We can say with certainty that the Democratic Action Party's (SDA) programme declaration is aimed at destroying the Republika Srpska (RS) entity and that they have some support from foreigners, Bosnian Serb leader and Presidency member Milorad Dodik said Saturday after the meeting between major Bosnian Serb parties and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade.
“Republika Srpska is our priority and the only possible republic on that area. We reject that declaration as anti-Serb, Anti-Dayton and anti-Constitutional. We informed the President of this and we are trying to get the Serbian support in our defence of the RS,” Dodik said.
Earlier this month, the main Bosniak party in the country, the Democratic Action Party (SDA) held a party Congress in Sarajevo where they adopted a declaration, outlining the party's future goals.
Some of those goals include the creation of a democratic, regionalised, lawful and welfare state under the name of ‘Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,’ which should have state, regional and local governments.
This caused a storm of comments from major Serb and Croat parties in the country, arguing that the declaration is a call to conflict, intolerance and that it violates the Constitution.
The Serb leader confirmed that all participants of the meeting which was convened in Belgrade for the sake of discussing future Serb moves with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned the declaration.
“The RS political representatives don't have the same views on what to do. The place where we need to form our views is the RS parliament. We will make such a decision that should Bosniaks make any attempt to implement these documents and declarations we will absolutely demand the activation of our right to secession,” Dodik said.
“We asked Serbia to help us in case we need help, to help us from train our security units because we believe that we should not be naive about all this. Their (Bosniak) long-term goal is to eradicate Serbs and the RS from this area. They want Bosnia only for themselves, where there will be no Serbian language and where they will get their revenge on Serbs,” Dodik said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic began his address by recalling Serbia's obligations regarding the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia.
“Serbia is obliged to react to any violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. I won't speak particularly much about the SDA declaration but what I have noticed is that the people from the RS agree that the RS must survive and that the text of the SDA's declaration treats the RS in a negative context and disrespects Serbia,” Vucic said.
He reiterated Serbia's policy and called on Dodik and the RS President Zeljka Svijanovic as well as everyone else who participated in the meeting to show restraint, not to react abruptly, and to react in the interest of the RS, Serbia and Bosnia.
He said that they must do everything to preserve peace and stability in the region.
“Any conflict would mean economic collapse and the end of us all,” Vucic noted.
The meeting at the General Secretariat of the President of Serbia was also attended by Republika Srpska President Zeljka Cvijanovic, RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and RS National Assembly (parliament) Speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic.
Also present were the leaders of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), Mirko Sarovic, Democratic People's Alliance (DNZ) Marko Pavic, Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) Branislav Borenovic, People's Democratic Movement (NDP) Dragan Cavic, the United Srpska Nenad Stevandic and the Socialist Party (SP) Petar Djokic.
