KALUŽA: LAGUMDŽIJA TRIED TO DECEIVE PUBLIC; HE DIDN'T EVEN APPEAR IN HALL SO HE COULDN'T HAVE LEFT IT

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 26 /SRNA/ - International relations expert Luciano Kaluža told SRNA that BiH's UN Ambassador Zlatko Lagumdžija tried to mislead the public, primarily the Bosniak public, by claiming that he left the session during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech, while the truth is different and that diplomatic sources indicate that he did not even appear in the hall, and therefore could not have left it.

"The truth is not as Ambassador Zlatko Lagumdžija presents it. Although everyone believed that the BiH delegation had left that part of the UN Assembly session, that is not the case. Once again, this concerns small and transparent deceptions by Ambassador Lagumdžija," Kaluža emphasized, responding to Lagumdžija's statement to Avaz, in which he said it was logical for the BiH Permanent Mission delegation at the UN to leave the hall during Netanyahu's speech.

He stated that Lagumdžija is strong in words but a coward in action, since no one from BiH actually left the hall during the speech, contrary to how the UN ambassador wants it portrayed; in reality, they did not even appear in the hall at the beginning of Netanyahu's address.

"He spectacularly boasted, primarily to the Sarajevo public, that the entire delegation allegedly left the hall during Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech. According to our diplomatic sources, the truth is that Lagumdžija left in the hall an associate at the rank of minister-counselor Šejla Đurbuzović, who remained seated, and no one else attended this part of the session at that time," Kaluža said.

He says that Lagumdžija left an advisor in the hall and instructed her to leave during that part of the session.

"He used her to promote his own boasting. In doing so, she also misused the diplomatic-consular network. No one left the hall; they weren't even there," Kaluža emphasized.

He pointed out that Lagumdžija addressed his own audience in the statement, but it served to expose his actions.

"He didn't dare to leave, nor did he dare to stay. He didn't even show up. It's a cowardly move. This completely disqualified him. By addressing Sarajevo, it also served us here in Republika Srpska," Kaluža said.

The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović said that Lagumdžija has long ceased to represent Republika Srpska, which makes up 49 percent of BiH territory, as he does not act according to the instructions of the BiH Presidency, which is the only body in charge of foreign policy.