Political representatives of the Troika (Social Democratic Party – SDP, People and Justice Party - NiP, and Our Party – NS), the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) that make up Bosnia’s state-level ruling coalition could not reach a single agreement during their meeting in Konjic, noting that each side remained firmly in their position.
The leader of HDZ BiH, Dragan Covic, was the first to address the media. He said that the problem related to the Constitutional Court is only one of the problems they discussed.
“We talked about all other problems that make up the 14 EU accession priorities, one of them is the Constitutional Court and judges. We agreed that our path is the European path and that it has no alternative.
He said that the constitutional framework must be respected.
“Who interprets the Constitution of BiH and whether something is in accordance with the Constitution or not? What you or I would like is on the thing and the situation on the ground is something else. BiH has a very clear constitutional framework, let's respect it. Whether someone likes it or not is another matter,” Covic said and concluded:
“There is no European Union with foreigners in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is clear to everyone. When and how – we have to agree on that ourselves.”
After him, the RS President and SNSD leader, Milorad Dodik, took the stage by saying the RS will keep the Law banning the enforcement of BiH Constitutional Court Decisions in the RS in force until this issue is resolved at the state level, by adopting the state law which would not include the presence of international judges in the trial chamber.
“The RS National Assembly has the constitutional and every other right to pass laws and it passed that law and it will fight for the implementation and application of the law.”
the RS President added that European integration issues were also on the agenda and that they have an announcement from the EU that should be made in the next few days.
“There is a trip to Brussels from the Council of Ministers, probably to calm the situation down. We should consider it as a package to be accepted by all in order to realize it. We have different views, especially regarding the BiH Constitution. We are here to clean BiH from any foreign influence, not only from the false High Representative, and foreign judges in the Constitutional Court, but also from the American Ambassador who interferes without any reason,” said Dodik, adding: “If the Court and the Prosecution decide to act selectively in the RS, they will be prevented from doing so.”
Among the EU's 14 priorities, Dodik said, is the issue of foreign judges and to reconstruct the Court.
“Well, if we want to join the EU, let's put it all together. Why should something be a priority,” he said.
Once again, Dodik turned on the foreign judges of the Constitutional Court, by saying:
“The longer foreign judges stay, it’s proportional to the disappearance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This means, BiH is not sovereign, it is governed by foreigners, and we are not their favourites. We propose things as they are, two entities, three constitutive peoples, jurisdictions ok.”
SDP leader Nermin Niksic said the meeting offered no progress on any of the topics they discussed.
“I think we all stayed in our starting positions. I'm glad that each of us said our views. We, as the leaders of the parties of the Troika, advocate that we are ready to solve problems through talks. I must say that today we didn’t achieve or make any political decisions. Representatives of the SNSD and the RS authorities refused to withdraw the disputed Law on the Constitutional Court. We insisted on it and in the end, it was left to the fact that everyone will fight their own political and legal battle,” Niksic said in his address.
He added that the red line for them is any attack on BiH institutions.
“The red line is an attack on the institutions of BiH and we’re not ready to cross that or tolerate it. Through the Council of Peoples, we will initiate the necessary procedures through our representatives, and we’re certainly ready for further procedures towards the Constitutional Court of BiH. These days we had talks with representatives of the international community where we told everyone that there is a red line that we won’t cross.”
“We will not go under that line or give in on this issue,” Niksic added.
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