Nezavisne novine: The EU is disappointed and worried by the current situation in BiH which stagnates on its path to the EU because of the constant disagreements among domestic politicians, has been announced yesterday by Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Enlargement, after the meeting with the members of the Presidency of BiH.
"Instead to lead the country to the EU, politicians in BiH have spent their time on the negative rhetoric. The role of the Presidency in the each country is to confirm the social cohesion and ensure the basic direction, and I think that I have enough reasons for concern when speaking of orientation of BiH. Concern is being shared by the countries members of the EU, which are disappointed by the current situation in BiH and repeated slowing of certain processes. Politicians in BiH can continue to argue over years, but then the country will stay behind its neighbors on its way to the EU", Rehn has said.
The European Commissioner for Enlargement has warned domestic leaders that because of their constant conflicts the state will stagnate and lose the step with countries of the region on their way to the EU.
"We expect that country, future member of the EU, speaks with a unified voice and that the state institutions are respected in this country. According to that, we expect that this will bring us to the evolution of the Constitution of this country, which should happen by the total respect of the Dayton Agreement", he has said.
To the question which politicians in BiH do not respect the state institutions and slow down the reform processes, the European Commissioner did not want to answer directly. He mentioned that the EU wants to see the improvement in fulfilling the stated criteria.
"How conditions will be fulfilled, domestic politicians should decide on it. For example, we want BiH to start as soon as possible the preparations for the population census 2011. We have obliged lots of that census, and all the rest is a question of the agreement inside the country", Rehn has said.
Haris Silajdžić, presiding of the Presidency of BiH, has in a sharp tone said how the EU should not dare to have a neutral attitude, and that it should be said clearly who is responsible for what in BiH.
"The neutral attitude means – accept what it is right now, which has been done by genocide and the ethnic cleansing. We will not involve and everything will be ok. Those who look for justice, they disturb the EU and the world’s peace. I said this in the UN and I say it here. This kind of relation must stop ", Silajdžić has said, by adding that he supports the population census with economic and social items, but that the RS resists to that and to fulfilling 24 priorities from the European Partnership.
Comment of Nebojša Radmanović and Željko Komšić, members of the Presidency of BiH from Serbian and Croatian nation, on Silajdžić’s contravention, we could not get yesterday.