At its party conference last weekend, the SNSD reelected Milorad Dodik as the party’s president, and installed its new supervisory board. The party also voted to adopt a declaration that calls for the full implementation of the BiH constitution, and the return of government competencies to the entities, as guaranteed by the constitution. In the case that BiH authorities do not allow for such reforms within the next two years, the Republika Srpska National Assembly could call for a referendum on the status of the entity.
What is the future we desire? Do we expect a future decided according to someone else’s plans, actions and reactions? We believe that political representatives of all peoples and citizens have an obligation to determine our possible common future through internal dialogue and agreement….
We have no obligation to wait for further violations of the Dayton Accords and deterioration of the RS’ rights, which will certainly result in its disappearance…all in the name of hypothetical Euro-Atlantic integration. The RS legal system reflects the Dayton Accords and enables a legitimate and legal way of expressing the public’s views, through a referendum, on the undermined status or strict application of the BiH Constitution….
We believe that the RS National Assembly, as the supreme authority of the party signatory to all annexes of the Dayton Accords, should make decisions on independence of the RS as a way of RS’ enjoying its constitutional position in BiH as established by the Dayton Accords….
The UN convention as the supreme document of international law proclaims cherishing amicable relations among peoples based on the respect for the principle of equality and self-determination of peoples. Former Yugoslav republics enjoyed statehood to a much lesser extent than the BiH entities and were recognised as independent states. Even Kosovo’s independence was recognised on the basis of a declaration of the representatives of an illegal parliament, although Kosovo and Metohija was only an autonomous province of Serbia. The right to self-determination belongs to the RS as well if others continue to violate the Dayton Agreement.
If, by end 2017, there are no visible processes and measurable results in terms of establishing the RS’ positions in line with Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the RS National Assembly should call for a referendum on the independent status of the RS in 2018.
Based on the referendum results, the RS authorities, in line with the role of the party as established in the Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, should propose a peaceful disassociation and concurrent mutual recognition to the FBiH .
In the territory of BiH, thus created independent states would form a Union of states of BiH, with open borders and free movement of peoples and goods.
Once the RS independent status has been determined, the RS should request accession to the EU without any delay and accept its acquis.
[Editor’s note: the above is an excerpted, unofficial translation of the original Serbian text of the declaration.]
