Ambassador the United States in Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael Murphy was a guest of hard-talk show Pressing, discussing all the current political topics, as well as the relationships among political leaders.
He addressed the inflammatory rhetoric of Milorad Dodik and the upcoming local elections in October. Among other things, he believes that the local elections should be conducted as mandated by the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
“That's the law in this country, regardless of where they live. All citizens want their votes to be counted as they cast them. I expect them to be conducted as Christian Schmidt mandated,” said Murphy.
When asked how long citizens in Bosnia will live in uncertainty and fear, and how to create a more stable state structure, the American ambassador said:
“Your question has many facets. I don't think the Dayton Agreement is the cause of the problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Dayton Agreement was the foundation upon which the country could immediately rebuild after the war, and for the next ten years, there was great progress. Rebuilding the country and its institutions. It was a very successful period. I don't want to say that the Dayton Agreement is flawless. My government has worked harder and much more than any other government to address these flaws and to bring political leaders together. For example, the April 2006 package, judgments of the European Court of Human Rights… Success did not come because of political leaders. We need to continue calling out individual leaders responsible for such behavior. The structure needs to be clear. Certain political leaders are the cause of this crisis and problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Murphy also commented on whether he would support Schmidt in removing Dodik.
“We support territorial integrity and sovereignty. We want the country to be integrated into Euro-Atlantic integrations. Those are our interests. We don't want these challenges to materialize, and we will defend against these challenges. Our policy with the High Representative is clear. We firmly support the High Representative and the use of Bonn powers. That has been our policy, and it will be our policy. The High Representative has not proposed removing Dodik, and I won't engage in hypothetical conversations. The United States supports the High Representative, his powers, and the use of his powers. The High Representative exercises his powers and has the support of the United States,” he emphasized.
During the show, he also commented on the state coalition and the relationship between Covic and Dodik.
“I think it's very important to see where we are right now in the Federation. We have a functioning government in the Federation, which was not the case before the 2022 elections. The previous Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in jail for abuse, and that speaks volumes about what happened before. They did some good things and addressed the issue of war victims… Is that enough, and do we need more? Absolutely. People in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina want more and faster, they want those reforms. Decisive leadership that will pressure to implement reforms that will address corruption. And we continue to work on all these things with the Government of FBiH and the ministers in the Government of FBiH. We have come a long way on that path,” said the American ambassador in BiH, and then added briefly:
“For the Federation to function effectively, you need an effective Bosniak-Croat partnership. It was something that fell apart and needs to be rebuilt. We would like to see Dragan Covic speak more clearly and directly about some anti-Dayton problems, such as Dodik's rhetoric and other actions. We told him that. It's disappointing that he hasn't done so. We won't throw in the towel on what has been done so far in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Murphy sharply on the “Black Tie 2” action: Individuals should not currently do their job, Isak did a shocking thing
At the end of April, a large operation “Black Tie 2” was carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Elmedin Konakovic publicly spoke about this action. This caused strong reactions from the public. Why did he allow himself, from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, to engage in a personal feud with a journalist?
“We clearly said that this kind of behavior is inappropriate. When you are a politician in a public position, the media reports on everything you do. It's not always fair, but you have to accept it while you're in a public position. You can't blame the journalist. However, individuals who have been arrested, detained and face serious charges against them. It's a blow to society, to people's trust, and to the rule of law. It's not to be celebrated. It's not something to support. What Ramo Isak did was shocking. Maybe these people will go to court and be acquitted, but in the meantime, they should not be doing their job. If you are committed to the rule of law, then you should behave accordingly. People should criticize what they don't like politicians to do. Politicians are free to make statements. Voters have the opportunity in October to vote. If they are happy with what their politicians are doing, they vote for them, if not, they vote against them,” he said.
He also said that he is not affected by insults that some politicians utter and direct towards him.
“It doesn't affect me, and I'll tell you why. We have a very clear policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. When something happens that we need to respond to, we speak very clearly and publicly about it. In response to all this, when you hear insults, it speaks to shallow thinking and character, it speaks to that person. I think it comes with the job. I believe in our policy. I believe in that policy, it's good for the U.S. It's good for the citizens of this country. I'm always impressed with the people I meet. Bosnians and Herzegovinians wherever they end up in the world, they succeed. They are resilient and hospitable. They deserve a peaceful country. And that's why I believe in the policies we implement here. As well as in the President of the United States and what he asks of me. If we pursue our goals, and if the price is a few political insults. It's worth paying that price.”
In the Pressing show, he also said when his term ends.
“It's not true that I will leave earlier. I am going to Washington for the annual mission chiefs conference. I'm coming back, and my term doesn't end in June. I serve at the President's request and cannot say until when I will be here. I expect until the end of the year”.
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