NOVANEWS
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele arrived in Sarajevo on Monday afternoon to meet for talks with leaders of the seven most influential political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Fuele was the first European Commission official to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina after an outbreak of social unrest in the country ten days ago.
In a special message released on Sunday, Fuele said that his talks in Sarajevo would again focus on the enforcement of the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the Sejdic-Finci case, but political leaders invited for talks with him showed hardly any optimism. The only exception to a certain extent was the president of the Bosnian Croat HDZ 1990 party, Martin Raguz, who said that new historical circumstances had arisen for the relationship between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU.
“I expect the key EU people for enlargement and all of us here to understand this difficult situation and find answers to it,” Raguz said, stressing that solutions had to be sought because the situation in the country had become untenable.
The vice-president of the predominantly Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Sefik Dzaferovic, said that arrangements regarding the Sejdic-Finci ruling had been agreed upon long ago and that it remained to be seen to what extent the European Commission would insist on them and whether they would be accepted by the two strongest Croat parties, the HDZ BiH and HDZ 1990. “There is no room for any further demands because they would lead to further ethnic and territorial divisions of the country,” Dzaferovic said.
Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zlatko Lagumdzija said he expected a “new, consolidated proposal” from Fuele. “I expect Mr Fuele and other EU officials to hear the voice of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and realise that this is their problem as well and that it is time for the EU to give some new hope to Bosnia and Herzegovina because obviously the present approach, according to which the Sejdic-Finci ruling is the only issue in this country, is not producing results,” he said.
Serb Democratic Party (SDS) president Mladen Bosic said it was not clear why this meeting was scheduled at all. “I have no reason to be optimistic,” Bosic said, while the head of the League of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Milorad Dodik, issued yet another tirade against the further existence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I expect nothing, just like this country is nothing. This is just an illusion that needs to be constantly fed with unsuccessful meetings,” Dodik said, adding that Bosnia and Herzegovina “is a frivolous country in which nothing can function normally.”
Dodik said that the international community was not honouring the Dayton agreement, which put an end to the country’s 1992-1995 war, and was to blame for the present situation. “I am not a politician of Bosnia and Herzegovina because its policy does not interest me at all. I am a politician of Republika Srpska,” he said, referring to the Bosnian Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Fuele was the first European Commission official to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina after an outbreak of social unrest in the country ten days ago.
In a special message released on Sunday, Fuele said that his talks in Sarajevo would again focus on the enforcement of the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the Sejdic-Finci case, but political leaders invited for talks with him showed hardly any optimism. The only exception to a certain extent was the president of the Bosnian Croat HDZ 1990 party, Martin Raguz, who said that new historical circumstances had arisen for the relationship between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU.
“I expect the key EU people for enlargement and all of us here to understand this difficult situation and find answers to it,” Raguz said, stressing that solutions had to be sought because the situation in the country had become untenable.
The vice-president of the predominantly Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Sefik Dzaferovic, said that arrangements regarding the Sejdic-Finci ruling had been agreed upon long ago and that it remained to be seen to what extent the European Commission would insist on them and whether they would be accepted by the two strongest Croat parties, the HDZ BiH and HDZ 1990. “There is no room for any further demands because they would lead to further ethnic and territorial divisions of the country,” Dzaferovic said.
Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zlatko Lagumdzija said he expected a “new, consolidated proposal” from Fuele. “I expect Mr Fuele and other EU officials to hear the voice of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and realise that this is their problem as well and that it is time for the EU to give some new hope to Bosnia and Herzegovina because obviously the present approach, according to which the Sejdic-Finci ruling is the only issue in this country, is not producing results,” he said.
Serb Democratic Party (SDS) president Mladen Bosic said it was not clear why this meeting was scheduled at all. “I have no reason to be optimistic,” Bosic said, while the head of the League of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Milorad Dodik, issued yet another tirade against the further existence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I expect nothing, just like this country is nothing. This is just an illusion that needs to be constantly fed with unsuccessful meetings,” Dodik said, adding that Bosnia and Herzegovina “is a frivolous country in which nothing can function normally.”
Dodik said that the international community was not honouring the Dayton agreement, which put an end to the country’s 1992-1995 war, and was to blame for the present situation. “I am not a politician of Bosnia and Herzegovina because its policy does not interest me at all. I am a politician of Republika Srpska,” he said, referring to the Bosnian Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
