LIPIĆ: RELEVANT INSTITUTIONS SHOULD PROTECT SERB RETURNEES

BOSANSKI PETROVAC, SEPTEMBER 17 /SRNA/ – The Petrovac Road Natives Association condemns the provocations, which Serb retunees in Bosanski Petrovac have recently been subjected to and calls on the competent cantonal and FBiH authorities to provide them with all necessary protection, the Association's head Boban Lipić told SRNA.

Serb returnees point out that such provocations occur repeatedly during the commemoration of September 14 in Bosanski Petrovac, the day when, in 1995, Serb civilians and soldiers were expelled from the municipality, many of whom were killed, while the fate of many others remains unknown to this day.

"I call on the competent authorities and the FBiH police to investigate such incidents and punish the responsible one; I call on representatives of the international community to become more actively involved in protecting Serbs’ rights in accordance with the Dayton Peace Agreement," Lipić said.

He said it was completely unacceptable that, 30 years after the war, Serbs in this area are being subjected to provocations by Bosniaks, war-mongering chants, and the display of flags of the so-called Army of BiH.

Lipić warned that such provocations could lead to interethnic conflicts and undermine the peace and coexistence of the three constituent peoples in BiH, which Bosniaks have allegedly advocated for all these years.

"Such provocations and frequent incidents could lead to the remaining small number of Serb returnees in the FBiH leaving their ancestral homes, which we believe is in nobody's interest," Lipić concluded.