Dangerous statements by Đerić and Špirić – Citizens will recognise political games – I told them in
I will represent the EU countries in the process of reform of the BiH Constitution
Oslobodjenje: Do you really believe that local politicians are ready to take over this country into their own hands and that they will not lead it in the wrong direction?
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: I will make a final judgement after the elections.
Oslobodjenje: Constitutional reform will be one of your priorities, but what else will be a part of your job this time next year, if OHR closes down?
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: I am Special Representative of the European Union, that mandate is likely to be extended next year. A part of it will be to coordinate the process of constitutional reform on behalf of the EU member countries. Of course, we will do that in cooperation with the
This week the High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling sent a clear and unmistakeable message to politicians from Republika Srpska that he would not tolerate obstructions in the reform process, and that such a situation may effect the final decision on the closure of OHR to be made by the Peace Implementation Council in February. Despite the increase of ethnic tensions, especially after the explosion on Alija Izetbegović’s grave, Schilling still believes that everything will be different after the elections.
Oslobodjenje: After the increase of tensions and recent incidents; the explosion on Izetbegović’s grave for example, are you concerned for the future of BiH after the elections?
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: With regard to the explosion initial reactions were very moderate and aimed at reducing tensions. I was particularly impressed with Bakir Izetbegović’s reaction, especially since he is a family member and you could have reasonably expected that emotions would prevail there. Even some senior officials from Republika Srpska, for example president Dragan Čavić, also made moderate statements. However, we saw statements with another intention too. I was especially disappointed with Zoran Đerić’s comments, insinuating that this was only an attempt by Bosniaks to draw attention away from the sufferings of Serbs during the “Storm” operation. And Nikola Špirić, too, who allegedly blamed Bosniak extremists for the attack and started digging out some conspiracy theories from the 1994 massacre at the Markale market. The people who made those statements did not provide any evidence to support their claims, so the only possible conclusion is that they only wanted to inflame ethnic intolerance. This is a serious problem, especially when such statements are coming from senior representatives of the Parliament or other BiH institutions. By making such statements they are only damaging the reputation of the institutions they work for. This could be extremely dangerous. I intend to talk to them personally, because these are potentially dangerous situations.
Oslobodjenje: So, are you worried that extremist forces might win the elections?
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: No, I am not worried. These are individual, isolated voices who are making accusations without any evidence to support them, and only to draw attention to themselves. The police and prosecutor’s offices should do their job and conduct a full investigation. I do not think this will change the perception of the public, who can certainly tell when politicians are playing pre-election political games. However, politicians of this country should know, I expect them to know, that the incident on Izetbegović’s grave is too serious a matter to be used for political purposes, because it is something that could potentially jeopardise stability.
Oslobodjenje: Is it true that you told Prime Minister Dodik, at the meeting in
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: I did not connect it only to police reform. I will not renounce my policy of full local ownership, but I must show to politicians the consequences of not delivering on their obligations, or not implementing reforms or passing the necessary laws. The Pharmaceuticals Law could still be passed, but there are other laws, such as those governing banking supervision, higher education, obligations, salaries… If we see a pattern of continued obstructions of these processes, for example if the process of constitutional reform does not continue after the elections, if there are problems with establishing the government after elections because of the extremist voices that might appear in light of these tensions, if the
I want the consequences of all this to be clear to everyone; a complete on block the way to
When it meets in February the
Oslobodjenje: How would you comment Prime Minister Dodik’s statements after the meeting, namely that police reform does not have to happen, or the signing of the
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: I made it very clear that the Directorate would not make a final decision on the existence of the MoI. There are many responsibilities and competencies that such a ministry could have. However, Prime Minister Dodik repeatedly said that he respects and accepts the three principles of police reform. And they are clear. First, police must be managed at the state level, while police forces are organised at municipal level i.e. regions established on the basis of efficiency.
The purpose of this reform is not to abolish the MoI, or the Entities. They are political questions, that have nothing to do with the Police Reform Directorate and the professional part of the work. I urged them… I told them; let the professionals do their job. Let them finish the professional, technical part of the work, prepare their recommendations and reports – what you are talking about is exclusively a political issue that we can deal with later. I made it quite clear that political negotiations will not start until the Report is finished. Because, if the Directorate is unable to finish its part of the work before the elections, then political negotiations cannot begin before next year. However, not everything is bad news, it seems that the meeting with Dodik in
Oslobodjenje: You said that the closure of the OHR next year would depend on whether extremist parties win. Which parties do you consider to be extremist?
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: I would not put the so-called national parties, like the SDA and HDZ, into this bracket. They are big parties that include many politicians and people with moderate positions. Let me give you an example; in the late 90’s the SDA and HDZ were successful in bringing back refugees into
I do not want to give an assessment of individual parties, but an extreme party is for example Seselj’s party, and the
But, if the representatives of the
Oslobodjenje: The recommendations of the Parliament of the Council of
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: I must correct you slightly: The Council of Europe said that they supported the initial package as a first step – even though changes needed to be made. They did say changes would have to be made, but they also said that they would support the adoption of the initial package, regardless of the shortcomings or mistakes in it. I believe that it is important to stress that message. But, regardless of whether they support the first phase or not, one needs to pay attention to those principles, because only if they are taken seriously one can start discussing further reform.
Oslobodjenje: In the discussion so far intellectuals have opted for a more civil state, in which the rights of individuals would be stressed more than the national rights, but in the RS that is being interpreted as an attempt of the Bosniak majority to create a state that suits them. What is your position?
Christian Schwarz-Schilling: Individual rights are indisputable and they represent the highest principle in the whole of
Of course, the whole of
But there is a limit there too: if group rights violate the rights of an individual, groups have to withdraw, they must not cross the line and violate individual rights. That is why it is important to comply with the principles of the Council of Europe, which states that group rights exist, but that they cannot contain mechanisms to block processes or be opposed to one another.
A democratic society also upholds the rights of majorities, just as it does the rights of minorities. In this country that is the problem, there is so much emphasis on the rights of minorities, they are set so high so that the majority cannot do anything. The mechanisms are such that only the rights of minorities are in the foreground.