U.S. Fighter Jets to Fly Over Bosnia; Warning to Separatist Serbs

Two F-16 fighter jets will fly over Bosnia on Monday, January 8, to emphasize the United States' support for Bosnia's territorial integrity against the 'separatist activities' of the Serbs. The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo announced this in a statement, describing the air maneuver as part of 'joint air-to-ground training' conducted with Bosnia's national armed forces in the northern part of the country that is not under Serb control. The statement referenced the provocative and separatist actions of Milorad Dodik, the nationalist and pro-Russian leader of the Serb Republic in Bosnia, who is calling for secession and joining neighboring Serbia. It stated, 'The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not provide any right to secession, and if anyone attempts to change this fundamental element of the Dayton Agreement, the United States will act in accordance with its commitment.' The Dayton Agreement, brokered by the United States, ended the Bosnian War that began in April 1992 and lasted until December 1995, resulting in around 100,000 deaths and two million displaced persons. This agreement divided Bosnia into a 'Serb Republic' and a joint federation of Croats and Bosniaks with a relatively weak central government. Bosnian Serbs are set to begin celebrations for their self-proclaimed national day on Monday evening, despite the Constitutional Court of Bosnia banning the event as discriminatory against non-Serbs. A police and special forces parade is also planned for Tuesday, January 9. Meanwhile, the Sarajevo state court has charged Milorad Dodik for signing a law in his self-proclaimed country that suspends decisions made by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and the international envoy overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Agreement. Dodik's trial for defying peace envoy rulings was supposed to begin on December 20 but has been postponed until January.