PETRITSCH ASKED TO ANNUL CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS IN SERB ENTITY

SARAJEVO, April 8 (Hina) - Members of the Constitutional Commission of the Republika Srpska Parliament from the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina (SDP), Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH), and the New Croat Initiative (NHI) on Monday said that constitutional amendments adopted last week in the Bosnian Serb parliament were illegal and illegitimate and forwarded a strong protest to High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch. #L# A statement released by a co-ordinating body of the three political parties that signed the Sarajevo Agreement on constitutional amendments on March 27 states that 10 out of 16 members of the Serb parliamentary Constitutional Commission believe that the amendments adopted in that entity damage the vital national interests of Croats and Bosniaks and other minority groups, thus most harshly violating their human rights. The members of the Constitutional Commission therefore requested High Representative Petritsch to use his authority and annul the adopted amendments. Amongst else, they warned that the new provisions of the Constitution of Republika Srpska envisaged the possibility of a referendum on independence, i.e. secession from Bosnia- Herzegovina. (hina) sb sp