International officials rebuff calls for RS independence referendum

31/05/2006

Recent calls by Bosnian Serbs for an independence referendum have been met with criticism by international officials, with some describing it as a bad idea and others stressing the unconstitutionality of moves in that direction.

(FT, FENA, SEE Security Monitor, RFE/RL - 30/05/06; Reuters, Office of the High Representative - 29/05/06)

Holding a referendum in Republika Srpska “is not a good idea, and it is not a welcome idea,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said.

Recent calls by Bosnian Serb politicians for an independence referendum in Republika Srpska (RS) have been met with a wave of criticism from senior international officials.

Such calls do not serve the interests of the entity's citizens, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn remarked Tuesday (30 May). Holding a referendum in RS "is not a good idea, and is not a welcome idea", he said.

What the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) deserved instead was reform "through constitutional evolution, not through constitutional revolution," he told a meeting of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe in Belgrade.

A similar statement came from Stability Pact Co-ordinator Erhard Busek, who urged RS politicians to focus on economic problems and issues that would help improve living standards in the entity.

Following the 21 May independence referendum in Montenegro, RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, who is also the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), suggested Saturday that people in BiH should also have the chance to decide on their future in a similar manner.

Speaking to Bosnian daily Oslobodjenje, he said that BiH should be organised as a federal state, with each of its constituent entities given the right to self-determination through referendum. But he then sent an open letter to the media at the weekend, saying he was only reflecting on possible scenarios for the future and that he was ready to discuss the matter with everyone in BiH who considers RS an equal partner.

Reacting to Dodik's comments, the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in BiH issued a statement Monday, reminding the RS prime minister that the constitution included in the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992-1995 war in BiH does not envision independence referenda as an option.

"The Republika Sprska, an entity within the BiH state, has no jurisdiction to organise a referendum on separation," the statement said. "This would be in violation of the BiH constitution and the Dayton Peace Agreement. The international community will not allow the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be endangered. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not in question now or in the future."

The only two options for BiH are to implement reforms that will allow it to move forward on its path to EU and NATO integration, or to decide not to pursue the required reforms and face stagnation.

"There is no third route," the OHR statement said. "Fruitless discussions on referenda contribute to uncertainty and instability in the country at a time when Bosnia and Herzegovina needs certainty -- the certainty that reforms are being delivered."

Meanwhile, seeking to downplay the effect of Dodik's remarks, a senior SNSD official said Tuesday that the RS prime minister's words had been taken out of context and that he had only mentioned the referendum as a possibility, not as a concrete plan for moves in that direction.

"SNSD regards as overstated the stories about the referendum, regardless of what our president said in the media about this matter," SNSD Secretary General Rajko Vasic said. Dodik, according to him, had only suggested the referendum as a possible inclusion in the constitutional changes and as a tool for resolving political problems in this part of Europe. "We reject all stories that we are breaking BiH," said Vasic.