CVIJANOVIĆ: VOTERS' WILL MUST BE RESPECTED, WHOEVER WINS

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 4 /SRNA/ – Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović said she respected the results of the US elections, in which Democrats won majorities in both houses of Congress, and that it was important to accept the will of the voters regardless of who won.

Cvijanović said the new political balance in the House of Representatives and the Senate was a fact that could not be ignored, but that the US president still had significant constitutional powers.

"My approach to elections, wherever they are held, is that if they took place without manipulation, the will of the people should be respected. Someone has won and they run the show, and those who didn't win should wait for their turn," Cvijanović told RTRS.

She said it was worrying when the will of the people was overturned by intervention, citing the situation in Republika Srpska, where she said the voters' will had been taken away by an intervention of High Representative Christian Schmidt.

Speaking about relations with US political structures, Cvijanović stressed that Republika Srpska should maintain cooperation with both parties.

"I have my favorites, but if you want cooperation, you need it with both political camps," she said.

On the arrival of a new US ambassador to BiH, Cvijanović said it remained to be seen whether the procedure for his appointment would be completed by the relevant US bodies.

"Whoever comes, representing any country and at any level, we want them to better understand the situation in BiH," she said.

She said Republika Srpska had good relations with Israel regardless of changes in government, and that those relations were stronger than personal political ties.

Speaking about the elections in Serbia, Cvijanović said she respected the will of the citizens and the election results, and expected others to respect the results of the elections in Republika Srpska as the basis for continued cooperation.

She described relations between Republika Srpska and Serbia as good and said she was confident cooperation would continue, adding that she saw no reason for concern about future relations.