BiH AND PEACE CANNOT SURVIVE ON LIES, WHEN WE DEFEND DAYTON, WE DEFEND IT FOR EVERYONE IN BiH

BANJA LUKA, MAY 21 /SRNA/ - When we defend Dayton, we defend it for everyone in BiH, because as soon as one part of the agreement is ignored, every part can come under attack, said the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik.

"I am addressing you with an important message to our Bosniak neighbors, our Croatian partners, and our friends in Sarajevo - what we stand for today is not only in the interest of Republika Srpska. The rule of law, the inviolability of agreements and the principle of consent are not ethnic issues. These are universal values," said President Dodik in his address to the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, which SRNA broadcasts in its entirety:

"As soon as a foreign, unelected official can determine what the law is, no one is protected anymore - neither a Serb, nor a Bosniak, nor a Croat. That's why when we say that we must return to the basics, we are not asking for isolation. We are asking to reunite the country around the original covenant - the agreement that we all signed.

If peace is to last, it must be built on law, not pressure. Consent, not coercion. On dialogue, not on decrees. /Christian/ Schmidt can claim to defend Dayton. But every decision he made, his predecessor and this unelected one, undermined him. That's why we say today: it's time to be clear, this constitutional crisis can only be resolved if everything that Schmidt imposed is cancelled. This is the position of our National Assembly and our policy. If that is not possible, do not ask us to give up on ourselves.

It is time for the UN Security Council to vote on the legitimacy of Christian Schmidt's appointment `for` or `against`. Let the international community confirm it - or reject it. Let's find the courage to face the truth. Because BiH and peace cannot survive on lies."