SDP supports civil society activities and proposed Principles for amendments to the Constitution of BiH

(Patria) - Realizing the joint commitment to organize meetings with the leadership of political organizations, today representatives of civil society organizations of the Council of the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals, the Croatian National Council in BiH, the Serbian Civic Council - Movement for Equality, and the Forum of BiH Parliamentarians 1990 held a meeting in Sarajevo with a delegation of the SDP BiH led by President Nermin Nikšić and Secretary General Elvir Karajbić.

During the meeting, the delegations informed each other about the current socio-political and constitutional crisis, as well as the negotiations being conducted with representatives of the OHR, the EU delegation, and other international envoys regarding changes to the Constitution and the Election Law in BiH.

SDP BiH President Nikšić clearly expressed support for the agreed Principles for amendments to the Constitution of BiH, which were harmonized by non-governmental organizations and supported by more than 62,000 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the homeland and abroad, as well as dozens of other NGOs (KBSA, Institute for Genocide Canada, Society for Threatened Peoples, Center for the Promotion of Civil Society, Jewish Cultural Society La Benevolencija, Association Croatian Home, etc.) via the web application www.izmjeneustava.com.

Nikšić emphasized that the SDP BiH will officially invite its membership, sympathizers, and all citizens who have not yet done so to support the proposed Principles via the web application. It was agreed that the proposed Principles can serve as a starting point for gathering political forces whose priority is the fight for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where all peoples and citizens will enjoy full human rights and freedoms. The SDP BiH encouraged non-governmental organizations to continue talks with other political organizations, primarily those with representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH that clearly oppose and do not accept ethno-national division in BiH.

During the meeting, special attention was also paid to the issue of resolving state property in BiH, where it was clearly agreed that the basis for all discussions is the implementation of the final judgment of the Constitutional Court of BiH, which clearly ruled that the state of BiH is the owner of state property, and that ownership cannot be negotiated, while the scope and manner of managing and using state property by lower levels of government should be defined through the procedure and decision-making in the PSBiH. There is great potential at the state's disposal that can be utilized for the development of entities, cantons, cities, and municipalities.

The SDP BiH thanked the civil society organizations for their engagement, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation in this important period for BiH, and stated that the SDP BiH remains open for further cooperation and meetings. NGO representatives expressed gratitude for the visit of the SDP BiH President and his associates, the open discussion, and the commitment to send a clear message to domestic and international officials that Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs in Euro-Atlantic integrations and that BiH has the right to be organized like all democratic states in Europe.