ŠPIRIĆ: POLITICAL SARAJEVO REFUSES DIALOGUE WITH LEGITIMATE SERB REPRESENTATIVES

SARAJEVO, APRIL 20 /SRNA/ – Political Sarajevo does not want dialogue with the legitimate representatives of the Serb people and has misused the opposition from Republika Srpska, with citizens set to respond at the next elections, said Nikola Špirić, Deputy Chairperson of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

Špirić told reporters in Sarajevo that two sessions of the House of Peoples, an urgent and a regular one, had been scheduled today, but not in line with the Rules of Procedure, as the Chairperson Kemal Ademović failed to consult the other two members of the Collegium. He said that Ademović had recently stated he had been instructed by the "Troika" not to communicate with SNSD and that he had not been in contact with the other two Collegium members for a year. "How is it possible to hold a session in such an environment? The Rules of Procedure call for agreement and coordination," Špirić stressed. According to him, today's Collegium session agreed that the members' cabinets should begin communicating, and that a session could be scheduled in the coming period with an agenda based on consensus in an effort to move things forward. "As Deputy Chairperson, I remain available for any kind of agreement and respect for the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure," Špirić said. He emphasized that since the signing of an agreement in the House of Representatives and the formation of a new majority there, the situation in the House of Peoples has been as it is now, claiming that the opposition from Republika Srpska, together with Bosniak delegates, is attempting to make decisions while disregarding the electoral will of the Serb people in Republika Srpska. "We are not for blockades, nor are we blocking anything. We are waiting for talks and agreement on the agenda," Špirić said, adding that such a new coalition is not possible in the House of Peoples. Špirić reiterated that today's sessions were not scheduled in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, which is why delegates from the Serb club from SNSD did not attend.