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Serbia to insist on solution to refugee issue
Belgrade,
4 August 2008
Serbian Minister of Labour and Social Policy Rasim Ljajic stated that Serbia will ask Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia for an emergency meeting at the ministerial level, devoted to the refugee issue and the Sarajevo Declaration.
Rasim Ljajic
In a statement to the Beta news agency, on occasion of the anniversary of the Croatian police operation Storm, Ljajic said that Serbia will demand more active participation of the international community because the issue of refugees cannot be solved by neglecting their problems.
He stressed that at all international forums Serbia will insist on the solution to the issue of refugees, because the reconciliation process in the region cannot be successful unless the refugee file is closed.
He said that the implementation of the Sarajevo Declaration, signed by Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro, has not gone very far because there has not been political willingness to solve this issue.
He recalled that the document envisages that before the end of 2006 the issue of refugees on the territory of former Yugoslavia is solved, however human rights of refugees are still being breached despite the presence of the international community representatives – the European Commission, UNHCR and the OSCE.
According to him, the problem is not even close to being solved, primarily because refugees cannot exercise their rights or the so-called sustainable return.
Serbia is one of the five states in Europe with the largest number of refugees, therefore we do not have the right to keep quiet about this fact, stressed Ljajic and said that the international community has done nothing to implement the Sarajevo Declaration, and that the neighbouring countries have not showed even the minimum willingness to solve any of the problems refugees are faced with.
We are still dealing with heavy war aftermath, but a successful solution to the issue of the Hague Tribunal, the missing and refugees will give a contribution to the overall reconciliation process amongst the peoples and the states in the region, said the minister.
Even if all indictees are extradited to The Hague, reconciliation will not be successful until we solve the problems of refugees and missing persons on the territory of former Yugoslavia, said Ljajic.
Today is the 13th anniversary from the beginning of the Croatian military operation Storm, which resulted in the exodus of over 200,000 Serbs from Croatia.
He stressed that at all international forums Serbia will insist on the solution to the issue of refugees, because the reconciliation process in the region cannot be successful unless the refugee file is closed.
He said that the implementation of the Sarajevo Declaration, signed by Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro, has not gone very far because there has not been political willingness to solve this issue.
He recalled that the document envisages that before the end of 2006 the issue of refugees on the territory of former Yugoslavia is solved, however human rights of refugees are still being breached despite the presence of the international community representatives – the European Commission, UNHCR and the OSCE.
According to him, the problem is not even close to being solved, primarily because refugees cannot exercise their rights or the so-called sustainable return.
Serbia is one of the five states in Europe with the largest number of refugees, therefore we do not have the right to keep quiet about this fact, stressed Ljajic and said that the international community has done nothing to implement the Sarajevo Declaration, and that the neighbouring countries have not showed even the minimum willingness to solve any of the problems refugees are faced with.
We are still dealing with heavy war aftermath, but a successful solution to the issue of the Hague Tribunal, the missing and refugees will give a contribution to the overall reconciliation process amongst the peoples and the states in the region, said the minister.
Even if all indictees are extradited to The Hague, reconciliation will not be successful until we solve the problems of refugees and missing persons on the territory of former Yugoslavia, said Ljajic.
Today is the 13th anniversary from the beginning of the Croatian military operation Storm, which resulted in the exodus of over 200,000 Serbs from Croatia.
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