The conclusions approved by the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska entity pose a threat to the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, therefore they are also anti-Dayton and undermine the authority of the institutions, the rule of law at the state level and the country's path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.
This was stated in the joint statement of the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy, as well as the delegation of the European Union and the EU's special representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The statement states that all laws and conclusions adopted by the lower bodies – including the parliamentary bodies of the entities – must be in accordance with the Constitution, no entity has the authority to challenge the existing laws and institutions of Bosnia.
"At a time when the possibility of opening official negotiations for EU membership has never before been close, the return of political blockades would have negative consequences for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the majority of whom support EU accession", said in the statement of Western countries issued on December 25.
The US, UK, France, Italy, Germany and the EU delegation support Bosnia's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and multi-ethnic character. The statement also said they support the High Representative, who, according to the Dayton Agreement, is the final interpreter of the civilian aspects of the Peace Agreement.
In the early hours of December 25, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska passed a resolution demanding that Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian president of this Serbian entity, not respond to a subpoena issued by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina until he is well with health.
This represents a softening of the position, since the preliminary text of the resolution proposed that Dodik be asked not to respond to any summons from the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by which he is being tried for non-compliance with the decisions of the international High Representative in this state.
This was one of the 12 conclusions that were adopted by the Parliament of Republika Srpska after examining "information on the collapse of the legal order in Bosnia and Herzegovina in connection with the violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement".
Dodik, who recently underwent surgery in Belgrade, was scheduled to appear in court on December 24, but the hearing has been postponed to December 30, according to his lawyer.
While Dodik's defense team has argued that he cannot participate in the trial for several months, the time they say he will need to recover, legal expert Haris Vranic, who was appointed by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has determined that Dodik is capable of participating in court hearings.
Currently, Dodik is facing trial after he signed a presidential decree declaring valid two laws in the Serbian entity that were previously canceled by the High Representative, Christian Schmidt.
In addition to Dodik, the Prosecutor's Office has also accused Milosh Lukić, as the acting director of the Official Gaza in the Republic of Serbia, of enabling the publication of Dodik's decree.
The decree concerns amendments to the Law on the publication of other laws and regulations in the Republic of Srpska and to the Law on inapplicable decisions of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Among the conclusions approved by the Parliament of Republika Srpska was the request that the appointed representatives of the Republika Srpska in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspend taking decisions until the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the State Prosecutor's Office suspend "the motivated process politically" against Dodik and Lukic.
However, there will be no blockades "if decisions are taken regarding the transfer of jurisdiction from the level of Republika Srpska to the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina".
The representatives of the Republika Srpska in the institutions have also been asked to suspend taking decisions regarding European integration until the conditions for this process to continue "in accordance with the principle of democracy and the rule of law" are met.
The parliamentary majority also condemned the "interference" of the Office of the State Prosecutor of Bosnia in the work of the Parliament of Republika Srpska, saying that the decisions of the Parliament of this entity can only be reviewed by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia.
Before the start of the special plenary session, the Prosecutor's Office requested information based on the Code of Criminal Procedure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regarding the data related to the suspicions that certain criminal offenses have been committed, including "agreement to commit a criminal offense ", "preparation to commit a criminal offense" and "attack on the constitutional order".
In his speech before the Parliament, the head of this institution, Nenad Stevandić, said that this reaction of the Prosecutor's Office is based "on lies".
In other adopted conclusions it was said that the Parliament of Republika Srpska "remains committed to respecting the territorial integrity and the division of sovereignty between the entities according to Dayton", but the High Representative, the Constitutional Court and the Prosecutor's Office were accused of violating the Dayton Agreement .
Representatives of the ruling party said Dayton's violation "culminated in the politically motivated trial against the president of Republika Srpska." This judgment, according to them, "is the result of the United States sanctions against Dodik".
Since 2017, Dodik has been under US sanctions for obstructing or threatening to obstruct the Dayton Peace Agreement.
In 2022, other sanctions were imposed on him which accuse Dodik of direct or indirect participation in the violation, obstruction or threat of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement as well as for corrupt activities./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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