Hil: Political leaders who distract voters with nationalism will have less room now!

I have thought a lot about the consequences of these unprecedented floods in BiH and, perhaps it is too early to talk about it, but we have seen an exceptional engagement of citizens in helping each other, people from Teslić helping Bosniaks in Doboj and vice versa, said Nicholas Hill, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Sarajevo, for the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

He therefore believes that leaders who nurture nationalist rhetoric and shy away from real problems will now have less room to act.

- I hope that political leaders who have constantly engaged in some ethnic debates in the last 20 years to distract people from real problems, the economy and corruption, will have a harder time engaging in such activities. Problems in this country must be solved urgently, and we have seen this positive development of the situation, and I hope that this momentum will be maintained – emphasized Hill, answering the question of whether this natural disaster will ease or complicate the political situation in BiH. 

Speaking about the US engagement in helping BiH, Hill emphasized that the United States has provided aid worth 2.2 million dollars to Bosnia and Herzegovina to date.

According to him, options for continuing assistance in accordance with needs are currently being considered in Washington. He added that the American government sent its aid to BiH while the rains and rescue operations were still ongoing.

- Our aid office had an officer on the ground, we delivered 26 boats that were used a lot in rescues. The Ministry of Defense and our armed forces prepared a convoy with emergency aid that was in Italy, and it arrived in Banja Luka, and then the aid was transferred to the flooded regions. Our experts went to all the flooded locations and identified what is needed. This is emergency and initial aid. We have an aid program that was active even before the floods and it amounts to about 30 million dollars. Some of it will go towards addressing flood-related needs, but at this moment I cannot say how much money we will redirect – explained Hill.

When asked how American experts estimate the amount of damage caused, Hill said that a reliable assessment will take time.

- It will take weeks for that. The EU is trying to get an assessment by June 16 or 18, and that is an ambitious date, but you cannot fly a helicopter over the weekend and get an assessment and proportion of the damage. Our experts are here and on the ground, visiting areas and identifying the situation. But, it is still too early for an assessment. This country will be lucky if 20 percent of its needs are met by donations. But then investment will come into play, because the damage is enormous. That is why the Forum for Prosperity and Employment, organized by Ambassador Peter Sorensen two days ago, is extremely important – said Hill.

He emphasized that he was impressed by the coordination during the disaster at the BiH Ministry of Security and the Operational Communication Center. Experts who came to BiH also assessed this action positively. Hill particularly praised the engagement of the BiH Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.