Dubravka Šuica believes Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional arrangement should be amended.
Croatian Member of European Parliament Dubravka Šuica (HDZ) comment in an interview with daily Dnevni Avaz from Sarajevo on the recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and referendum which was administered by the authorities of the Republika Srpska. She said that it was high time to start the process of changing the Dayton Peace Agreement, reports Večernji List on October 17, 2016.
“In my opinion, the international community must now initiate discussions on the post-Dayton arrangements for Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to prevent further escalation of the political situation in the country”, said Šuica, noting that she was particularly concerned with the fact that the Republika Srpska decided to organize a referendum which directly challenged the authority of the country’s Constitutional Court.
She said there was no doubt that the international community would support the Constitutional Court, but the fact that the referendum took place showed that it was the right time to start the process of changing Dayton. “The referendum was illegal, legally superfluous, and politically incendiary. The international community should definitely make the next move”, said the Croatian Member of European Parliament.
She confirmed that a group of members of European Parliament was preparing a resolution that would condemn the policies of Milorad Dodik in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik is the President of the Republika Srpska, which is the Serbian entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. The resolution is expected to be presented at the end of October, and Šuica said she hoped it would then be followed by sanctions which would punish Dodik’s behaviour. The sanctions should be coordinated between Washington and Brussels.
The aim of all these moves, according to Šuica, was to contribute to the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “I believe that in the current constitutional arrangements the crisis will continue to deepen. Croatia is ready to be an active part of coordinated efforts by the international community to initiate a conversation about the reform of the Dayton Peace Agreement”, concluded Šuica.
