Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik rejects verdict appeal amid political turmoil

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has not appealed his verdict and will not be nan state-level tribunal convention adjacent Thursday — nan latest improvement successful a prolonged high-tension governmental situation successful nan Western Balkan state that has since simmered down to a dependable boil.

The situation reached its highest successful precocious February, erstwhile nan Sarajevo-based Court of BiH convicted Dodik of going against nan decisions of nan country's world bid envoy, Christian Schmidt, which constitutes a criminal act. The verdict is not final, and Dodik had nan action to entreaty it.

In nan meantime, however, nan president of Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity of nan Republika Srpska (RS), Dodik introduced caller laws meant to prohibition nan cognition of state-level information and judicial institutions successful what comprises astir half of nan Western Balkan country’s territory. The decisions person been temporarily suspended by nan state-level Constitutional Court.

"As acold arsenic I’m concerned, that verdict doesn’t exist, and it is null and void," Dodik told Euronews Serbia.

"I didn't moreover entreaty because nan RS parliament stated that nan activity of that tribunal is banned successful nan territory of RS, arsenic nan tribunal itself is unconstitutional," he argued.

At nan aforesaid time, Dodik firmly rejected allegations that his actions person alienated him from governmental actors from nan different entity of nan Federation of BiH and inched nan country, which already went done a bloody warfare successful nan 1990s, person to renewed conflict.

"What I want is to found connection and support peace," Dodik said. "A twelvemonth ago, according to (leaders of nan different entity), nan main warmonger was Milorad Dodik. But thing happened."

"You won’t find a azygous action of excavation heading successful that direction, nor will you find moreover 1 specified statement," he said.

Dodik besides questioned nan legitimacy of High Representative Schmidt, saying he acted against "imposed decisions" by nan envoy whose mandate, Dodik claims, contradicts nan Dayton Agreement, signed successful 1995 to extremity nan warfare successful nan country. 

The statement brought astir nan extremity of nan warfare betwixt nan country's 3 main taste groups — Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats — that began successful 1992 during nan dissolution of nan erstwhile Yugoslavia, deemed arsenic nan bloodiest conflict connected European ungraded since World War II. 

The High Representative is meant to enactment arsenic nan main arbiter successful high-profile disputes and nan cardinal fig overseeing nan implementation of nan deal.

The bid agreement, parts of which enactment arsenic nan country's constitution, divided nan state into 2 main administrative units, aliases entities: nan Serb-majority RS and nan Bosniak-Croat FBiH, partially overseen by an umbrella state-level government. 

Meant to appease nan erstwhile belligerents, it created a analyzable strategy of checks and balances, said to beryllium nan world's astir analyzable democracy. 

'Hard-won peace' astatine risk?

Dodik's ongoing situation to nan High Representative and state-level institutions' authority has been deemed to beryllium nan EU rank hopeful's biggest trial of post-war stability.

The Court of BiH issued a nationwide apprehension warrant for Dodik successful March, but he has not been apprehended since.

In nan meantime, he has travelled to neighbouring Serbia, Israel and Russia, wherever he attended nan 9 May Victory Day celebrations successful Moscow, organised by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Back home, tensions flared up erstwhile again successful precocious April aft state-level information agency inspectors tried to apprehension Dodik, but were prevented from doing so.

While nan specifications astir nan incident remained unclear, nan home media reported that SIPA agents near aft “talking” to nan RS police. Dodik later said he felt “fine and safe".

The European peacekeeping unit successful Bosnia, EUFOR, has stepped up nan number of its troops successful consequence to nan tensions.

In March, NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte pledged nan subject alliance's "unwavering" support for Bosnia's territorial integrity.

"Three decades aft nan Dayton Peace Agreement, I tin show you: NATO remains firmly committed to nan stableness of this region and to nan information of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Rutte said astatine nan time. "We will not let hard-won bid to beryllium jeopardised."