Dodik in Bratunac Was “The Most Dangerous Statement Given by an Official in Bih Since the Dayton Peace Agreement Was Signed”
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WB WESTERN BALKANS Daily e-newspaper • N° 4088 • Sarajevo, July 18, 2017 e-MEDIA GROUP BAKIR IZETBEGOVIC RS Leader Openly Violated Dayton Agreement Leader of the main Bosniak party and a member in the BiH Presidency urged the state prosecution and the international overseer of the peace agreement implementation in Bosnia to sanction Bosnian Serb leader for hate speech against Bosniak returnees akir Izetbegovic said a July 7 state - ment of the Republika Srpska pres - Bident Milorad Dodik in Bratunac was “the most dangerous statement given by an official in BiH since the Dayton Peace Agreement was signed”. At a commemoration for Serb victims of the Bosnian war in eastern Bosnia, Dodik accused unnamed Islamic organiza - tions of financing the return of expelled Bosniaks to the region bordering Serbia, in a bid to “occupy the Drina river (region) again”. "Milorad Dodik made an open anti- constitutional and anti-Dayton state - ment, committing a criminal offence (defined by) the Criminal Code of BiH. Since there was no expected reaction from the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and the OHR, I addressed those Bosnian Bakir Izetbegovic and international institutions, as well as Bosniaks were occupiers in the Drina return, under the Dayton Peace members of the PIC Steering Board, river region until 1992, which is why (the Agreement and the Constitution of asking them to react and sanction this Serbs) forced them to leave their homes Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a repeated kind of behavior of the RS president," (...) by committing war crimes, crimes occupation of that part of Bosnia and said Izetbegovic. against humanity and genocide Herzegovina, which should be “It is evident that (Dodik) believes the against them, and that their right to stopped,” said Izetbegovic. Milorad Dodik, RS president: Where did Dragan Mektic, security minister: In a Dragan Covic, BiH Presidency (HDZ): (Valentin) Inzko come from? He proba - phone session (of the Council of (Bosnia’s internal organization) is a bly stopped by in Sarajevo and upon Ministers), I voted for (joining) the matter of BiH, not the EU. (...) The seeing what the Bosniak media wrote, Transport Community, but the HDZ European Parliament has a clear posi - he rushed to support them without ministers voted against. The HDZ tion on the country’s organization, reading (my) statement and under - blocked the (Transport Community) especially in parts related to constitu - standing its context agreement tivity and federalism Bosnia Daily, July 18, 2017 2 Daily Bosniak Leader Calls Markers for Investigation into Dodik: Two Islamic State Threat Options for Making Chaos The Bosniak member of the Presidency called for an he situation in the RS is very investigation into Islamic State group death threats complex and threatens to to leaders of Bosnia's Islamic community T escalate in the coming period. The reason for that are the numer - he latest Bosnian edition of the mili - told reporters. ous facts that the authorities in the tants' magazine Rumiyah published The Bosnian version of the ISIS magazine RS can no longer hide: companies, T photos of top Bosnian clerics and has since last September been justifying mines and banks are failing, debt is described them as Islamic outcasts, the attacks carried out by the terror group accumulating, agriculture subsidies saying killing them was better than throughout the world. The magazine is and welfare payments are late for killing infidels. issued in several languages, including months, the healthcare is collaps - "I call on the relevant state institutions ... Arabic, English, Turkish, German and ing, and pensioners and educators not to underestimate these threats, to French, by ISIS’s media arm Al-Hayat. Its have the lowest income in the whole investigate them thoroughly and sup - name means "Rome" and is thought to region. port religious leaders," Bakir Izetbegovic allude to the fall of the Roman Empire. Aware of this state of affairs, the ruling parties in the RS want to Security Minister Says Two Terror expand the crisis to the state level, and then to the Federation Attacks Prevented Recently level. They seek partners for that The Security Ministry and law enforce - was confirmed, which means we are among the Federation’s political ment agencies thwarted two terror doing our job and monitoring the situa - parties in the BiH Parliament, threats in Bosnia a month ago, the tion," Minister Dragan Mektic told a Slobodna Bosna news website security minister told a press confer - press conference in Sarajevo, and reported. Dodik's goal is to col - ence. congratulated OSA members on their lapse the Council of Ministers. To "Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) success. achieve that, the SNSD and its identified and prevented two serious He added they are closely monitoring supporters came up with two terror threats. In accordance with this situation and they are always options. Option A is to play the information, individuals responsible for engaged in monitoring persons and card of animosities between par - those actions were found and appre - groups registered by law enforcement ties and leaders in the hended. Credibility of the information agencies. Federation, which should be enough to have the report on the work of the Council of Ministers Entity President Claims He Was not adopted. This would make Dodik achieve two goals: he Followed and Wiretapped would have a chaos at BiH level President of the Federation entity, and achieve a strategic advan - Marinko Cavara, told a press confer - tage over the SDS and the ence in Sarajevo that he was illegally Alliance for Changes, as a failure followed and wiretapped recently. He of the CoM would be interpreted added that he had "a strange situa - in the RS as a collapse of the tion on a motorway 12 days ago with Alliance's "traitor policies". two vehicles" and expects the compe - Option B, in case the CoM passes a tent bodies to complete the investiga - vote of confidence, is "entering the tion soon. Council of Ministers" through the "I asked the investigative bodies to HDZ ministers. An agreement on that determine reasons for those strange was reached by the HDZ and SNSD actions. I found out there are plans to suspicions, but I need to have evidence in Mostar; the HDZ officials will pro - politically disqualify (me). I have certain in order to go public," said Cavara. tect the interests of SNSD, or the RS, at BiH level. An unseen absurd, which is unfor - Covic Visits Brussels tunately already being carried On his first day of chairmanship at the Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy out, and which threatens to bring BiH Presidency, member of the and Enlargement Negotiations the CoM into a state of complete Presidency Dragan Covic traveled to Johannes Hahn and President of the blockade. Whatever happens, the Brussels, where he met with the EU High European Council Donald Tusk. fact is that the SNSD will not stop Representative for Foreign Affairs and On the second day of his visit to Brussels, with the CoM, and its devastating Security Policy and Vice President of Covic will meet with Minister of Foreign campaign will be directed to the the European Commission Federica Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium Didier Court and the Prosecutor's Office Mogherini. He also met with the Reynders, the Presidency said. of BiH, OSA, SIPA, BiH Armed Forces etc. O pinion The Srebrenica Jokes I read articles on Srebrenica on Serbian news websites the other night at 2 am, and I stumbled upon a joke. They do that sometimes, telling Srebrenica jokes in the middle of night By BORIS DEZULOVIC nd so, Mujo was on a train Srebrenica – in brackets, especially children – is explained OSLOBODJENJE, SARAJEVO and the man sitting across as unintentional collateral, a glitch in the system. Men of mil - A him seemed strangely itary age were systematically killed at Srebrenica – true, with familiar. “Sorry,” Mujo said, “Are rather flexibly defined military age – so attention was paid to you by any chance Ratko the lives of women and children, Gatalo argues. In brackets, Mladic?” “I am,” the general con - with a high success rate. firmed. “It can’t be!” Mujo said, In a magnificent twist, Gatalo uses one of the elements of surprised. “And who are you?” textbook definition of genocide – a systematic annihilation Mladic took interest in the con - of a group or part of the group by preventing natural repro - versation. “I am Mujo,” Mujo said. duction – as a proof that there was no genocide. Just like if “Where are you from?” Mladic I said that the genocide against Croatia’s Serbs in the Oluja asked. “From Srebrenica,” Mujo campaign – if Gatalo has the right to have an opinion on a said. “It can’t be!” Mladic said. genocide confirmed by court sentences as an “ordinary In a study on the phenomenon of crime”, I guess I have the right to think that an “ordinary” eth - Auschwitz jokes, German ethnologist Thomas Hauschild and nic cleansing of a whole minority is a genocide never his colleague from Berkeley Alan Dundes argued that the proven in a court – wasn’t a genocide because only the root of such humor in German society lies in the ironic Serbs were driven out of Croatia. toponymy of name Auschwitz: Au – German for ouch, Even more so, Gatalo describes the systematic killing of Schwitz – German for sweat, and Witz – German for joke, also Srebrenica men – why not go through the door opened so transliterated in the Balkans as vic, a joke. However, that is wide to a malicious intention? – as an almost “civilized” not the subject. In their study, professors Dundes and crime, “one of many in Bosnia” but not like other savage, Hauschild argue that the sick Auschwitz jokes on “sweat and bloody and indiscriminate crimes; “one of rare” crimes pain” have a hidden key for understanding them: when they against men only; not only humane, but also systematic, emerged in the German urban folklore of the sixties – not the very German-like thoroughly organizes and executed.