The head of the Democratic Front party, Zeljko Komsic, said Belgrade and Zagreb have been interfering in Bosnian affairs since 1992 and that the Bosniak leader Bakir Izetbegovic cannot sue Croatia because it’s constructing the Peljesac Bridge without Bosnia’s green light.
Croatia has announced the beginning of the construction of a bridge that aims to connect Croatian territory bisected by Bosnia. The structure runs over Bosnian waters but Sarajevo never approved the project.
The Peljesac Bridge is intended to link the Croatian mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula, bypassing a 15 kilometre-long strip around the city of Neum that represents Bosnia and Herzegovina’s only coast on the Adriatic Sea.
The bridge would cut travel time between the Dubrovnik area and the rest of the country by circumventing customs and border controls around Neum.
Predominantly Bosniak political parties are against the construction of the Peljesac Bridge because they believe it might prevent large vessels from entering Bosnia's Bay of Neum, threatening Bosnia and Herzegovina's access to open sea.
They also claim that the border between the two countries in the bay remains undefined.
Bosniak leader Bakir Izetbegovic announced he will launch a lawsuit against Croatia if it continues to execute the project but Zeljko Komsic said that would be impossible because for this he would need the green light of the other two members of Bosnia’s Presidency – the Serb and the Croat, who would certainly block the effort.
Komsic criticised Croatia over its behaviour toward Bosnia.
“Why are they not treating Bosnia the way they are treating other neighbors? Why are they not doing this to Hungary or Slovenia?” he asked.
“Zagreb and Belgrade are interfering in Bosnia’s affairs since 1992, sometimes with tanks and guns and sometimes through economy,” he added.
The bridge issue is complex and tied to the border lines. Bosnia’s problem is that certain ministers are protecting the interests of neighboring countries, he said, alluding to Bosnian Croat ministers in the government.
