BLANUŠA DID NOT FIGHT AGAINST OHR AND SCHMIDT

BANJA LUKA, JULY 21 /SRNA/ - President Milorad Dodik said today that SDS President Branko Blanuša was nowhere to be seen when the current authorities in Republika Srpska were politically fighting the OHR and Christian Schmidt.

"Blanuša and the opposition supported Schmidt and the OHR. The self-proclaimed /High Represetative/ Schmidt said that the SDS had asked him to remove me from office. Blanuša is once again telling the public an untruth about the situation here, claiming that the SNSD and the HDZ are to blame because they opposed Schmidt," Dodik told reporters in Banja Luka. He reminded that Republika Srpska would not have retained its property if the SNSD and the authorities of Republika Srpska had not opposed Schmidt, who had come to finish the job. "Blanuša must verify what he is saying. Being familiar with the processes is a prerequisite for making rational decisions. If speculation is accepted as the basis, then there can be no rationality," Dodik added. He stressed that recycled narratives have never helped the SDS or its candidates. "They claim that institutions are managed by one individual, yet they complain about the dismissal of Nedeljko Elek from Sarajevo-gas. Just a few days ago, they said all sorts of things about it. Blanuša should be consistent instead of acting this way. I can give him instructions on how to run an election campaign," Dodik said. According to him, one must be well-versed in the issues, speak the truth, and not resort to lies. "Don't lie to the people. People in Republika Srpska should understand that professors are serious people who speak based on facts. They never joined the fight against the OHR. At the moment when we had backed the opponents of Republika Srpska into a corner, the SDS showed its true face and sought to form a government with the `Troika,` thereby rescuing the entire concept of BiH," Dodik said. He believes that Blanuša is allowing himself to be manipulated. "If someone allows themselves to present unverified information, they are allowing themselves to be manipulated. Because of that, I have to revise my opinion of Blanuša. Don't allow others to draw you into falsehoods, and make sure you are well informed about what you are talking about," Dodik concluded.