CONSENSUS NECESSARY ON PROTECTION OF CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 30 /SRNA/ - Issues related to the protection of cultural and historical heritage and national monuments require full respect for constitutional competencies, mutual dialogue, and achieving consensus, rather than making decisions by outvoting one of the members of the BiH Presidency, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska told SRNA.

This ministry expressed concern over the unconstitutional attempt to appoint members to the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, including the attempt to reintroduce foreign experts into its composition. "Accepting such a practice would create a dangerous precedent where, in the future, decisions on the cultural heritage of Republika Srpska would be made by outvoting on issues of essential importance, which would seriously bring into question the possibility of its institutional protection and preservation in accordance with constitutional competencies," the Ministry warned. The Ministry supports the decision of the Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović to use the mechanism for the protection of the vital interest of Republika Srpska, as provided by the Constitution, by initiating a veto procedure on the aforementioned decision. "The final word on this issue will be given by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, which will, in accordance with its constitutional powers and prescribed procedures, declare itself on the initiated veto," noted the Ministry. The Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska remains committed to the protection of cultural heritage in accordance with the applicable legal framework, with full respect for the constitutional competencies of Republika Srpska. The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović stated that the National Assembly of Republika Srpska will have the main word on the decision regarding the appointment of members of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, which she declared yesterday to be destructive to the vital national interest of Republika Srpska after it was voted on at a Presidency session without a quorum. Cvijanović said that the Chairman of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović, who proposed this decision, carried out lawlessness, and that constitutional and procedural rules were violated on multiple occasions during the Presidency session.