OSTOJIĆ: REMOVAL OF USTASHA SYMBOLS IS GOOD, BUT IDEOLOGY STILL EXISTS

BANJA LUKA, MAY 25 /SRNA/ – The Minister of Labour, War Veterans and Disabled Persons Protection of Republika Srpska, Radan Ostojić, has said today in Banja Luka that it is good that Ustasha symbols have been removed from a monument at a Catholic cemetery in Modran near Derventa, but that this does not resolve the issue as that ideology still persists today.

Referring to the suffering of the Serb people in the Independent State of Croatia /NDH/, as well as the ethnic cleansing in Croatia during the last war, Ostojić stated that the removal of Ustasha symbols is a matter of general interest and should not be a subject of disputes and divisions. "Even today, within a large part of the Croatian people there is a general attitude that reflects hostility toward Serbs. As a people, we must find adequate measures to fight against this, wherever we live, because there are no longer many Serbs in Croatia. Our memorials and graves are disturbing to them; concerts are organised where Ustasha symbols are displayed and calls are made to kill Serbs. This is a message that, as a people, we still face danger and must be aware of what threatens us," Ostojić told the press. He emphasized that after the adoption of a Resolution condemning ideological relativization and revival of NDH ideology, as well as denial and minimization of genocide against Serbs, conditions have been created for the swift adoption of a law on cemeteries, monuments, and memorials in Republika Srpska.