STEVANDIĆ: SOME PEOPLE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT ILLEGAL MECHANISMS WILL HELP THEM

BANJA LUKA, JULY 22 /SRNA/ - President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandić said that Republika Srpska has the right to regulate all aspects of life, which also means competencies in connection with symbols, flags, national anthem and monuments, while some people can only hope for a while that they will achieve something using illegal mechanisms.

Stevandić noted that Republika Srpska suffered imputations outside of the law, and it still suffers when it comes to the Declaration on Protection of Vital National Interests of the Serb People in BiH. He emphasized that it does not contribute to the coexistence in BiH. Stevandić reiterated that Christian Schmidt tried to abolish the competences and the rest that belongs to Republika Srpska, but he was prevented in doing so. "I am sure that in the coming period we will succeed in getting rid of foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of BiH, because we need to make agreements with each other," said Stevandić. Stevandić addressed the journalists after the session of the Joint Commission of the National Assembly and the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska on the Declaration on the Protection of the Vital National Interests of the Serb People in BiH, the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republika Srpska and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Cemeteries and Funeral Services. Before the session of the Joint Commission, a session of the People's Council of the Republika Srpska was held. The President of the Club of Delegates of the Bosniak People in the Council of the People of Srpska Alija Tabaković said after the session of the Council of Peoples that the Commission will probably reject the veto and that the Constitutional Court of the Republika Srpska will decide on these acts. The People's Council of Republika Srpska did not reach an agreement today on the initiation of the vital national interest of the Bosniak people on the Declaration and this case is referred to the Constitutional Court of Srpska. Even the Joint Commission did not reach an agreement on the initiation of the protection of the vital national interest of the Bosniak people on the adoption of the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republika Srpska and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Cemeteries and Funeral Services, which is why these cases were forwarded to the Constitutional Court of the Republika Srpska. On July 7, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska unanimously adopted the Declaration on the Protection of the Vital National Interests of the Serb People in BiH, which emphasized the importance of defending the democratically elected institutions of Republika Srpska against all attempts to reduce or abolish their competences and transfer them to the level of joint institutions of BiH with the aim of unitarization. On July 9, the National Assembly adopted the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republika Srpska under an emergency procedure, which foresees up to three years in prison for glorifying the Independent State of Croatia and the so-called Army of BiH.