President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik He told "Vijesti" last night that his friends, "close to people in Montenegro," told him that Podgorica had engaged Interpol not to issue an arrest warrant for him.
When asked about the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Montenegro announced yesterday that the government and diplomats were not involved in this, Dodik responded:
"Well, I don't know, but... Maybe I was misinformed. Let them explain that. If they did - thank them; if they didn't - thank them, I'll remember."
He added that "some serious people", whom he said he considered "close to the people in Montenegro", told him that something was being done in Montenegro regarding his case.
"But, if such a powerful ministry, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denies it - I apologize for putting them in the position of denying it."
When asked which people in Montenegro were close to those who passed on the information about Podgorica's alleged aid, Dodik said:
"Come on, don't conduct an investigation here now... I have some friends who are from different lives, but okay - I haven't heard from them since, so I can't say this or that. But I appreciate that the Ministry is more informed than I am. Thank you to them. But they obviously had the need to distance themselves. That's their problem. I wish the people of Montenegro all the best."
The day before yesterday, after announcing that he would not be on the so-called red warrant, Dodik stated that Montenegro had also been involved to ensure that this did not happen.
Everything is possible through informal channels
She could not file an objection with Interpol to the request of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to issue an arrest warrant for the first man of RS, but someone from Podgorica could lobby through informal channels to reject that request.
This follows from the answers given to "Vijesti" yesterday by the Police Directorate and an expert with many years of experience working at Interpol.
The interlocutor said that the rules of that organization, which deals with international police cooperation, are clear, and that only countries whose citizens could be placed on it have the right to object to a request to issue an arrest warrant.
"A request, or objection, can only be submitted through Interpol channels. That is, through national central bureaus or through diplomatic channels, by note. The objection, with justification, is sent to the Interpol Files Control Commission (CCF), which is solely responsible for validating arrest warrants, or to the Interpol General Secretariat," explained the newspaper's source, adding, however, that in addition to official objections, informal channels through which attempts are made to influence Interpol's decision-making are "always in play."
"Vijesti" was unable to obtain information yesterday about whether anyone from Podgorica had tried to help Dodik in this way or in some other way. When asked whether they had been involved in any way to prevent Interpol from issuing an arrest warrant for him, the head of parliament close to Dodik did not answer. Andrija Mandic (New Serbian Democracy), while the Prime Minister's Office Milojko Spajić (Europe Now Movement) said that the MFA answered that question on behalf of the Government.
The head of that department Ervin Ibrahimovic announced yesterday morning that he "categorically and unequivocally" rejects claims that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and therefore any diplomat, were engaged to prevent Interpol from approving a red warrant for Dodik and the President of the RS Parliament. Nenad StevandicIbrahimović stated on the Iks network that, "in intensive communication" with colleagues from the Government, he "received assurances" that no one from other departments was involved in this process in any way.
"Any 'engagement' from an official address in Montenegro with the aim of preventing Interpol, at the request of BiH, from issuing an arrest warrant for Dodik (or any other individual) would represent yet another interference in the internal affairs of another state...", he said.
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He's not a citizen, so he couldn't write to Interpol.
The Police Directorate confirmed that Montenegro could not do anything officially in the Dodik case, telling "Vijesti" that Interpol Podgorica did not communicate with the Interpol General Secretariat, because, as they stated, it only has the right to do so in situations involving Montenegrin citizens, and the President of the Republika Srpska does not.
"In addition, Montenegro currently does not have a liaison officer at the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon," they said.
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Dodik announced the day before yesterday that the President of Serbia had Aleksandar Vučić informed that Interpol refused to issue an arrest warrant. The Court of BiH confirmed this information, but did not disclose the details of the decision.
The order to place the President of the RS on a red warrant was issued by the Court of BiH on March 27. The basis for issuing it was stated that Dodik and Stevandić, “using their high-ranking positions in the RS entity, avoided the legally prescribed border control procedures, crossed the state border and left BiH.”
The country's prosecutor's office is charging Dodik, Stevandić, and the RS Prime Minister. Radovan Višković “and other persons” for attacking the constitutional order of BiH. Dodika is suspected of this because he signed laws prohibiting the implementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court and the High Representative, thereby preventing the work of state judicial institutions and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) on the territory of RS.
The President of the RS recalled that Serbia had filed a complaint with Interpol (Dodik is also its citizen), adding that some other countries then "called" him.
“... The President (of the Hungarian Government) Viktor) Orban"Hungary has also been involved in this regard, as have Russia, Montenegro and some other countries...", he said.
In a note to the Interpol General Secretariat, Belgrade claimed that Article 3 of the organization's Statute had been violated, which states that "any activity or intervention in matters or cases that have a political, military, religious or racial background is strictly prohibited."
They kept it a secret whether they would arrest him.
On Tuesday, while waiting for Interpol's decision, the Police Directorate did not want to state whether it would arrest Dodik if he were to be found in Montenegro under a possible arrest warrant.
"Vijesti" was told that day by Interpol Podgorica, which is under the jurisdiction of the Police Directorate, that they could not do this in order not to violate the "principle of tactical action."
"Interpol Podgorica would violate the principle of tactical action in the event of any public statements that could indicate the potential certainty of deprivation of liberty of any person," they said.
A red notice, as stated on the Interpol website, is a request to law enforcement agencies around the world to locate and temporarily arrest a person awaiting extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
It does not constitute an arrest warrant, as each Interpol member applies its own regulations when deciding whether to detain a wanted person.
At the end of February, the Court of BiH sentenced Dodik to a one-year prison sentence and a six-year ban on exercising the duties of the President of the Republika Srpska from the date the verdict became final, for signing presidential decrees declaring two unconstitutional laws of the Republika Srpska valid, which the High Representative of the International Community had criticized. Christian Schmidt previously canceled.
Topić: BiH lives a life of constant crisis and eternal instability
While waiting for Interpol's decision, Dodik was in Moscow, and before that in Israel. Analyst at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation from Banja Luka Tanja Topic She told "Vijesti" that the President of the Republic of Serbia "set out on a long journey" to show that he has friends among great world statesmen, and through them to manage to get closer to US President Donald Trump.
"His ultimate goal is to achieve the abolition of the OHR (Office of the High Representative), the 'expulsion' of the High Representative from BiH, thereby achieving the abolition of his decisions, gaining himself freedom and extending his political life. Dodik constantly emphasizes that he shares the same values as Trump, identifies his political destiny with the persecution of Trump, Marine Le Pen... True, he is now between Trumpism and Putinism, so it is still uncertain which side his favor will prevail."
When asked if Vučić would be ready to "protect" him at all costs, Topić replied that the Serbian president would "protect" him to the point where it began to endanger his (Vučić's) position.
"I'm not sure that, despite this great brotherly love, he will be ready to make a sacrifice for Dodik."
Asked what the story about the arrest warrant could mean for the situation in BiH, but also in the Balkans in general, the interviewee said that the country lives a life of "constant crisis and eternal instability."
"We say that every new one is 'historic' and 'the biggest' after Dayton...".
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