NATO will not allow a security vacuum to be created in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the current crisis, but political leaders should work together to resolve the problem, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte yesterday.
Tensions have risen since a BiH court last month sentenced Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik to a year in prison and banned him from politics for six years for failing to respect the decisions of the High Representative in BiH.
Dodik rejected the verdict, and the RS parliament banned the operation of BiH judicial and police institutions in the territory of that entity. The BiH Constitutional Court temporarily suspended the separatist laws.
Rutte stated in Sarajevo yesterday that any activity that violates the Dayton Peace Agreement, the constitutional order of BiH or its state institutions is unacceptable, emphasizing that NATO will not allow peace in that country to be jeopardized.
"Let's be clear, this is not 1992 and we will not allow a security vacuum to be created. Incendiary rhetoric and actions are dangerous, as they pose a great threat to the stability and security of BiH," Rute said after a meeting with members of the BiH Presidency, whom he called on to take responsibility for the situation in the country.
"This country is looking to you three. Let this country be proud of its presidency that will solve this problem," Rute said.
He added that NATO remains firmly committed to the stability of the region and the security of BiH.
"Our commitment to BiH is strong. NATO fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH," said Rute.
He stressed that the Dayton Agreement is "the cornerstone of peace in BiH and must be respected," stating that NATO supports the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and its powers, the Beta agency reported.
Rute emphasized that the international community is ready to prevent threats to peace in BiH through EUFOR forces, which, he assessed, is capable of maintaining a safe and stable environment in BiH.
"We will not allow the hard-won peace to be jeopardized. NATO will continue to support you on your Euro-Atlantic path, on which you are making progress," Rutte stressed.
According to him, NATO is doing this in cooperation with its international partners, including the EU and the High Representative.
Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović said that Rute's key message was that NATO does not accept and will not allow a security vacuum in BiH.
At a press conference after the meeting of the members of the BiH Presidency with Rutte, he said that it is very important for NATO, the entire Europe and the region that there is a stable BiH, stating that the situation in that country must stabilize and that everyone should respect the constitutional order, the competencies of the state of BiH and lower levels of government, as well as the unhindered work of judicial institutions.
"I told the NATO Secretary General that these are the most difficult moments since 1995. We had the opportunity to see a brutal attack on the constitutional order of BiH," said Bećirović.
He also said that "for the first time since 1995, there is unity between the state bodies of BiH and the international community," stating that "the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order in BiH has been condemned by the US and the most important countries of the European Union."
"This crisis situation did not arise all at once, it is the result of a continuous attempt to destroy the Dayton Peace Agreement. This must be stopped," said Bećirović, adding that only Moscow benefits from the crisis in BiH.
BiH Presidency Member Željko Komšić said that responsibility for the situation in BiH will ultimately fall on the members of the state Presidency and domestic institutions.
"No matter how we look at things, ultimately, the responsibility for the situation in this country will fall on us, including the three of us, because the people of BiH are looking to us, waiting for good or bad news, and it is our duty to deliver mostly good news to the citizens of BiH," said Komšić.
He added that he was ready to sign everything that the NATO Secretary General said at the meeting.
Komšić also said that BiH should allocate more money for the defense sector, in order to follow NATO standards, and that the amount of defense funds is not even close to the standard of two percent of gross domestic product annually.
This country is looking to you three. Let this country be proud of its presidency that will solve this problem, said Rute
The Chairperson of the Presidency of BiH, Željka Cvijanović, believes that the current crisis in BiH was not caused by Dodik, but by the High Representative in BiH, Kristijan Šmit.
She assessed that there is not a security crisis in BiH, but a political crisis, which was caused by Schmidt by imposing laws, based on which the court process against Dodik was initiated.
"My colleagues (Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić) think it is normal for a foreigner to impose laws, I think it is not. They believe that court decisions should be respected, I think it is unacceptable for court decisions to be the product of violence against the judiciary," said Cvijanović.
Speaking about the security situation in BiH, she said that there are no threats to peace in the country, if the Armed Forces of BiH and all police agencies in the country abide by the law, in accordance with their jurisdiction.
"We don't have any real problems between the two entities, unless there are some crazy people who could start something like that," said Cvijanović.
She added that things in BiH should be "reduced to a normal political story", emphasizing that a conversation is needed and that "BiH must not be privatized by one people, to the detriment of others".
"In the RS, there is a deep conviction that this country has been heavily privatized by one people, in which other peoples are not given the same rights, through various manipulations and speculations," Cvijanović assessed. A.Š.
Helez: BiH should immediately become a conditional member of NATO
BiH Defense Minister Zukan Helez (SDP) stated that he proposed to Rutte that BiH immediately become a conditional member of NATO.
"If it would cause problems in the region, I proposed that Serbia be offered conditional membership in NATO. I believe that in this way we would ensure long-term peace and stability in BiH and the entire region," Helez told reporters after a meeting of members of the BiH Council of Ministers with Rutte in Sarajevo.
He stated that Rutte reacted positively to his idea and said that he would consider it further at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Beta reported.
BiH's entry into NATO is opposed by politicians from RS, who advocate military neutrality.
The Cabinet of the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Krišto (HDZ BiH), announced that the meeting with the head of NATO discussed the political and security situation in the region and in Europe.
Kristo emphasized that there are no security threats in BiH and that all institutions continue to carry out their obligations smoothly and professionally.
"Despite all the challenges, the stability of BiH and its institutions is a common interest of all political actors. Joint dialogue and the making of key decisions by political representatives of all three constituent peoples is a common interest," Borjana Krišto's office announced.
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