SARAJEVO, May 20 (Hina) - Bosnia's lawsuit against Yugoslavia before the International Court of Justice in The Hague will not be financed from budgetary funds, but it will not be dropped either, the Bosnian Presidency concluded on
Monday.
SARAJEVO, May 20 (Hina) - Bosnia's lawsuit against Yugoslavia
before the International Court of Justice in The Hague will not be
financed from budgetary funds, but it will not be dropped either,
the Bosnian Presidency concluded on Monday. #L#
At an extraordinary session scheduled at the request of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the Bosnian
Presidency adopted a new draft budget for this year from which an
item about financing the agent representing Bosnia in the suit
filed in 1993 against Belgrade for aggression and genocide has been
erased.
The Bosnian parliament's House of Representatives last week
dismissed the draft budget because Serb representatives refused to
support the continuation of the lawsuit against Yugoslavia.
The Bosnian Presidency did not have much choice in this situation,
because if the budget should not be adopted by the start of June, the
country would lose 165 million US dollars the IMF and the World Bank
planned to donate through projects of reform of the social sector.
The chairman of the Presidency, Beriz Belkic, told reporters that
the lawsuit would be financed from the Presidency's current
reserves.
More than 430,000 convertible marks will be needed this year to
finance the suit against Yugoslavia, and funds will be secured
based on a decision by the Council of Ministers.
Belkic said there was reason to fear the whole case could become
more complicated, because the Council of Ministers must make
decisions by consensus.
Serb representatives have already stated they will not vote for any
decision supporting lawsuits against Belgrade. Any possible
verdict against the regime in Belgrade would mean rescinding the
Serb entity in Bosnia.
(hina) lml sb