DEĐANSKI: DODIK SUMMARIZES TRUTH, THE WEST REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT

BELGRADE, MAY 22 /SRNA/ – The President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, in his speech before the Srpska National Assembly, summarized everything that Republika Srpska and the Serb people in general stand for – namely, that they are the only ones truly defending the Dayton Peace Agreement and want the signed peace accords to be respected, Belgrade-based political analyst Stevica Deđanski said in a SRNA statement.

Deđanski stated that Dodik, in his address, once again reiterated the truth – that Serbs are not the ones seeking to destroy, but rather want peace, that they recognise BiH, but also wish to preserve their own entity in accordance with the original Dayton Peace Agreement.

"In other words, as our people would say, he 'drew it out' – clearly explained everything that needed to be said, and he truly exercised determination and strength in stating the truth. The truth is on our side, there’s nothing to add or take away," Deđanski said.

He noted that, although Dodik addressed the international community in his speech, the problem is that no one from that community – namely, the West – acknowledged or praised what he said.

"Not even a single voice saying `well done, this is exactly what we want,` no recognition of our commitment to preserve BiH and peace within it," Deđanski remarked.

The lack of international community's acknowledgment for Dodik's speech, Deđanski added, proved they do not actually want cooperation among the peoples of BiH, nor do they want to preserve the Dayton-based Bosnia. Instead, he argued, they aim to undermine the Serb people and abolish Republika Srpska, which he claims has always been the goal.

"We've known this for a long time, especially since they constantly send so-called High Representatives who work against cooperation, particularly the latest one, who has clearly come only to cause turmoil among the peoples of BiH," Deđanski stated.

Despite this, Deđanski believes it's important for the Serb side to continue emphasizing its legitimate demands, because, as he noted, the world is changing, and in a year, two, or five, "it will matter who said and did what".

"Empty phrases used to belittle independent peoples and to violate international law won't hold up anymore. As tedious as it might be to repeat the same over and over, we must keep saying them – and that's exactly what is reflected in Dodik's speech," Deđanski concluded.

President Milorad Dodik addressed a special session of the Republika Srpska National Assembly yesterday, marking 30 years since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement.