SERB PRESIDENCY MEMBER'S VETO – INSTITUTIONAL EXPRESSION OF NATIONAL INTEREST

BANJA LUKA, JULY 7 /SRNA/ - The veto of the Serb member of the Presidency of BiH, who is directly elected by the people, is not a personal stance, but an institutional expression of the national interest and must therefore receive unconditional support from the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Socialist Party MP Ognjen Kuljić said.

"Regardless of the issue and circumstances, the veto is an instrument for safeguarding the vital national interest of the Serb people and must not be subject to debate, calculations or politicisation," Kuljić said. He noted that supporting the veto means respecting the will of the people, while challenging it would mean challenging the national interest itself. "Today it is Željka Cvijanović, tomorrow it will be someone else, but this practice must be permanent and independent of individuals. This is about an institution and the people, not about an individual," Kuljić said. Kuljić pointed out that the veto is a shield protecting Serb identity, culture and political strength, and that it guarantees that the Serb people will not be outvoted or marginalised in the institutions of BiH. "That is why it is our obligation to demonstrate unity between the authorities and the opposition, because the national interest stands above party divisions," Kuljić said. He stressed that the Socialist Party's position was clear – the veto of the Serb member of the Presidency must not be called into question. "We all say that our strength lies in unity, and unity is demonstrated precisely through unconditional support for the veto. Today is exactly the moment to reaffirm that unity," Kuljić said. A special session of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska will be held in Banja Luka today, during which lawmakers will vote on the veto invoked by the Serb member of the Presidency of BiH, Željka Cvijanović, against the decision of the Chairman of the Presidency, Denis Bećirović, on the appointment of members of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH. The session will also include consideration of the draft Declaration on the Protection of the Vital National Interest of the Serb People in BiH, proposed by the Veterans' Organization of Republika Srpska and the "Creators of Republika Srpska" Association.