RS raises referendum issue "when under pressure"

RS raises referendum issue "when under pressure"

BELGRADE -- Nebojša Radmanović has said that relations between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia are "very important and thus need to be improved on a broad basis."

Radmanović, the Serb member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency and senior official of the ruling Party of Independent Social Democrats in the Serb entity (RS), spoke in Belgrade late on Thursday.

"We will try to cooperate even more and better in the future,” Radmanović said in an interview to Tanjug and RS-based media.

He said that in Thursday's talks with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić in Belgrade, marking of the WWI centenary was underlined as very important for both countries.

In addition to this, they also discussed the paths of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia to the EU which implies certain common issues to be addressed jointly in the future.

The topic that could not be avoided was the current situation in Ukraine, on which the two countries have a similar, though slightly different opinion.

Asked about the likelihood of a referendum on independence in the Serb Republic, as well as the official position of Belgrade on this matter, Radmanović pointed out that Serbia is a signatory to the Dayton Peace Agreement and a guarantor of its implementation.

Radmanović emphasized that the RS supports strict implementation of the Dayton Agreement, noting that "it is a situation where no referendum is needed."

"We only raise the issue of self-determination when they put us under pressure, when they are trying to take away the autonomy that we have now in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We believe Serbia is thinking along the same lines. A referendum is discussed...