ŠPIRIĆ: SANCTIONS ARE WEAPONS IN THE HANDS OF THE POWERFUL

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 18 /SRNA/ - Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Nikola Špirić, has told SRNA that sanctions are a weapon in the hands of the powerful, which are in conflict with the concepts of basic democratic principles and human rights.

Regarding the sanctions on the Republika Srpska officials imposed by the outgoing US administration, Špirić has pointed out that this is a time of great challenges and tensions when the interests of major global players are being settled. "Actually, we live in a time when the small ones are required to line up, not to decide. The global order is in just such a situation, and when alignment is demanded, a big price is paid," Špirić said. Unfortunately, Špirić added, we live in such an environment and such a time, but all this must not discourage us in the fight for the rights of citizens and the rights of Republika Srpska in general. The Office of Foreign Assets Control /OFAC/ of the US Department of Treasury announced yesterday that it has sanctioned eight persons who participated in the organisation of the Republika Srpska Day celebration, including Republika Srpska Interior Minister, Siniša Karan, Republika Srpska Constitutional Court President, Gerard Selman, and the President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts, Rajko Kuzmanović.