The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to BiH, Peter Ivantsov, said that Russia had a dissenting opinion on two items in the latest communiqué issued by the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, feeling that they by their content and essence do not contribute to meeting the basic task put before the IC – to encourage ethnic reconciliation and unity of all the peoples in BiH.
“A Russian delegation could not agree on two items from yesterday’s communiqué of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council since we did not manage to reach consensus with our partners during a difficult debate,” Ivantsov told SRNA.
In this context, he particularly stressed an item of the communiqué which condemns a referendum in Republika Srpska on the BiH Court and Prosecutor’s Office, on which, the Russian Ambassador said, partners in the PIC have insisted.
“I want to stress that we have full understanding for the decision of the Republika Srpska Parliament to call a referendum in case the structured dialogue does not bear fruit. We see such a poll as the expression of democracy,” said the Russian Ambassador.
Ivantsov also says that it was impossible for the Russian delegation to support an item of the communiqué which pertains to decisions of the BiH Constitutional Court.
“Of course, no one denies that the Constitutional Court is one of the basic institutions of BiH, as was written in the Dayton Agreement,” Ivantsov said.
According to the Russian delegation, Ivantsov said, the ruling of the Constitutional Court was politically motivated and confirms for the nth time that the judicial system in BiH has serious flaws.
The High Representative to BiH, Valentin Inzko, yesterday in Sarajevo presented a communiqué issued by the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council which contains 16 items, which was adopted with the dissenting opinion of the Russian Federation on the issue of the judiciary in BiH.
The High Representative did not elaborate the decision of the Russian Federation to dissent its opinion on the text of the communiqué pertaining to a referendum on the BiH judiciary in Republika Srpska and an obligation to honour the decisions of the BiH Constitutional Court.
Source: SRNA
