Lagumdžija: In three weeks, we will know the extent of the damage

We must unite in these difficult times, put aside all divisions and give the people who know how to do their job a chance, said Zlatko Lagumdžija, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an interview with the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

Because, as he points out, if an atmosphere is created that no one here is doing anything and that all this is a complete institutional failure, how can we expect anyone to help us at all.

- I don't know if that's possible in an election year. But, as far as I and the people I can influence are concerned, stabilization and reconstruction of the country will be our priority. If the people recognize that, we will be happy, and if not, and the people recognize some who spread demagoguery, I will be sorry for this country. The most important thing for me is to do what I can in these few months and to have a clear conscience – says Lagumdžija.

His ministry has been tasked with organizing an international donors' conference to help those affected by the floods in BiH. However, he says it is still too early to talk about a tentative date for the conference. First of all, Lagumdžija says, the damage must be precisely determined.

- But that is still not possible. The water has not receded from some areas. Rescue operations are still ongoing, in fact. We have a constant increase in landslides, up to 3,000! We have formed a group at the Council of Ministers of BiH consisting of representatives from three key ministries, two from the entities and one from the Brčko District. To create a methodology for damage assessment and a proposal for criteria for the implementation of the collected aid. That is why an expert assessment is important. It can be the basis for an international conference – says Lagumdžija.

According to him, a credible damage assessment will require at least three weeks of serious work at all levels of government.

- We have 9,000 minefields in those landslides, we have 230 schools and medical facilities that are completely unusable. You have a devastated Health Center in Maglaj; it would be easier for us if it were just a field and we had to rebuild from scratch. We know that the damage amounts to billions of marks, that it is even greater than the material destruction during the war, but only God Almighty knows the extent of the damage from this catastrophe – emphasizes Lagumdžija.