ATTACKS ON SERB RETURNEES SENDING A "BUY ONE-WAY TICKET" MESSAGE

SARAJEVO, JULY 28 /SRNA/ - The Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Nikola Špirić told SRNA that attacks on returnees in the Federation of BiH /FBiH/, even 30 years after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, send a clear message to "buy a one-way ticket".

Špirić also expressed particular concern that since the signing of the Dayton Agreement, the FBiH budget has never been dedicated to supporting sustainable return. "Municipalities with a majority Serb population - Drvar, Glamoč, Grahovo, and Petrovac- are supported by Republika Srpska and Serbia. However, this is not enough. There are still settlements without electricity, water supply, and roads," Špirić warned. He expressed hope that such incidents would be condemned and that there would be a demonstrated willingness to work toward sustainable return. "Attacks do not help create a positive climate in BiH. We believed that the atmosphere of fear and persecution was behind us. I call on all political actors not only to condemn these incidents but also to work towards sustainable return," Špirić said.