BELGRADE, April 3. /TASS/. Russia has played its role in appealing against the request of the Interpol office in Sarajevo to put the leaders of Republika Srpska (RS, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina) on the international wanted list, RS President Milorad Dodik said.
In an interview with Radio Television of Republika Srpska, Dodik stated: "Hungary also stepped in, as well as Russia, Montenegro and some other countries. We will find out who initiated this <...> and we will be very grateful to them. Not because they save Milorad Dodik, [RS National Assembly Speaker Nenad] Stevandic, but because they preserve faith in justice."
Bosnia and Herzegovina's court on February 26 sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and a six-year ban on political activity for ignoring the decisions of High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt. This is a first-instance verdict that can be appealed. On March 12, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Prosecutor’s Office requested the assistance of the security services in the arrest of Dodik, Republika Srpska Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and Stevandic. Republika Srpska Interior Minister Sinisa Karan ruled out the possibility of their detention. On March 27, the Interpol office in Sarajevo launched an international search for Dodik and Stevandic. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic later said that the initiative had no legal force and violated the organization’s statute. According to media reports, Hungary also filed an appeal against the arrest warrant for Dodik. The day before, the Interpol central bureau decided to withhold an international arrest warrant for the leaders of Republika Srpska.