SELAK: SRPSKA SEEKS POWERS DEFINED BY DAYTON AND WANTS NOTHING THAT BELONGS TO OTHERS

TESLIĆ, OCTOBER 9 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska Minister of Justice Goran Selak said that Republika Srpska advocates the powers defined by the Dayton Peace Agreement and does not want anything that belongs to others.

Selak told reporters in Teslić that Republika Srpska had consistently called for respect for the Dayton Peace Agreement and the constitutions of Republika Srpska and BiH.

He said that they were waiting for the right political moment to review, together with future partners, the powers unlawfully and unconstitutionally transferred after the formation of the government at the BiH level, with a view to returning them to the entities.

Selak, who is attending the 23rd conference of legal professionals, "October Legal Days", in Teslić, said that such academic gatherings provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience from both research and practice.

He said that the relevant ministry and the Government of Republika Srpska were seriously analysing the conclusions of the conference.

President of the Republika Srpska Association of Lawyers Vitomir Popović recalled that the unconstitutional and unlawful transfer of entity powers to the joint institutions had not proved justified or effective, which was why the issue needed to be revisited.

"It is up to us lawyers to contribute to establishing the appropriate legal framework and to serve the development of the entire system of Republika Srpska," Popović said.

The conference is also being attended by President of the Serbian Association of Lawyers Vesna Kovačević Stanković, who stressed the importance of expertise, professionalism, morality and ethics in strengthening judicial institutions and reinforcing the role of law, justice and fairness.

Stanković said that they followed the papers presented in Serbia and were familiar with many of the issues in this field.

The two-day "October Legal Days" conference is organized by the Republika Srpska Association of Lawyers and the Faculty of Law of the University of Banja Luka.

The conference's general theme is "The Development and Functioning of the Legal System". Its work is divided into six sections: constitutional and state law, civil law, commercial law, criminal law, administrative and labor law, and international law.

The co-organizers are the Faculty of Law of the University of Istočno Sarajevo, the Bar Association, the Notaries Chamber, the Centre for the Education of Judges and Prosecutors, and the Republic Administration for Geodetic and Property-Legal Affairs.

The Office of the President of Republika Srpska is the main sponsor.

The conference is being held at the Kardial Hotel in Banja Vrućica, near Teslić.