SDS, PDP i SDA Called the Hague Indictees to Surrender

24 May 2004

The Narodna skupstina (Parliament) of Republic of Srpska adopted the information submitted by the Ministry of the Interior of RS on the police activities in Hajducke Vode and Visegrad and concluded that "the tragic events in Visegrad, as well as the following events, have achieved the level of political involvement which puts in danger the authority of the RS institutions".

The Conclusion, adopted with 47 votes for, 16 against, while seven MPs abstained, supported by the MPs of the Serb Democratic Party, the Party for Democratic Prosperity and the Party for Democratic Action, reiterated the determination of the Narodna Skupstina to actively cooperate on the fulfillment of the international obligations of RS and B&H. It includes the appeals for voluntary surrender to the ICTY indictees, as well as activities for their apprehention and bringing to justice.

Tarik Sadovic, the Parliamentary Whip of the SDA's Club, in his explanation why his party voted for the Conclusion, said that there was no prior agreement with the SDS. He added that the Parliament accepted the SDA initiative to include a public appeal to the "Hague indictees still at large to surrender voluntarily, in order to avoid the future suffering of innocent civilians", as well as the request to employ new personnel from the Bosniak nation into the Ministry of Interior of Republic of Srpska.

The Party of Independent Socialdemocrats (SNSD) said that it didn't support the Conclusions because of the fact that the Parliament didn't accept the Party's demands to revoke the current Minister of Interior Zoran Djeric adn the Director of Police of RS, Radomir Njegus.

The Narodna skupstina called on all institutions and individuals involved in these events to provide for a full implementation of the Law and functioning of the legal order, and from the competent authorities it demanded that complete the investigation and present the truth about the events in Visegrad as soon as possible.