MPs visit returnees in RS: Stop endangering security and peace

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - A group of members and delegates of the houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina visited today Foča, Prijedor, Bratunac, Gacko and Janja where they met with elected officials as well as representatives of returnees in communities where harassment and threats to their security have been recorded in recent days.

Chairman and members of the House of Representatives Denis Zvizdić, Saša Magazinović and Predrag Kojović, and delegate in the House of Peoples Denis Bećirović in Foča spoke with representatives of returnees to Foča as well as with the deputy mayor of the
municipality of Foča Vesna Rašević and the president of the Foča Municipal Assembly Srđan Drašković.

After that, a visit to Gacko followed and a meeting with representatives of the returnee community, with whom the current situation was also discussed in light of recent disturbing events.

Members of the House of Representatives Mirjana Marinković-Lepić, Zlatan Begić and Šemsudin Mehmedović in Bratunac spoke with the president of the Municipal Assembly Radislav Jovanović, and this meeting was also attended by the Vice President of Republika Srpska Ramiz Salkić. A working meeting followed with the mayor of Bratunac Srđan Rankić, after which they also spoke with representatives of returnees in Janja.

During the visit to Prijedor, members Jasmin Emrić, Vlatko Glavaš, Aida Baručija and Zukan Helez spoke with representatives of returnees as well as with members of the Krajina Veterans Association from Prijedor, Novi, Kostajnica, Dubica and Gradiška.
The group of MPs spoke with the president of the Prijedor City Assembly Mirsad Duratović, and one of the topics discussed today was the request to provide increased funds for support of return in the Budget of the Federation of BiH.

A unanimous assessment from today's meetings is that it is necessary to stop endangering the security of returnees and continue cooperation and peacebuilding, as this is the only possible and acceptable solution for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Meeting participants agreed that it is necessary to work on strengthening the overall economic situation in the country. They said that coexistence and easing tensions are important for everyone and that it is necessary to work on even greater construction of infrastructure facilities important for improving the quality of life of returnees, as well as on the construction and reconstruction of housing units, and on activities that will enable the opening of new jobs.