Covic: There is Limit to Compliance with HDZ 1990

Negotiations on the Bosnian Federation government are failing and party leaders are accusing each other for the failure.

President of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), Dragan Covic, believes himself to be the most yielding in talks on formation of the government of the Muslim-Croat Bosnian Federation that were held two days ago, and that he is “not to blame for the failure to reach an agreement on the division of seats”, Sarajevo’s Dnevni avaz daily writes. 

Covic: Had I not conceded, negotiations would have been discontinued 

“Had it not been for my concessions and understanding, the need for urgent formation of the government based on electoral results, the talks in Sarajevo would have surely been discontinued on two occasions. First at 17:00 hours and then at 19:00 hours. But, understanding the great necessity of forming the government and having in mind responsibility towards the voters, I yielded to the leaders of the party that broke off HDZ BiH. However, everything has its limits, even concessions from the party at whose helm I am”, Covic said.

He said he was prepared to “give the only ministry in the federal government to Ljubic’s party”,the HDZ 1990.

HDZ 1991 demands two ministries – that is not negotiation

“Then they demanded two ministries. After that they asked for the federal vice-premier position, which does not have to be filled by the finance minister. But, that is not negotiation. Such conduct goes by another name. In the end, they also wanted the position of Hercegovina-Neretva Canton government head. We cannot conduct talks like that. And, those who say that Bozo Ljubic and his associates should erect a monument to Haris (Silajdzic), are right. He keeps them alive in this whole story of distributing positions of authority,” Covic believes.

Ljubic: I am sick of the whole situation 

HDZ 1990 President Bozo Ljubic is disappointed with the repeated failure of party negotiations regarding the formation of authorities. He says he is sick of the whole story and blames Dragan Covic for the failure of the talks.

“The exclusive subject of talks was the Bosnian Federation government and as soon as an agreement was reached, Covic opened the problem of forming the government in Hercegovina-Neretva and Central Bosnia cantons. That move had the purpose to block the agreement, not to find a solution, leaving me with the suspicion that Covic did not care about reaching an agreement”, Ljubic told Dnevni avaz.

He added that the leaders of the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) and the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Haris Silajdzic and Sulejman Tihic, were constructive in the situation, offering a set of agreements to make up a multilateral agreement between the parties in the two cantons, but without ultimate demands for positions.

“But, Covic refused that option as well”, Ljubic stressed.

The HDZ 1990 leader did not wish to specify which two of the five ministries went to his party, stressing that “there is no agreement to that effect yet”.

“Everything that was agreed on and placed in the text of the agreement that was to be signed is again in question”, Ljubic said.

Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina: Covic is blackmailing 

According to the Dnevni avaz, representatives of the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Party for Democratic Action and HDZ 1990 unanimously stated that the signing of an agreement on the formation of the federal government had failed exclusively because of a surprising demand by Dragan Covic that the agreement also solve the issue of forming the government in Hercegovina-Neretva and Central Bosnian cantons.

PBiH vice-president Safet Halilovic stressed that it was totally unacceptable that Covic condition the agreement upon the distribution of power in the two cantons along with the federal government.

“Covic’s demand represents blocking of federal organs because of cantons. There is no rational justification of such actions. This is pure blackmail by HDZ BiH, which is impermissible, especially if it is known that exclusively narrow party interests are in the background of such requests”, said Halilovic.