Bosniaks Alarmed at Dutch Official's Alleged Remarks

Top Bosniak politicians are concerned that The Netherlands could be discussing the breakup of Bosnia, despite a firm denial by the Dutch embassy in Sarajevo that this is the case.



According to reports in the Western Balkans this week, Bosnian ambassador to The Netherlands Miranda Sidran-Kamisalic informed senior Bosnian officials that Pieter de Gooijer, the director for political issues within the Dutch foreign ministry, saw the country's division as a real possibility.



“You cannot force anybody to feel [as if they belong] to a country,” the Vecernje Novostide newspaper quoted de Gooijer as saying on the issue of the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska, RS, seceding from Bosnia proper.



While The Netherlands carries no more influence over Bosnian affairs than any other European Union state, the issue of RS secession has become so sensitive in Bosnia that the alleged comments have caused alarm throughout Bosnia.



The Dutch diplomat is also reported to have said that The Netherlands – which hosts the tribunal that tries suspected Yugoslav war criminals – is calling for the closure of the Office of the High Representative, OHR – an EU overseer of Bosnia's affairs – as soon as possible.



He reportedly said he envisaged transforming it into an office for an EU special representative, who would carry out a counseling role in place of the current protectorate.



However, the Dutch foreign ministry insisted that de Gooijer was misquoted, while the Dutch embassy in Bosnia said the comments “lack any substance”.



The foreign ministry also stressed its support for Bosnia retaining the national boundaries established under the 1995 Dayton Accord that brought peace to the region following the Yugoslav wars.



“As an observer in the Peace Implementation Council, PIC [a group of 55 countries and international organisations which sponsored and directed the peace implementation process] The Netherlands has committed itself on numerous occasions to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Hercegovina,” said the statement.



“The Netherlands has always been crystal clear when insisting on full compliance with the [required] conditionality before closure of OHR could even be considered.”



Before the OHR can be closed, certain conditions must be met – including the achievement of fiscal sustainability and entrenchment of the rule of law in the country.



But despite clarification from The Netherlands on its intentions, the Bosniak membership of Bosnia tripartite presidency remains uneasy.



“We understand that this was a personal fear expressed by Mr de Gooijer rather than a formulation of a Dutch policy,” Damir Arnaut, adviser for constitutional and legal affairs to Haris Silajdzic in the Bosniak presidency, told IWPR.



“However, we are concerned that those fears exist. We do hope The Netherlands will continue its policy of supporting the full sovereignty of the Bosnian state. ”



Milorad Dodik, prime minister of RS, who has made no secret of his desire over the last two years for the entity to break away from Bosnia, was reported as welcoming de Gooijer’s comments. “I agree with [de Gooijer’s] evaluation that no one can be forced to love a country,” he said.



Arnaut said that through repeatedly promoting the idea of a separate RS, the Bosnian Serb authorities had prompted fears about the division of the country. He called for additional support from the EU to help protect Bosnia’s territorial integrity.



“The Republika Srpska government for the last two to three years has been actively working on undermining the central state which is causing the political situation to deteriorate in Bosnia,” he said.



“We hope that the active approach [from the EU] will be to dissuade RS authorities from engaging in such conduct in the future.”



Simon Jennings is an IWPR reporter in The Hague.