MAZALICA: WE WILL REJECT BEĆIROVIĆ'S DECISION

BANJA LUKA, JULY 7 /SRNA/ - The Head of the SNSD caucus in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Srđan Mazalica said today that the decision by the Chairman of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović on the appointment of members of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH would be rejected, as it concerns a matter of the highest national importance.

"The National Assembly of Republika Srpska will reject the decision, and sessions such as this are a manifestation of the political power of Republika Srpska," Mazalica said at a special session of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on the veto by the Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović. He assessed that this was one of the most important issues on which a Serb member of the Presidency could exercise a veto and one that should be discussed by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. Mazalica believes that Anđelina Ošap Gaćanović, the member of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments from Republika Srpska, performed her duties very well and halted the Commission's work that was contrary to the Dayton Agreement. "This is an important issue for Republika Srpska for two reasons: constitutional and legal, and identity-related. Through the Commission's work, the constitutional powers of the entities can be undermined, and their influence in the decision-making process reduced. The Commission's work is also being used to revise historical facts, that is, matters that we consider to be part of the Serb people’s heritage," Mazalica stressed. He stressed that MPs should jointly demonstrate unity on issues of importance to Republika Srpska and the Serb people.