Bosić: I demand the introduction of the Serbian language in cantons where it is not even mentioned

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Mladen Bosić (SDS), Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has submitted a request for a review of the constitutionality of the constitutions of cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina that do not recognize the constituent status of the Serbian people, nor the Serbian language and Cyrillic script.

At today's press conference, he said that he expects the Constitutional Court to seize the opportunity to show that it protects the provisions of the Constitution and to ensure equal treatment and rights for all three constituent peoples, Serbs in five cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, just as it is regulated in the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Local authorities in the Posavina Canton, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde, and West Herzegovina Canton are obliged to urgently amend the unconstitutional provisions and to adopt amendments to the cantonal constitutions recognizing the constituent status of Serbs as a people, with full equality of the Serbian language and the Cyrillic script as an official language and script in the listed cantons - states Bosić's request.

When asked whether he will do anything regarding the position of Bosniaks and the language in the Republika Srpska, Bosić replied:

- As far as I know, in the Republika Srpska, the issue of the name of the language in the Constitution of the Republika Srpska is resolved by stating that the official languages in the Republika Srpska are the languages spoken by Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats. Due to these artificial conflicts over the name of the language, such a formulation is in the Constitution of the Republika Srpska. I speak Serbian, Bosniaks speak the Bosnian language, but I have nothing against everyone calling their language as they think it should be and having the name of their language in documents. I am liberal on this issue - said Bosić.

Bosić said that the Serbian language is not mentioned in five cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- I demand that it be introduced, even if it is called 'the language spoken by the Serbian people' - said Bosić.