NATO’s Balkan Dream: ‘Gaining Access to Key Strategic Facilities’ – Sputnik International

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10:58 20.08.2017(updated 11:57 20.08.2017) Get short URL

The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has ruled that the Veliki Zep military facility in the countrys Serb-dominated Republika Srpska is owned by the state. In an interview with Sputnik, Serbian political analyst Andjelko Kozomara said the decision could help Bosnia move toward NATO membership

NATO wants togain access tokey strategic facilities. The Yugoslav Army always deployed its bases atstrategic locations and byregistering them as prospective military property, the Bosnian authorities are making them available toNATO, which plans tostation its forces there, he said.

He added that the Constitutional Courts ruling violates the terms ofthe 1995 Dayton Accordspeace accord underwhich 49 percent ofthe countrys territory belongs toRepublika Srpska.

Re-registration ofthe so-called prospective military property is the final step inBosnia and Herzegovinas bid tojoin NATO, the so-called Membership Action Plan.

Just likeSerbia, the majority ofBosnian Serbs do not want tojoin NATO. If Serbia does not want tojoin NATO, then Republika Srpska will not let Bosnia and Herzegovina join this military alliance. We fear, however, that things may develop just asthey did in1992 when Croats and Bosnians voted ina referendum tobreak away fromYugoslavia. The Bosnian Serbs did not vote, butthe international community still recognized the results ofthat plebiscite, Andjelko Kozomara continued.

Meanwhile, the vice speaker ofRepublika Srpskas parliament, Nenad Stevandic said that the re-registration ofmilitary property will byno means facilitate Bosnia and Herzegovinas integration intoNATO because the Bosnian Serb Republic will not abide bythe Courts ruling, which violates the terms ofthe Dayton Accords and creates a new crisis inBosnia and Herzegovina.

He added that ina situation likethis Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be able tojoin any alliances.

They are pressuring us toset offa new crisis and blame it all onthe Serbs. They have been using this practice since1992 bymaking decisions we cant subscribe tobecause they deprive us ofour legitimate rights, and then blaming us for destabilizing the situation, Nenad Stevandic told Sputnik.

Commenting onthe situation inan interview withRepublika Srpskas news agency, the Russian ambassador toSarajevo Pyotr Ivantsov said that matters directly pertaining toone ofthe countrys entities cannot be decided withoutits consent.

Sarajevo and Brussels have been discussing Bosnias NATO membership sincethe mid-2000s.

Bosnia and Herzegovina joined NATOs Partnership forPeace program in2006. It was expected tojoin NATO by2011, butthe plan hit a snag overthe need tohand overmore than60 military facilities tothe federal government.

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NATO's Balkan Dream: 'Gaining Access to Key Strategic Facilities' - Sputnik International