People and Justice: Council of Ministers' decision to open Bira camp is shameful

(Patria) - Regarding the BiH Council of Ministers' decision to reopen the Bira camp after the closure of the Lipa camp to accommodate around 700 migrants, the People and Justice Provisional Authority of Una-Sana Canton states in a reaction that this is a shameful decision.

The People and Justice Provisional Authority of Una-Sana Canton demands that the BiH Council of Ministers take full responsibility for the migrant crisis, noting that People and Justice steadfastly supports the positions of local authorities and the citizens of Bihać.

“The BiH Council of Ministers must be aware that Bira is located in the middle of the urban part of Bihać and that accommodating hundreds of migrants in the city center would represent a security challenge that could have catastrophic consequences. Migrants cannot be accommodated in Bira, and this is the clear position of the local and cantonal authorities that the BiH Council of Ministers refuses to hear,” the People and Justice reaction states.

People and Justice adds that the BiH Council of Ministers' decision to shift the entire burden of the migrant crisis to Una-Sana Canton and Sarajevo Canton, i.e., areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina where Bosniaks are the majority, is shameful.

“We are particularly disappointed by the attitude of Bosniak ministers in the BiH Council of Ministers who are not acting in a statesmanlike manner. The question arises here whether the Minister of Security is the minister for the entire country or for two cantons. No one is against helping migrants, and there are already proposals on how to distribute the burden evenly among all local communities. Thousands of migrants are currently accommodated in Una-Sana Canton and Sarajevo Canton, and it must be clearly stated here that we have reached a line that we must not cross under any pressure,” the statement adds.

The hypocritical practice of international officials, from the IOM to the European Union, who try to portray the citizens of Bihać, Sarajevo, and other places as unwilling to accept migrants, is particularly controversial.

“Migrants come to BiH through the territory of the EU, which then does not want them. Furthermore, on their way to Sarajevo and Bihać, migrants cross the territory of the BiH entity Republika Srpska, whose officials behave as if this situation does not concern them, and ministers from SDA and DF enable them to do so. The patience of the citizens is running out, and we want to clearly state that we are not prepared to be strung along for months and made fools of,” the statement from the People and Justice Provisional Authority of USK concludes.