ŠPIRIĆ: POLITICAL SARAJEVO CONTINUES BLOCKADE OF THE HOUSE AND THREATENS BiH’S EUROPEAN PATH

SARAJEVO, JUNE 30 /SRNA/ - Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Nikola Špirić said today that political Sarajevo has continued to block this House and that such behavior is jeopardizing BiH’s European path.

Špirić said that a similar situation has not been recorded in BiH’s institutions since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, stressing that the House of Peoples has been under blockade since its very constitution.

"This is yet another failed attempt today to turn the House of Peoples into a civic chamber. I think it is clear to everyone in BiH who has been blocking the House of Peoples for four years," Špirić told reporters after the session.

He stated that members of the Bosniak Caucus stayed in the hall but did not participate in the proceedings, and he assessed that by doing so, they demonstrated that they do not want to resolve issues, including those related to BHRT.

Špirić said that he and the Speaker of the House of Peoples, Dragan Čović, tried to adopt what had consensus, but that the other side was not willing to take even that approach.

According to him, the institutions of BiH are being used for intra-party election campaigning, which is why he does not expect significant progress in the work of the House of Peoples in the coming months.

Speaking about BiH's European path, Špirić noted that the blockades of institutions have previously harmed the country and slowed down reform processes, adding that progress will only be made if those who block the work of the House of Peoples change their behavior.

Regarding the issue of publishing today's adopted decisions, Špirić stated that everything adopted in accordance with the Rules of Procedure will be published, and that "individual delegates will not decide on this."

Commenting on the possible departure of Christian Schmidt, Špirić said that the international factor should allow domestic politicians to negotiate solutions on their own.

"I believe that even the worst solution from BiH is better than the best imposed international solution," Špirić said.