SARAJEVO, March 30 (Hina) - The chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's three-men Presidency, Sulejman Tihic, has confirmed that he will launch proceedings for changing the name of Republika Srpska (the official name of the Bosnian Serb
entity), as there is a legal obligation to adjust the name of that entity to a decision of the Constitutional Court on the three peoples (Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs) being constituent on the entire territory of the country.
SARAJEVO, March 30 (Hina) - The chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's
three-men Presidency, Sulejman Tihic, has confirmed that he will
launch proceedings for changing the name of Republika Srpska (the
official name of the Bosnian Serb entity), as there is a legal
obligation to adjust the name of that entity to a decision of the
Constitutional Court on the three peoples (Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs)
being constituent on the entire territory of the country.#L#
Tihic's office sent a statement to the Hina correspondent in Sarajevo
on Tuesday saying that during the enforcement of the Constitutional
Court's decision on the equality of all the three nations, the
Republic of Srpska amended its constitution which defines that part of
Bosnia as the entity of Serbs, Bosniaks, Croats and other peoples.
"It is my obligation, under the Constitution, to insist on the
consistent respect for human rights and freedoms and to fight against
any form of discrimination. I believe that the name of the entity,
which includes the pre-modifier Serb, is discriminatory against the
other constituent peoples and other ethnic groups and that's why it
should be changed," Tihic said in the statement, adding that a final
decision on the matter will be made by the Bosnian Constitutional
Court.
Tihic also believes that the name 'Republika Srpska' is contrary to
the 2001 constitutional amendments providing for the equal status of
all citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, regardless of their ethnic
background and place of residence.
Tihic's statement was issued after officials of the Bosnian Serb
entity and almost all Serb parties in the country levelled severe
criticism against him because of such an initiative. They criticised
Tihic's previous announcement that the renaming of the Republic of
Srpska would be asked following the Constitutional Court's decision on
the obligation to remove the adjective Serb from names of some cities
and towns in Bosnia.
Local Serb politicians have threatened "to bring into question
Bosnia-Herzegovina" if Bosniak leaders continue disputing the Republic
of Srpska. This conclusion was endorsed by the Serb entity's
parliament in Banja Luka on Tuesday.
(Hina) ms sb