MAZALICA: WE WILL SUBMIT DRAFT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING AND BANNING PROMOTION OF NDH IDEOLOGY INTO PROCEDURE

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 4 /SRNA/ – The SNSD caucus in the Republika Srpska National Assembly will today submit into procedure a draft resolution condemning and banning the promotion and glorification of the ideology and symbols of the Independent State of Croatia /NDH/, as well as other Ustasha, Nazi, and fascist ideologies and symbols, says the head of the caucus, Srđan Mazalica.

At a press conference, Mazalica said this represents a systemic approach to the issue, which is important for the identity of the Serb people, and that the resolution was prepared in cooperation with experts and relevant institutions in Republika Srpska. He recalled that the opposition had submitted its own draft resolution, which could not be supported it as it was written unprofessionally and approached the topic selectively. Mazalica stated that the SDS resolution refers to condemning the glorification of the Ustasha ideology, while the resolution of SNSD and its coalition partners condemns and bans the promotion and glorification of the NDH ideology. "Their resolution is unacceptable because it does not express continuity with previous documents and addresses the issue as if nothing had existed before. We listed several documents that emphasize the experience of genocide against Serbs in the NDH, which represented the basis for the establishment of Republika Srpska as a Serb response and a means to prevent another genocide against Serbs in these areas," Mazalica explained. He added that the opposition, in its resolution, uses the terms "Ustasha ideology" and "Ustasha regime," which practically diminish the significance of other segments of society within the NDH in carrying out genocide against Serbs, Jews, and Roma, since there were other official armed formations besides the Ustasha, as well as ideological preparation in which the Roman Catholic Church in the NDH participated. "Their resolution does absolutely not mention Muslims who were part of the genocide system through their SS divisions, such as the Handschar Division. Nor are Germans mentioned who directly participated in deporting people to Jasenovac and other places. Everything is reduced to Ivo Pavković and Marko Perković Thompson as the key problems we have with the glorification of the NDH ideology, instead of recognizing it as broader systemic problem present since the 1990s," Mazalica said. He added that they had been ready to propose amendments to the opposition’s resolution, but that this was not possible given a number of inaccuracies and omissions, noting that the agenda for the special session at which the resolution was to be reviewed would not be accepted. Mazalica noted that SDS had been invited to jointly develop an adequate document, which had not been accepted.