VIPOTNIK: I WILL URGE PLENKOVIĆ TO DROP TRGOVSKA GORA PLAN

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 11 /SRNA/ – The Minister for Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of Republika Srpska Bojan Vipotnik has said today he will ask Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to halt the construction of a nuclear waste disposal site at Trgovska Gora.

Vipotnik stated that the Croatian prime minister is expected to arrive today, and that he will use the opportunity, as minister, to call on him to withdraw from the project and to take into account the demands of Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH. “We sent an open letter, authored by the BiH Council of Ministers member Staša Košarac, urging Croatia to halt the adoption of the law and the entire process,” Vipotnik told reporters in Banja Luka. He noted that several members of the Croatian Parliament also pointed out today that Trgovska Gora is not a suitable location for nuclear waste storage. “This is a politically motivated decision, made without consulting experts or scientific authorities. BiH was not included in the process, even though it is directly affected. We have absolute consensus on this issue,” Vipotnik stated. He reminded that Croatia has received warnings and penalties from the European Commission but continues to push forward with the construction of the disposal site. “The majority of Croatia opposes this project and the manner in which they intend to complete it,” Vipotnik concluded. He said that Republika Srpska and BiH will not give up their efforts to prevent Croatia from building the facility and will use all available instruments prescribed by law and international conventions.