REMEMBERING THE EXODUS OF SARAJEVO SERBS - VOW FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

PALE, MARCH 16 /SRNA/ – The Sarajevo Serbs’ decision to leave their homes in 1996 was an act of pride as they refused to remain under Muslim rule, therefore remembering this act must be a vow for future generations, said SNSD leader, Milorad Dodik.

Dodik told the press in Pale that Sarajevo Serbs leaving their centuries-old homes three decades ago, which they had previously defended bravely and honourably in wartime, is a sad fact. According to him, what strengthens Serb national pride is the fact that Sarajevo Serbs, despite having to leave everything behind, did not want to remain under the Muslim rule of Alija Izetbegović and were therefore ready to endure a new golgotha. Dodik recalled that he was in Pale that year, where the leadership of Republika Srpska was holding sessions. “I was one of the deputies who wanted to visit the convoy, and we headed toward Lukavica. I saw people in convoy lumns in very cold weather, with heavy snow, but no one wanted or even questioned returning,” he said. He emphasized that Sarajevo Serbs are the part of the Serb population that suffered the most and contributed the most to Republika Srpska. Dodik pointed out that in the meantime Pale has been developed and is now several times larger than it was three decades ago, that Istočno Sarajevo has grown into an urban whole, and that municipalities in this part are now connected by a modern road via Jahorina Mountain. "We have raised Jahorina to a much higher level than anyone could have imagined. We are building faculties, the university, the rectorate – everything that was necessary. We are building new dormitories for students," Dodik said. He has assessed that everything has been done to preserve civic life in Istočno Sarajevo and that all municipalities within the city are recording progress. "That is a small satisfaction for everything the people of this region have done," he emphasized.