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SARAJEVO, December 9 (FENA) - Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dragan Čović sent a letter to several international addresses in which he points out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the biggest crisis in its post-Dayton history and explains some actions of the Croat political representatives in the past period, as well as their background.
Čović noted that although negotiations on changes of the Election Law are in their final stage, the seriousness of the crisis increases with each new day. It is necessary to bridge such a situation, and it requires an urgent need for constructive political dialogue and the responsibility of participants in the ongoing negotiating process.
"As we work on reaching a necessary agreement on changes of the Election Law, that would enhance a climate of trust and remove all inequalities and discrimination, implement decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH and of the European Court of Human Rights as well as create preconditions for democratic stabilization and progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I feel obliged to, taking into consideration the importance of our international partners in the process of finding a European solution within BiH, point to and warn about the recent worrisome and unfounded attempt of the gruesome discrediting of Croat delegates in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. It saddens me that such behavior occurs right now when we should, stronger than ever, be focused on the common step forward that is of vital significance for further democratization of relations and the Euro-Atlantic perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina," writes Čović in the letter which was forwarded to FENA with courtesy.
Čovi underlines that, unfortunately, the expressed mistrust between political representatives of the three constituent peoples causes the worrisome standstill in the functioning of BiH and regression in the implementation of necessary reforms. Currently, the functioning of institutions of BiH is not taking place in their full constitutional and legal capacity. The reason for this is the denouncing and rejecting the imposed decision of the former High Representative on amendments to the Criminal Code on part of the Serb people.
"With respect to all prescribed institutional procedures, mechanisms and participants, and in a wish of finding a solution that will gather all three constituent peoples in an institutional state dialogue again, representatives of the Croat people expressed readiness for cooperation and overcoming of existing challenges. Accepting the initiative put forth to me by, among others, also the representatives of the international community, I tried to contribute through the role of a mediator in an attempt to bring back Serb representatives in the institutions.
On this occasion, I wish to note that it was not a matter of tearing down nor negating the content of the said decision, but of taking responsibility for the continuation of unhindered functioning of the institutions of BiH, in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures and jurisdictions. Therefore, this presupposed that the aforementioned amendments to the Criminal Code are passed in domestic institutions, the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, that would substitute the imposed decision of the former High Representative," explains Čović.
In spite of the potential of this step, which foresaw passing the same legal solution in the Parliamentary Assembly in terms of content, it was maliciously portrayed as negating, or an attempt of negating, of war crimes and genocide, he added.
"In my long-standing political life, this surely represents the most gruesome attempt of discrediting which I, as a representative of the Croat people who personally bowed to those same victims several times, consider scandalous. Playing with the pain, suffering and grief of those who experienced and survived the biggest life tragedies in the not-so-distant past is not, and must not become a political instrument.
Lastly, I take this opportunity to thank you again for the wholehearted support and devotion that you provide to the European perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina and personally ask you to help all of us in BiH with your political influence in finding internal solutions, encouraging and inciting very necessary dialogue. This is a historic moment for BiH and we need your help," Čović concluded in a letter sent, among others, to the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), a number of European institutions and the US and European Union officials.
(FENA) D. J.
