"TROIKA" MUST LEARN A LESSON - NO LAW CAN BE ADOPTED WITHOUT REPUBLIKA SRPSKA’S CONSENTEAST

SARAJEVO, JULY 3 /SRNA/ - Staša Košarac, Council of Ministers Deputy Chair, stated that the proposed amendments to the Law on Communications and the Law on Road Traffic Safety in BiH, which were on the agenda of today’s session, did not receive the support of Republika Srpska ministers because they lacked the consent of Srpska’s institutions.

"Our policy in Sarajevo is transparent, and I cannot believe that after three years the ‘Troika’ still hasn’t learned that Republika Srpska has a say in Sarajevo and that the SNSD promotes a clear position that Srpska’s institutions must be consulted during the decision-making process. They must learn the lesson that nothing can be placed on the agenda without the consent of Republika Srpska’s institutions," Košarac said, emphasizing that Republika Srpska’s policy in Sarajevo is fully transparent.

He explained that no law can be placed on the agenda of the Council of Ministers without the participation of Republika Srpska’s representatives in its drafting.

"You cannot submit a law for adoption without first securing the opinion of Republika Srpska, and that is crystal clear. Neither Edin Forto, nor Elmedin Konaković, nor anyone else can prepare any proposal without first consulting Republika Srpska," said Košarac, who also serves as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers.

He reminded that the Council of Ministers is not a government or a central authority, but an auxiliary body of the BiH Presidency, composed of representatives from Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH /FBiH/, adding that no law can be adopted at the BiH level without consulting Republika Srpska, just because the Minister of Transport and Communications, Edin Forto, wishes so.

Košarac also asked how Forto could have placed these two laws on the agenda for today’s session without first consulting experts and institutions from Republika Srpska.

"Republika Srpska has a say in Sarajevo, and if they think they can pass these laws without Srpska, let them try. No act will ever pass in the Council of Ministers without a positive opinion from Republika Srpska," Košarac told the press in East Sarajevo.

Speaking about the appointment of the deputy director of the BiH State Investigation and Protection Agency /SIPA/, which was removed from the agenda of today’s Council of Ministers session, he reiterated Republika Srpska’s clear stance on this issue, shown through the actions and decisions of its institutions, particularly the National Assembly - that this is an unconstitutional institution and cannot operate on the territory of Republika Srpska.

"The `Troika` has a policy that BiH has no sovereignty. It’s one thing if you don’t want domestic politicians to make decisions, but you cannot impose solutions on Republika Srpska. We won’t allow attacks on Srpska’s institutions. We won’t forget what you’re doing against the president of Republika Srpska," Košarac said.

He believes that Sarajevo’s "Troika" is looking for solutions among the opposition in Republika Srpska, which would likely be servile to the needs of Christian Schmidt and Sarajevo’s "Troika", which, according to Košarac, "is fighting for its political survival."

"They know they’ll be punished by the Bosniaks in 2026. We achieved everything we wanted, thanks to the ‘Troika,’ which served as a complement to our interests through its actions in the Council of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. Everything we aimed for was accomplished by putting the ‘Troika’ in a position where they did the work for us. Now, they have a problem and are fighting for political survival, but they cannot endanger the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, the institutions of Srpska, nor can they lecture representatives of Republika Srpska in BiH institutions and accuse us of obstructing anything," Košarac said.

According to him, the leader of the People and Justice party, Elmedin Konaković, is afraid of the upcoming elections, where his party will suffer a defeat.

"Konaković had a good chance to be a partner with us by negotiating with Republika Srpska, but instead, he listened to /former US Ambassador to BiH Michael/ Murphy, who is now gone, and he listens to /Christian/ Schmidt, who will also leave. And then, who will he be left with? He’s attacking both the HDZ and its leader Dragan Čović, and he definitely cannot work with the SDA. So, who is left? The congress of Our Party is coming up, where there are several factions, and it’s unclear what will happen with them," Košarac pointed out.

Instead of building communication with the legitimately elected representatives of the Serb and Croat peoples, Košarac said, Konaković acted as though he was in a position to lecture others.

Košarac also rejected Konaković’s insinuations that he knows a case is being prepared against him in the unconstitutional BiH Prosecutor’s Office.

"How would I know if a case is being prepared against him? Maybe he knows and is just trying to label others," Košarac said.