By adopting Željka Cvijanović’s veto on the recognition of identity cards with Kosovo, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska stopped three agreements signed within the Berlin process. The first reactions are coming – it is incomprehensible to veto processes that are necessary for the development of BiH and the region.
The inscription “No surrender” and the map of Kosovo painted in tricolor, in Dečanska Street in East Sarajevo, perhaps best illustrate the attitude that the MPs in the NSRS uniquely showed yesterday.
“Trucks with goods from Serbia are stopped there, human lives are endangered there, people are arrested there, Serbs are endangered there, age-old gathering places, such as churches, are devalued,” said Željka Cvijanović, chairwoman of the BiH Presidency.
The package included two more agreements signed as part of the Berlin process, on the recognition of professional qualifications and higher education institutions.
“My intention was to go individually, to adopt those two agreements that are indisputable, and that this third agreement must certainly wait for some consultations and for another time, because we are in a situation where both Kosovo and what is happening in Kosovo and “Metohija is an absolute nullification of human rights,” adds Cvijenović.
Out of 64 MPs present in the hall, 64 voted for YES. For the first time, Nebojša Vukanović voted for a veto by a member of the Presidency. And they have almost the same attitude in the largest opposition party, SDS.
“I think this is the first veto that I and Pravda za red have supported since we joined the NSRS: Kosovo is a specific issue, the Serbs in Kosovo are third-class citizens, they live in a ghetto, and their human rights are violated. Of course, you cannot support such authorities led by Kurti and let people from Kosovo and Metohija travel with their identity cards,” said Vukanović.
“We will not support anything that we think is not good for Republika Srpska: There are still criticisms, and we will continue to criticize Željka Cvijanović and Milorad Dodik, who is the leader of this regime in RS. However, because we voted for national interests, we did not vote for either Cvijanović or Dodik”, said Darko Berjan, SDS.
Thus, until further notice, those traveling from Kosovo can only reach the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina with Kosovo documents. Journalist Idro Seferi, who was born in Kosovo and lives and works in Serbia, says documents are a problem for a small number of separated families.
“It is problematic that Dodik is behaving worse than Vučić in this conflict in Kosovo, because people who have Kosovo documents can travel around Serbia without accompanying documents as and when they want through Serbia,” says Idro Seferi, a journalist.
The three agreements are part of a package of agreements that should enable a better connection of the region, and were signed in November last year.
“If it was agreed in the Berlin process, it must be respected. It is incomprehensible to put a veto on processes that are necessary for the development of BiH and the region, for countries to cooperate and strengthen mutual relations. I don’t know why,” said Josip Juratović, SPD representative in the German Bundestag.
Agreements were also found at the Council of Ministers, two out of three – recognition of university diplomas and professional qualifications – received support. Yesterday’s vote also stopped them, N1 reports.
