Leaders of the SNSD Milorad Dodik, HDZ BiH Dragan Čović and SDA Bakir Izetbegović reached an agreement on forming Council of Ministers and signed the principles for forming BiH-level authorities on Monday in Sarajevo.
The meeting was organised by the EU Delegation to BiH and attended by Delegation Head Lars-Gunnar Wigemark.
Čović has voiced his satisfaction that the Croatian side’s persistent insistence on dialogue and agreement has been fruitful, which will finally enable the election winners to establish authorities, the HDZ BiH said.
“It is crucial for us that the joint statement, in fact the work programme of the future Council of Ministers and the parliamentary majority at the level of BiH, clearly specifies as priority the implementation of judgments handed down by both local and European courts relating to the BiH Election Law, in order to ensure constitutional and institutional equality of peoples and citizens, as well as their legitimate representation in accordance with the electoral will,” Čović said.
The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Milorad Dodik said on Monday that after nine months of talks, the SNSD, HDZ and the SDA had reached agreement to form the Council of Ministers within 30 days.
Dodik says that the agreement reflects interests that should be implemented by the future Council of Ministers.
“We did everything in our power to protect the constitutional position of Republika Srpska. This was an unnecessary stalemate during these nine months,” Dodik told a press conference at the Republika Srpska seat in East Sarajevo.
He has said that the decision will unblock work of the BiH House of Representatives and the House of Peoples and that new dynamics was created in BiH in connection with the work of joint institutions, primarily regarding the European integration.
“The agreement was not easy, and this is an opportunity to form the Council of Ministers. I expect the public in Srpska and BiH to support its implementation as soon as possible,” Dodik said.
Regarding a request of the SDA to send the so-called national membership action plan to NATO during the process of agreeing, Dodik has said that cooperation will unfold in keeping with the Constitution and laws while respecting all government levels.
“We agreed on it in a part that can be found in item 3, where we said that cooperation and integration would unfold in keeping with the Constitution and laws, while respecting all relevant government levels in BiH, that cooperation with NATO would continue, which we have never disputed, and that it would unfold in keeping with relevant decisions of the Presidency, Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Ministers,” Dodik said.
He has said that a commission tasked with cooperation with NATO, which will be formed by the Council of Ministers, will propose decisions to be made by the Presidency and Council of Ministers.
Dodik thinks conditions have been created for the Presidency to make decisions, and that a candidate for chairman of the Council of Ministers, who was mentioned during consultations, can be appointed by the Presidency.
He says that in the event the Council of Ministers is not formed within 30 days, this will mean that BiH is in a deep crisis, and the SNSD will block work of all institutions.
Statement by the EU Spokesperson on the agreement to form a new Council of Ministers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Today’s agreement of political party leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to form a new Council of Ministers – facilitated by EU Special Representative Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark – is an important step forward, first and foremost for the country and its citizens. The formation of a government is also crucial for the country’s advancement in the European Union integration process.
The political parties have firmly committed to establish functioning authorities and to continue with the implementation of necessary legislative and socio-economic reforms as well as with concrete steps in the key area of fighting corruption and organised crime.
To keep the necessary momentum, we expect the political leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina to proceed with the formation of authorities and to enable the regular functioning of all institutions without further delay to ensure reform implementation in line with European standards and values.
Source: srna/tst
