Milorad Dodik, the separatist president of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska, has threatened that the entity might declare the EUFOR Althea mission an army of occupation. Under constitutional changes its parliament is about to adopt, this would allow the declaration of a state of war.

Dodik’s threat came after the state prosecution on March 12 issued arrest warrants for him, the entity’s parliament speaker Nenad Stevandic and Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic for violating the state constitution, the Dayton peace agreement and rulings of the state Constitutional Court.

“I see that a general from Romania came to EUFOR, it doesn’t matter that he is the commander of EUFOR, the people stand behind us. Earlier, I was asking for Althea [EUFOR mission] to stay, and these days I shall meet at the highest level with representatives of the Russian Federation, and unlike all previous years when I asked for Althea to stay, now I shall ask the Russians to veto and not to allow a subversive structure to remain that abuses the UN mandate and threatens us Serbs,” Dodik said at a press conference live broadcaster by RTRS.

He added that EUFOR, which has been increasing the number of its troops in Bosnia amid the ongoing escalation of tensions provoked by Republika Srpska, could bring in 10,000 people but that would not change anything.

“I have no problem with that. Bring 10,000 people if 1,000 is not enough for you but hold on to your mandate. No Serb will shoot on you or do anything to you, but Serbs are not ready to suffer under occupation. And this Romanian general who is attempting to fake it here is a classic proof of the occupation. Maybe we shall declare it an occupying power, we shall see,” Dodik said.

Dodik claimed that the state prosecution has no authority to issue international arrest warrants. However, he said he believes the state police will move forward with his arrest and the arrests of Stevandic and Viskovic.

Meanwhile, Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, warned the international community’s high representative Christian Schmidt it would be wise to go into hiding.

Her warning came after a statement issued by the Office of the High Representative that the proposed constitutional changes violate the general framework of peace and brings risks.

“All MPs in NSRS [Republika Srpska’s parliament] and the council of Serbs must be aware that this process represents a serious danger,” the OHR noted.

It called on MPs not to adopt the proposed constitutional changes which put at risk the state constitution and institutions.

Republika Srpska’s top politicians were backed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who said the arrest warrants would not calm down the situation but would contribute to Bosnia’s destabilisation.