DEĐANSKI: NO NEW HIGH REPRESENTATIVE WITHOUT THE AGREEMENT OF RUSSIA, CHINA, AND THE US

BELGRADE, MAY 30 /SRNA/ - Political analyst Stevica Deđanski assessed for SRNA that a new High Representative in BiH cannot be elected without the consent and agreement of China, Russia, and the US, pointing out that the EU can only try to push one through, but will not succeed in doing so.

Despite the fact that Russia, China, and the US advocate for the abolition of the OHR, along with a growing number of politicians in Europe, Deđanski believes it is not impossible for a new High Representative to be elected after all. However, as he pointed out, given the good relations of the Serbian people—primarily the President of SNSD, Milorad Dodik—and Serbia as well, with the US administration and Russian and Chinese friends, nothing bad should happen. "If the High Representative receives their support, they will receive it with a realistic task and realistic duties of what needs to be done, but it certainly will not be against the interests of Republika Srpska," Deđanski assessed in a statement to SRNA. Commenting on the information that the candidate for the new High Representative is Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi, and that his appointment will be decided at a session of the Peace Implementation Council in Sarajevo on June 3 and 4, Deđanski said that no solution without the consent of Moscow, Beijing, and Washington will be functional. "If they have not agreed on it, nothing will come of it, considering that these three greatest powers generally have a common or similar stance," stated Deđanski. He pointed out that Serbs and Srpska should remain restrained until they see whether an agreement between the great powers has been reached or if this announcement is just "idle speculation" by the media and those who do not wish well for Srpska, whose National Assembly adopted a Declaration on the closure of the OHR and the termination of the High Representative's function. "If there is an agreement between Russia, China, and the US, which have good relations with Dodik and the authorities of Republika Srpska, it means there is some path toward de-escalation and a solution, and then we should make decisions based on that. If there is no such agreement, we will again have some illegal High Representative, and we return to the old story," said Deđanski. According to him, the EU, which mostly advocates for the retention of the OHR and the High Representative with current powers, cannot realistically do anything without Russia, China, and the US. "It can only spoil things, but in this situation, there is nothing to spoil, because a High Representative cannot be elected without the consent of the three greatest world powers," Deđanski concluded.