited mandate, both in terms of time and in terms of what they do, said the General Secretary of the President of Republika Srpska, Marko Romić.

Romić emphasized that the adoption of the Declaration of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on closing the Office of the High Representative is legitimate, because the OHR is the biggest disruptive factor in BiH. "We are facing a major crisis of the Dayton model of government organization, and the main culprit is Schmidt and the OHR officials. We should not amnesty these people; they believed that Schmidt was the High Representative and carried out his will, even though he never had a mandate for it," Romić told RTRS. Romić believes that the return of competencies is the only way for BiH, as envisioned by Dayton, to attempt to function and be given an opportunity in the future. He pointed out that High Representatives had no legal basis to impose laws and thereby reshape the Dayton structure, strip competencies, and establish new institutions. "The return of competencies is not a negotiating position; it means returning to square one, and only then starting negotiations on how and what we will do in BiH," Romić emphasized. He recalled that the greatest blow to Dayton and to the constitutions of BiH and Republika Srpska occurred when the illegal Christian Schmidt attempted to make a certain decision and declare it a law in BiH according to which, by his own will, the elected President of Republika Srpska should be removed. He pointed out that this is important to emphasize because such a scenario has not been seen in Europe, and especially not in America. He stated that thanks to the proactive policy of President Milorad Dodik, a political offensive took place involving the US administration led by President Donald Trump. "The Banja Luka Summit is an indicator of this. It is incredible that Banja Luka is becoming a regional center in the Balkans," Romić stated. A few days ago, Romić took over the duties of General Secretary of the President of Republika Srpska from Jelena Pajić Baštinac, which, as he emphasized, is a great honor to be granted that kind of trust. He stressed that the policy of the institution of the President remains unchanged and that work continues in order to reach every single person in Republika Srpska.