Mektić: BiH can accept 5,000 refugees, after that we will close the border

Dragan Mektić, BiH Minister of Security, said at an extraordinary press conference in Sarajevo today that, after Croatia closed its border, there is a real possibility that BiH will become a corridor through which refugees will want to reach Western Europe, reports the news agency Patria.

Mektić clearly emphasized that BiH is ready to be a transit country for all refugees, but also ready to close its borders if it is determined that refugees have nowhere to go from BiH.

BiH is ready to accept people up to its capacity (food, accommodation), which currently amounts to 5,000 people. Unfortunately, we cannot take more than that because, while respecting all human rights, BiH must first think about the rights of its citizens. We cannot allow tens of thousands of refugees to enter BiH and for anarchy to occur, Mektić stated.

He said that so far not a single person from this category has entered BiH. The Council of Ministers is constantly in contact with local communities, which are expected to receive refugees.

- The Council of Ministers is ready and must help these communities to adequately respond to this problem, Mektić emphasized.

When asked how the border would be closed and whether barbed wire might be used, Mektić said there was no need for that.

- We cannot say anything until we see concretely what will happen. If the Border Police cannot respond to our potential request to close the border, we may involve the entity MUPs to help them.

For now, this is all just a plan, because there are no indications yet of a mass influx of refugees into BiH, Mektić said.

Regarding accommodation capacities, Mektić said that, for example, in Bijeljina there are certain abandoned factories that could be converted into reception centers.

Also, about a hundred refugees can be accommodated in the Asylum Center in Sarajevo, and if necessary, reception centers can be established in the style of the one in Croatia, where the Zagreb Fairgrounds were used, Mektić said.