Dan O. Rados

MURPHY’S STATEMENTS ABOUT “SOUTH INTERCONNECTION” DIRECTLY THREATEN AMERICAN INTERESTS IN BiH

James Carafano from the Heritage Foundation, a republican entity close to the Trump administration, published a text which criticizes the outgoing American ambassador in BiH, Michael Murphy, following his support for the promotion of the LNG connection law which could potentially threaten the energy interests of US as well as the stability of the Balkans. The text itself was distributed to hundreds of pertinent and significant addresses in the US and it caused significant reactions of the Sarajevo media as well as pro-Bosniak lobbyists in the social network X, reports RTV HB.

State Department and energy/identity politics

According to Carafano, the described law proposal would facilitate the Bosniak majority in BiH controls over the South LNG interconnection. It would, furthermore, facilitate the Russian energy domination and consequently, a destabilization of the region. Carafano emphasizes that this move is a direct result of the combined Biden administration and lobbyist interests, and urged for the recall of the American diplomat, thus, leaving the entire issue to the incoming US administration.

A full text of James Carafano from the Heritage Foundation

The outgoing American ambassador in BiH Michael Murphy is attempting to force the BiH Christians to accept the LNG law which is supported exclusively by the Muslim leaders. The law could potentially jeopardize distribution markets for American producers of fossil fuels, strengthen the Russian energy domination in Europe and destabilize the Balkans. All this very few weeks before the return of President Trump to the White House and desperate Biden administration project of nation building failures in Bosnia and Hercegovina.

A Balkan specialist from the Heritage Foundation, Max Primorac, cites these events as “desperate attempt by the Biden administration, mesmerized by identity politics, to strengthen the leftist ideology and cause one more global crisis before the return of President Trump.” Primorac suggests that “the transition team should insist on Ambassador Murphy’s resignation. This situation is not reflecting the interests of the American energy interests”.

In 2019, the conservative government of the Republic of Croatia built a floating terminal to process natural gas on its shores in order to satisfy the energy needs of Eastern Europe, to terminate the Russian energy dominance in the region and to expand the markets for American energy distribution networks. Croatia has a well developed gas and fuel distribution networks in Eastern Europe. Project LNG in its inception received a strong support of then President Trump.

The southern gas connection, a part of the entire network, was intended to connect BiH and thus, integrate the region into the American sphere of influence, separating it from the Russian economic and political influence. However, the future of this strategic project has been jeopardized by the long term, unsuccessful nation building on the part of the American State Department which attempted to force the Catholic Croatians and Orthodox Serbs to recognize the so called “bosniak identity” which promotes the exclusive Muslim controls knows under the name of “Bošnjaci”. The state owned company, BH Gas, headquartered in Sarajevo, would administer the project under the exclusive control of the Muslim leaders. Bosnian Croatians insist on their administration rights since the distribution network operates on their territory. Under such disagreements, Croatia, a member of NATO, would almost certainly block the project.

Ambassador Murphy is aggressively forcing the law which will insure the BH Gas

control in the network. This week the law could pass without participation of the

Pro-Western Croatians which is a procedural precedent as such laws are usually

addressed in joint Croatian-Bosniak agreements.

Money and political lobby

This entire situation involves American political and financial interests, particularly the Albright Stonebridge Group, a lobbyist entity founded by Madeline

Albright and Sandy Berger, who were prominent members of the Clinton administration. Many past members are currently active members of the Biden administration, including Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador at United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield. The current State Department assistant for Europe, Jim O’Brien, was second in command to president of ASG.

The antiTrump Croatian podcast Poskok announces that Ambassador Murphy and O’Brian have already established contact between BH Gas and Albright Stonebridge Group which Max Primorac defines as “blatant conflict of interest”. He insists that the current American diplomats abandon their activity in these international matters and cede the participation and decision to the incoming jeopardizes American administration.

Winners and loosers

The Winners: Russia which would retain energy domination in South East Europe if the project fails due to Murphy’s intervention; Turkey because of its strong political and family connections with the Bosnian political elites and leaders; Iran, as the highest functionary of the Muslim democratic action. Sefik Džaferović was directly connected with the Iran terrorist camps in the 1993.

The loosers: American producers of natural gas which consider Croatia as a major importer. Equally so the incoming Trump administration, which will have to face another Biden mistake at the international and political level in the Balkans. 

Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was founded in 1461. Its center has museums commemorating the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian assassin, an event that sparked World War I. The Ottoman wars against Western European powers spanned roughly three centuries, from the early 16th century until the early 18th century, with major conflicts against the Croatian army, in those times called, the forerunner of Christianity. Today the territory of BiH is Croatian state territory lost after three centuries of war.

An unusual event in the Parliament of Federation BiH

On December 12 the Bosniak-Croatian parliament forced the passage of a law

regarding the connection of the LNG networks of Croatia and BiH. This parliamentary blitz was accomplished without the support of the HDY and other Croatian parties primarily because the project was to be administered and controlled by BH Gas from Sarajevo as opposed to establishment of a new company with headquarters in Mostar.

According to the law, the operator of the Southern connection on the territory of BiH has been designated BH Gas from Sarajevo, and by Plinarco entity in Croatia. The construction of the gas network would allow the neighboring BiH to become a recipient of gas via LNG Terminal on the island of Krk, Croatia. The Sarajevo media, known to be friendly to the Muslim majority, favors and supports such approach arguing that it will eliminate the current dependency on gas now flowing from Serbia. Forgotten is the argument that Sarajevo is already connected to the Turkish network which is fully connected to the Russian network. Thus, the cancellation of Russian connections does not cancel the Turkish and vice versa.

Describing the intent at the first reading, Zastupnički Dom supported the 2021 law, but failed to mention that Dom naroda, a second parliamentary chamber, never agreed to those proposals. Now the same argument has been “revived” and proposed by the opposition party, the SDA, with an endorsement for “urgent proceeding” with some minor adjustment to the law. Consequently, all parties agreed to approve the project with the exception of HAD BiH while the representatives of other minor parties abstained.

The Law regarding gas interconnectivity with Croatia, which was adopted by the

Parliament of Federation BiH was pushed through without the votes of Croatian

representatives; a clear case of legislative injustice committed against the BiH

Croatians, announced Croatian premier Andrej Plenković: “The political message of the legitimate representatives of the Croatian people cannot be clearer and we support such position in its totality” stated Plenković. BIH must function in coordination with representatives of ALL parties so that the final product is not injustice committed against one of the three national entities, namely Croatia, particularly considering that the investment product would be coming from Croatia.” He continued: “If Croatia is the one which provides the products from the South sector, its exclusion from the administrative formula is not acceptable. A consensus must be reached if the project is to move forward: Croatia is a neighbor helping BiH and in this process the interest of Croatians as a legal constituent entity in BiH must be respected and observed”.

Čović: BiH Gas is an enterprise totally controlled by the Bosniaks.

The law was adopted in BiH Federation Parliament with the forceful role of the American ambassador Michael Murphy who had been promoting this move for months. On Wednesday, he urged each parliament representative to adopt the law as soon as possible. He insisted in pushing through the legislation as stipulated and accused HDZ BiH representative Dragan Čović for insisting that the project be defined and done as a new business, headquartered in Mostar.

Čović opposed the approach which favors Sarajevo base BH Gas because it is under total control of the Bosniak Muslims, and that BiH itself is characterized by inefficient management and bad financial practices. 

The American think-tank Heritage Foundation, favorable to Donald Trump philosophy, sent a letter regarding the entire issue to many selective addresses of interest in the US. The lobbyists which represent the interests of the Croatian and BiH HDZ openly criticized the American ambassador Michael Murphy emphasizing that “the Muslims support the Southern interconnection, and the Christians are forced to abide to such decisions”.

The letter in question is a result of aggressive lobbying by the Republic of Croatia and Dragan Čović (HDZ-BiH) and it was forwarded to the interest circles in the US. Its contents clearly emphasize the dangers and risks to the American interests in the region. The message is particularly channeled to the new administration Transition teams. Therein it is clearly emphasized that the Biden administration is opening another conflict in this part of the world which will inevitably lead to an armed conflict!

Editor’s note:

These events point to a dangerous conflict which jeopardizes the peace in the entire BiH and southern portion of the Republic of Croatia. These developments demand exceptional scrutiny as the consequences may be geographically much larger and longer term in duration. Wars have started on this real estate!