JOVANOVIĆ: CVIJANOVIĆ TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SITUATION IN BiH, SCHMIDT LIKE A LAME DUCK

BELGRADE, MAY 7 /SRNA/ - Former diplomat Vladislav Jovanović told SRNA that the Serb member and Chairwoman of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović clearly and convincingly presented the full position of Republika Srpska and the truth about the situation in BiH, while Christian Schmidt came off as a lame duck, unsuccessfully trying to impose himself on the UN Security Council.

He said everyone heard Cvijanović's address, so the constant propaganda from Sarajevo and various Western countries could not completely drown out the truth.

"Members of the Security Council, whether they like it or not, will have to keep in mind the facts presented by Cvijanović," said Jovanović, noting that her positions, as well as the Dayton Agreement, were supported by two permanent members: China and Russia.

Jovanović emphasized that the move by Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, who left the room during Christian Schmidt's address, is a clear confirmation that this permanent member of the Security Council does not recognize him.

"So Schmidt is a `lame duck` who ended up in BiH and is now trying to impose himself at the UN as well. But, as the discussions in the Security Council have shown, he has not succeeded in that, nor will he. The key issue regarding his appointment is that it requires the endorsement of the Security Council, which he has not received, nor is it likely that he will," said Jovanović, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the FR Yugoslavia.

The Serbian diplomat also assessed that Schmidt's appearance at the debate on BiH only reinforced his insurmountable lack of legitimacy.

"The discussion reflected the balance of power regarding BiH, and in that sense, there were no new developments or surprises. But what matters is that, through Cvijanović's address, the full position of Republika Srpska was presented for the first time," said Jovanović.

He noted that the sequence of events up until now has shown that representatives of the Federation of BiH /FBiH/, high representatives, and even some Western power centers have consistently worked toward gradually, yet effectively, changing the Dayton Agreement, and based on that, pushing for the right to fundamentally alter the internal relations and structure of BiH.

He believes that Schmidt's address essentially represented the views of the FBiH, and that there was nothing new in it, except that, on such a high, global level, they revealed their intentions to push not only for a fundamental but also a formal change to the Dayton Agreement as soon as possible.

Jovanović points out that they also exposed their intention to push forward the idea of a unitary BiH, no longer in a concealed manner, as they are becoming increasingly impatient and assertive in pursuing that goal.

"However, this is a truth that has now been exposed. It's unlikely that the constant repetition of their biased positions toward the Dayton Agreement will win them the sympathy of a larger part of the international community, especially not all the permanent members of the Security Council," stated Jovanović.

Schmidt's appearance, Jovanović emphasized, can only further reinforce the conviction among UN member states that are already reserved about his actions, that they go against established rules and procedures.

"If he remains in BiH, and for however long he stays, he will remain burdened by that insurmountable lack of legitimacy," said Jovanović.

Commenting on the statement by the BiH Ambassador to the UN Zlatko Lagumdžija, who boasted of Pakistan's support after the Security Council session, Jovanović said that Lagumdžija and the FBiH are, unfortunately, oriented toward Islamic countries as their natural allies, but that this approach is not in line with the tone and ideals of proper political conduct.

"Politics should gain support not only from like-minded allies and political counterparts but, most importantly, from those with more principled and critical views. He clearly didn't put much effort into this, and instead, he was `waving the flag` of support he received from some Islamic countries, which is not enough," said Jovanović.