SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), January 18 (SeeNews) – The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the president of Bosnia's Serb republic, Milorad Dodik, for actively obstructing the Dayton Peace Accords which ended the 1990s war in Bosnia, a U.S. diplomat said.
The decision came after Dodik oversaw the holding of an illegal referendum in September to decide whether the Serb-dominated entity's statehood day should continue to be held on January 9 - the day of the Serb Republic's inception in 1992, just prior to the outbreak of the war in Bosnia. U.S. officials, among others, condemned the vote which defied a ruling by Bosnia's Constitutional Court, which said January 9 cannot be a state holiday because it is also a Christian Eastern Orthodox saint's day and thus exclusionary of the entity's citizens who are not of this faith. Despite the ruling, the Serb Republic held a lavish celebration on January 9.
Dodik has also stepped up talk on the independence of the Serb Republic and of withdrawing the entity's members of the armed forces from the state-level military.
"Milorad Dodik has defied the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, violated the rule of law and poses a significant risk of obstructing the implementation of the Dayton accords", U.S. Ambassador Maureen Cormack said in a video message on the U.S. Embassy Twitter account late on Tuesday.
This action demonstrates U.S. commitment to the Dayton accords, to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the country's continued EU integration, Cormack added.
In a separate release issued by the U.S. Treasury Department itself, John E. Smith, acting OFAC Director, said that Dodik poses a significant threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Today’s action underscores the U.S. commitment to the Dayton Accords and supports international efforts for the country’s continued European integration," he said.
As a result of U.S. action, any property or interest in property of Dodik within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him. Additionally, persons who provide material support to persons designated under this Executive Order, including Dodik, may also be subject to designation.