LEGAL CLARIFICATION: No one could change the name of the Počitelj bridge without the Parliament and the President of the FBiH!

(Patria) - After the bridge named "Hercegovina" was opened yesterday with a ribbon-cutting, fireworks and folk festivities, today the public must be told the truth about the legally established name of this important and grand bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina, warns Izet Bajrambašić from the Maritime Society in BiH.

"According to the Decision on the 'Spatial Plan of the Area of Special Features of Significance for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina "Highway on Corridor Vc" for a period of 20 years', the exact name of this bridge, as well as the tunnel, is POČITELJ. No one could change that name without the Parliament and the President of the FBiH.

The Decision on adopting the Spatial Plan was made by the Parliament of the FBiH, at the session of the House of Representatives on 25 January 2017, and at the session of the House of Peoples on 9 February 2017. The signatories of the Decision are the speakers of the houses, Edin Mušić and Lidija Bradara.

The Decree on the proclamation of this decision was issued by the President of the FBiH, Marinko Čavara (Number 01-02-590-01/17 of 11 December 2017).

The Decree, Decision and Spatial Plan were published in the Official Gazette of the FBiH ISSN 1512-7079 of 25 December 2017.

On page 41 of the Spatial Plan, it clearly states:

'At the very beginning of this section, the Počitelj Interchange is located, which enables the connection of the highway with the main roads M6 and M17. The centre of this interchange is at coordinates 6481457 and 4779070 at station km 298+000. Further on, the route extends below the settlement of Ševaš njive, north of the settlement of Gradina, crossing the Neretva River via the Počitelj bridge.

On the stretch from the Počitelj Interchange to the crossing of the Neretva River, space is planned for the construction of an interregional hub that will enable the connection of Corridor Vc and the Adriatic-Ionian Highway. The centre of this interregional hub is at coordinates 6480390 and 4778060 at station km 299+510. After the Počitelj bridge, the route cuts into a steep slope and crosses two smaller bridges to the entrance of the Počitelj tunnel.

After the tunnel, a bridge over a deeper valley is planned, and then the route develops along a gentle slope to the Međugorje Interchange (Zvirovići).'

The Spatial Plan has the same legal force as any law adopted in parliamentary procedure, and consistent application is mandatory, without any individual changes, omissions or arbitrariness.

Everything is clearly written and adopted, those responsible in the Motorways of the FBiH public company knew about the Spatial Plan, Decision and Decree. Their responsibility for violating the Decision of the Parliament and the Decree of the President of the FBiH, as well as the arbitrariness, deception and harassment of citizens with the new name of the bridge and tunnel is extremely great," it was stated.