Bosnian Serbs are ‘mentally’ in Serbia, their leader says

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Celebrations are due to mark 32 years since Bosnian Serbs proclaimed a “republic” deemed anti-constitutional by both Bosnia’s central government and the OSCE

January 10, 2024 08:46 am | Updated 08:47 am IST - Banja Luka

AFP

Bosnian Serbs are already “mentally integrated” into Serbia and would gladly support independence from Bosnia, their political leader Milorad Dodik said ahead of a controversial “national holiday”.

Celebrations are due on Tuesday to mark 32 years since Bosnian Serbs proclaimed a “republic” deemed anti-constitutional by both Bosnia’s central government and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Three months after the proclamation of their republic — Republika Srpska — on January 9, 1992, an inter-ethnic war broke out in Bosnia, claiming around 1,00,000 lives.

“We do not want to stay here,” Mr. Dodik, President of Republika Srpska , said on Monday.

Mr. Dodik’s repeated secession threats have raised international concerns.

Two entities

Since the 1992-1995 war, Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises of two semi-independent entities — the mostly-Orthodox Christian Serbs’ Republika Srpska, and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, made up of mostly-Muslim Bosniaks and mostly-Catholic Croats. The two are linked by a weak central government while in the post-war years, under international pressure, Bosnia got an army, plus common tax and justice systems. Mr. Dodik has been threatening his entity’s secession ever since he started to dominate Bosnian Serb politics in 2006.

‘No doubts’

On Monday, he claimed to have no doubts that Bosnian Serbs want independence, but due to “still fresh memories of the war” are hesitant to make the move.

“But I’m completely certain that people understand what it’s all about. “If at a decisive moment they would be offered a platform of independence, the people would support it”.

“We are mentally integrated with Serbia. Of course, we are part of Bosnia now, but that’s because we have to be. It is not something we want,” Mr. Dodik said. Bosnian Serbs make around one third of Bosnia’s population of 3.5 million, according to the latest census.

US military ready for war? The Biden administration made an urgent announcement

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Officials of Biden administration make plans for US response to the potential spread of the conflict in Gaza to other parts of the Middle East, writes Politico.

SOURCE: TANJUG FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2024 | 13:05

They cited four knowledgeable officials who asked to remain anonymous.

The portal says that some officials in Washington believe that the war in Gaza has escalated far beyond the borders of the Strip, a scenario that the US has been trying to avoid for months.

According to three knowledgeable U.S. officials, the military is preparing plans to strike back at Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militants who attack commercial ships in the Red Sea, Politico reports, and states that this includes targeting targets in Yemen.

Meanwhile, intelligence officials are devising ways to anticipate and repel possible attacks on the U.S. by Iran-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, officials say. The US has urged Tehran for months to influence the forces it backs to reduce attacks, but officials say they have seen no signs that pro-Iranian groups have begun to reduce the number of attacks and express concern that violence will only grow in the coming days.

It represents an escalation that will draw U.S. President Joseph Biden deeper into the conflict in the Middle East, while the campaign for the presidential elections this year asks him to focus on domestic issues, Politico estimates.